If you are a big DOTA 2 fan then you probably know that the country’s biggest eSports event will happen this weekend at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City. Different shoutcasters and teams will be in the country including EG, OG, Newbee, Team Secret, Invictus Gaming, Team NP, Faceless, and the Philippines own’ Clutchers. And yes, some of these teams are already in the Philippines for the Manila Masters this weekend as they battle out for the USD250,000 prize pool.
There will also be side activities and meet-and-greet with the participating teams, a cosplay competition, and games at Manila Masters 2017. Oh and if you’re there, be sure to check out the DOTA 2-themed Smart base in where you can take home some exciting prizes.
Fans of Ragnarok Online in the country who wants to play on Closed Beta may finally download the clients at their website. You can now download the full client of Ragnarok Online however, you’ll not be able to play it because the CBT of Ragnarok Online Philippines will start this June. You can download the client in zip or exe in full client or split file.
Ragnarok Online Philippines will start its CBT this mid-June and it will start with two servers — Thor and Loki. You may now register an account and download the client at http://ragnarokonline.com.ph/
In a post made by the ASUS Republic of Gamers Facebook page, they’ve just teased their upcoming ASUS ROG notebook that is expected to be revealed this Computex. This notebook is expected to run the latest Ryzen Mobile CPUs and it is also expected to run the latest RX500 series GPUs. Here’s the short teaser video posted by ASUS Republic of Gamers in their Facebook page:
Well, we still don’t have any infos regarding about its specs so stay tuned because we will be going to Computex to cover the latest ASUS notebooks that will be launched in Taiwan.
The most affordable ASUS Zenfone of the year, the ASUS Zenfone Live, has something that others smartphone cannot offer and it’s the live beautification. This feature lets you add beautification while doing a live stream on Facebook, Instagram, or on YouTube. Not only that it has an interesting feature but the ASUS Zenfone Live also boast an affordable price tag of P6,995. Interested? Check out our review of the ASUS Zenfone Live below.
A very light smartphone
The first thing that you’ll notice when you hold the smartphone is that the ASUS Zenfone Live is very light. It’s probably the lightest 5-inch Android smartphone that I’ve ever reviewed. How much this smartphone weighs? Well, it’s only 120 grams. I know, it’s really light and sometimes you won’t even notice the ASUS Zenfone live is in your pocket.
The smartphone is made up of plastic and the design of the smartphone is just simple. While at the front is a very familiar look which resembles most Zenfones that are available today. On the side of the smartphone, you can find the volume rocker and the power button. While on the other side is the sim card tray which can house two sim cards or a sim card and a microSD card.
At the top of the smartphone is the 3.5mm audio jack while below the smartphone houses the micro USB port and the speaker grill. And speaking of the speaker grill, the ASUS Zenfone Live has a decent speaker for its price and the microphone can really take some good audio which makes the smartphone really good for livestreaming.
The Display
The ASUS Zenfone Live is an affordable device so I didn’t expect too much from its display but hey, the ASUS Zenfone Live’s display is already fine for media consumption, the colors are good, the display was fine, and it does have a better display than most smartphones in its price range. Well, I really appreciate that ASUS has really done a good display as this one is really made for live streaming which means that the smartphone really needs a good display. Using the smartphone outside won’t be a problem but it’s a little bit dark if you’re playing with it under direct sunlight.
Inside the smartphone is a 2650mAh of battery and actually, the ASUS Zenfone Live lasted long that I expected, I was able to use this smartphone from 8 AM up to 5 PM before running out of juice. That’s actually pretty good.
The BeautyLive App
The BeautyLive app on the ASUS Zenfone Live is the app for the smartphone that lets you do live beautification on different popular apps such as Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook. Oh and don’t worry about the other live streaming apps because Bigo and other live streaming applications would work well with the BeautyLive App. So how does that work? Well, it’s easy. The BeautyLive app appears like a Chat head on top of the app whenever the front camera is on and then you can control how much beautification will be added to your live stream.
The ASUS Zenfone Live is still running the ZenUI which was also used by the other Zenfones and yes, the smartphone is still filled with bloatware that most of you won’t probably need those. In case you’re not familiar with ZenUI, the interface is easy to learn and use. If you are just a new Android user, you won’t get confused with it.
