14 February, 2012

TechPinas

TechPinas


Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 Philippines Price Guesstimate, Specs : To Ship with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich!

Posted: 14 Feb 2012 11:11 AM PST

If there's ever an entry-level new-gen Samsung Galaxy Tab, this is probably it.

samsung galaxy tab 2

As it's very name suggests, Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 is the follow-up to last year's immensely successful Samsung Galaxy Tab P1000 Android tablet. And just like its predecessor, this fresh version comes replete with GSM phone capabilities; that is, you can make phone calls and send text messages using the device.

But that's hardly the coolest this about SGTab2. Clearly a step ahead of other Tab's out in the market, the slate will ship with the latest version of Android pre-installed; that's Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. This means that - with it - you won't have to wait for months before you can experience the latest features that the OS can offer. Nice, eh?

samsung galaxy tab 2 philippines

Considering that Samsung already has the relatively affordable Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus, it's easy to question why the company would bother to release a slate with even more humble specifications (as listed below). My theory is that Samsung wants SGTab2 to compete directly with ultra-affordable tablets like the Kindle Fire and Nook Tablet, and eventually get a firm hold of that segment -- talk about covering all price categories.

My price guesstimate for Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 in the Philippines is roughly Php 15,000 -- though I'm hoping that it would cost even less as Kindle Fire has a price tag of only $200 or around Php 10,000. Note that Samsung Philippines hasn't officially announced SGTab2.

To wrap up this entry in the way we usually do, here are the complete specifications of Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 --

TechPinas Tablet Technical Specs Table (TTabTST)
Name Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0
Type Slate Form Factor (Full Touchscreen), Tablet with GSM Phone Functionality
Price Category Midrange
Dimensions/Weight193.7 x 122.4 x 10.5 mm, 344 grams
Available Colors Black, White
Operating System Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich
Display 7.0 inches (~170 ppi pixel density), 600 x 1024 pixels, PLS LCD capacitive touchscreen, 16 million colors
Processor 1 GHz Dual Core
RAM/ROM 1 GB RAM
Camera 3.15 MegaPixels, fixed focus, no flash
Video Capture HD 1080p 30 frames per second
Audio and Video Playback MP4/DivX/Xvid/H.264/H.263/MP3/WAV/eAAC+/Flac player
Ports microUSB v2.0, USB On-the-go support, 3.5 mm audio jack
Connectivity Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, dual-band, Wi-Fi hotspot, Bluetooth v3.0 with A2DP, 3G HSDPA, 21 Mbps; HSUPA, 5.76 Mbps
Network 2G Network GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
3G Network HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100, with GSM phone functions
Internal Storage 8/16/32 GB Versions
Sensors Proximity, Compass, Gyroscope, Accelerometer
Battery and Uptime Li-Ion 4000 mAh, TBA
Value-Added Features TouchWiz UX UI, SNS Integration, Google Services Suite
Announcement February 2012
Availability Q1 2012
Price TP Guesstimate: Php 15,000 - Php 18,000


Apple iPad 3 to be Announced Next Month : 8 Things We Know So Far!

Posted: 14 Feb 2012 06:15 AM PST

If information recently fed by industry insiders to various online publications were to be believed, Apple fans should have a field day next month!

According to them, the Cupertino-company is already set to announce Apple iPad 3, the latest iteration to the popular iOS-powered tablet line, via an exclusive event on March 7, 2012 -- that's less than 30 days from now.

apple ipad 3

But what can we expect from the new iPad? What new features will it have?

The thing with upcoming Apple products is you never really know what they're going to be like until they get officially announced. And the same goes iPad3; So far, everything that we know about the slate are but speculations and supposed leaks from Apple insiders.

Let me do a quick round-up:

1. There are insider reports stating that there's a shortage of Retina Display coming from Apple's current display suppliers, LG and Samsung. And, as if reinforcing this claim, Forbes recently posted a story about Apple's hunt for a new display supplier, which ended with Sharp.

Quoting Forbes, "Apple and Sharp together have a modified IGZO (indium, gallium, zinc) technology to achieve 330 dpi, which is sufficient for an HD display while not using IPS nor having to include dual-bar LED backlighting. In our view, this should lead to several design advantages, namely the device can be thinner, battery life should be longer, and the overall experience for users should be meaningfully improved."

So will Apple call this new screen 'Retina Display' still? Well, that remains to be seen.

2. In November 2011, Korea Times reported that iPad3 will run on the new Apple A6 processor, which - interestingly enough - will be manufactured by Samsung despite on-going legal battles with Apple. Some insiders are saying that A6 will be a quad-core processor with slightly faster clock speed than Apple A5.

3. Last year, CNET hinted that iPad3 will support LTE connectivity via its Qualcomm 4G LTE Gobi 4000 chip. If you're not yet familiar with LTE, it's the latest in radio platform technology allowing operators to deliver speeds of up to a whopping 100 Mbits/second -- far-higher than what subscribers can get from even HSPA+. (As mentioned on TP earlier, this should be interesting Smart Communications as the company has just announced its LTE service, which will be publicly available soon. Smart iPad3-LTE bundles, anyone?!)

