ASUS U36 Laptop Computer Price in the Philippines, Features and Other Info

ASUS U36 Laptop Computer Price in the Philippines, Features and Other Info: In our world where most of our daily computing is done while we are on the move, it is no surprise that notebooks have become a very important part of our daily lives. In the past, having a notebook was considered a luxury. Indeed it was because of the prices commonly associated with notebooks in the olden days.

However, due to the advances in technology with people becoming more and more mobile, the need for something to get work done on while we are say on our way to the office became more and more unbearable. Because of this need, the notebook has successfully made itself more of a necessity and not just a need.

In fact, as of the moment, there are just too many notebooks to choose from should you be in the market for one. Different brands, different manufacturers, different specs. But which one is for you? Would you go for the desktop-replacement type? Or would you go for the gaming rig? Would you go for the netbook? Well, whatever floats your boat, I’m pretty sure there is a notebook especially for you.

However, if you are the type of person who is always on the go and out on the road and can’t be bothered with lugging around town a notebook that will only end up making you a hunchback because of its weight, the recently announced ASUS U36 is perfect for you. Read on as to how this little baby can actually make your day lighter, literally and figuratively.

Design and construction

The ASUS U36 measures 32.2 x 23.2 x 1.90 cm and at first glance already lets you know of its inherent thinness. Made from lightweight materials like an alloy of magnesium and aluminum, the frame of the ASUS U36 is still durable enough to withstand being lugged around most of the day. At 1.6 kg with the included 8-cel battery, running around town with the ASUS U36 in two wouldn’t pose any problems at all.

In addition to that, the ASUS U36 sets itself apart from other brands by having a nanometer coating on its palm rests. This coating basically makes the ASUS U36 notebook look immaculately clean all the time by repelling dirt and fingerprints.

Under the hood

The ASUS has got stuff under its hood that can make it mighty proud. For its processor, it packs second-generation dual-core Sandy Bridge Intel Core i5-480M clocked at 2.66GHz. The very capable processor of the ASUS U36 has 4GB of DDR3 RAM working for it while graphical matters are handled by its NVIDIA GeForce 310M GPU with 1GB of DDR3 VRAM. This specs configuration along can give your trusty desktop a serious run for its money.

Storage on the other hand is taken care of by its 7200rpm 750GB hard drive while networking support is standard with the usual support for integrated Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n built-in Bluetooth V2.1 + EDR.

The display

The display of the ASUS U36 13.3-inch LED-backlit screen with a maximum resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels and aspect ratio of 16:9 for some wide-angle love. As such, since this is an ultraportable notebook, we are betting the farm that the display of the ASUS U36 will have unbelievable sunlight legibility. For its size and weight, this baby just begs to be taken out for a drive so sunlight legibility will definitely be major strength of this notebook. Image quality is also expected to be topnotch for the type of display the ASUS U36 is packing. Colors are expected to be well-saturated, with exceptional sharpness, lots of detail and reduced noise.

The feature set

The feature set of the ASUS U36 is almost the same as to what you will see in other brands in its category today. The only advantage the ASUS U36 packs is that of it has one USB 3.0 (yes, USB 3.0) port aside from the other two USB 2.0 ports it already has. It also has the usual microphone-in jack, a 3.5mm headphone jack, an HDMI port, and has built-in speakers made by Altec Lansing.

Should you be interested in using this as a business notebook, go ahead. It has its array of security features that will satisfy even the most paranoid amongst us. First-off, it has LoJack for laptops already installed on the notebook. It also has BIOS Booting User Password Protection along with HDD User Password Protection and Security.

The bottom line

The ASUS U36 has only been announced recently but the attention it managed to garner is just staggering. I can’t find any fault in this laptop. It’s got the looks, the streamlined design that makes it the world’s thinnest laptop for now, and the innards to go with it. Is the ASUS U36 the end of MacBook Air?

ASUS U36 Laptop Computer Price in the Philippines: Approximately Php 48,000.00

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TP-Link TL-MR3420 Wireless Internet Router Price, Features and Tech Specs

TP-Link TL-MR3420 Wireless Internet Router Price, Features and Tech Specs: The TP-Link TL-MR3420 is a 3G/3.75G and Wi-Fi/wireless Internet router that is very easy to setup and use and is available at an affordable price. Aside from its networking capability via Wi-Fi (Ethernet), users could attach a supported UMTS/HSPA/EVDO USB card to the router, that enables them to quickly connect and share their 3G/3.75G wireless network at speed of up to 300Mbps. The TL-MR3420 offers 3G/WAN fail-over capability, which means you will always be connected even though your main Internet service is disconnected -- The secondary or backup connection will automatically take over, but the primary service will once again be utilized after the connection is restored. Hence, users will have uninterrupted and quality Internet service most of the time. For security, the TP-Link TL-MR3420 is equipped with QSS button that allows you to provide wireless security encryption without trouble. It also uses SST technology that further intensifies link toughness and safety.

TP-Link TL-MR3420 Wireless Internet Router Technical Specifications and Features:

* Standards: IEEE 802.11n/g/b, IEEE 802.3/3u, USB 2.0

* Frequency Range: 2.4-2.4835GHz

* Wireless Transmit Power (MAX): 20dBm

* Modulation Technology: DBPSK, DQPSK, CCK, OFDM, 16-QAM, 64-QAM

* Antenna: 3dBi Detachable Omni Directional Antenna X 2

* Output: 9VDC / 0.85A Switching PSU

* Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.4 x 1.2 in.

TP-Link TL-MR3420 Wireless Internet Router Price in the Philippines: Approximately Php 2,300.00

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Samsung Galaxy Pro B7510 Android Smartphone Price and Features

Samsung Galaxy Pro B7510 Android Smartphone Price and Features: In today’s smartphone market, cutthroat competition seems to be the in thing and the maxim to live by seems to be “dog eat dog, manufacturer knife manufacturer”. And it is true. Smartphone manufacturers try to edge out the competition by coming up with products that have specs that would delight even the most discerning of geeks while trying to undercut their prices. The only winners here are the consumers and what happy consumers they are with lots of options and price points to choose from.

However, manufacturers seem to have neglected this portion of the market: those people who just can’t live without a physical QWERTY keyboard in their smartphones. In fact, I know of people who totally forego the smartphone revolution because they are totally averse to full touchscreen phones and just can’t seem to get the hang of texting on a touchscreen.

In fact, it is very rare that you get acquainted with an Android phone with a QWERTY keyboard of the non-slide-out type. In fact, you can count in the fingers of your hands the number of these types of phones that eventually found their way in the market.

Now we can add one to the statistics – the recently released Samsung Galaxy Pro B7510. What can this Android QWERTY phone offer? Will it be enough to rekindle the lost love for QWERTY keyboard packing smartphones? Read on as we take the Samsung Galaxy Pro B7510 for a ride.

Design and construction

If at first glance the Samsung Galaxy Pro B7510 looks familiar, it really is. This is because it reminds you of another QWERTY packing smartphone, the un-critically acclaimed Motorola Charm. Measuring 108.6 x 66.7 x 10.7 mm, Galaxy Pro B7510 is your typical smartphone with a big-ass candy bar form factor and a physical QWERTY keyboard.

It is made most from plastic so it’s not surprising that it only weighs in at 103.4 grams. Unfortunately, this lightness seems to permeate to its specs, which we will discuss in a bit. In fact, in terms of build quality, the Galaxy Pro B7510 sadly lacks in that department. It doesn’t feel as solidly-built as the other smartphones available today and the QWERTY keyboard feels flimsy to the touch. Some people whoever would still go for something physical to type on regardless of how poor the tactile feedback is.

Under the hood

As mentioned earlier, the lightness is not only in terms of weight but in terms of specs as well. Having said that, let’s take a look at the processor the Galaxy Pro B7510 is packing. It is a generic 800MHz processor with only 512MB of RAM working for it. Since this is only a mid-range smartphone and not supposed to be confused with the likes of the HTC Sensation and Samsung Galaxy S II, there is no dedicated GPU in the Galaxy Pro B7510 to take care of graphical concerns.

In terms of storage, the Galaxy Pro B7510 has a measly 512MB of onboard memory which can be further expanded by using an up to 32GB microSD card on its dedicated card slot for memory expansion. By the way, the retail package of the Galaxy Pro B7510 already includes a 2GN microSD card to add up to the 512MB internal memory of the device.

The display

Because the QWERTY keyboard takes almost half of the front of the Galaxy Pro B7510 up, the handset only has a 2.8-inch TFT capacitive touchscreen with a resolution of 320 x 240 pixels and 256K colors. Although a bit small, the display has integrated sensors like accelerometer and proximity sensors for UI auto-rotate and auto turn-off respectively.

