Samsung SCX-4300 All-in-One Laser Printer Price, Features and Other Details

Samsung SCX-4300 All-in-One Laser Printer Price, Features and Other Details: Though almost everything is affected and almost ruled by technology, there still are some basic things that defy the two tenets of mobility and connectivity in our daily lives. True enough, with all the technological advances that we see happening at eye-blinding speeds, connectivity and mobility as its by-products have been the defining force that every man must live by.

With this in play, gadgets become smaller but in turn more powerful thereby making almost everybody more mobile and yet still be able to pack that connectivity punch to still let you get a lot of productive things done even while you are on the move. Take for example the smartphones and the tablets of today’s world that lets you do almost every basic task that can be done by your laptop. That’s how advanced technology nowadays is.

However, as mentioned earlier, there still are tasks that defy the concepts of mobility and connectivity. The first example off the top of my head is printing out a simple document. With the bulk and heft of today’s printers, it is just not an option to carry one around town as if you are toting a gaming rig. It just can’t be done.

But due to this disadvantage, multifunction printers on the other hand get jam-packed with a lot of features to compensate for this minor snag. Such is the case of the Samsung SCX-4300 Multifunction Laser Printer.

That being said, what then can we expect from the SCX-4300? What features does it bring to the table? What kind of edge does it have over the competition? What about its pricing scheme? These are the questions that we will answer as we gut the SCX-4300 printer from Samsung from bow to stern.

Design and construction

The SCX-4300 is your typical all-in-one office printer and has dimensions of 406 x 375 x 231 mm and tips the scales at a very hefty 9.65 kilograms. Looking at the dimensions though lets you see that it has a smaller form factor and by consequence, a smaller footprint compared to the competition.

The sides of the SCX-4300 slightly flare outward towards its top edge since this is where the scanner mechanism is placed. The control panel of the SCX-4300 is dominated by its LCD display that has a two line by 16-character nature. The display may not have a backlight but still is easily read with just your normal ambient light so the missing backlight is not a problem really.

Right below the control panel sit the SCX-4300’s slot where printed out pages come out of. The slot has an end stop that you can pull out but foregoing this doesn’t mean that the printed out documents will automatically fall to your desk. The bottom of the device on the other hand houses the feed tray of the SCX-4300 that can hold up to 250 sheets of paper in addition to a multi-purpose slot that can hold a single sheet for printing needs that necessitate special paper.

The retail package of the SCX-4300 comes with printing software that includes SmarThru 4 along with a utility called Dr. Printer. SmarThru 4 has something to do with printing, copying and scanning in addition to sharing your images while Dr. Printer as its name suggests is a diagnostic tool in case you run into technical difficulties with the SCX-4300.

The performance of the printer

To ensure that the SCX-4300 is a very capable printer, we subjected it to our rigorous printing test. At full speed, the SCX-4300 is capable of printing out 10 pages per minute. Funny thing, Text AND graphics came out faster than pure text at 11.54 pages per minute. However, what we noticed with the printer is that the more pages you print out, the faster the printing speed of the SCX-4300 gets. It is as if it warms up first and once it gets its flow, there’s no stopping the printer.

Getting a single page photocopied on the other hand took 11 seconds so the copier function of the SCX-4300 can turn out six pages per minute. In terms of print quality though, the SCX-4300 is able to again distinguish itself. In most areas of the printed out documents, the print quality came out good despite the max resolution of the SCX-4300 being capped at 600 dots per inch.

The bottom line

The Samsung SCX-4300 multifunction laser printer may be your typical office all-in-one printer but is clearly more than that. It is very quick as shown by the printer acing our testing speeds in addition to being able to print out very clear texts and nice graphics.

Costs are very reasonable with the SCX-4300 especially when it comes to saving on its toner and if you happen to need to cinch you belt a little tighter in terms of your finances, then picking up the SCX-4300 Multifunction Laser Printer from Samsung to take care of all your office’s all around printing, copying and scanning needs is the way to go.

Samsung SCX-4300 All-in-One Laser Printer Price in the Philippines: Approximately Php 5,900.00

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Motorola Droid Bionic Android Smartphone Preview: Price, Features and Specs

Motorola Droid Bionic Android Smartphone Preview: Price, Features and Specs - Motorola as a mobile phone manufacturer is a very lucky company. It almost went under twice and was only saved from capsizing by the fact that the company was able to release mobile phones that defied all conventions. This happened in both cases and we are hoping that the company never gets to try it for a third time.

The first instance of almost breaking the bank was reversed by the release of the MotoRazr V3. This is one elegant looking handset in a very slim profile. This handset became the talk of the town for quite some time until some other smartphone was able to eclipse its popularity.

The second time around happened just as the Android operating system was getting introduced. Motorola took advantage of this and released the original Motorola Droid running Android for its operating system and the company never looked back from then on.

The company is as stronger as ever and is releasing smartphone after smartphone to the market in addition to luring us into buying its tablet, the Xoom. Today though, we will talk about the Motorola Droid Bionic, the longest-hibernating handset of the company.

Announced back in the early parts of 2011 at CES, the handset then went promptly back to hiding, never to be seen again. Until now. After nine months of doing God knows what, the Motorola Droid Bionic is about to hit the shelves. What can we expect from the Droid Bionic after its nine-month? What kind of specs sheet does it pack? What features does it have? At what price point does it enter the market with? Read on to get the full details.

Design and construction

The first Droid Bionic that graced the internet back at CES 2011 was a rather crude device but after hiding for 9 months, the final iteration of the handset that will be hitting the shelves is something much slimmer and definitely much more attractive.

The Droid Bionic has dimensions of 127.5 x 66.9 x 11 mm and tips the scales at 158.8 grams. At this size, the handset is slightly large and hefty but that only goes so far because the heft gives off an impression of being solidly built. Its edge-to-edge front panel is contrasted nicely by the handset’s soft touch back panel, materials that combine very well to give the device a very classy and elegant look.

Under the hood

The Droid Bionic underwent several overhauls under the hood while in hiding, all seemingly for the better. This time around, Motorola foregoes NVIDIA and QualComm and instead bestows a Texas Instruments OMAP4430 chipset on the Droid Bionic. Atop the OMAP4430 sits a dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 processor with a clock speed of 1GHz. Right next to the CPU is the handset’s dedicated PowerVR SGX540 GPU that takes care of anything remotely related to graphics.

The processor of the Droid Bionic has a full gigabyte of RAM and 2GB of ROM at its disposal while the storage space comes in the form of a very generous 16GB of internal memory. Should that run out on you, a high-capacity microSD card can easily be supported by the handset’s dedicated media card slot for instant memory expansion.

The display

In terms of its display, the Droid Bionic packs a 4.3-inch qHD capacitive touchscreen panel with a 960 x 540 resolution and pixel density of 256 ppi. The whole panel is covered with Corning’s Gorilla Glass making it scratch-resistant in addition to having a dual layer of anti-reflective coating to keep glare to minimal levels.

Right below the humongous display of the Droid Bionic sit the touch-sensitive controls of the handset. Not only packing support for multi-touch input, the Droid Bionic also has integrated sensors like an accelerometer, and proximity sensor that enhance the handset’s functionality.

The shooters

In terms of the shooting department, it looks as though all the good stuff were given to the rear shooter of the Droid Bionic. It is in fact an 8-megapixel camera with a pair of LED flashes and autofocus with features such as face detection, image stabilization and geotagging.

The rear shooter of the device also has a video mode that enables it to capture 1080p video clips when video mode is toggled. The front-facing camera is a rather forgettable VGA shooter for purposes of video calls.

The bottom line

Packing Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread once it hits the shelves, the Motorola Droid Bionic may have made us wait for nine very long months but looking at the device right now makes us realize that the long wait was well worth it.

The Droid Bionic is one capable handset that will surely be a favorite among geeks and something that you wish Santa would give you for Christmas.

Motorola Droid Bionic Android Smartphone Price in the Philippines: Approximately Php 28,000.00

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Canon PowerShot S100 Digital Camera Price, Features and Other Info

Canon PowerShot S100 Digital Camera Price, Features and Other Info: For avid photography buffs nowadays, the ultimate weapon of choice would without a doubt be a shooter from the DSLR category. This could probably be attributed to the fact that a camera user has got more creative control over the shots he will be taking when making use of a DSLR as opposed to compact point and shoot. In the same vein, a compact may be able to turn out images with good image quality but would never be anywhere near to what a DSLR can produce.

