13 February, 2012

TechPinas

TechPinas


LG Prada 3.0 Philippines Price Php 29,990 : In the Flesh Photos and Video!

Posted: 13 Feb 2012 02:29 AM PST

TechPinas Exclusive!

Last Friday, LG Electronics Philippines officially unveiled LG Prada 3.0

lg prada 3.0 philippines

This is the newest flagship fashion smartphone of LG, a major player in the mobile phone industry, and Prada, a designer brand in the world of fashion clothing, bags, and accessories.

lg prada 3.0 philippines

LG Prada 3.0 is the third collaborative mobile device by the two powerhouse companies. This phone runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread OS, which will be upgradeable to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich come second quarter of 2012.

lg prada 3.0 philippines

LG Prada 3.0 is a true luxury device from a design standpoint. LG and Prada followed a minimalist philosophical approach to its creation. This smartphone, which is very slim - measuring only 8.5mm in thickness, has a simple black finish and subdued metallic frames. The back plastic panel has a leather-like finish called the Saffiano, a Prada signature pattern. To complete this subdued look, the phone has a customized Android black and white Prada-inspired skin.

But LG Prada 3.0 is not only a fashion statement. It's also a powerhouse handset through and through. I mean, check out some of its key specifications;

It has a 4.3" Nova display, dubbed as the world's brightest screen (800 nit).
A 1.0GHz dual core processor
8 MP Camera
8GB Internal Storage with expandable storage
1540mAh Battery

Obviously, the high-end specs and the brand name Prada will make the phone attractive to both fashionistas and techies. On a personal note, my previous perception was that LG Prada 3.0 is a smartphone that was targeted towards women; Note that the iconic designer name Prada - printed on the front and back of the device - is usually associated with women's fashion. But I was able to have a chat with Eryn de Leon, Account Manager for LG-One Philippines, and she told me that LG Prada is also a "man's phone" because of the luxurious design and its large 4.3-inch screen which should appeal to the male segment of the market. LG also tries to promote this fashion phone to the male segment by tapping Edward Norton as its endorser (I have a wild guess that this phone will make a cameo appearance in Bourne Legacy)

For a luxury device, LG Prada 3.0 has a rather competitive price tag at only PhP 29,990 (The TP Price Guesstimate for this phone, if you remember, is Php 30,000 - 33,000. Quite on point, eh?) This high-end smartphone will be available in the Philippines within the month of February 2012. The phone will be released along with a special line of accessories, including a phone dock, bluetooth headset, and earphones.

If you're a potential buyer, I'm guessing that the specs would only be a secondary consideration vs. its main selling-point It is a Prada, a luxury phone and a collector's item.

We will be writing an in-depth review of this device as soon as TechPinas receives a review unit. But for now, please enjoy this exclusive demo video:

TechPinas Smartphone Technical Specs Table (TSTST)
Name LG Prada 3.0
Type Slate Form Factor (Full Touchscreen)
Price Category High-End
Dimensions127.5 x 69 x 8.5 mm
Weight 138 g
Available Colors Black
Operating System Android 2.3 Gingerbread
Display IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors 480 x 800 pixels, 4.3 inches (~217 ppi pixel density)
Processor Dual-core 1 GHz Cortex-A9
Camera 8 MegaPixels, 3264x2448 pixels, autofocus, LED flash Geo-tagging
Video Capture 1080p@30fps
Audio and Video Playback DivX/MP4/H.264/H.263 player
- MP3/WAV/eAAC+ player
Ports microUSB 2.0, 3.5 mm audio jack
Connectivity Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, DLNA Bluetooth v3.0 with A2DP
Network 2G Network: GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 3G Network: HSDPA 900 / 2100HSDPA 850 / 1900 / 2100 / 800
Memory 8 GB storage, expandable up to 32 GB, 1 GB RAM, 512 MB ROM
Sensors Accelerometer, Digital Compass, Proximity
Battery Standard battery, Li-Ion 1540 mAh
Uptime Standby of Up to 330 hours on 2G and up to 320 hours on 3G, Talk Time of up to 4 hours 20 minutes on 2G and up to 5 hours on 3G
Value-Added Features Premium Build, Prada Brand, Prada UI, Elegant Saffiano Pattern on Back case
Announcement February 10, 2012
Availability February 2012
Price Php 29,990


TP Contributing Writer Profile: Mon Arguelles is a graduate of Environmental Management, a joint program of the Ateneo De Manila University and University of San Francisco. He's currently taking up his MBA. He is a part-time professor and environmental researcher but considers being updated about the latest technological trends to be one of his favorite pastimes.