If you need power or some oomph in gaming then you might have a problem with the ASUS Zenfone Live and it might be a dealbreaker to some because the ASUS Zenfone Live is only running on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor and 2GB of RAM. I know, that processor is a little bit old but it could run basic apps just fine however if you’re planning on using the smartphone for gaming, you might have a problem with that as the smartphone can not handle too much of it.
I’ve tried playing Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas on the ASUS Zenfone Live and it’s actually having a hard time running it even at the lowest settings.
Camera
The ASUS Zenfone Live’s cameras are a very important hardware as this smartphone is made for live streaming. And the camera? It isn’t the best smartphone that you can get for its price that but it sure is enough for live streaming. The quality? Again, it’s good for its price but not the best one that you can see. At well-lit conditions, the shots weren’t washed out however sometimes, you could still notice some grainy shots.
At low-light, the ASUS Zenfone Live cannot do really well as this it produces soft and darker images. And if you’re planning to use the ASUS Zenfone Live mainly for live streaming at low0lit conditions be sure to look for a decent lighting. Oh, and by the way, the ASUS Zenfone Live also comes with a front LED light so you can take brighter selfie videos and photos but unfortunately, you cannot use that on livestreaming. Check out the shots that I took using the smartphone below.
P 20170508 215751
P 20170509 140306
P 20170509 140356
P 20170509 154548 HDR
P 20170515 201245
P 20170518 024249
P 20170518 110440
P 20170518 110531
P 20170519 220643
Verdict
The ASUS Zenfone Live is an affordable smartphone that is made solely for one reason – live streaming. The smartphone doesn’t have the best hardware inside that can run the latest games and it doesn’t also have the best camera out there but the ASUS Zenfone Live can do its job well when it comes to beautification on live streaming, a long battery life, and a very light profile.
The ASUS Zenfone Live isn’t for gaming but if you love live streaming on Bigo, Facebook, Instagram, or on YouTube then you should probably look into the ASUS Zenfone Live.
The ASUS Zenfone Live is now available for P6,995.
RAFFLE
Want to own an ASUS Zenfone Live too? Well, here’s your chance to get one because we will be giving away an ASUS Zenfone Live that comes with the BeautyLive Kit! Yup, Not just the ASUS Zenfone Live but also some freebies that come with the smartphone. Here’s the mechanics:
Answer the question “Why ASUS Zenfone Live is perfect for livestreaming?” by sharing this post and also answering the question on your Facebook post.
OPPO has set another sales record as OPPO Philippines managed to sell more than 22,000 units of the newest dual selfie camera smartphone from the company, the OPPO F3 in just three days. The OPPO F3 sale has begun last May 4 starting in the roadshows of the OPPO in Glorietta Makati, SM Ecoland Davao and more than 5,000 of authorized resellers nationwide.
Both the OPPO F3 and the F3 Plus packs a dual selfie camera and actually, we were impressed with the OPPO F3 Plus as the smartphone boasts a good camera, a large display, and a powerful hardware which is made for gaming. You can read our review of the OPPO F3 Plus here: LINK.
The OPPO F3 is a little bit different from the OPPO F3 Plus as this smartphone runs on a MediaTek processor instead and it has a smaller 5.5-inch in-cell display. You can watch our unboxing and hands-on video of the OPPO F3 here: LINK
The OPPO F3 is now available for P16,990
OPPO F3 Specifications
1.5GHz MediaTek MT6750T Octa-Core Processor
5.5-inch Full HD Display with Gorilla Glass 5
4GB RAM
64GB Internal Storage expandable via MicroSD
13-megapixel rear camera with LED Flash
16-megapixel camera with 8-megapixel wide-angle camera
LTE
Dual SIM
Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, A-GPS
3200mAh Battery
Android 6.0 Marshmallow with ColorOS 3.0
Watch out for our review of the OPPO F3 at Jam Online soon!
You may now finally download the latest version of Android if you’re using a Nexus 5x, Nexus 6P, Nexus Player, Pixel C, Pixel, or the Pixel XL. You may enroll your device to the Android Beta Program in case you don’t want to manually flash your device.
Android O is still in beta and it doesn’t have an official name yet so expect a lot of bugs and things that needs to be resolve in the developer preview so I highly suggest that if you use your smartphone a lot, do not update to Android O DP yet.