This could probably be the reason as to why the sudden shift of interest in terms of shooters has landed on the DSLR category. If you happen to remember, a few years back, the compact point and shoots were the toast of the town with their compact form factors and additional features. Sad to say, those days are long gone.

Nowadays, it is safe to assume that the time of the DSLR is already at hand. In addition to the professional photographers, simple photography hobbyists and enthusiasts tote DSLRs that led to the ubiquity of the device. This was even compounded by the fact that manufacturers came out with a lot of entry level shooters from the DSLR stable that made the camera more affordable and in turn more accessible to the camera-buying public.

To make the compacts more palatable to the camera-buying public’s taste, manufacturers cranked up the features that are being packed into these shooters that they are almost at par with DSLRs. Almost, but not quite.

Such is the case of the recently unveiled Canon PowerShot S100. But what can we expect from this shooter? What are its key features? What will make it stand out from the competition? Read on as we get to know the PowerShot S100 a little better.

Design and construction

The PowerShot S100 boasts of a smallish form factor that measures 99 x 60 x 27 mm and tips the scales at a scant 198 grams including the batteries. Not much has changed when it comes to the design aesthetics of the PowerShot S100 when compared to its predecessors. For example, the very useful Lens Control Ring is still found on the shooter in addition to having the same position for the integrated stereo mics which was a carry over from its older siblings.

Due to its compact size, the PowerShot S100 handles very well even for one-handed shooting even if Canon neglected to put a protrusion in the front right panel of the shooter that could act as a pseudo-grip for the user. In addition to that, buttons and controls smattered all over the shooter’s body are well laid-out and though-of making them easily accessible.

Key features

Though the predecessors of the PowerShot S100 made use of CCD image sensors, the shooter bucks the trend by packing a CMOS imager with an effective resolution of 12 megapixels, an increase from what the older siblings of the device had. In addition to that, the shooter now has the new DIGIC V image processor that drastically reduces noise in images as an example of its features.

The lens found on the PowerShot S100 also got a bump in terms of specifications. It has a focal length equivalent to 35 mm and has a range from a wide-angle 24 mm focus to a telephoto setting of 120 mm. With this capable lens, your close-up shots are as good as your landscape images. In addition to that, image stabilization on the PowerShot S100 is already lens-based that minimizes blur due to camera shake.

For its display, the PowerShot S100 has been endowed with a 3.0-inch PureColor LCD display with a 461K dot resolution. With this much pixels in a smallish screen such as the PowerShot S100’s, images come out on the display with a high degree of color reproduction. Contrast is also improved compared to other lowly displays.

Performance and other features

With the powerful DIGIC V image processor that works with the CMOS image sensor of the PowerShot S100, the shooter is capable of High Speed Burst that is ideally used for everything that includes sports action to mere simple parties. With this in play, the shooter is capable of snapping eight shots in full effective resolution at a rate of up to 9.6 shots per second. Not only that, the shooter is also capable of capturing Super Slow Motion video clips on QVGA quality at 240 frames per second or GA quality at 120 frames per second.

In addition to that, the shooter has an integrated GPS module that gives you geotagging capabilities so you can easily organize your photos based on location. Not only that, with the GPS module of the shooter, you can integrate the PowerShot S100 with Google Maps by making use of the Map Utility application supplied with the shooter so a review of your travels based on the GPS coordinates stored on the shooter can be done.

The bottom line

As of the moment, there are no reviews yet of the Canon PowerShot S100 digital camera. That may be the case but that doesn’t change the fact that the PowerShot S100 is one capable shooter that might let you leave that bulky and hefty DSLR at home especially when traveling in favor of this compact.

Canon PowerShot S100 Digital Camera Price in the Philippines: Approximately Php 20,000.00

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Kia Picanto Price in the Philippines (as of September 2011)

Kia Picanto Price: The Kia Picanto (known as Kia Morning in Korea) is an affordable and fuel-efficient supermini car that is based on a shortened platform of the Hyundai Getz. In Korea, it has been Kia’s best selling model for two years in a row.

The Kia Picanto is available with either 1.0 or 1.1 L petrol engines and features reduced CO2 emissions from 90 g/km.

Among the most noticeable styling overhauls made to the 2010 Picanto is more dynamic front fascia that eventually gets a brand new Schreyer-designed chrome signature grille. Besides the updated “tiger grille”, the facelifted Picanto was also given a redesigned front bumper with bigger air intakes, new fog lights design and black high-gloss garnish. At the rear section, mid-cycle alterations include black-bezel tail-lamps and sportier rear bumper design that ultimately transformed the car from cutie to gorgeous.

With its highly-affordable price and excellent features, it is hard to go wrong with the Kia Picanto.

Kia Picanto Price in the Philippines (as of September 2011):

Picanto 1.1 LX Deluxe MT: Php 595,000.00

Picanto 1.1 LX Deluxe AT: Php 645,000.00

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ViewSonic ViewPad 7e Android Tablet Computer Price, Features and Other Details

ViewSonic ViewPad 7e Android Tablet Computer Price, Features and Other Details: We’ve seen a couple of very capable tablets being announced and unveiled at the IFA 2011 in Berlin so we basically can expect a more intense competition in the tablet market with these new releases. Toshiba has just announced the new Toshiba AT200 while Samsung is coming up with theSamsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 among others.

What’s common among the above-mentioned tablets is that they are rather on the higher end of the tablet spectrum because of their very impressive specs sheet. Since they are higher-spec’d, it also follows that they are higher-priced which kind of limits the number of people who would have access to theses tablets. Getting one of these babies might mean giving up an arm and a leg for some of our lower income class brethren.

However, there might be an answer to this predicament of the masses with regard to their wanting to get a whiff of what the whole Android on a tablet thing is all about. With ViewSonic on the scene, the Android experience may have been made a little more affordable by the company.

The company is doing just this by coming up with the ViewSonic ViewPad 7e. You might be wondering what the “e” stands for but it basically means “entry” or more appropriately “entry-level”. What this means is that the ViewPad 7e is expected to have a very low price point that it can be accessible to almost everyone.

At this price point though, what can we expect from the ViewPad 7e? What kind of specs will its low price get you? What kind of performance can the ViewPad 7e offer? Are we better off blowing additional dinero instead of getting the ViewPad 7e? These are the questions we have the answers to so read on to get the full details about the ViewSonic ViewPad 7e.

Design and construction

The ViewPad 7e measures 7.6 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches and tips the scales at 1.1 pounds. With these dimensions, the tablet seems a bit wide at the hips and looks as though it haws no plans in competing with other tablets in terms of slimness. The side of the tablet packs a cornucopia of ports that include microUSB, miniUSB and a standard 3.5 mm headphone jack.

As expected, with its lower price point, the tablet lacks the premium feel that we have become accustomed to when handling the tablets from other manufacturers such as Apple and HTC but this is not to say that the ViewPad 7e is entirely laughable as a tablet. In fact, the device has a solid build quality to it gives that off the impression that it is a tough device.

Under the hood

This is where things get a little bit dicey given the fact that the ViewPad 7e will be coming in at a relatively lower price point once it begins hitting the shelves. For its CPU, the ViewPad 7e will rely on an older generation ARM Cortex-A8 processor which has a clock speed of 1GHz. Working in conjunction with the processor is the tablet’s full gigabyte of RAM.

Obviously, no dedicated GPU can be found in the ViewPad 7e as a way of keeping the tablet’s cost at a bare minimum and storage space is a bit measly at a scant 4GB of internal memory. That obviously would not be enough to get all your storage needs taken care of but a dedicated media card slot can handle microSD cards of up to 32GB so memory expansion is always an option here.

The display and other features

In terms of its display, the ViewPad 7e sports a 7-inch RiteTouch panel with a resolution of 800 x 600 pixels. As expected, the display of the tablet has support for multi-touch and has sensors such as an accelerometer and ambient light sensor integrated onto the display of the tablet for added functionality.

In terms of its camera department, the ViewPad 7e packs a dual-shooter configuration like most of the competition. At its back, one can find a 3-megapixel shooter that acts as the primary camera of the device. Round its front on the other hand sits a nondescript VGA camera that can be optimized for the usual video calls.