The shooter

Sadly, the Galaxy Pro B7510 only has one camera – a rear-facing 3.15-megapixel shooter that lets you snap images of up to 2048 x 1536 pixels. The shooter also features a smile shutter and panorama mode and also doubles as a digital camcorder capable of recording QVGA clips at 30 frames per second. Sorry, no front-facing camera can be found in the device so no video chats for you.

The bottom line

Since the market for people who want a physical QWERTY keyboard to go with their smartphones is pretty small, this could probably be the justification as to why Samsung sort of scrimped with the innards of the Galaxy Pro B7510.

The device is second-rate at best and certainly wouldn’t be a threat to the behemoths of the smartphone market unless millions of people have a change of heart and prefer physical QWERTY keyboards over full touchscreens. By then, the Samsung Galaxy Pro B7510 will surely become a force to reckon with. But I don’t see that happening in the near future.

Samsung Galaxy Pro B7510 Android Smartphone Price in the Philippines: Approximately Php 12,000.00

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Pentax Q Digital Camera Price, Features and Other Details

Pentax Q Digital Camera Price, Features and Other Details: The kind of technology today is something that we can only dream of say, 10 years ago. Technological changes happen at eye-blinding speeds in addition to becoming all-encompassing. Everything is affected by it.

Take the example of the simple camera. In the olden days, nobody cared how many pixels your shooter packs. As long as you have the requisite film in its loading bay, you are good to go and you can already click away to your heart’s content, storing memories one click after the other.

Today, cameras have become a bit more complicated. With technology touching the camera industry, the shooter also got revolutionized. You now have digital compact, point-and-shoots, DSLRs and the like and the choices just go on and on and on.

However, if you want a compact camera while still retaining the performance and image quality commonly associated with higher priced digital SLRs, then the Pentax Q is just the right one for you. Read on as we try to get to know the Pentax Q better.

Design and construction

At first glance, the Pentax Q actually looks like a toy camera. However, upon closer inspection, you will be able to determine that it is the real thing. In fact, its size makes it the smallest interchangeable lens shooter in the market today with a dimension of 98 x 57 x 31 mm. Although its body is made from an alloy of magnesium, the Pentax Q is still lightweight enough with it tipping the scales at a mere 200 grams including the battery pack and memory card.

The Pentax Q’s magnesium alloy body coupled with the rubber coating in the camera’s front panel gives the camera an impression of being very well-built. In addition to that, its body was scaled down to the extreme that a person with big claws would somehow find a bit of a difficulty in grappling with the camera’s diminutive controls. A person with normal hands though won’t find any resistance in operating them. Because of its size, the control dial on the upper right shoulder of the shooter is within easy reach even for a person with small hands and short fingers.

The thoughtfulness of Pentax with regard to the design of the Pentax Q is apparent with the placement of a customizable Quick Dial on the front panel of the shooter, which at the same time adds to the vintage camera look and feel that the shooter is trying to achieve.

In short, because of its interchangeable lens feature, the Pentax Q is built like a DSLR but handles and feels like your trusty compact point-and-shoot.

The sensor and the flash

The Pentax Q packs a 1/2.3-inch back illuminated CMOS sensor with an effective resolution rate of 12.4 megapixels. Because the sensor of the Pentax Q is backlit, it is expected to offer better overall performance when shooting in lowlight conditions with reduced noise levels.

Aside from capturing JPG and RAW (in .png format) images, the sensor also has a video mode and is capable of shooting MPEG-4 videos in 1080p at 30 frames per second.

Another thoughtful addition to the design of the Pentax Q is the way the flash is integrated into the body of the shooter. It may look built-in and integrated to the body of the shooter but it is far from that. Instead of just popping up, the flash swings up and a bit to the right. This feature of the flash actually reduces the red-eye effect and clears bigger lenses with larger hoods.

The features

In keeping with its compact style, the Pentax Q also has features commonly seen in the more normal point-and-shoots. Aside from automatic dust removal, the Pentax Q also has a sensor-shift image stabilization feature.

It also has an automatic exposure-bracketing high dynamic range mode along with in-camera modes that enable you to apply toy camera and fish-eye effect and color filters that apply color isolation to shots while they are being taken.

Aside from that, the Pentax Q also boasts of shutter and aperture-priority mode, full manual controls and different automated scene modes.

The bottom line

Expected to be released this September 2011 with an introductory price of approximately US$800, the Pentax Q may not get all the attention it deserves because of the hefty price tag. It may have all the bells and whistles for a camera to be successful but at its price point, people may opt to sacrifice size and go instead for one of the entry-level DSLRs available in the market today.

Pentax Q Digital Camera Price in the Philippines: Approximately Php 38,000.00

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Dell XPS 15z Laptop Computer Preview: Price, Features and Other Info

Dell XPS 15z Laptop Computer Preview: Price, Features and Other Info - If there is one thing that can be said about Apple, it is the fact that it always manages to come out with products that are out of this world and yet so pretty to look at. Take the case of the MacBook Air. It is paper-thin and yet packs the performance needed and carries the pedigree of Apple products when it comes to being an eye-candy. Accept it: you just can’t help but glance at somebody pecking away on the keyboard of a MacBook.

I guess this is where Dell got its inspiration from. With the release of the Dell XPS 15z, Dell chucked its mostly impaired design and aesthetics and went with something that could rival the prettiness of the MacBook while packing impressive specs in its guts.

What can the Dell XPS 15z offer? Will it be better off in imitating to a certain extent the MacBook from Apple? Or would it be the notebook’s bane? Read on, as we get up close and personal with the recently released Dell XPS 15z.

Design and construction

At first glance, the Dell XPS 15z almost looks like the MacBook. It has the same smooth curves, the same clean lines, the same textured metal all rolled into one streamlined form factor. Not to mention the aluminum chassis along with the speaker placement was not spared. Up to the placement of the ports and the DVD drive and you got a MacBook wannabe in the Dell XPS 15z.

Measuring 385 x 260 x 25 mm, the XPS 15z is essentially your MacBook, albeit a bit thicker and running Windows instead of Mac OSX. Unfortunately, the look of the MacBook is the only thing that Dell came close to. In terms of build quality, the XPS 15z is at a bit of disadvantage here. Made from an alloy of magnesium and aluminum, the XPS 15z lacks the feel of being solidly built and just the teeniest wee bit of pressure already makes the notebook groan and creak in complaint.

Under the hood

At least, this is one department that Dell actually got right. It packs Intel’s second generation of Sandy Bridge processors in the form of an Intel Core i7-2620M clocked at 2.7GHz. This beast of a power plant has 8GB of DDR3 RAM at its disposal and this combination will actually find it challenging to look for stuff that can actually challenge it.

Graphical matters are handled by an NVIDIA GeForce 525M that packs 2GB of DDR3 VRAM for some graphical goodness while the storage is taken care of by a 7200RPM Seagate 750GB HDD hard drive. Unfortunately, Dell decided to pass up on an SSD here but the XPS 15z would have been a lot powerful if an SDD is working in conjunction with the processor – RAM combination.

The display

The XPS 15z packs a 15.6-inch WLED Full HD display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. The Full HD display as expected provided colors that are almost lifelike in their rendering, exceptional in sharpness and lots of detail.

In the same vein, viewing angles are very good along with sunlight legibility so taking the XPS 15z out for a drive will pose no problems at all in terms of screen clarity.

Input devices

Dell has been very into chiclet-style keyboards as of late and the XPS 15z is no exception. The chiclet-style keys are slightly convex, a bit rounded and comfortable to type on. They provide good tactile feedback and the only complaint here is the lack of a dedicated number pad because the speakers of the XPS 15z took up the space.

The trackpad of the XPS 15z is also very good. It is oversized and is very quick and responsive and provides top-notch accuracy. The trackpad works in conjunction with big, clunky buttons that are hard to miss and provide good tactile feedback like its keyboard with a satisfying click when pressed on.

The bottom line

Overall, the Dell XPS 15z is a very capable notebook in the 15-inch category. It packs everything that you could ask for. Impressive components under its hood, a kick-ass display, very functional input devices and basically all the bells and whistles you could think of. Only time will tell if its MacBook-like appearance be a positive or a negative for the Dell XPS 15z.

Dell XPS 15z Laptop Computer Price in the Philippines: Approximately Php 47,000.00 (Starting Price)

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Cherry Mobile Orbit Android Smartphone Price in the Philippines, Features and Other Info

Cherry Mobile Orbit Android Smartphone Price in the Philippines, Features and Other Info: Like the tablet computer market, the smartphone market is as robust and as dynamic as it can be. Manufacturers actually try to one-up and outdo each other by releasing products with specs and features that we can only dream about ten years ago. As such, manufacturers such as Apple, Samsung, HTC and the like have been having the time of their lives with their respective smartphone behemoths doing very well in terms of market shares and sales.