Android O has a lot of new features made for productivity such as new notifications systems, better settings, better copy pasting and autofill support, picture-in-picture, and a lot more.
Huawei has recently launched their newest tablets here in the country and these are the MediaPad M3 and the MediaPad T2 7.0. The MediaPad T2 7.0 is an affordable tablet from the company while the MediaPad M3 has a more powerful hardware that is really made for gaming.
Both tablets packs LTE and both tablets have phone functionalities and LTE so you can browse anywhere you go. The Huawei MediaPad T2 7.0 is an affordable tablet with 7-inch display and it is running on a Spreadtrum SC9830I Quad-Core processor, and 2GB of RAM. Those specs aren’t really for hardcore gamers but it’s already enough for most people who are into casual gaming and browsing Facebook and the web.
While the MediaPad M3 is the more powerful tablet that runs on a Kirin 950 Octa-Core processor which is the same processor used by the Huawei P9 and it will also have a 4GB of RAM. The display of the Huawei MediaPad M3 is also top notch as this one packs an 8.4-inch WQXGA IPS display and it will have a battery that will last hours for gaming.
Huawei MediaPad T2 7.0 Specs
7-inch WSVGA IPS Display, 1024×600
1.5GHz Spreadtrum SC9830I Quad-Core Processor
2GB RAM
16GB Internal storage expandable via MicroSD
2-megapixel rear camera
2-megapixel front camera
LTE
Single Sim
Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS
Android 6.0 Marshmallow with EMUI 4.0
4100mAh Battery
Huawei MediaPad M3 Specs
8.4-inch WQXGA IPS Display, 2560×1600
2.3GHz HiSilicon Kirin 950 Octa-Core Processor
4GB RAM
32GB Internal Storage expandable via MicroSD
8-megapixel rear camera
8-megapixel front camera
Single SIM
LTE
Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS
Fingerprint Scanner
5100mAh Battery
Android 6.0 Marshmallow with EMUI 4.1
The Huawei MediaPad T2 7.0 and MediaPad M3 is priced at Php 7,490 and Php 18,990 respectively.
Most smartphone brands have adapted the feature that a lot of Filipino wants – a good selfie camera. There are a lot of smartphones in the market that now focuses on the selfie camera and one of them is the Vivo V5 Lite. The V5 Lite is not alone in the series as it has bigger brothers that feature a better hardware but today, we’ll review the most affordable in the V5 series – the Vivo V5 Lite.
A generic design
The Vivo V5 lite packs a generic design on the front that resembles most android smartphones today. It has a plastic body that doesn’t really feel that cheap and the smartphone feels comfortable to the hand unless you got a very small hand. Below the smartphone are the three capacitive buttons that don’t light up which is a bummer at the dark.
At the back of the smartphone is a design very familiar to all and it has become a trend in most smartphones. It actually looks like the OPPO smartphones and also the iPhone but compared to the iPhone, Vivo V5 Lite has a cleaner look. But hey, despite having a look alike on other smartphones, the Vivo V5 Lite looks really good and it doesn’t feel cheap.
The Vivo V5 Lite also uses a hybrid sim card tray and you can use whether a dual sim card or a sim card + microSD card. While below the smartphone is the micro USB port, speaker grill, and the audio jack. Nothing so special about it.
Just an ok display
The Vivo V5 Lite packs a 5.5-inch HD display. While I’m not a fan of its resolution since most smartphones these days now pack a full HD or higher resolution, I can still say that the display of the smartphone is just fine for its price. It doesn’t have the best colors or the best-looking display but it will do just fine if you use the smartphone inside or outside your home. However, I still wished that this smartphone had a full HD display.
A smartphone that can do its job
The Vivo V5 Lite packs a MediaTek MT6750 Octa-Core processor and a 3GB of RAM. It isn’t the best one in the market but it is definitely enough for most uses. I don’t actually have any problems using this smartphone when it comes to apps as I barely experience lags and slowdowns when using the smartphone.
The smartphone is capable of gaming and multitasking a lot of apps and games. I was even able to play NBA 2k17 on this smartphone at low settings and I can play it without problems. Playing other graphic intensive games wouldn’t be a problem as long as you set the graphics of the game at its lowest settings. Oh, and yes, despite playing for a while, the Vivo V5 lite doesn’t really heat up despite playing with its cellular network on.