The ViewPad 7e is expected to become available in time for the holidays at a low, low price of approximately $199 in the US of A. according to the company, the tablet will pack Android 2.3 Gingerbread once it hits the shelves but ViewPad foregoes the pure Google experience in the ViewPad 7e and has installed a couple of core apps on the device that include Angry Birds and the Kindle app. In addition to that, the operating system of the device is overlaid with the SPB Shell 3D-based ViewScene 3D UI.

The bottom line

The ViewSonic ViewPad 7e may not have the high-end specs found in the competition but it certainly gets the job done. It may look like a midrange tablet but then again, it is also capable of doing what other higher-end tablets can. And interestingly, the price point of the ViewPad 7e is much lower than we have expected so the tablet became even more attractive in our eyes. For those who consider themselves belonging to the “beggars cannot be choosers” portion of the population, then your Android craving can certainly be satisfied by the ViewSonic ViewPad 7e.

ViewSonic ViewPad 7e Android Tablet Computer Price in the Philippines: Approximately Php 11,000.00

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Sony MDR-NC200D Digital Noise Cancelling Headphones Price, Features and Other Info

Sony MDR-NC200D Digital Noise Cancelling Headphones Price, Features and Other Info: Back in the day, portable music players have had their share of popularity. Started out by the Walkman by Sony which enabled you to carry your music while on the go, albeit via a cassette tape, the portable musical revolution never looked back.

The Walkman was the perennial tote-around of the new generation during its time but after reaching the apex of its popularity, its ubiquity waned due to the fact that it was very bulky and hefty to carry around. The portable music revolution continued though especially when the digital music players became the rage.

This was made even more so when the now-classic Apple iPod was released. Due to the seeming popularity of these portable music players, headphones and earphones invariably became as popular as the contraptions they were attached to. A lot of brands in all shapes and sized flooded the market and began lining up the shelves.

With technology rearing up its ugly head, these headphones also got a dose of it and noise canceling technology was introduced. These noise-cancelling headphones and earphones, albeit priced ridiculously at times, made you enjoy your music more even when on the move by keeping the ambient noise from the environment out.

Such is the case of the Sony MDR-NC200D which was recently unveiled at IFA 2011 in Berlin. Designed to take on the QuietComfort line of industry-leading Bose, these headphones from Sony are a lot cheaper thereby making them more attractive.

But what can we expect from the MDR-NC200D? How effective is its noise canceling technology? What are its snags? What kind of price point are we talking about here? Most importantly, how good is the sound quality of these headphones? Read on for our preview of the Sony MDR-NC200D Digital Noise-Cancelling headphones.

Design and construction

When you take a quick glance at the MDR-NC200D, you get eerily reminded of the Bose QuietComfort 3. The resemblance is caused by the fact that both are headphones of the supra-aural type where the instead of covering your ears and sealing them off, the headphone pads rest on your ears.

Design-wise, the MDR-NC200D packs a minimalistic approach to its aesthetics. The headphones are all-black with a lot of padding that makes using them very comfortable even for extended periods of time. Power to juice up the operation of the headphones comes from one triple-A battery which goes into its compartment in the left earpiece. This is one snag that we noticed wherein the bulk of the headphones could have accommodated a rechargeable unit instead of an AAA battery.

The buttons that operate the functions and circuitry of the MDR-NC200D are all located on the left earpiece that include an On / Off toggle, an AI NC button along with the headphones’ Monitor button that mutes the music you are listening to and disables noise-cancellation.

The MDR-NC200D also comes with detachable audio cables which in essence is a good thing. With this feature, you can make use of the headphones and its noise-cancellation even without having to listen to music. Not only that, the cable can easily be replaced should it snap or become damaged which is almost always the case. Included in its retail package is a protective pouch where the MDR-NC200D can be stored along with an adapter for an airplane jack.

The performance

The MDR-NC200D makes use of active noise cancellation technology where the headphones sample the ambient noise from the surroundings. Once that has been identified, the headphones create sound waves that are the exact opposite of the ambient noise in the environment thereby effectively canceling it. With this technology, the MDR-NC200D packs three different modes of noise cancellation: one suited for trains, another appropriate for airplanes and the last mode is aimed at ambient office chatter.

This is where the AI NC button mentioned earlier comes in. Pressing the Artificial Intelligence Noise Cancellation triggers the headphone to select the best one among the three available modes in terms of the ambient noise in your surroundings. Gimmickry aside, noise cancellation on the MDR-NC200D works really great and can be seen as the headphones’ beast feature.

In terms of sound quality though, some snags were noticed and this is where the MDR-NC200D gets picked on. At moderate volume levels, the headphones are able to drive out an exceptionally clean sound with full bass notes mingling perfectly with the mids and highs for pure music listening pleasure. Crank up the volume a bit and distortion becomes an apparent problem.

The distortion is clearly noticeable in bass and lower notes at high volume and what’s more annoying is that this is brought about by the activation of noise cancellation. Turn off noise cancellation and the distortion becomes a problem of the past. Turn it back on and you say hello to distortion again. Which kinda defeats the purpose of having noise-cancelling headphones in the first place.

The bottom line

Expected to fetch a price of $199 in the US of A once the Sony MDR-NC200D Digital Noise Cancelling headphones hit the shelves, these pair of headphones may be a bit priced too high given the snags with noise cancellation and distortion. In short, Sony got everything right the first time in terms of noise cancellation with the MDR-NC200D but it needs to put in more work to get the noise-cancellation and distortion problem out of the equation.

Sony MDR-NC200D Digital Noise Cancelling Headphones Price in the Philippines: Approximately Php 9,000.00

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Netgear WNDR4500 N900 Wireless Internet Router Price, Features and other Details

Netgear WNDR4500 N900 Wireless Internet Router Price, Features and other Details: The technological advances that have been happening for as far back as we can remember if you ask me have been around for the better part of all our collective lives. We never can really remember as to when high-tech really became high-tech but such is the case of the advancements that we see happening with blinding speeds – it just isn’t constant and is constantly evolving to give us something better and something more powerful.

Take the case of the Internet if you may. 20 years ago, it was an alien concept for most of us. We never could fathom a creature, an organism that would link almost everything and everybody through the use of computers. It just is something from an Asimov novel. But again, we are proven wrong.

The Internet as we know it today is very alive and has in fact been the single most important controlling factor affecting our daily lives. With the rise of the Net as we fondly call it came the need for mobility and connectivity. From the moment we open our eyes every morning to the moment we wearily fall asleep at night, technology and connectivity rules the most part of our daily life.

And true to technology affecting everything, even the way we connect to the Internet have been changed as well. Gone are the wires that directly hook our computers to our modems and other what-have-wes and in their place are the wireless routers that give us the mobility while being connected.

This is where the Netgear WNDR4500 N900 router excels. With this router at the center of your home network, you get blazing-fast speeds with ultimate range. Read on to know more about the Netgear WNDR4500 N900 router and the features that it brings to the table.

Design and construction

The WNDR4500 N900 router is your typical Netgear router designed to be used in a vertical position. In addition to that, it is easily one of the biggest wireless routers currently available in the market with its dimensions of 258 x 172.5 x 81 mm. not only that, it is also a bit hefty at 680 grams.

Touted as the first true dual-band router from the company, the WNDR4500 N900 router not only packs two USB ports in its body but the router also supports the Network Attached Storage server standards of Netgear.

Key features and performance

First and foremost, with the WNDR4500 N900 router from Netgear, you are already assured of blazing-fast connection speeds. In fact, the router is capable of offering a speed of 450 Mbps not only on the 2.4 GHz band but also on the 5 GHz band as well making it a true blue dual band wireless router.

Not only that, it also has other features that may make even the geekest of geeks drool. For example, the WNDR4500 N900 router has an integrated support for the streaming standard of DLNA. With this feature in play, digital content on a flash drive hooked up to the WNDR4500 N900 router can easily be streamed to game consoles, TVs or media players that are DLNA-compliant.

Setup and configuration of the WNDR4500 N900 router is also as easy as a walk in the park. Bundled with the retail package of the router is the company’s proprietary network management software Netgear Genie. This works like Cisco Connect for the Linksys routers and is actually a big help for technically challenged people in setting up and configuring their WNDR4500 N900 router in addition to managing their networks effectively.

