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Alcatel OneTouch Idol X+ & Boomband Launched!

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Last week, Alcatel has finally launched that their newest Octa-Core smartphone in the Philippines. The specifications of this smartphone is just the right hardware from what you can expect on a flagship smartphone. There’s a 5-inch full HD display which is quite sharp, a 2 GHz MT6592 Octa-Core processor, 2GB RAM and a 13.1 Megapixel Camera. 

Alcatel One Touch Idol X+ Specifications

  • 5.0-inch Full HD (1920 x1080) IPS display
  • Mediatek MT6592 2.0GHz octa-core processor
  • 2GB RAM
  • 32GB internal storage
  • HSPA+
  • NFC
  • 13.1 MP rear camera with LED flash
  • 2 MP front-facing camera
  • 2,500mAh battery
  • Android 4.2 Jellybean
  • JBL earphones included
One thing that I like in the Alcatel One Touch Idol X+ is that they included a JBL earphones inside the box. I reviewed a lot of JBL earphones and I’m pretty happy with its performance. I barely used the earphones included in the phone but if I have the Alcatel One Touch Idol X+, I would definitely use it because not only I love JBL but their earphones are really great.

Alcatel has also their own wearable device called the Boomband. It’s a smart fitness band that can track your steps made, distance travelled, calorie consumption and it is also a sleep tracker. Compared to other fitness bands, the Boomband comes with LED indicators and has vibration notifications so you’ll never miss a call or a message. Alcatel Boomband is also splashproof that’s why you won’t be worried that much when you get caught in the rain or when you’re washing your hand.

The Alcatel One Touch Idol X+ is now available for P18,799 while the Alcatel Boomband will be available soon for P1,999. The Alcatel Boomband is actually attractive and as far as I know, this is one of the most affordable smartband that is available in the Philippines.

ASUS MeMo Pad 7 ME176CX is now available!

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The ASUS MeMo Pad 7 that we’ve seen during the launch of the ASUS Zenfone series is finally available! It is one of the first Android tablet to pack a new 64-bit Intel Quad-Core CPU and like what I’ve said before, this processor is quite powerful because this is also the processor that runs on some notebooks but of course, it would be good if we can run some tests to prove if the performance of the tablet is really good.

ASUS MeMo Pad 7 ME176CX Specifications

  • 7.0” 1280×800 IPS display
  • 1.86 GHz Quad-Core Intel Atom Processor
  • 1GB RAM
  • 8/16GB Internal Storage
  • 5 Megapixel Rear Camera
  • 2 Megapixel Front Camera
  • GPS/GLONASS
  • WiFi
  • Bluetooth
  • P6,995

According to ASUS, this baby could reach a score of 33000 at Antutu. That’s a quite high score on Antutu but of course, those are just numbers on a benchmark application and I want to see how this tablet performs in gaming. The ASUS MeMo Pad 7 is now available for P6,995 only. This thing is very affordable for its hardware.

Gionee Elife S5.5 Review

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At 5.5mm thin, the Gionee Elife S5.5 is the slimmest smartphone in the world and it was recently launched in the Philippines along with their newest ambassador, Ellen Adarna. I’ve been using this smartphone for a month and until now; I’m still impressed with its powerful octa-core processor despite having a thin body with its beautiful and premium materials.
Design and Construction

Gionee Elife S5.5 is made up of materials that we mostly want on a flagship smartphone – Glass and metal. The rear and the front of the phone is covered by glass while on the sides is metal.  The first time you hold the device, you’ll already know that it’s beautiful and very premium. It took me some time before I got used to the device because it’s very thin, however, the smartphone doesn’t slip easily in my hand thanks to the slant edges at the sides of the phone.  I didn’t do a drop test on this device, but Ellen Adarna did drop the Gionee Elife S5.5 on the floor more than 2x and it didn’t had any crack on the glass display according to her.

Again, the thinness of this device is incredible. Until now, I’m still wondering how were they able to put in that hardware specifications inside the Gionee Elife S5.5. The weight of the smartphone feels just right for its materials and size. Remember guys, this is a 5-inch smartphone with glass and metal materials, and it is not made up of plastic.

Since the Gionee Elife S5.5 is too thin, there’s a micro sim card tray at the side of the phone and you’ll have to use a pin to remove it. There’s no MicroSD card slot on this phone but there’s an enough 16 GB of storage and if you need more storage, don’t worry, the Gionee Elife S5.5 supports USB OTG. I really didn’t have problems with the device when it comes to storage because for me, 16 GB is already enough. Most of the time, when you have a thin smartphone, the smartphone always have to compromise its audio quality. However, the Gionee Elife S5.5 is an exception. The audio quality of the phone wasn’t the best but it was quite good for its thickness. It’s quite loud and clear.
Display

There’s a 5-inch full HD display protected by Gorilla Glass 3 on the Gionee Elife S5.5 and there’s a thin bezels on the sides however at the top and bottom, it weren’t the same. The display of the Gionee Elife S5.5 is just right, it’s not oversaturated and the colors on the display was just right. The outdoor visibility was acceptable and the screen is responsive too.
Software and Performance
Gionee Elife S5.5 is powered by Android 4.2.2 and it has Amigo UI, which works different from most Android launchers because this one doesn’t have an app drawer. The Amigo UI’s homescreen is the app drawer. There are also some cool on the Amigo UI like the changing of themes. One small thing that I like in it is that the Gionee Elife S5.5 offers a lot of transition effect in the desktop
There are also some useful features on the Gionee Elife S5.5 like the Guest mode which will automatically hide your messages and files from your nosy friends and Quick power saving mode which helps a lot in conserving the battery of the smartphone.