Sadly, with the state of affairs in most countries, not everybody is willing to part with their hard-earned dinero just to be able to get their hands on any of the superphones of the above-mentioned manufacturers.

This is true in the Philippines where only a small portion of the population will actually get to own the latest superphones which almost cost an arm and leg while the rest of the population are left drooling over the very same mobile devices. However, consumers in the Philippines can actually satisfy their lust for smartphones because Cherry Mobile, a home-grown Philippine mobile phone manufacturer, tries mightily to come out with mobile phones that would give the masses a whiff of what the filthy rich are experiencing with devices from Apple et al.

With the release of the Cherry Mobile Orbit, Cherry Mobile is again on the war path, not to take on the bad boys of the smartphone market, but to get the Android experience to the masses. That being said, what can the Cherry Mobile Orbit offer? Is it good enough, or barely hanging in there? Read on, as we get intimate with the Cherry Mobile Orbit.

Design and construction

The Cherry Mobile Orbit follows the design tradition of Cherry mobile among its mobile phones and the Orbit gets the same treatment. In terms of design, the Orbit looks almost too simple for its own good. No extenders, just your basic Cherry Mobile phone.

Made entirely from plastic except for the glass in its display, the Orbit looks kinda cheap but in a good way. Never in a million years would you think that the cheap-looking Orbit is actually well built. Try pressing on the different parts of the device and not a single creak will emanate from its body. In short, the Orbit looks pretty tough and solid.

Under the hood

This is where things rather get interesting. The Orbit is a budget smartphone after all so we’d like to know if the innards of this device went through budget cuts as well. Not surprisingly, the Orbit only has a Qualcomm MSM7225-1 processor that was clocked at a measly 528MHz. Since the Orbit is also a dual-sim Droid, the 528MHz processor came rather as a surprise because it might not be able to take on the challenge of handling two active SIMs at the same time.

The processor has at its disposal 256MB of RAM and your storage needs are taken care of by 512 MB of onboard memory. Luckily, a dedicated microSD card slot is able to handle cards of up 32GB because obviously, the 512MB of internal memory would get you nowhere.

The display and the shooter

For its display, the Orbit packs a 3.2-inch HVGA capacitive touchscreen with a 320 x 480 screen resolution. . Sad to say, at its price point, there looks to be no sensors integrated on the display of the Orbit but that is almost kinda expected.

For its camera, the Orbit has a 5-megapixel shooter that surprisingly has an autofocus feature and LED flash to boot.

Android for the masses

The biggest draw among Cherry Mobile devices is that they give the masses a taste of the Android experience, which is also the case with the Cherry Mobile Orbit.

The Orbit runs Android 2.2 Froyo for its operating system and even though the device only has a 528MHz processor to power its operation, I was mildly surprised to see that the Orbit exceeded my expectations in terms of performance. Lags and stutters became apparent with heavy multi-tasking but not once did the Orbit become totally useless.

It was even able to handle the dual-SIM feature of the Orbit, which I guess is a first for a device with Android in its guts.

The bottom line

I wouldn’t call the Cherry Mobile Orbit a capable smartphone but it does have its nice qualities. The 528MHz processor exceeded my expectations and the dual-SIM feature makes it more attractive for people who want to maintain two separate SIMs while having access to both at the same time. In the grand scheme of things, the Cherry Mobile Orbit is something that would bring the masses closer to the Android gods.

Cherry Mobile Orbit Android Smartphone Price in the Philippines: Approximately Php 6,500.00

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ViewSonic ViewPad 10 Tablet Computer Preview: Price, Features and Other Details

ViewSonic ViewPad 10 Tablet Computer Preview: Price, Features and Other Details - Supremacy over the tablet market is always anybody’s ball game but Apple and its iPad and iPad 2 have lorded it out for quite some time now. It can be assumed that Apple is the unofficial undisputed heavyweight but other manufacturers are fast coming up from behind and all are trying to play catch up to the company from Cupertino.

Sadly, when you look at the basics, all tablets are created equal. Specs-wise, most of them are almost identical that differences between them are so minor and not easily noticed. However, if you plan on bringing down the iPad dynasty and take the fight to Apple, as a manufacturer, you got to come out with a product that sets itself apart from the sea of tablets flooding the market right now.

This is the idea that ViewSonic kicked around and followed through on when they released the ViewSonic ViewPad 10. To give you a whiff, the ViewPad 10 is capable of dual-booting Android and Windos 7. Interesting right?

But will the innovation be enough to go toe-to-toe with the iPad? How good or bad is the dual-boot feature of the ViewPad 10? Would it be able to revolutionize the way people decide as to what tablet they will be bringing home? Delve in to get the particulars of the dual-booting ViewSonic ViewPad 10.

Design and construction

Measuring 10.8 x 6.7 x 0.57 inches, the ViewPad 10 gives of the impression of length in its body. In fact, it is longer compared to the iPad 2 and this length provides for landscape orientation when using the tablet.

The ViewPad 10 tips the scales at 1.93 pounds. At its weight, it is even heavier than the Motorola Xoom’s 1.60 pounds, which in itself is already heavy. Despite the heft, the ViewPad 10 more than makes up for it in terms of aesthetics. A glass screen stretching from edge-to-edge adorns the front panel while its back panel is done in metal.

The metal back panel may be responsible for the heft of the ViewPad 10 but the added heft makes the device give off an impression of being sturdy and well-built. Though it may not be as sexy as the iPad 2 but the ViewPad 10 is slim enough to slide in easily even in small bags.

Under the hood

Deviating from the norm wherein tablets usually pack a Qualcomm SnapDragon/Scorpion or an NVIDIA Tegra 2 CPU, the ViewPad 10 instead goes the notebook route and goes for an Intel Atom N455 procesor clocked at 1.66GHz. This is paired with 1GB of DDR3 SDRAM while 16GB of onboard memory take care of your storage needs. For expansion purposes, a microSD card slot that can take up to 32GB cards is on the device.

The display

The display of the ViewPad 10 is a 10.1-inch LED-backlit TFT active matrix display with a 1024 x 600 resolution and 700:1 contrast ratio. Sad to say, the display of the device can’t properly handle high-def videos and it struggles even in 720p clips but can fairly manage when streaming videos from NetFlix, Hulu, YouTube and the like.

The software

The software, or 2 software rather of the ViewPad 10 is a thing of interest. Designed to be able to dual-boot Windows and Android, the device would have been something that can make even the most self-assured table wary.

Unfortunately, this is not the case with the ViewPad 10. The tablet runs Android 2.2 Froyo which is optimized for smartphones and not for tablets. Good thing though is that the Android OS is still able to improve the user experience when booting on the Android option but is somehow lacking if you get to use a Honeycomb tablet.

Windows on the device suffers the same fate. First off the ViewPad 10 runs Windows 7 Professional, which is more system resources-hungry and a glutton for juice. In addition to that, the user experience with Windows on the ViewPad 10 is just weird especially that there is no mouse to let you do your right clicks.

In short, what could have been a nice feature of the ViewPad 10 turned out to be its worst nightmare.

The bottom line

The premise of being able to dual-boot Android and Windows on a single device is a very tempting proposition. Sad to say, the ViewSonic ViewPad 10 is just seriously lacking in most aspects that he consumers are well advised to steer away from this device. Enough said.

ViewSonic ViewPad 10 Tablet Computer Price in the Philippines: Approximately Php 30,000.00

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HP LaserJet Pro M1132 All-in-One Printer Price, Features and Specs

HP LaserJet Pro M1132 All-in-One Printer Price, Features and Specs: The HP LaserJet Pro M1132 is a very affordable all-in-one laser printer that can also copy and scan making it an ideal machine for office or any productivity use. It is perfectly created to fulfill the needs of users who want a simple and easy to operate all-in-one printer without having the need to empty their wallets. Featuring Instant-on technology, the HP LaserJet Pro M1132 allows users to print first page quickly after the device is in Auto-Off mode, which also helps save you up to 50% power consumption. It is equipped with Smart Install feature that enables you to quickly setup the printer to any laptop or personal computer without having the need to use a CD installer. Simply connect the device to any PC via USB, and then the installation process will begin immediately.