When you come to experience the performance of the WNDR4500 N900 router, all you’ll notice is that this particular router has been designed for nothing but speed. Compared to the current crop of 750 Mbps routers currently available in the market, the WNDR4500 N900 router is capable of providing speeds that are more than 50 percent faster than the current bunch.

The dual USB ports of the WNDR4500 N900 router are also configured for speed. They may not be USB 3.0 ports but the making use of the USB ports of the router in saving and retrieving files is almost 30 percent faster when compared to what the competition can offer.

The bottom line

The Netgear WNDR4500 N900 router is already available in the US of A at an introductory price of $179.99 which may be a bit pricey for some but when you consider the features that this router packs in addition to the speeds of connection that is capable of offering in a very reliable and secure manner plus the range at which it can get you connected, the money you have to shell out for this piece of hardware is money well spent, believe me.

Netgear WNDR4500 N900 Wireless Internet Router Price in the Philippines: Approximately Php 8,500.00

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HTC Sensation XE Android Smartphone Price, Features and Expectations

HTC Sensation XE Android Smartphone Price, Features and Expectations: In today’s smartphone market where the competition is heating up even more so, we see a lot of more capable and more powerful smartphones getting released and hitting the shelves. With IFA 2011, the number of new announcements went through the roof so choosing a new smartphone is going to get a bit difficult for the coming days.

On the other side of the world, no scratch that, the whole world is eagerly awaiting the unveiling of the next generation iPhone. Some are calling it the iPhone 5 while others call it the iPhone 4S. Rumors after rumors get everybody speculating as to exactly when the new Apple baby is gonna show its mug to the world and a lot of experts points to mid-October as the hallowed date.

No confirmation or denial coming from Apple regarding this as they choose to keep things rather close to the vest. The new iPhone might be the device to beat once it gets out and hits the shelves but there are already a bunch of powerful superphones waiting for it and eagerly testing out their wares this early.

An example is the recently made official HTC Sensation XE – the even more capable follow up to the previous HTC flagship handset HTC Sensation. The Sensation XE packs more punch under the hood compared to its predecessor and boasts of having Beats Audio technology integrated onto its system.

But what can we really expect from the HTC Sensation XE? What kind of punch does it pack under the hood? What are its chances of shooting straight to the top of the smartphone leaderboards? Read on as we familiarize ourselves with the HTC Sensation XE.

Design and construction

Design and aesthetics wise, there is not much difference between the Sensation XE and its predecessor. It still packs the same form factor that makes the handset look like an ugly slab of black plastic like most of the smartphones we see lining up the shelves today.

The Sensation XE measures 126.1 x 65.4 x 11.3 mm and tips the scales at 151 grams and still packs the same unibody construction as seen in its predecessor but the Sensation XE packs a darker color scheme that covers its body. Of course, the solid build quality that we usually see in HTC smartphones is also present on this superphone.

Under the hood

This is the part where the Sensation XE gets to beat its chest more loudly. And for good reason. Improve and upgrade the components under the hood of the Sensation and you get the specs sheet of the Sensation XE. For example, the handset relies on a QualComm MSM 8260 Snapdragon chipset to keep all the components working together in harmony. Because of the SoC nature of the chipset, the dual-core 1.5 GHz Scorpion processor of the superphone sits right next to the device’s dedicated Adreno 220 GPU atop the chipset.

In terms of device memory, the Sensation XE packs 768 MB of Ram that works in conjunction with the very capable processor of the device. With this combination, a snappy and very smooth performance is already a foregone conclusion with the Sensation XE. In terms of internal memory, the device comes with 4GB of onboard storage memory expansion is taken care of by the device’s media card slot that can support microd SD cards of up to 32GB.

In addition to that, not only does the Sensation XE benefits from the partnership of HTC with Beats Audio by being the first superphone out of the HTC stable to get the Beats Audio technology but the retail package of the Sensation XE will also include an exclusive in-ear headphones from Beats by Dr. Dre for your music listening pleasure.

The display

Display-wise, the Sensation XE is as capable as it can get. Most of the front panel of the device is taken up by its massive 4.3-inch SuperLCD capacitive touchscreen with a qHD resolution of 960 x 540 pixels and pixel density of 256 ppi.

Right below the humongous display sit the controls of the superphone that are touch-sensitive while sensors such as accelerometer, gyrosensor and proximity sensor are all built-in on the device for extended functionality. This is in addition to the support the Sensation XE has for multi-touch input that makes the device very versatile indeed.

The shooters

The camera department of the Sensation XE is represented primarily by its rear-facing 8-megapixel shooter. This camera comes with dual-LED flashes and autofocus and has features such as instant capture, geotagging, face detection, image stabilization and touch focus. It can also capture 1080p clips at 30 frames per second when video mode is toggled. The front-facing camera of the Sensation XE on the other hand is a generic VGA shooter that can be utilized in taking self-portraits and doing video calls.

The bottom line

Expected to hit the shelves by the end of the current month, we are betting the farm that the HTC Sensation XE will definitely be a sensation in terms of its classic good looks combined with a very impressive, very powerful specs sheet.

Choosing a smartphone nowadays is difficult enough but the HTC Sensation XE somehow makes it easier for you because chances are, this superphone will be your only choice.

HTC Sensation XE Android Smartphone Price in the Philippines: Approximately Php 33,000.00

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Samsung Series 7 NP700Z5A-S01US Laptop Computer Price, Features and Other Info

Samsung Series 7 NP700Z5A-S01US Laptop Computer Price, Features and Other Info: The recently concluded IFA 2011 in Berlin was again a smashing success. Through this conference, we got to see at lot of gadgets and devices that are about to hit the shelves one way or the other. Most of those exhibited in IFA are expected to be available in time for the holidays so it really is a good idea if you start saving up on the dinero this early.

Anyway, one of the manufacturers who had a successful show of force at the IFA 2011 was the Korean electronics giant Samsung. With announcements that include the Samsung Galaxy Note and the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7, Samsung managed to impress those in attendance. We even got to see what these new devices are all about and we are pretty excited to get our hands on one of the Samsung products on display.

Though Samsung is widely-known for being prolific in coming up with superphones and tablets, the Korean company has already started coming up with very powerful notebooks that can actually go on a head-on collision with the more established laptop manufacturers such as Dell, HP, Lenovo, Toshiba and the like.

With IFA 2011 underway, the Korean manufacturer took the liberty of announcing its new offering- the new Samsung Series 7 Laptop. Designed to inch between the consumer-friendly Series 3 and the power-hungry Series 9, the Series 7 Laptop is the ideal companion for people who need power and resources in a laptop and yet not willing to spend that much dinero on a Series 9.

What then can we expect from the Series 7 Laptop from the Korean manufacturer? What kind of specs does it bring to the table? How are the design aesthetics of this laptop? What about its dimension? Read on to get the lowdown on the new laptop from Samsung, the Series 7 Laptop.

Design and construction

For this preview, we took a look at the Series 7 NP700Z5A-S01US. Sad to say, only the specs sheet of the laptop has been confirmed and no official dimensions have been released as of yet but one thing is for sure, the Series 7 NP700Z5A-S01US is cloaked in a compact chassis fashioned out of aluminum and looks very elegant.

With the brushed aluminum finish of the laptop, the Series 7 NP700Z5A-S01US gives off the impression of being classy without sacrificing the important components under its hood. Though there are still no official measurements available for the Series 7 NP700Z5A-S01US, we can assure you though that the Series 7 NP700Z5A-S01US will not come in very heavy so lugging it around would not be an issue at all.

Under the hood

This is the stuff that would interest most people – the nitty-gritty under the hood. Taking a quick look at the specs sheet of the Series 7 NP700Z5A-S01US actually makes you realize that this is still a very powerful laptop despite the fact that it is still one step below the higher-end Series 9 machines.

For its processor, the Series 7 NP700Z5A-S01US packs a second-gen quad-core Sandy Bridge Intel Core i7-2675QM CPU. This processor is the alpha male of all Intel processors nowadays and it has a base clock speed of 2.20 GHz that can then be overclocked to a max of 2.90 GHz by using Turbo Boost.

Working in conjunction with the processor is the 8GB of DDR3 RAM of the Series 7 NP700Z5A-S01US while storage space comes in the form of a 750GB hard disk drive. For graphical concerns, a dedicated AMD Radeon 6750M GPU takes care of all things concerned with this. In short, the components lurking under the hood of the Series 7 NP700Z5A-S01US is all about pure and raw power.