The FunTouch OS
While I use a lot of smartphones with no app drawers and I tend to like some of them while the others, I don’t. Well, with the Vivo V5 Lite, I actually find its UI very easy to use. It has become better from the UI of the Vivo V3 Max that I’ve reviewed before which relies on swiping up for the recent apps which take a lot of time to multitask. Well, with the Vivo V5 Lite, that doesn’t work that way anymore as one of the capacitive buttons will lead you to recent apps.
The Funtouch OS heavily customized the Android operating system running on this smartphone but don’t worry, even if you’re not an Android user before, navigating and using the smartphone won’t be a problem as this one is still easy to use. And as expected, the smartphone come with some bloatware in which some of you might find that not too amusing.
A fine 16-megapixel front camera
The smartphone is made for selfies. They are marketing the smartphone that way because the Vivo V5 lite packs a 16-megapixel front camera which is a shy away from the 20-megapixel front camera of the Vivo V5. But despite that, the smartphone’s front camera is still better than most smartphones but I noticed that some of my selfies are a little bit too overexpose. Check out the front camera shots that I took using the smartphone.
IMG 20170322 120437
IMG 20170426 145904
IMG 20170502 174910
IMG 20170510 180548
The 13-megapixel rear camera of the smartphone doesn’t really disappoint and it just did its job fine and I was actually surprised that the smartphone’s camera can actually do some low-light shots but I notice that there were some artifacts on some of my shots and it isn’t the sharpest one that you can find in its price range. Here are the shots that I took using the rear camera of the smartphone.
IMG 20170324 175752
IMG 20170427 192659
IMG 20170427 211812
IMG 20170429 150745
IMG 20170429 150808
IMG 20170429 151113
IMG 20170430 104406
IMG 20170502 174919
IMG 20170508 133113
But yes, it’s still good.
A Good Battery Life
Probably one of the features that I really like on this smartphone is its battery life. Inside the Vivo V5 Lite is a 3000mAh battery and yes, the smartphone could actually last a whole day without power bank despite using the smartphone with mobile data on all the time. Even if you use the smartphone at a heavy usage, the Vivo V5 Lite was still able to last up to a work day.
Verdict
The Vivo V5 Lite did just fine in all aspects. The design of the smartphone might be a bummer to some because of its generic front but some might be fond of it because of its iPhone-like design at the back. However, it is still made up of plastic. The smartphone also has enough power for some casual games and multi-tasking. It might not have the same camera of the Vivo V5 but it can do it job better than most smartphones. However, at its price range, probably the most noticeable lacking feature of this smartphone is the fingerprint scanner. That feature is already present on most smartphones even at the entry-level. But again, the Vivo V5 Lite still did well in most aspects which is why I recommend this smartphone at its price range.
Cherry Mobile will be having a sale today in celebration of Mother’s day. Both the Cherry Mobile Flare 5 and the Cherry Mobile FB100 will be having a price down today. The Cherry Mobile Flare 5 will be slashed to P3,999 from P5,499 while the FB100 will be slashed to P2,299 from P2,999. I know, this is a great gift to your mother this mother’s day.
The selling of the discounted Cherry Mobile FB100 and Cherry Mobile Flare 5 starts at 1:30 PM until supplies last. This treat from Cherry Mobile will happen at Made for Moms Event in BGC Amphitheater so what are you waiting for? Visit the event later today!
The biggest MMO to hit the Philippine shores this year, Ragnarok Online, will start its close beta testing this mid June. The business model for this game will still be free to play and it’s free to win as the game doesn’t require you to buy items exclusive to the item shop. And yes, since this game is free to win, you won’t be able to buy boss cards on the item shop and other items that are available in the item shop
Since Elite will be handling for the local publishing of the game, Ragnarok Online will also feature events that are exclusive for Philippines. Ragnarok Online Philippines will also start in 2-1 Job Class while the alternate job class patch will be release soon. There will be two servers for Ragnarok Online at launch and these are Loki and Thor.
The game is expected to start its OBT this mid june but if you’re interested on creating an account now, you may now do that at https://ragnarokonline.com.ph/