HP LaserJet Pro M1132 All-in-One Printer Technical Specifications and Features:

* Print speed black (normal, A4): Up to 18 ppm

* Duty cycle (monthly, A4): Up to 8000 pages

* Print technology: Laser

* Print quality black (best): Up to 600 x 600 dpi

* Paper handling standard/input: 150-sheet input tray

* Paper handling standard/output: 100-sheet face-down bin

* Processor speed: 400 MHz

* Scan type: Flatbed

* Optical scanning resolution: Up to 1200 dpi

* Bit depth: 24-bit

* Copy resolution (black text): Up to 600 x 400 dpi

* Copy resolution (color text and graphics): Up to 600 x 400 dpi

* Maximum copies: Up to 99 copies

* Display: Dual digit numeric LED

* Connectivity: USB 2.0

* Dimensions (W x D x H): 415 x 265 x 250 mm

* Weight: 7.0 kg

HP LaserJet Pro M1132 All-in-One Printer Price in the Philippines: Approximately Php 7,500.00

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Mazda MX-5 (Miata) Price in the Philippines (as of June 2011)

Mazda MX-5 (Miata) Price in the Philippines: The Mazda MX-5, known as Miata in the U.S. and Roadster in Japan, is a sleek two-seater sports convertible vehicle that is manufactured by Mazda and Ford since 1989. There are already three generations of Mazda MX-5 released as of this time, and the most recent one was introduced in 2005 that features a 2.0 L (120 cu in) engine. It has a traditional front-engine, rear-wheel drive layout and four-wheel independent double wishbone suspension.

The MX-5 was designed as a small roadster like the well-known BMW Roadster Z4, and has lightweight and minimal mechanical complexity with theoretically direct descendant of the small British roadsters of the 1960s. Its body is made up of unibody or monocoque construction, with detachable front and rear sub-frames. The earlier versions of the Mazda MX-5 weighed in at just over a ton, with engine power output usually at 116 bhp (87 kW), while the later models were heavier but with higher power engines.

The MX-5 has already won numerous car awards that include Wheels Magazine's Car of the Year for 1989 and 2005; Sports Car International's "best sports car of the 1990s" and "ten best sports cars of all time"; 2005-2006 Car of the Year Japan; and 2005 Australian Car of the Year.

Mazda MX-5 (Miata) Price in the Philippines (as of June 2011): Php 2,199,000.00 (2.0L Roadster; 6 Speed; 4-Cyliners w/ VVT; Retractable Hard Top; CBU Japan)

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Leica V-Lux 2 Digital Camera Price and Features

Leica V-Lux 2 Digital Camera Price and Features: Leica has been considered as the Rolls Royce of cameras not only because of the hefty price tag that comes with each unit but the performance that has become synonymous with the brand.

Leica maintains the high performance that its cameras turn out with its partnership with Japanese consumer electronics manufacturing giant Panasonic. This is the sole reason as to why Leicas tend to have twins in the Panasonic line of cameras.

You’re not supposed to be deterred though by this fact. The partnership is only for research and development and Leica still maintains the glamour that is attached to its branding along with the high performance that has been expected from every Leica shooter for the longest time.

With the release of the Leica V-Lux 2, the partnership with Panasonic becomes more apparent with the V-Lux 2 looking very similar to Panasonic’s FZ100. With that in mind, is it worth it to shell out the big bucks just to go home with the V-Lux 2? Or would it be better to scrimp and go for the Panasonic FZ100 instead? What can the V-Lux 2 offer? How good is it? Read on as we rock and roll with the Leica V-Lux 2 to see for ourselves if this really is a Rolls Royce or just a Kia Pride in Rolls clothing.

Design and construction

Like mentioned earlier, the V-Lux 2 eerily looks like the Panasonic FZ100. The differences however are relatively few like the Leica badge and some minor cosmetic changes.

The V-Lux 2 measures 124 x 80 x 95 mm making it almost sized as the DSLRs currently available in the market. However, it only weighs 520 grams and that already includes the battery and the memory card so it is a bit lighter and more comfortable to hold.

There are however a few snags in the construction of this shooter. It gives off a plasticy feel. Buttons are a bit small so if you have bigger claws, it might be a bit of a struggle to contend with these buttons. To compensate for this, the V-Lux 2 is very easy to use and the menu is laid out in a very clear pattern and navigation is very simple.

The sensor and the lens

The V-Lux 2 packs an impressive 1 / 2.33-inch 15.1-megapixel sensor that makes the shooter capable of unbelievable speed and image noise reduction. In addition to that, the sensor is capable of automatic analog-to-digital conversion working with a triple-core image processor. This layout leads to sophisticated image processing, which accounts for the hefty price tag that comes along with the camera.

The superzoom feature of the V-Lux 2 is brought about by its Leica DC Vario-Elmarit 4.5 – 108 mm lens. With this kind of lens that the camera rocks, a wide range of focal lengths becomes possible. It doesn’t matter whether the subject is an expansive landscape or an up-close-and-personal short distance subject, the DC Vario-Elmarit lens of the V-Lux 2 just performs very well and the resulting image is just unbelievable.

The display

The 3-inch LCD display of the V-Lux 2 packs a resolution of 406K pixels and works like the articulated screen found on the Canon Eos 600D making it possible to twist and turn in whatever direction you may prefer.

This twist-and-turn feature is very essential especially if the shooting angles are a bit awkward like when you have to hold the camera high above your head.

Image quality

The combination of the sensor and the lens of the V-Lux 2 can be expected to turn out high quality images with lots of detail and the colors being rendered naturally. Image sharpness is also a given, anytime, anywhere, so long as you are shooting in brightly-lit environments.

A bit of a letdown with the V-Lux 2 is its performance in low-light conditions. This is something that the V-Lux 2 is found lacking wherein image noise increases considerably as you push the ISO settings to the extreme.

The bottom line

The hefty price tag of the Leica V-Lux 2 and its considerable shortcoming in low-light conditions are the only two major snags that can preclude you to taking this baby home. However, if you take those out of the equation, the V-Lux 2 still is a very good superzoom shooter. After all, the Leica brand is still the Rolls Royce of cameras and this baby is no exception.

Leica V-Lux 2 Digital Camera Price in the Philippines: Approximately Php 42,000.00

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Toshiba Satellite L750D Laptop Computer Preview: Price, Features and Other Details

Toshiba Satellite L750D Laptop Computer Preview: Price, Features and Other Details - With every laptop manufacturer all over trying to one-up the competition with coming up with products that pack the latest and the greatest in terms of specs, Toshiba will surely not just roll over and let its competitors have all the fun.

In fact, after AMD came out with their Fusion A-Series architecture that boasts of longer battery life for laptops due to its lower power consumption, Toshiba was the first to snap up this technology and came out with the first AMD Llano-powered laptop in the form of the Toshiba Satellite L750D.

What exactly can we expect from this laptop? What difference will the AMD Llano CPU make? Will it be better than the second-generation Sandy Bridge line of Intel? How will this affect the performance of the Satellite L750D? Read on as we take a closer look at the new Satellite L750D.

Design and construction

The Satellite L750D measures 380 x 250 x 27.7 mm and has that impressive build-quality that has become synonymous with the Toshiba brand. The laptop looks solidly-built and if this takes after the previous Satellite models that are already in the market, the Satellite L750D will be expected to have that solid construction as well.

The laptop tips the scales at 2.5 kg so it is not advisable to lug it around whenever you feel like taking it out for a drive.

Under the hood

This is where the Satellite L750D really shines. As mentioned above, this is the first laptop that came out with the Fusion A-Series technology from AMD. It packs the AMD Llano architecture-based quad-core Phenom II P960 processor clocked at 1.8GHz. as is expected from AMD processors, this can also be overclocked to the limits without encountering any problems.

The processor works with 4GB of DDR3 RAM and its AMD Radeon HD6330M GPU with dedicated 1GB of DDR3 VRAM takes care of all graphical concerns. Storage comes in the form of a 640GB hard drive with a drive rotation of 5,400 rpm.

The display

The Satellite L750D packs a 15.6-inch LED-backlit Toshiba TruBrite HD TFT display with High Brightness levels and resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels. It has an aspect ratio of 16:9 and colors are very sharp with lots of detail. Not only that, the viewing angles are also good as is expected from this type of display.

Input devices

The keyboard of the Satellite L750D features chiclet-style keys with ample spaces in between them. The keys provide very good tactile feedback and you would be touch-typing in the Satellite L750D keyboard in no time at all.

The touchpad on the other hand is very smooth and has a separate on/off button. It has support for multi-touch gestures that include scroll, launch and zoom among others.

Features set

Connectivity-wise, the Satellite L750D has got all the bases covered. Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n is supported along with Bluetooth 3.0 + HS.