The display and other features

In terms of its display, we were only able to get the dimension of the display of the Series 7 NP700Z5A-S01US and not the specifics of the panel. That being said, it was already confirmed that the Series 7 NP700Z5A-S01US would pack a 15.6-inch display with a resolution of 1600 x 900 pixels. If we are to follow the trend of the displays being used in the smartphones being released by the Korean company, then we can expect that the Series 7 NP700Z5A-S01US will also have an exceptional display with excellent viewing angles and superior sunlight legibility.

In terms of its input devices, the Series 7 NP700Z5A-S01US also has a keyboard with chiclet-style keys. We expect the keys of the laptop to have above average tactile feedback. The track pad on the other hand is very big and smooth so wit is reasonable to expect that this will enable precision pointing and scrolling. In addition to that, this laptop takes advantage of Samsung proprietary ExpressCache Technology. This works in the background to assist the hard drive of the laptop to have faster boot times and a more improved overall performance.

The bottom line

Expected to hit the shelves this coming October at a price point of $1299, the Samsung Series 7 NP700Z5A-S01US laptop is a bargain if you ask me. Nowhere can you find a laptop at this price that has a high-end specs sheet in addition to having a design aesthetic that is more commonly associated with Apple products. In short, if you have the extra money for the holidays, make sure you spend it on this.

Samsung Series 7 NP700Z5A-S01US Laptop Computer Price in the Philippines: Approximately Php 58,000.00

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Toshiba AT200 Android Tablet Computer Price, Features and Other Info

Toshiba AT200 Android Tablet Computer Price, Features and Other Info: Toshiba, which has been quite known in its very reliable laptops and notebooks, recently joined the tablet computer competition when it released to the market the Toshiba Thrive. Sad to say, the Thrive didn’t get the warm reception that the company was expecting when it hit the shelves.

This can be attributed to the fact that the tablet was far from the sexy slates being released by the competition. At its waist line of 15mm, it wasn’t out to win any sexiness pageants and not even the fact that the Thrive boasts of a changeable back covers, a user-replaceable battery and a full-sized USB port can save the tablet from the ridicule that it would get because of its girth.

Toshiba, however, is out to prove that not only is it a fast learner but it also learns from its mistakes. This might have been the inspiration when the company unveiled the Toshiba AT200 at the IFA 2011 in Berlin recently.

At first glance, we can definitely say that the AT200 is the exact opposite of the Thrive. It packs slimness never before seen in tablets, not even in the Apple iPad 2 or the newer generation of Samsung Galaxy Tabs.

Intrigued yet? And so are we? So what then can we expect from the Toshiba AT200? What kind of specs sheet has this tablet been blessed with? Would it finally be the tablet that can be considered as a worthy competitor of the iPad colossus? Read on as we gut the Toshiba AT200 from bow to stern to check out the stuff this new Toshiba slate is made of.

Design and construction

When you first see the AT200, the first thing that will come to mind is that the Toshiba Thrive is such a waste of Toshiba time and resources. As mentioned earlier, the AT200 is the exact opposite of the Thrive with its dimensions of 256 x 176 x 7.7 mm. it might have a full 10.1-inch display but the AT200 only tips the scales at 558 grams.

At 7.7 mm, the AT200 edges out the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 by just a hair in terms of thinness. It also packs a design aesthetic not very common among tablets we see lining up the shelves as the AT200 packs a very clean minimalist look that is very industrial-looking when you come to think of it. It may have squarish edges but the brushed metal look of the back panel of the device lends to it a very classy and elegant look.

Under the hood

The specs sheet of the AT200 is not yet as complete as we would want it to be but still, in paper, the guts of the tablet look good and manages to impress us despite some of the blanks in there. The AT200 packs a Texas Instruments OMAP 4430 chipset that happens to have SoC architecture and sitting atop the chipset is the tablet’s dual-core CPU that has a clock speed of 1.2GHz. The processor of the AT200 is paired with a full gigabyte of RAM and the processor-RAM combination of the device is responsible for the snappy performance that the tablet is clearly capable of. Due to the SoC nature of the chipset, we can safely assume that the AT200 will have a dedicated GPU to help out in graphical concerns though we have no confirmation yet as to what specifically the GPU of the device will be.

It has been said that the AT200 will pack up to 64GB of onboard memory when it comes to its storage space so we can safely assume that several versions of the tablet will hit the shelves to give prospective buyers options when it comes to storage space. The device also has a dedicated media card slot so if the 64GB of onboard memory is still not enough, you can always insert a high-capacity microSD card onto the media card slot for instant memory expansion.

The display and other features

Display-wise, the AT200 boasts of an LED-backlit 10.1-inch high-res capacitive LCD display that has a resolution of 800 x 1280 pixels and 16:10 aspect ratio. The display of the AT200 like most tablets nowadays supports multi-touch input and packs several sensors in its slim body such as ambient light sensor, gyrometer, electronic compass, 3D accelerometer and GPS among others for added functionality.

In addition to that, the industrial design of the AT200 makes it possible for the tablet to pack more connectivity options such as microUSB, microSD, and microHDMI ports scattered all over its sexy body. It also supports Bluetooth along with Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n for added connectivity options.

In terms of the shooting department, the AT200 packs a dual-camera configuration to make it more competitive. The rear-facing camera of the device is a 5.0MP shooter while round its front, one can find the front-facing 2.0MP shooter of the tablet.

The bottom line

Toshiba clearly did everything right with the AT200. The classic good looks paired with the very capable innards of the tablets all combine together nicely to make this device a very formidable one. Toshiba even claims that the AT200 is capable of a battery life of up to 8 hours that is an added bonus when you come to think of it.

Expected to hit the shelves before the end of the current year but no pricing options being revealed yet, we expect the Toshiba AT200 to be a hit so you guys better be nice as early as now and start writing Santa your requests. Who know, he might even decide to leave an AT200 on your stockings come Christmas eve.

Toshiba AT200 Android Tablet Computer Price in the Philippines: TBA (To Be Announced)

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Olympus PEN E-PM1 Digital Camera Preview: Price, Features and Specs

Olympus PEN E-PM1 Digital Camera Preview: Price, Features and Specs - Since the attention of the camera-buying public shifted to the bulky and hefty DSLRs due to the versatility of these shooters, camera manufacturers searched for ways to give the consumers access to a shooter that does not pack the size of a DSLR but still have the features attached to the category.

With the effort put in to the research and development of said camera, the Micro Four Thirds category was born. With this category, avid enthusiasts of photography get to have all the features that are commonly found in a DSLR and yet not be hampered by the bulk of the shooter. This has been made possible because a Micro Four Thirds packs the size of a compact and yet still has the interchangeable lens feature of a DSLR.

Of note among manufacturers prolific in coming up with Micro Four Thirds is Olympus and its PEN line of MFTs are they are commonly referred to. More recently, the company unveiled its latest addition to its stable of PEN shooters – the Olympus PEN E-PM1. This shooter is said to be the most compact not to mention most affordable among the cameras in this line.

Set to hit the shelves next month, what then can we expect from the Olympus PEN E-PM1? How does it compare to its higher spec’d and therefore higher-priced PEN siblings? What features does it bring to the table? What price tag comes attached to the shooter when it gets released to the market? Read on to get the preview of the Olympus PEN E-PM1.

Design and construction

As mentioned earlier, the PEN E-PM1 is the smallest among the PEN series of Olympus. The shooter measures 109.5 x 63.7 x 34.0 mm without the lens kit attached. Tipping the scales at 265 grams including its power pack and media card, the PEN E-PM1 is still a lightweight compared to other shooters in this category.

To give it a more compact shape and size, Olympus took out the mode dial on the top edge of the PEN E-PM1 and the only things you can see there are its stereo microphones, the hot shoe for a flash, power button, speaker and shutter release. The back panel is also minimalistic with only the display and scroll wheel gracing the panel. With this kind of configuration, all controls of the PEN E-PM1 are within easy reach so shooting one-handedly is not an issue at all.