4. Photos of iPad3 parts leaked via TheiPadGuide show that the new tablet will have a smaller dock connector compared to its two predecessors. (I'm not so sure about this, really.)

5. According to IBTimes, Apple iPad3 will have a thicker shell compared to iPad2. Quoting the site, "iPad 3 back panel hints at a slightly thicker profile, approximately 1 mm thicker than its predecessor. The iPad 2 was only 88 mm deep, but the slightly expanded form is likely intended to house Apple's upgraded components, including a bigger battery, an improved camera, and a dual-LED lit system to make the 2048 x 1536 display even brighter. By adding a second LED bar into its next-gen tablet, Apple also managed to solve a puzzling problem involving heat dissipation and battery consumption."

6. Some tech bloggers are speculating that both iPhone5 and iPad3 will come with NFC support. For those who aren't familiar with this technology, NFC is a technology that allows devices to connect and interact with each other simply by tapping. There are already smartphones and other devices out in the market that has an NFC chip like Nokia N9 and BlackBerry Bold 9900 so Apple is already playing catch-up in this department.

7. Likewise, there are some tech-bloggers who are reporting that the next-generation iPad will come with a higher resolution camera, 128GB of storage for one variant, a ThunderBolt port, a new light-weight carbon fiber enclosure and a microSD card slot. Aside from the camera improvement, the other features mentioned don't seem likely, I think.

8. According to sources of Taiwanese tech website, Digitimes, there will be two versions of the iPad that will be released this year; One will target the high-end segment while the other is in the midrange price category. The two new iPad models, they say, will both run on an Apple A6 processor - with yet to be disclosed features - but the high-end model will come with a high resolution screen (2048x1536) and the mid-tier model will sport the same display as iPad 2 (1024x768).

Again, these are but rumors and speculations and that, at the end of the day, only Apple knows for sure how iPad3 looks and what its technical specifications are exactly.


LG Optimus Vu vs. Samsung Galaxy Note, Soon?! Tablet Smartphone Hybrid Battle!

Posted: 14 Feb 2012 03:30 AM PST

Thanks to all TP Friends who sent this in!

It appears Samsung isn't the only handset manufacturer that had actually started working on an Android tablet-smartphone hybrid.

Korean blog, HelloAdam, recently leaked this photo of the yet-to-be-announced LG Optimus Vu beside its obvious rival, Samsung Galaxy Note.

lg optimus view

Flaunting a large 5-inch display with 4:3 aspect ratio, LG Optimus Vu may be a tad smaller than 5.3" SGNote but some of its known specifications could very well match those of Samsung's flagship hybrid. Aside from the screen, Vu comes with a 1.5GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon CPU, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of internal memory, 8 megapixel camera, and NFC connectivity support. Software-wise, LG Optimus Vu runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread OS skinned by the company's Optimus UI and features apps made specifically for hybrids like the ones pre-installed in SGNote.

As mentioned earlier, LG has yet to officially announce this smartphone and as such, we still don't have word on its exact release date and pricing details. I believe this phone will be unveiled by LG at MWC happening at the end of this month so it's best to stay vigilant for updates.


PLDT Duplex Promo : 50 Pesos Per Day for Unlimited Internet and a Netbook - Believe It!

Posted: 13 Feb 2012 08:58 PM PST

What can you get for Php 50 these days?

That's the question we asked our TP Friends on Twitter yesterday. And here are some cool answers we got:

"Five Lucky Me Pancit Canton! Cheap Thrill!" - Miss Abbie
"Medium Zagu with extra pearl or an order of Takoyaki from Eh Di Balls!" - Luigi
"SHAWARMA!" - Anjo
"Coke 1.5 liter!" - Ras
"Cornetto!" - Raphael

In short, I think the answer is 'Not much.' I mean, it's understadable; Times are kinda tough and you can only stretch your Php 50 so much.

But what if I tell you that Php 50 a day can get you unlimited internet and a netbook?! Yes, those two! Sounds crazy?! Unreal?! Well, believe it!

That's exactly what PLDT Duplex Promo is all about!

pldt duplex

PLDT gives users the opportunity to enjoy fast and unlimited internet PLUS a bundled Acer or Neo netbook for just Php 50 a day! That's giving you the service and the gadget you need to enjoy it at the same time for a super affordable rate! Isn't that great?!

PLDT Duplex currently has two offers:

Php 999 Canopy or Wimax + 500 = only Php 1,499 (comes with Neo Netbook)
Php 999 Canopy or Wimax + 800 = only Php 1,799 (comes with Acer Netbook)

Php 1,499 divided by 30 days is just Php 49.97! Not bad at all, don't you think?!

As yet, we don't have word on the exact model and specifications of the Neo or Acer netbook that you can get with the promo. But what we know for sure is that PLDT is always doing its best to give its customers the best service possible. That's what they told us and we're taking their word for it.

Stay tuned for more details on how you can apply for PLDT Duplex or upgrade to this promo.