The laptop also has the usual array of ports that include 2 USB 2.0 ports on its right side and 1 USB 2.0 port on its left side that supports Sleep-and-Charge. You can also find an RJ-45 port along with an HDMI port. It also has a Multi-Card Reader that supports SD, miniSD, microSD, MS, MS Pro, and MMC.

The Satellite L750D also has an external microphone jack and the standard 3.5mm headphone jack. In terms of the sound system, Toshiba dropped Harman-Kardon and instead gave the Satellite L750D built-in Onkyo stereo speakers with Toshiba Bass Enhanced Sound System and Dolby Advanced Audio. It also has an integrated VGA webcam with built-in mic for your video call needs.

For its operating system, the Satellite L750D runs a pre-installed version of Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit with Toshiba HDD recovery. It also comes bundled with the usual software from Toshiba such as Toshiba Assist, Toshiba Bluetooth Stack, Toshiba face Recognition and the like.

Security features of the laptop include a slot for Kensington Cable Lock. It also features an HDD password on request feature plus the usual supervisor and user passwords.

Battery life

Based on speculations regarding the use of the AMD Llano architecture, a laptop using this type of configuration might be able to last up to 10.5 hours before dying out on you. However, since no real world tests have been done yet, let’s all take this information with a grain of salt.

The bottom line

The Toshiba Satellite L750D is almost similar to the other laptops that Toshiba came out with in terms of component under the hood except for the AMD Llano architecture-based processor. As of yet, we are still not sure how this will affect the performance of the laptop but barring that, I am still inclined to recommend this laptop because of the long history of durability and reliability Toshiba laptops are known for. And at an introductory price of $699, it is not a bad deal.

Toshiba Satellite L750D Laptop Computer Price in the Philippines: Approximately Php 34,000.00

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Huawei MediaPad Android Tablet Computer Price in the Philippines, Features and Other Info

Huawei MediaPad Android Tablet Computer Price in the Philippines, Features and Other Info: The world never seems to run out of tablet manufacturers that are locked-up in endless battle for consumer attention and market superiority. Tablet market bad boys such as Apple, Samsung and Motorola have been lording it out over the playing field for quite some time now but little by little, new market players emerge, join the fray and spoiled the bash that the 3 big companies have been having.

Just recently, ASUS and Acer have come up with tablets of their own with nifty little tricks to boot like the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer and the Acer Iconia. In the same vein, HTC also came out with the Flyer with its stylus-kinda pen. This time around, it is the turn of Huawei to make an entrance to the battlefield to try its luck out in taking on the bad boys of the playing field.

The recently announced Huawei MediaPad is what the little-known company brings to battle and all hopes of making a significant impact rest squarely on the 7-incher. Boasting of being the first tablet to run Android 3.2 Honeycomb, the Huawei MediaPad can be the deciding factor of the company’s success.

How well equipped then is the Huawei MediaPad? Does it have what it takes? Is it good enough when pitted to resident bad boys such as the Galaxy Tab? Will it surge ahead of the pack? Or get left behind? Read on to get an idea of what to expect from the Huawei MediaPad.

Design and construction

Claimed by Huawei to be a stylish, high-performance device in an ultra-portable package, the MediaPad doesn’t look very stylish with its 10.5 mm shell and looks slightly chunky compared to the tablet on a diet Galaxy Tab 10.1 which has a waistline of just 8.6 mm.

The chunkiness though looks as if the device has a solidly built feel to it and the black bezel with the gray sidings that stretch round the slate’s back finish off to give the MediaPad a very clean and streamlined look. Made from aluminum, the MediaPad weighs in at 390 grams and is a joy to hold even for long periods of time.

Under the hood

Not too much specifics have been dangled in front of us but the MediaPad is rumored to have a dual-core Qualcomm CPU running at 1.2 GHz. No news yet as to how much RAM will go into the device or what GPU, if any, will it be sporting but those will definitely match the processor in terms of sheer power.

It has been whispered that the device will have 8GB of onboard memory and a microSD card slot for memory expansion should the internal storage come up short for your storage needs.

Connectivity-wise, the MediaPad brings all the bells and whistles to the table with support for 802.11 Wi-Fi and HSPA+ 3G along with Bluetooth technology.

The display and its shooters

The MediaPad will be sporting a 7-inch IPS (in-plane switching) capacitive touchscreen and its density of 217 pixels-per-inch roughly translates to a maximum resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels.

Going along with industry standards, the MediaPad will have two shooters – a 5.0-megapixel primary rear-facing camera and a secondary 1.3-megapixel front-facing snapper for your video chat needs. In addition to that, the rear-facing camera is capable of recording HD video clips, which can be enjoyed on the device with its support for full 1080p high-def video playback.

The software

Walking with a swagger knowing that it is the first tablet to run Android 3.2 Honeycomb, the MediaPad hopefully does not let this fact go to its head, err, processor since this latest iteration of the OS is almost similar to its Android 3.1 predecessor except for the fact the 3.2 is optimized for 7-inch tablets.

In addition to that, the MediaPad comes bundled with Huawei’s own cloud solution – Hi-Space that happens to have its own Apps Store. Details about this are a bit sketchy as of the moment but it looks like Hi-Space would almost be the same to the now more popular than ever Dropbox service.

Battery life

No specifics yet as to what kind of battery the MediaPad will have under its hood once it gets released but Huawei claims that the power pack can supply 6 hours of juice to the tablet before it gets fully squeezed out.

The bottom line

With the MediaPad getting announced, the waters of the tablet market get muddled even more. Unfortunately, what we have right now is the same old specs, same old kind of tablet thing going on.

With the Huawei MediaPad, we sincerely hope that Android 3.2 Honeycomb makes the big difference.

Huawei MediaPad Android Tablet Computer Price in the Philippines: Approximately Php 20,000.00 (Estimated)

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Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX100V Digital Camera Price and Features

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX100V Digital Camera Price and Features: The Cybershot line of digital cameras from electronics giant Sony became well known because of the very versatile compact point-and-shoots that Sony came out with in the past couple of years. In fact, the Cybershot line is so prolific that you get to choose from low-end, midrange and high-end models depending on the amount of money you are willing to shell out.

In addition to choices, the Cybershot line of digital cameras boast of performance integrated in their pretty bodies. With a bevy of features that go along with the best sensors, it is always a given that a Cybershot digicam will turn out the best quality images, anytime, anywhere.

Most recently however, Sony took a bold step and somehow deviated from the compact form factor that the Cybershot line got identified with. With the release of the Sony Cybershot DSC-HX100V, Sony solidified this deviation and for this flagship model of the Cybershot line, they decided to make it look like your typical DSLR.

What then does the DSC-HX100V bring to the table? Being the flagship of the Cybershot line, is it worthy of being called that? How does it compare to shooters in the same class from Nikon and Canon? Read on as we gut the Sony Cybershot DSC-HX100V for the full details.

Design and construction

The Sony Cybershot DSC-HX100V measures 122 x 87 x 93 mm and has a smaller and lighter body compared to your typical DSLR. After all, the DSC-HX100V is NOT a DSLR. It just looks like one.

Since the DSC-HX100V has options for a full manual operation, there is thumbwheel and button configuration found near the rear panel of the shooter and is place strategically for easy access.

With the shooter weighing in at just 525 grams, no problems will be encountered in holding this camera single-handedly even for extended periods as it is lighter than most DSLRs available in the market today.

Taking after the now becoming more popular than ever DSLRs, the DSC-HX100V has a right hand grip and a focus ring has been added around the Zeiss lens for more precise handling and control.

The sensor and lens

The DSC-HX100V packs a 16.2-megapixel image sensor with EXMOR R Cmos technology thrown into the bunch and is able to shoot stills with maximum resolution of 4608 x 3456 pixels. It can also shoot photos with an aspect ratio of either 4:3 or 16:9.

Also, the DSC-HX100V became the flagship of the Cybershot line because of its superzoom capabilities. The superzoom feature of this shooter is made possible by the Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T 30x optical zoom.

The Zeiss lens provides for a wider angle along with increased telephoto reach. Should you want to take advantage of the telephoto reach of the DSC-HX100V, good lighting conditions is a must for your images to come out blur-free.

The sensor is very versatile that it also works very well in macro mode. With macro shooting enabled, you could get to as close as just a centimeter to the subject at wide angle or 2 meters at telephoto and the images don’t get compromised at all.

In addition to that, the DSC-HX100V has a 9-point autofocus system with contrast detection and has Multi-Pattern, Center-Weighted, and Spot for its metering modes. With ease of use in mind, the DSC-HX100V also has 13 scene modes that configure the shooter automatically and making it appropriate for any shooting condition.