Whitney Houston Takes Over Twitter and the Whole of Internet : A True Legend, Even in Her Passing

Posted: 12 Feb 2012 11:50 PM PST

In 2009, music critic Ann Powers of the Los Angeles Times wrote,

"[Whitney Houston's] voice stands like [a] monument upon the landscape of 20th century pop, defining the architecture of their times, sheltering the dreams of millions and inspiring the climbing careers of countless imitators. When she was at her best, nothing could match her huge, clean, cool mezzo-soprano"

whitney houston

In this digital age when stardom can happen over-night and - worse - be manufactured, Whitney Houston - called by peers and referred to by many publications as simply 'The Voice' - was one of the true remaining legends and megastars whose immense star-power could only be matched by the depth and breadth of her God-given talent, the message of her heartfelt songs and her unquestionable global influence.

whitney houston

Best known for her effortlessly creamy yet extremely agile voice, Whitney Houston's critical and commercial success spans decades -- highlighted by her stunning performance in the movie 'The Bodyguard' whose soundtrack still holds the record as 'The Best Selling Soundtrack of All Time' with more than 40 million units sold. But that's hardly the only record set and held by The Voice.

Whitney Houston also holds the Guinness World Record for 'Most Consecutive Number One Hits in Billboard History' with 7 releases hitting the top spot one after the other (namely, Saving All My Love For You, How Will I Know, Greatest Love of All, I Wanna Dance with Somebody, Didn't We Almost Have It All, So Emotional and Where do Broken Hearts Go?), 'Best Selling Debut Album of all Time' with Whitney Houston LP, 'First Woman to Enter Billboard Charts at Number One', and 'Most Awarded Female Artist of all Time' with more than 400 legitimate honors and recognitions to her name. Also, her single 'I Will Always Love You' is still the best-selling love song of all time and is the most sung song in American Idol auditions history.

But for many of her friends and colleagues in the entertainment industry, Whitney Houston was more than the beautiful lady with the big talent and unprecedented commercial success. For them, despite her many struggles and tribulations, Whitney was quite simply an icon and an inspiration. Here's a clip by CNN showing many celebrities praising her not only for her achievements but also for the kind person that she is:



Considering all that and the truth that many of her songs have become part of the soundtrack of the lives of millions upon millions of people the world over, it's no wonder that Whitney Houston's passing yesterday, February 11th, affects many of us the way it does.

In fact, CNN has been reporting about her untimely death for than 24 hours now. Big websites like Yahoo and MSN, among others, have likewise had the story as their headline. And it's no different on Twitter.

If my memory serves me right, this is the first time in history - yup, not even during Michael Jackson's death - when all Twitter Trending Topics referred to one person. It's the case in the Philippines and it's the same story in other territories.

whitney houston

4th trending topic #PPLoveLoveLove refers to Regine Velasquez's surprise return to GMA7's Sunday Noontime Show, Party Pilipinas, where she did a fitting tribute in honor of Whitney Houston by singing 'I Will Always Love You'. Regine, described by some as the best and most influential Filipina singer of all time, also wrote on Twitter that she was saddened by the tragic event as Whitney Houston has become part of her life and her music;

whitney houston
If the best singer in the Philippines sees Whitney as an inspiration, I would imagine that other female singers in our country including the aspiring ones likewise sees 'The Voice' as a gold standard for pop vocal performance.

Meanwhile, other singers in Whitney's league have also expressed their grief on Twitter:

Mariah Carey wrote, "Heartbroken and in tears over the shocking death of my friend, the incomparable Ms. Whitney Houston. My heartfelt condolences to Whitney's family and to all her millions of fans throughout the world. She will never be forgotten as one of the greatest voices to ever grace the earth."

"She had everything, beauty, a magnificent voice," Barbra Streisand shared on Twitter, "How sad her gifts could not bring her the same happiness they brought us."

"My heart is weeping...RIP to the Legendary Diva & Icon Whitney Houston!!!!! Such an incredible influence over music as a whole! She's paved the way for every single singer in the music industry. Iconic, legendary, innovating, amazing, humble...1 the best in the world," Toni Braxton tweeted.

Other stars including Kelly Rowland, P Diddy, Chaka Khan, Will Smith, Diana Ross, Fergie, Alicia Keys, Meryl Streep, Ne-Yo, even Justin Bieber, among so so many others, also mourn the loss of Whitney Houston.

Even sports icons like tennis superstar Serena Williams see Whitney as an inspiration. Earlier today, Serena posted this status update on Twitter, "#OneMomentInTime has propelled me to many of my grand slams victories. #whitneyhouston" One Moment in Time is a soaring Olympic-anthem recorded by Whitney Houston for the 1989 Summer Olympics.

But for Whitney Houston fans around the world - myself included, whose lives have been deeply touched by her music and her life, the experience of listening to her songs and watching her live performances on Youtube will never be the same again:





Farewell, Ms. Whitney! May you find the peace with the Lord that you seemingly never got to experience in this world. Your voice will live on in the voices of all singers who came after you. God bless you and thank you for the music! I will always love you.