A minor snag though that we found on the construction of the PEN E-PM1 is its lack of a pseudo-grip on its front panel. In an effort to keep its size down to a bare minimum, Olympus neglected to put in a protrusion in the front right panel of the shooter to act as a grip so a user should very carefully hold the PEN E-PM1 when shooting pictures.

Key features

The main thing that associates the PEN E-PM1 with a DSLR is its capability of having interchangeable lens in a size so compact that it almost approximates the size of a compact point-and-shoot. For its image sensor, the PEN E-PM1 packs a Live MOS Image Sensor with a 12-megapixel resolution. This works in conjunction with the shooter’s image processor which makes use of the company’s proprietary TruePic IV technology.

For its display, the PEN E-PM1 makes use of a 3.0-inch LCD display that has 460K dots and 7 levels of brightness adjustment. With these high levels, the display can clearly be seen even in brightly-lit conditions like under direct sunlight.

In terms of autofocus, the PEN E-PM1 makes us of FAST Autofocus Tracking System that utilizes 35 varying focus points for clear, sharp and fast autofocus in whatever shooting situation a user is in. the PEN E-PM1 also has an Art Filters feature that enables a user to customize the look of images without having to use in-camera photo editing software.

In addition to that, the PEN E-PM1 is also capable of taking photos in 3D with its 3D Photo Mode. With this feature in play, the shooter creates a 3D image in either macro or landscape by releasing the shutter and panning the camera for it to be able to capture the second image. A 3D image is turned out in a .MOBI format which can then be viewed on a 3D-capable TV or computer.

Similar to other shooters in this category, the PEN E-PM1 is also capable of recording in 1080 / 60i HD with its lenses that take advantage of the company’s Movie and Still Compatibility technology. By making use of this, a near-silent operation in the shooter enables a user to record HD clips with exceptional clarity in full stereo sound.

The bottom line

Expected to hit the shelves this coming October at an introductory price of $500, the Olympus PEN E-PM1 with all its DSLR-like features packed in a body that is comparable to a compact point-and-shoot will surely be a hit among the photography enthusiasts out there who do not want to be bothered in carrying a bulky and hefty DSLR.

Olympus PEN E-PM1 Digital Camera Price in the Philippines: Approximately Php 24,000.00

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Honda City Price List as of September 2011

Honda City Price List: The Honda City is a popular subcompact vehicle produced by Honda Motors since 1981. In Japan domestic market, it was known as Honda Fit Aria from 2002 to 2008. The latest model of Honda City was launched here in the Philippines on January 7, 2009 with four variations; 1.3 S with manual and automatic transmissions, the 1.3 A with manual transmission, and the 1.5 E, whose automatic gearbox is equipped with paddle shifts that promote more sporty driving experience. All of these variants are now loaded with a SOHC, 16-valve i-VTEC engines, creating an all-i-VTEC roster for Honda Cars that particular year. With the all new Honda City, drivers need not to worry about the lack of horsepower since it has more than enough.

From 1996 - 2009, there are already more than a million Honda City units sold in around 45 countries, a proof of the car's growing popularity.

Here is the price list (in Philippine peso) of Honda City updated as of September 2011:

Honda City 1.3 A MT
1.3 A: Alabaster Silver, Bold Beige
Php 691,000.00

Honda City 1.3 S MT
1.3 S: Alabaster Silver
Bold Beige, Crystal Black, Habanero
Red
Polished Metal (1.5E only)
Php 731,000.00

Honda City 1.3 S AT
1.3 S: Alabaster Silver
Bold Beige, Crystal Black, Habanero
Red
Polished Metal (1.5E only)
Php 771,000.00

Honda City 1.5 E AT
1.3 S: Alabaster Silver
Bold Beige, Crystal Black, Habanero
Red
Polished Metal (1.5E only)
Php 821,000.00

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iPhone 5 Price in the Philippines, Features and Expectations

iPhone 5 Price in the Philippines, Features and Expectations: It is said that the smartphone revolution was began by Apple when it released the first generation iPhone several years ago. And indeed, the iPhone along with the iterations of the device that followed was truly a remarkable handset. It even earned the moniker of being the Swiss Army Knife of the digital age due to the myriad of functions that are packed tightly into its slim and sexy body.

The popularity of the iPhone though was even made more so by the fact that before a new iteration of the handset gets announced, Apple has the tendency to keep things close to the vest thereby resulting to the rumor mill cranking out juicy tidbit after juicy tidbit that border on the wild and ridiculous. And as we await the announcement of the new iPhone which some call as the iPhone 4S while others call iPhone 5, we experience the same bevy of rumors and what-can-we-expects about the device.

Read on for our compilation of the rumors and expectations about the upcoming iPhone 5 (or is it iPhone 4S?).

Design and construction

During the early stages of the rumor mill regarding the supposed iPhone 5, this is where the hearsays and the tidbits have been aimed at. Let’s start with the supposed form factor. It has been whispered that the new iPhone could probably retain the form factor of the current iPhone 4 with only its guts getting teared up and replaced with more powerful components. This is contradicted however by an article from the Wall Street Journal, which cited that the next iPhone is a challenge to mass-produce due to its size. This clearly points to thinner and light iPhone if the WSJ is to be believed. Sourced quoted by the WSJ were component suppliers for Apple so this tidbit as best is a 50 / 50 proposition.

Another rumor is the supposed screen size of the new iPhone. It has been alleged that the device will pack a slightly bigger 4-inch display so if this turns out to be true, the iPhone 5 could indeed have a slightly bigger form factor. But then again, a reduction of the bezel can accommodate the increased screen real estate without changing the form factor so again we are at 50 / 50 odds here.

Since we are talking about the display, some rumors indicate that the display of the new iPhone will feature a curved screen just like what we saw in the Google Nexus S smartphone. Should this one hold true, don’t hold your breath since the curvature of the display is imperceptible at best.

iPhone 5 mockup

Under the hood

As for the components lurking under the hood of the handset, it is a given that the new iPhone will be endowed with a better and more impressive specs sheet compared to what the iPhone 4 had. The only speculation found here points to the detailed and specific specs that can be expected on the latest iteration of the device.

It has been said that since the iPhone 4 packed a single-core A4 proc, the next iPhone will invariably have a dual-core CPU like the A5 found on the iPad 2. With this upgrade, things would definitely speed up a bit. The RAM of the handset might also get a bump up especially that Apple has the tendency to overdo itself when it comes with the components that get placed in its devices.

The rumor mill has also turned out an interesting piece of news regarding the shooters of the iPhone 5. It has been whispered that the rear shooter of the device might get a resolution bump to 8MP with the sensors coming from Sony. In the same vein, an LED flash might also accompany the FRONT shooter for better self-portraits.

Other features

NFC or near-field communication is seen as the future of making payments and it is said that the new iPhone 5 will have this feature wherein you can pay for your stuff by placing your handset over a sensor. In addition to that, the iPhone 4 which became available not only for GSM networks but for CDMAs as well could probably lead to an iPhone 5 worldphone that packs support for both CDMA and GSM networks.

Availability

After the rumors about the specs of the new iPhone quieted down to a mere whisper, the most recurring as of late is about the availability of the device. Several leaks have pointed to a mid-October release and this has been supported by pretty reliable sources that include head honchos of several carriers that expect to have the new iPhone in their lineup. The October release is even made more reliable by the fact the pre-orders for the new iPhone are already being accepted as of the moment.

The bottom line

Rumor or not, it is hard to speculate as to what the iPhone 5 would really be like until we get the official announcement from Steve Jobs et al. For the moment, we can content ourselves with the rumors and the allegations but we can rest assured that the new iPhone would certainly be better than the last and would again usher in a new age of innovation in the smartphone industry.

iPhone 5 Price in the Philippines: TBA (To Be Announced)

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ASUS G74-SX-A1 Gaming Laptop Computer Price, Features, and Other Details

ASUS G74-SX-A1 Gaming Laptop Computer Price, Features, and Other Details: In today’s world where mobility is king, the laptop is oftentimes the weapon of choice for most people. With its smallish form factor, it can easily be lugged and taken to places where you got to be. It also enables you to get some work done even if you are on the move.

With the advancements in technology that we see occurring at blazing fast speeds, it was no surprise that the laptop got a taste of these advancements and has become a lot more powerful that it once was.