The display

The DSC-HX100V has been blessed with a 3-inch Variangle LCD with 921K dots that is approximately equivalent to a resolution of 640 x 480 pixels. Each pixel on the other hand is composed of adjacent blue, green and red dots.

The Variangle LCD is not the same as the one found in the Canon EOS 600D because the LCD display of the DSC-HX100V can only be tilted out. However, this is still better than a fixed LCD anytime.

Image quality

Don’t get you hopes too high on this department. The DSC-HX100V may be the flagship of the Cybershot line but its falls a bit short in terms of image quality. With the specs of the shooter, image quality should have gotten a Great but unfortunately fell short and only got an OK.

Sony would have done better if they stuck to a 10 or 12-megapixel sensor for the DSC-HX100V and tweaked it a lot for exceptional image quality but instead crammed a 16.2-megapixel sensor, which is no better if you ask me.

The bottom line

ZLRs or zoom lens reflex cameras like the DSC-HX100V are considered as the bridge you need to cross when going from compact to DSLR. In the case of the Sony Cybershot DSC-HX100V, it’s better to jump straight to DSLR and forget about this “flagship” device.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX100V Digital Camera Price in the Philippines: Approximately Php 22,000.00

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HTC Evo 3D Android Smartphone Quick Review + Price in the Philippines

HTC Evo 3D Android Smartphone Quick Review + Price in the Philippines: Back in 2010, the HTC Evo 4G was adjudged one of the best, if not the most popular Android smartphone. In just over a year, HTC already came up with a successor to the highly-acclaimed Evo 4G. The HTC Evo 3D rides in the coattails of its predecessors but ups the ante on almost all departments when you talk about the specs sheet.

Taking a quick look, the Evo 3D brings to the table a dual-core processor, a higher-capacity battery, 3D display which the company claims to be glasses-free, along with 3D stills and video capture. The 3D effect might be seen by cynics as a gimmick, a publicity stunt if you may, so we took the HTC Evo 3D for a ride and subjected it to some good old use and abuse to ascertain the pedigree of the handset.

How does the HTC Evo 3D performs? Will it be a worthy successor to the HTC Evo 4G? What about the 3D effect? Will it be something to look forward to? Read on as we do the deed with the HTC Evo 3D to help you out in making up your mind.

Design and construction

Measuring 126 x 65 x 12.1 mm, the HTC Evo 3D can too easily be mistaken for the Evo 4G. However, upon closer inspection, you would be able to discern subtle differences such as the missing silver grating on the Evo 3D’s earpiece. Another would be the 2D/3D mode switch found on the handset along with the camera button made from aluminum found on the right edge of the device making this altogether a different behemoth.

Weighing in at 170 grams, the Evo 3D is a tad heavier compared to the competition but gives off the impression of being solidly-built. The materials used in its construction though are unable to convey the elegant look and feel of other Android beasts like the HTC Sensation for example.

Made mostly from plastic, the Evo 3D has a textured back that makes it feel very comfortable in the hand and its narrower profile makes the handset a lot easier to hold and grip compared to its predecessor.

Under the hood

In terms of its specs sheet, the Evo 3D packs almost the same components under its hood as the HTC Sensation. The device is powered by a dual-core Qualcomm SnapDragon CPU running at 1.2 GHz and is sitting on an MSM8660 chipset. Compared to the Sensation’s 768 MB of RAM, the Evo 3D was given a full 1GB of RAM to work in conjunction with its very capable processor.

Although it has an Adreno 220 GPU to cover all things graphical, the Evo 3D only has 1GB of internal memory to take care of your storage needs. No worries though as the device has microSD slot that lets you expand the onboard memory by plugging in cards of up to 32GB which I guess would be more than enough for your storage needs.

The display

Gracing the Evo 3D’s front is its big-ass 4.3-inch 3D SuperLCD qHD capacitive touchscreen display with 16M colors and a 960 x 540 resolution. The display has a 16:9 aspect ratio and is protected by Corning’s Gorilla Glass.

The screen of the Evo 3D has the usual array of sensors that add functionality to the device such as light, orientation, magnetometer, accelerometer, gyroscope and proximity sensors. The display may not be the best qHD display in the market right now but it can hold its own in terms of color saturation, brightness, viewing angles and black levels.

The 3D effect though leaves much to be desired but is a welcome addition to the Evo 3D’s bag of tricks. Using the same technology found on the Nintendo 3DS, the images jump right at you from the screen but somehow lacks depth of field. It can’t be argued though that the 3D effect added to the Evo 3D’s Wow factor.

The shooters

The Evo 3D packs dual shooters which are considered an industry standard nowadays – a rear-facing 5-megapixel camera that features autofocus and dual-LED flash and can take pictures with resolutions of up to 2560 x 1920 pixels and a front-facing 1.3-megapixel camera optimized for video chats.

The rear-facing camera, which features geo-tagging and stereoscopic photos in 2D mode also doubles as a camcorder that can record clips in 1080p at 24 frames per second in 2D mode and 720p at 30 frames per second in 3D mode.

Battery life

The Evo 3D packs a bigger 1730 mAh Lithium-Ion power pack and according to HTC is able to supply juice to the handset so it can last up to 7.5 hours of talk time and 355 hours of standby time. Not bad really, but real world tests show otherwise.

The Evo 3D is seen as a glutton for juice with all its bells and whistles and you are well advised not to go anywhere without its charger lest it unexpectedly die out on you.

The bottom line

The HTC Evo 3D is indeed a very capable phone in terms of raw power. It brings to the table specs you would expect from tomorrow’s smartphone but a little polishing is still needed to make this device truly stand out. Overall, I wouldn’t mind bringing this baby home so long as I do not pay too much hard-earned money for it.

HTC Evo 3D Android Smartphone Price in the Philippines: Approximately Php 25,000.00

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Archos Arnova 10 Tablet Computer Price, Features and Other Details

Archos Arnova 10 Tablet Computer Price, Features and Other Details: In our rapidly-advancing, technology-crazed world, portability and mobility seems to be high on everybody’s list especially when it comes to gadgets. We want our stuff to become smaller and smaller but at the same time they should be a whole lot better.

This I guess is the precise reason for the recent rise in popularity of tablet computers. Never have we seen the tablet market offer too many options to choose from. Back then, it was only the iPad that caught our fancy but now, manufacturers are in a cut-throat competition to come up with the best tablet device that will be a hit to the consumers.

As a strategy, some manufacturers tend to cut their prices so that their products become more “palatable” to the discerning taste of the buying public. However, this type of action can also be counter-productive because cutting costs may also compromise the quality of device you are manufacturing.

This is the battle plan adopted by Archos early on. With the release of their Archos Arnova 10, they are again pushing the price point to the limit just to be able to get a fair share of the market. How does this affect the Arnova 10? Will it be too under-spec’d to be eaten alive by the competition? What can it offer given the lower than low price point? Is it even worth a first look? Read on for the lowdown on the Archos Arnova 10.

Design and construction

The Archos Arnova 10 rounds up the measurements at 272 x 152.3 x 13.5 mm and is made of plastic all the way. Unfortunately, even if the Arnova 10 doesn’t have many metal components on its frame, it still managed to tip the scales at 570 grams.

It may be cruel to say this but the Arnova 10 gives off the impression of being cheaply built. This is probably what you are getting for the low price tag that is attached to the device. In reality, tablets from different manufacturers almost look alike when placed side-by-side but the design and construction of the Arnova 10 will definitely set it apart from the competition – in a negative way, that is.

Under the hood

Before it got released, the Arnova 10 was rumored to be packing a 1GHz processor. True to its form, rumors were just that – pure rumors, not a shred of truth. On release date, the Arnova 10 got all its innards ripped out and got a measly Rockchip 2818 processor running at 311.29 Mhz. No, this is not a smartphone we are talking about here, it is a full-sized tablet and yeah, you read it right – 311.29 MHz.

The under-nourished processor is paired with a pitiful 200 Mb of RAM. Obviously, it is too much too ask for if you expect the device to pack a GPU but in terms of memory, you get 4GB of onboard storage which can be expanded using a microSD card on its card slot.

In short, it is a wonder how this product even got to production and manufacturing from the drawing boards. If the Arnova 10 is a human being, all the “cuts” it has suffered through would have surely caused it to bleed to death.

The display

There is nothing of note to discuss about the display of the Arnova 10. While all other tablets available on the market are sporting capacitive touchscreens, Archos decided for the Arnova 10 to challenge the status quo and deviate from the norm.

The Arnova 10 instead ended up having a 10.1-inch resistive TFT LCD touchscreen with a resolution of 1024 x 600 pixels. What can you say? Obviously, the display of the Arnova 10 is, as expected, found to be lacking in almost all departments.

The shooter

A lone camera is what the Arnova 10 can only afford to pack at its price point. Sad to say, it is a front-facing 0.3-megapixel camera to boot. I thought cameras of that caliber have long ago been outlawed and yet here they are, in the flesh, courtesy of the Arnova 10.

Battery life

I guess by now, with the way the review has been going on, you already have learned to lower down your expectations. No information is available as to what kind of battery juice supplies the Arnova 10 but the device can only hold out for 4.5 hours of usage before it dies out on you.

The bottom line

Bringing an affordable tablet device to the market is a very noble concept. Coming up with an affordable tablet that is almost rendered useless because of cost-cutting to further lower the price down is a bunch of rubbish. This is the case of the Archos Arnova 10. Enough said.

Archos Arnova 10 Tablet Computer Price in the Philippines: Approximately Php 10,000.00

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HTC Sensation Android Smartphone Preview: Price, Features and More

HTC Sensation Android Smartphone Preview: Price, Features and More - HTC in the past came to be known as just a manufacturer of devices that other companies put their brands on. Jog your memory some and you’ll come up with O2 and their XDA line-up of smartphones in the past. Yes sir, that was HTC taking care of the manufacturing process and O2 putting on the XDA branding on the finished products.

With the release of the Android operating system though, HTC surged from its manufacturer-in-the-background role to the forefront and has currently and consistently been coming up with devices that are just truly to die for.

In fact, the company has gotten so good with what it does that most of the devices that they come up with almost always shoots up straight to the top of the rankings or more often than not becomes comparable to whatever device is occupying the top spot.

The release of the Samsung Galaxy S II may have tipped the market in favor of the Korean company but the release of the HTC Sensation more than evened-out the playing field yet again. With impressive specs under its hood and a unibody design that just blows you up, the HTC Sensation is surely designed for smartphone superiority. Read on as we get the particulars of the HTC Sensation.

Design and construction

The HTC Sensation measures 126.1 x 65.4 x 11.3 mm but it feels very small. For a smartphone packing a 4.3-inch display, you would have expected the Sensation to measure more than that but design engineers of HTC were able to pack everything in its diminutive frame compared to other Android beasts we see in the market.

Although the Sensation has a 4.3-inch display, the bezels on the top and bottom of the device have been shrunk thereby giving the device its slimmed-down measurements. Weighing in at 148 grams, the device gives off the impression of having an impressive build quality without compromising the comfort of holding it in your hand for extended periods.

Also, the unibody construction of the Sensation is something to talk about. The aluminum outer-shell of the device just makes it sturdier and its curves are ergonomical and feel very natural to the touch. In short, we can’t find fault in the build quality of the Sensation.

Under the hood

The components lurking under the Sensation’s hood just makes someone take a step back. The dual-core Qualcomm MSM8260 SnapDragon processor running at 1.2GHz is very powerful that it struggles to find stuff that could challenge it. Add to the equation the 768MB of RAM this device packs and you surely can’t go wrong.

Graphical matters are taken care of by the Sensation’s Adreno 220 GPU while the 1GB of internal memory serves your storage needs. 1GB may not be enough, measly even, but that can easily expanded with the use of the dedicated microSD card slot capable of taking cards of up to 32GB.

The display

The front panel of the Sensation is taken up by its humongous 4.3-inch SuperLCD capacitive touchscreen qHD display fronted by Gorilla Glass for added insurance. It has a resolution of 960 x 540 pixels and 16M colors. The display packs the usual sensors like gyro, proximity and accelerometer sensors and has the expected support for multi-touch method of input found in most of its Android siblings.

The shooters

The Sensation has an industry-standard two shooters – a primary rear-facing 8-megapixel snapper with dual-LED flash and autofocus and is capable of taking pictures of up to 3264 x 2448 pixels while at front sits its secondary VGA camera optimized for video calls.

The camera of the Sensation boasts of features such as instant capture, image stabilization, geo-tagging, face detection and touch focus. It also doubles as a video recorder capable of recording clips with stereo sound recording at a 1080p Full HD resolution at 30 frames per second.

Battery life

The Sensation draws power from a standard 1520 mAh Lithium-Ion battery supplying juice to the device so it can last up to 6 hours and 40 minutes of talk time and up to 400 hours of standby time before it gets fully squeezed out.

Real world tests however show that despite the seemingly power-hungry components that the Sensation packs, the device is very frugal in terms of being a glutton for juice and moderate usage can last for a several days before you need to plug the device in.

The bottom line

With the release of the Sensation, HTC once again battles it out with Samsung for smartpthone supremacy. The Sensation has everything right going for it. Beautiful body, impressive specs, Android 2.3 Gingerbread operating system overlaid with HTC Sense 3.0 – what more could you ask for? Overall, the HTC Sensation has everything you are looking for in a smartphone and the device just gives you more than enough reason to part with your hard-earned money just so you can take this baby home.

HTC Sensation Android Smartphone Price in the Philippines: Approximately Php 32,000.00

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Edifier Breathe iF600 iPod Dock/Speaker Price and Features

Edifier Breathe iF600 iPod Dock/Speaker Price and Features: With everything being touched by the rapid advancements in technology, things have become smaller and smaller while at same time getting better and better. As is the case, space-eating Hi-Fi components became a thing of the past and gave way to the portable music player.

And when talking about portable music players, Apple’s ubiquitous iPod can’t be far away in the discussion. Since its release, the nifty, little gadget has become a must-have for people of all ages. Combining its pretty little design with its portability, you just can’t be caught dead without an iPod.

With the rise in popularity of the iPod came the obligatory wave of iPod speaker docks flooding the market like the Altec Lansing MIX iMT800 BoomBox and the Pioneer XW-NAV1-K Docking Station. Different manufacturers came out with lots of models to choose from, some priced more than the competition, others sounding infinitely better.

Edifier, one of the manufacturers of iPod docks and speakers, has come to be known as a company that comes up with docks that have out-of-this-world designs. When the company launched the Edifier Breathe iF600, it can’t be mistaken to be a product of somebody else. It was an Edifier down to the core.

How good though is the Edifier Breathe iF600? Will its exorbitant price tag be a liability? Or would its performance more than compensate for the amount of money you need to shell out? How does it compare to other docks in its price point? Read on to get the particulars of the Edifier Breathe iF600.

Design and construction

One look at the Edifier Breathe iF600 and there’s no mistaking it: it looks like the helmet of Darth Vader. It measures 420 x 257 x 244 mm and its entire front is covered in a black-colored speaker grille cloth. Along its front, you can also find the Playback, Volume, and Track Forward/Backward buttons. The controls sit just below the docking area for the iPod which is perched at the top of the dock. A green light can also be found there which serves as an indicator that the dock is turned on.

The Breathe iF600 weighs almost 5 kilograms and the reason for this can be found beneath the device, just right behind the cutaway in the lower panel of the device which is done in a sort of wave-shaped line. Right smack in the middle of its underbelly sits the down-firing 5.75-inch subwoofer of the Breathe iF600 responsible for all the heft.

A 3.5 mm Aux input jack can be found at the back of the Breathe iF600 for connecting non-iPod/iPhone devices. Edifier was thoughtful enough to include a 3.5 mm to RCA and 3.5 mm to 3.5 mm cables in the package of the Breathe iF600 just for this purpose.

Included in the package is a circular remote control that takes care of full iPod menu navigation. It also has Playback controls along with Volume, Mute and Source buttons. The Source button in the remote is designed to switch between iPods docked in the Breathe iF600 and connected devices in the Aux input. The remote control of the Breathe iF600 is somewhat reminiscent of the Home Integration remote control from Bang & Olufsen by the way.

The performance

The Breathe iF600 with its price tag of US $349 is expected to deliver a solid audio performance and it does exactly just that. It comes off very powerful with the help of its built-in subwoofer. There’s no apparent distortion even with the volume cranked up to the max and even tracks with pounding bass notes sounded very clean.

A little snag here though is that the powerful bass of the Breathe iF600 may be found as something too intense by some listeners but there is just no way to adjust the treble or its low-end frequencies. With its solid performance at maximum volume levels, the Breathe iF600 is recommended for parties and for listening to very loud pop music.

Toning down the volume some doesn’t compromise performance one bit. Bass notes still tend to be clearly there and are well-articulated. The mids and highs on the other hand sound very clean and playing around with the Breathe iF600 gives you the impression that whatever genre of music is played, it will still shine as soon as it is fired off from the 3-way, 5-speaker system of the dock.