These laptops that got the uber-components high-end specs sheet made it possible for users to make use of the ultra powerful notebooks to do what was once possible only in our desktops. With the addition of performance enhancing components, the laptop was also transformed to a gaming rig where a hardcore gamer has the option to play his favorite titles on the laptop.

With these developments came the rise of the desktop replacement category along with the gaming laptop category. The gaming category of laptops on the other hand is characterized by an unconventional chassis and casing design which enables the laptop itself to contain all the high-end components to power up its operations.

In the case of Asus, the recently released G74 series of gaming laptops as a successor to the G73 line aims to level the playing field against competitors such as Alienware and Qosmio from Toshiba. What then can we expect from the Asus G74-SX-A1 gaming notebook? What kind of specs make up its guts? How does it fare against the competition? What kind of price tag comes attached with the rig? Read on as we get to know the Asus G74-SX-A1 a little better.

Design and constructions

If the Alienware usually gets its inspiration from the F117 NightHawk, the G74-SX-A1 on the other hand is reminiscent of the stealth ship Sea Shadow of the US Navy. With its unconventional design, the G74-SX-A1 measures 16.6 x 12.8 x 0.8 – 2.3 inches from its thinnest edge to its thickest.

This gaming rig foregoes the blingy décor found in other rigs but instead goes after the smooth and silent appeal. The G74-SX-A1 is black all over with its brushed black metal panel with touches black rubber, all done in a matte black finish which gives the rig a muted look. The only “bright” portion of the rig is its backlit keyboard which can only be turned on at the prerogative of the user.

Under the hood

As expected, the G74-SX-A1 has all the high-end components lurking under its hood to give it the power that it needs to take care of any challenge that will be thrown its way. For its CPU, the rig relies on a 2nd generation Intel Core i7-2630QM quad-core processor that runs at a base clock speed of 2.0GHz. By utilizing Turbo Boost, the clock speed can be overclocked to a max of 2.9GHz. This processor has 12GB of DDR3-1333 RAM at its disposal so there’s pretty much nothing that this beast cannot do.

To take care of the graphics requirements of system resources-hungry titles, the G74-SX-A1 relies on an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M GPU that packs 3GB of GDDR5 VRAM to have that covered. For storage space, the rig has two 7200RPM 750GB SATA hard disk drive for a total of 1.5TB of space for your data-keeping needs.

The display and other features

In terms of its display, the G74-SX-A1 sports a massive LED-backlit 17.3-inch Full HD display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080. With this much pixels packed into the screen real estate of the rig, it is a foregone conclusion that colors will be very bright and sharp in addition to having lifelike reproduction while texts will be a lot sharper and clearer. With its LED-backlit nature, the display of the G74-SX-A1 will also be able to provide exceptional viewing angles.

In terms of input devices, the keyboard of the G74-SX-A1, while featuring a full numpad, has an inclination of 5-degrees for better ergonomics and the rubberized finish of the whole palm rest assures you of comfortable gaming sessions. As expected, the keyboard of the G74-SX-A1 features chiclet-style keys for better tactile feedback while the trackpad of the rig is big and very smooth to give way to precision scrolling.

In terms of I/O, the G74-SX-A1 packs 3 USB 2.0 ports in addition to a USB 3.0 one. It also has the usual LAN port for a wired connection, an HDMI port, a VGA port, mic and headphone jacks along with a 2.0-megapixel webcam and Altec Lansing speakers making use of THX TruStudio + EAX 5.0 3D gaming audio technology.

The bottom line

All in all, the Asus G74-SX-A1 gaming laptop is one formidable gaming rig. It packs all the necessary components to give it the power it needs in addition to having brutish good looks that just scream raw power. At its suggested retail price of $1,799, the G74-SX-A1 becomes even more attractive because it comes in at a more affordable price range compared to the almost similarly spec’d Alienware m17x. In short, this is one gaming rig that sticks it to the competition.

ASUS G74-SX-A1 Gaming Laptop Computer Price in the Philippines: Approximately Php 85,000.00

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Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S Android Smartphone Preview: Price, Features and Specs

Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S Android Smartphone Preview: Price, Features and Specs - In the olden days before the smartphone revolution began when the original iPhone was released by Apple a couple of years back, Sony Ericsson was already hard at work in releasing what we have come to know back then as the smartphones of the early 2000s with its P-Series line. In fact, the P-Series line was a formidable stable of smartphones back then with only the XDAs giving it more than token competition.

The release of the iPhone though made things look bad for the P-Series and little by little, the once formidable stable of smartphones started its slow march toward oblivion. With the release of the Android operating system by Google, Sony Ericsson was wise enough to take advantage of this and its smartphone-making prowess was again put to good use.

With the release of the original Xperia, followed by the Xperia X10 and a smattering of mini-Xperias, the company was in its element yet again. The high point though came when Sony Ericsson released the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc which boasted of a curved body that slims down towards the middle of its back panel. With the Xperia Arc, design traditions were debunked by the company and came away unscathed.

Knowing full well that they have a winner with the Xperia Arc, Sony Ericsson is again making the competition aware of its existence with the release of the Xperia Arc S. The device is essentially an Xperia Arc with a lot of bump ups in terms of its specs sheet.

What then can we expect from the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S? What kind of improvements can we expect from this device? How good is it compared to the original Xperia Arc? Would it have what it takes to play with the bad boys of the smartphone market? Read on to become more familiar with the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S.

Design and construction

With the Xperia Arc, it was hard to take for granted its curved back design. The same holds true for the Xperia Arc S which basically has the same aesthetics as the original Xperia Arc. This is not a bad thing though as critics might suggest since the curved back of the Xperia Arc S just lends more class and elegance to the device.

The Xperia Arc S measures 125 x 63 x 8.7 mm and tips the scales at a scant 117 grams. With this kind of dimensions, it is hard to neglect the form factor of the device which is just a beauty to behold. It has that elegant look not commonly found among smartphones today which usually pack an ugly black slab of plastic kind of design aesthetics. With its sexiness, the Xperia Arc S gives the iPhone a run for its sexiness money.

Under the hood

This is where things rather get interesting. As mentioned earlier, the Xperia Arc S packs souped-up specs from the guts of the original Xperia Arc and boy; don’t them specs just scream raw power? Manning the operation of the device is its QualComm MSM 8255T chipset with SoC architecture. Atop the chipset sits the device’s Scorpion processor clocked at 1.4GHz while working in conjunction with 512MB of RAM.

With the SoC configuration in play, the Xperia Arc S also packs dedicated Adreno 205 GPU to take the brunt of handling graphical matters while internal storage of the device only comes up to a mere 320MB of onboard memory. Have no fear though as this can easily supplemented by taking advantage of the handset’s media card slot that supports high-capacity microSD cars of up to 32GB.

The display

The front panel of the Xperia Arc S is eaten up by its massive LED-backlit 4.2-inch LCD capacitive touchscreen panel. The display boasts of a resolution of 480 x 854 pixels and with this kind of resolution being crammed into the display of the device, the Xperia Arc S comes away having a pixel density of 233ppi.

As expected, the display of the Xperia Arc S supports multi-touch input in addition to taking advantage of Sony’s Mobile Bravia Engine for larger than life colors. The display panel also boasts of a scratch-resistant surface and has the usual sensors integrated on the handset.

The shooters

The original Xperia Arc was critically acclaimed for its very capable shooter and the Xperia Arc S is no different in this regard. It packs an 8-megapixel shooter mounted at its back panel and comes with LED flash and autofocus as well as features such as 3D sweep panorama, video calling, smile detection, face detection and the like.

Toggle on video mode and the shooter enables you to capture 720p clips at 30 frames per second with continuous autofocus and video light. The device also packs a front-facing camera which can be optimized for your video calls and taking self-portraits if you are so inclined.

The bottom line

We can’t find anything wrong with the Xperia Arc S except for the 512MB of RAM and 320MB of internal memory. I guess this is the compromise given the fact that most of the components under the hood got bumped-up specs-wise.

With a very capable 1500 mAh power pack providing juice to the handset, the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S can last up to 7.5 hours of talk time and up to 460 hours of standby time. All in all, not a bad phone really but Sony Ericsson could have done a lot more to make this handset a lot more attractive.

Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S Android Smartphone Price in the Philippines: Approximately Php 32,000.00

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Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet Computer Price, Features and Other Details

Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet Computer Price, Features and Other Details: With today’s tablet market getting flooded with all sorts of tablet computers from different manufacturers coming in all shapes and sizes, it is a foregone conclusion that the tablet device is the hottest tech gadget of 2011. Started by Apple when it released the original iPad back in the early parts of 2010, we saw other manufacturers following suit and jumping the bandwagon in releasing their respective products.

This inundation of the tablet markets clearly left the consumers as the winners here with a lot of options to choose from. However, if there is one thing that we can say about the tablets we see lining up the shelves, it is the fact that most of them follow the design tradition of being ugly slabs of black plastic. Rarely do you see a table device that boasts of an elegant and classy design.

In addition to that, most tablets getting released to the market are aimed at the consumers with their web browsing and multimedia playing needs. This is where Lenovo distinguishes itself a bit from the competition when it released its Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet. Though this device also packs the ugly black slab of plastic design aesthetics, the ThinkPad Tablet was designed specifically with business users in mind.

With the company being thoughtful enough to take care of that segment of the market, what then can we expect from the ThinkPad Tablet? What kind of components does it pack under its hood? What kind of business use does it have? What edge does it possess over the consumer-aimed tablets of today? Read on to get the lowdown on the Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet.

Design and construction

With the ThinkPad Tablet packing an industrial-looking design, this tablet measures 260.4 x 181.7 x 14.5 mm and lacks the curvy edges we usually see among the tablets currently available in the market today. The ThinkPad Tablet actually looks more like it split off from the Lenovo ThinkPad line of notebooks that have been the weapon of choice of most business people today.

The tablet also packs the sharper and squarer edges we commonly see in the said line of notebooks. It is as if sexiness went right through the window with the ThinkPad Tablet. In addition to that, with its weight of 715 grams, the ThinkPad Tablet is heavier than the slim and sexy iPad so we have to check first the comfort levels that ensue in using this device.

Under the hood

The components that lurk under the ThinkPad Tablet’s hood are as impressive as they can get. At the heart of its operation lies the NVIDIA Tegra 2 chipset of the tablet where the dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 processor of the tablet, which has a clock speed of 1GHz sits atop of. Since the Tegra 2 chipset boasts of SoC architecture, the tablet also packs a dedicated ULP GeForce GPU to help out in taking care of graphical matters. The CPU of the ThinkPad Tablet works in conjunction with 1GB of Ram so a snappy performance can be expected from this tablet.

The ThinkPad Tablet will be released in 3 versions in terms of its storage space – 16GB, 32GB and 64GB and a 3-in-1 media card reader can serve the purpose of memory expansion should the internal memory of the device fall short of your needs. Not only that, the ThinkPad Tablet comes with a free 2GB of cloud storage in addition to having full a USB 2.0 port with miniHDMI and microUSB ports for added connectivity options.

The display

The ThinkPad Tablet boasts of a WXGA display that has a diagonal of 10.1 inches and resolution of 800 x 1280 pixels. The display, which happens to be protected by Gorilla Glass, has an aspect ratio of 16:10 and boasts of a maximum of 178 degrees in terms of viewing angles.

Aside from supporting multi-touch input, the ThinkPad Tablet also supports pen input so the Digitizer Pen of the device will surely see a lot of use. On the other hand, sensors such as gyroscope, ambient light sensor, accelerometer and assisted GPS are all integrated onto the device for extended functionality.

The shooters and other features

The ThinkPad Tablet may be a business user-aimed tablet but still manages to pack a pair of cameras should a user suddenly turns to a weekend warrior. At the back panel of the device lies its 5MP camera while round its front, a 2MP shooter is ready for video call and self-portrait use.

In keeping with its business lineage, the ThinkPad Tablet supports layered encryption of data and comes pre-installed with anti-theft software to ensure the security of your data. Should you need to have access to your corporate network, the ThinkPad Tablet easily takes care of it with its native support for Cisco VPN.

The bottom line

The Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet will pack Android 3.1 Honeycomb when it hits the shelves and the price ranges from $499 to $699 depending on what version of the device based on storage space you will be getting. At this price point, I am inclined to recommend the ThinkPad Tablet, as it is able to do what the regular Android tablet can in addition to having applications for business purposes. Now, can your overrated Apple iPad beat that?

Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet Computer Price in the Philippines: Approximately Php 23,000.00 (Starting Price)

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Nikon Coolpix S1200pj Digital Camera + Projector Price, Features and Other Info

Nikon Coolpix S1200pj Digital Camera + Projector Price, Features and Other Info: In today’s world where the DSLR shooters rule the camera industry and by extension the camera market, it is no wonder why the compact point and shoots lost their charm. In just a few short years, the once mighty compacts have become relegated to second class status and had to be content to sit and watch idly by as the DSLRs gobble up most of the market’s segment.

Due to this trend in the camera industry and the seeming increase in interest in this category of shooters by professionals and enthusiasts alike, camera manufacturers took advantage of this and upset the market more by coming up with entry level models for their DSLR line to make it more accessible to the masses.

Due to the seeming affordability of these shooters, most consumers took advantage in the price drop and the rest is history. The DSLR has become ubiquitous despite the fact that it is very bulky and hefty. These did not deter the population in wanting to own one but instead made the shooter the new status symbol.

It is now not uncommon to see DSLR-toting people virtually everywhere while the compacts sit gathering dust in the shelves. Because of these, manufacturers had to employ marketing ploys, gimmicks if you like, to regain the lost interest of people in the compact category. The result? compact point and shoots nowadays are packed to the brim with so much features that it is unbelievable for its smallish form factor to be able to hold so much in so little.

Such is the case of the Nikon Coolpix S1200pj. But what can we expect from this shooter? What kind of tricks does it have up its sleeves? What kind of features does it pack? What kind of price tag accompanies the device? Read on as we to know the Nikon Coolpix S1200pj a little better.

Design and construction

The Coolpix S1200pj has dimensions of 63.4 x 107.0 x 22.6 mm and tips the scales at a scant 186 grams. It is made mostly from plastic, hence its being lightweight but images of the shooter actually show that the device packs a quality build to it.

It packs a clean and streamlined design while the rounded edges of the shooter combined with the weight of the Coolpix S1200pj makes it very comfortable to hold even for extended periods. One-handed shooting on the Coolpix S1200pj is also not a problem for the very same reasons.

The shooter also boasts of improved operability with its icons already having an illumination feature while its controls are raised for easy access. The buttons and controls of the Coolpix S1200pj are also very well laid-out making everything within easy reach.

Key specs

In terms of the specs sheet, the Coolpix S1200pj manages to hold our attention steady. It packs a CCD image sensor with an effective resolution of 14.1 megapixels just like its predecessor. The glass lens of the Coolpix S1200pj on the other hand are from NIKKOR and gives the shooter a 5x optical zoom feature.

The shooter also boasts of its focal length of 5.0 – 25.0 mm that is basically equivalent to 28 – 140 mm if you look at it from the 35 mm format. With its wide range of focal length, the Coolpix S1200pj is capable of up close and personal macro shots and panorama wide-angle shots.

In terms of its display, the Coolpix S1200pj packs a 3.0-inch TFT LCD panel with 460K dots while internal memory of the device comes up to approximately 94MB. The shooter though has a media card slot that can handle high capacity SD cards.

But perhaps, the crowning glory of the Coolpix S1200pj is the integrated projector found on the front panel of its body that gives you the capability to project images and video clips saved on the device to any flat surface. In addition to that, the retail package of the Coolpix S1200pj comes bundled with a transfer accessory that lets you transfer images, video clips, and YouTube videos from any iOS device such as an iPod, iPad and iPhone.

The shooter can even be used as a tethered projector hooked up to your desktop or laptop wherein you can project multimedia content saved on the laptop or desktop by making use of the Coolpix S1200pj.

Sad to say, since this device is just recently announced, we don’t have any idea as of yet of its speed and performance and its image quality but be sure to check back every once in a while for updates.

The bottom line

Expected to hit the shelves in September with an attached price tag of $429.95, the Nikon Coolpix S1200pj is a bit pricey for a compact point and shoot but I say that its projector capabilities makes it worth all the dinero you will shell out. Not only do you get a camera with the Coolpix S1200pj, you also get a projector. In short, if I have the extra money, I will surely get one of these babies.

Nikon Coolpix S1200pj Digital Camera + Projector Price in the Philippines: Approximately Php 20,000.00

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