The bottom line

At its price point, you would expect the Breathe iF600 to be more than just an iPod dock. Unfortunately, it is. It lacks an adjustable EQ, there are no streaming capabilities, not even a radio or a video output for watching videos if you happen to have a big-ass HDTV.

Snags notwithstanding, the Edifier Breathe iF600 still gets something right done – the sound and in addition to that, the nifty, little remote control that comes along with it.

The branding people may have messed up a bit by giving it the Breathe moniker but that doesn’t veer away from the fact that the Edifier Breathe iF600 is still worth a second look if you are looking for an iPod dock with solid sound performance while having the luxury to shell the dinero out.

Edifier Breathe iF600 iPod Dock/Speaker Price in the Philippines: Approximately Php 17,500.00

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LG Optimus 7 Smartphone Price, Features and Other Info

LG Optimus 7 Smartphone Price, Features and Other Info: With smartphones running Android for their operating systems taking the world by storm, Windows Mobile sort of took the backseat for quite some time. Although phones running the mobile version of the famed and ubiquitous desktop operating system came out in the market, these devices where just not up to snuff when compared to their Android brethren.

To take care of this problem, requirements were set in place for a smartphone to be able to run Windows Mobile 7. Some of these are a capacitive touchscreen display of at least 800 x 480 resolution, a processor running at 1GHz or better, a minimum of 256MB of RAM and at least 8GB of onboard memory among others.

When LG came out with the LG Optimus 7, their smartphone running the famed Windows Mobile 7, all of these strict requirements were met. In addition to that, LG decided to exceed some of the expectations in terms of the Optimus 7’s spec sheet.

How good, then, is the LG Optimus 7? How does it stand up to the Android superphones wreaking havoc on the market? Will this device reinstate the sagging interest of the consumers to Windows Mobile 7? Read on as we get down and dirty with the LG Optimus 7.

Design and construction

Measuring 125 x 59.8 x 11.5 mm, the Optimus 7 is your typically-sized smartphone with all the bells and whistles. Its curved edges result to better handling and keep the device from looking like an ugly slab of plastic at the same time.

Tipping the scales at 157 grams, there’s considerable heft to the Optimus 7. The metal back plate covering the battery of the device adds to the heftiness but also plays a part in the high build quality of the device. The Optimus 7 has a clean, streamlined designed. Although it may not have the aluminum unibody design of the HTC 7 Mozart, it still shines in its own special way.

Under the hood

Though LG is known for turning out mid-range devices, the Optimus 7 may have been an exception to the company’s rule in terms of its specs sheet. The device boasts of a 1GHz Scorpion processor on a Qualcomm QSD8650 SnapDragon chipset working with 512MB of RAM along with 512MB of ROM to keep things moving along smoothly.

Graphical matters are covered in turn by the device’s Adreno 200 GPU while storage needs are taken care of by the 16GB of internal storage which is by the way, the most generous among smartphones running this operating system. Unfortunately, you would have to make do with internal memory as there is no dedicated card slot to have this expanded.

The display

The Optimus 7 packs a 3.8-inch TFT capacitive touchscreen with 16M colors and a resolution of 800 x 480 pixels. The display is made of Gorilla Glass for added protection and has the usual proximity and accelerometer sensors along with support for multi-touch input.

The display of the Optimus 7 is almost the same as what you get from its Android brethren but it somehow has better vibrancy and contrast compared to other smartphones in its class. As long as you don’t put the Optimus 7 side-by-side with a device that packs a SuperAMOLED screen, you should do fine.

One good thing to mention about the display of the Optimus 7 is the overall touchscreen sensitivity and performance. Unlike the display of devices from Apple or HTC that have overly sensitive touchscreens where just looking at the display already inputs something, the touchscreen experience with the Optimus 7 is just very consistent.

The shooter

Deviating from the norm here, the Optimus 7 was only given one shooter – a rear-facing 5-megapixel snapper with the corresponding autofocus and LED flash that can snap stills of up to 2592 x 1944 pixels. The shooter also doubles as a video camcorder capable of shooting video clips at 720p and 24 frames per second.

Battery life

This is one department that the Optimus 7 may be found somewhat lacking. Although it packs a standard 1500 mAh Lithium-Ion power pack, it can only provide enough juice for the device to last up to 5 hours of talk time and up to 330 hours of standby time before it dies out on you. Intensive use of the device though can only give you a full day’s worth of battery life before it’s ready for a trip to the wall outlet.

The bottom line

The LG Optimus 7 may have its share of shortcomings but at a lower price point compared to other behemoths but still packing more than your average specs, this device is certainly a contender for your attention and dinero.

LG Optimus 7 Smartphone Price in the Philippines: Approximately Php 29,900.00

You may also like: LG Optimus 2X Android Smartphone

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Fujifilm Finepix X100 Digital Camera Price in the Philippines, Features and Other Details

Fujifilm Finepix X100 Digital Camera Price in the Philippines, Features and Other Details: There is something about the vintage look and feel that is so appealing. Take for example classic cars. The older the model is, the more expensive it gets. Maybe it has something to do with the quality we associate with the olden times that is somehow missing in today’s assembly-line type of production facilities.

When taking about cameras though, rarely do we get to see a vintage looking camera that is not, well, vintage. With the exception I guess of numbers from Leica. And now, we can include Fujifilm in the lineup.

With the release of the Fujifilm Finepix X100, another shooter is included the line of vintage-looking cameras but are packed with today’s cutting-edge technology. Seeing the Finepix X100 gives you the impression of being transported back in time to the 70s when the old rangefinder compacts were the rage back then.

What do we know about the Fujifilm Finepix X100? What kind of specs does it have inside its retro-styled body? Would it revive the interest for retro-styled cameras? How does it measure up against the competition? Read on for the full details of the Fujifilm Finepix X100.

Design and construction

Seeing the Finepix X100 just makes you feel nostalgic. Holding it in your hands is an altogether different feeling. The upper deck and lower portion of this compact shooter is made from cast magnesium and has metal controls but the rest of its body is covered in a leather-like material with a pebble-grained feel.

Measuring 126 x 74 x 54 mm and tipping the scale at 445 grams, the Finepix X100 may not easily slide into your shirt’s pocket because of its relative bulk but would easily fit into your jeans front pocket.

The Finepix X100 has a slight built-up its front right portion that serves as a pseudo-grip and most of its external controls such as exposure compensation, shutter speed, aperture and the like are all within easy access.

The sensor

The Finepix X100 packs a 12.3-megapixel CMOS sensor with a primary color filter. The shooter’s nominal ISO range of sensitivity is 200 – 6400 but can be bumped up to 100 – 12800 for extreme situations.

Working in conjunction with the sensor is its EXR image processor that brings about higher sensitivity, improved resolution, minimal noise, dynamic range, and most importantly, faster response in terms of signal processing.

The display

The Finepix X100 boasts of its 2.8-inch TFT color LCD monitor with 100% frame coverage 460K dots. The brightness level of the display can also be adjusted with the user having 11 different levels of brightness to select from.

Menus and modes

Ease of use was an end that the designers of this camera were after. On-screen menus are pretty simple and are very intuitive. The Finepix X100 also has several shooting modes to select from such as Program Auto, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, Manual, Motion Panorama, and Movie.

Video recording

The Finepix X100, like most compact point-and-shoots nowadays, is also capable of video recording. With Movie Mode activated, the shooter can record 1280 x 720p HD at 24 frames per second complete with stereo sound.

Once video capture is activated, the continuous autofocus feature also gets automatically activated and the shooter is pretty capable of keeping focus even if the subjects being shot tend to vary in terms of distance.

The maximum recording length is capped though at 10 minutes and video clips come out in H.264 MOV format.

Shooting performance and image quality

Power up the Finepix X100 and you experience a bit of a delay before it becomes ready to rock and roll. It’s as if the shooter is taking its sweet time to properly heat up and ends up making you wait for a couple of seconds before you can snap the first still image.

That is forgotten soon enough once you start taking pictures though. Image quality with the Finepix X100 is a foregone conclusion. It is very good. Stills come out with lots of detail, colors are very bright and vivid and sharpness has a pleasant tone to it. In short, the Finepix X100 delivers in terms of image quality.

The bottom line

Coming in with a price tag of approximately 1200 big ones in the US of A, the Fujifilm Finepix X100 is obviously not for everyone. The superb build quality, exceptional image quality even in low-light conditions along with its ease-of-use features make the Finepix X100 an excellent shooter but the sky-high price tag might drive people interested in this camera to opt for a DSLR instead.

Fujifilm Finepix X100 Digital Camera Price in the Philippines: Approximately Php 60,000.00

You may also check out: Fujifilm FinePix XP30 Digital Camera

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