There’s a 1.7GHz MediaTek Octa-Core processor on the Gionee Elife S5.5 along with the 2GB of RAM. If you know this specification, you’ll already know that the Gionee Elife S5.5 is a flagship smartphone. This smartphone got a score of 27194 at Antutu and at gaming, the Gionee Elife S5.5 doesn’t disappoint. I was able to play PSP games specifically Metal Gear: Portable Ops plus on the smartphone.  Other games that I’ve tried on this device are Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Modern Combat 4 and Edge of Tomorrow without hiccups. The Octa-Core processor and 2GB of RAM on this device can surely play most of the games that are available on the Google Play Store.

Battery life
I was expecting that this device would have a not-so-good battery life because of its 5.5mm thickness. I was wrong.  The battery life of the smartphone was too good for its size. It was able to last up to a day on me despite having average use of games and Internet browsing. The 2300mAh battery is quite good for the Gionee Elife S5.5
Camera
A few months ago, Gionee has introduced the Gionee Elife E7 and they’re proud that its camera is one of the best in the Android industry and yes, just like its brother, the Gionee Elife S5.5 sports a pleasant camera however, this is just at 13 Megapixels. At the back, you’ll notice a slight bulge at the camera but don’t worry. The small bulge at the back wasn’t really distracting and annoying when I’m using the phone.

This smartphone is also good when it comes to selfies because there’s a wide-angle front camera. So what does that mean? With this feature, there’s no need to get a monopod to have a groupie because the wide-angle camera can cover a wide field than other cameras.

This smartphone shoot pretty fast and most of the time; I use it to take photos on some events and on pictures for my Instagram. The shots that I took on the Gionee Elife S5.5 were mostly good and at low-light conditions, the Gionee Elife S5.5’s rear camera doesn’t disappoint. Check out some of the shots that I took using the smartphone.



Verdict

The Gionee Elife S5.5 is not the most affordable Octa-Core smartphone in the market but this is definitely the thinnest smartphone of them all. Aside from its premium, thin and elegant design, another thing to like on the Gionee Elife S5.5 is the front facing camera which is really great for selfies. This smartphone is definitely one of the best when it comes to selfies. 

The Gionee Elife S5.5 is now available for P21,990 but don’t worry about its price, the phone is really worth it.

Cherry Mobile Flare 3 launched!, The new Phablet ng Bayan!

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The 3rd generation of Cherry Mobile Flare is here! and it packs a specifications that is really enticing. The Cherry Mobile Flare finally left the 4-inch display and finally went to 5-inch. The Cherry Mobile Flare 3 now also comes in different colors which are black, blue, white, silver, & red. Despite having a qHD resolution on a 5-inch display ,the display looks really good because it’s an IPS OGS display. The internal storage has also became 8GB which is an upgrade from the 4GB from the Flare 2 while the RAM has been upgraded to 1GB.

Another thing to love about this phone is that the Cherry Mobile Flare 3 now runs on Android 4.4 Kitkat out of the box. Inside the hood is a 1.3 GHz Quad-Core MT6582 processor which performs pretty good. Overall, I really like the Cherry Mobile Flare 3 for its price. I actually think that the display was better than the MyPhone Rio despite having a smaller resolution

Cherry Mobile Flare 3 will be officially available on August 2, 2014 and it still priced at P3,999.

Cherry Mobile Flare 3 Specifications

  • 5-inch qHD IPS OGS Display
  • 1.3GHz MT6582 Quad-Core Processor
  • 8GB Internal Storage w/ MicroSD card slot
  • 1GB RAM
  • 8 Megapixel Rear Camera with LED Flash
  • 3 Megapixel Front Camera
  • HSPA+
  • Dual SIM
  • Android 4.4 Kitkat
  • 1980mAh
  • P3,999

Nokia XL Review

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After a few years, Nokia has give in and it has officially joined the Android race with their Nokia X line. Unfortunately, there’s a catch on these devices. The Nokia X family lies between the Asha and Lumia. Yes, Don’t expect that the Nokia X phones would have flagship specifications. The first generation of Nokia X smartphones comes in two sizes, 4″ and 5″. Thankfully, I got a chance to review the Nokia XL, which is the biggest smartphone in the Nokia X Family.

Design and Construction



Just like the other Nokia phones, once you hold it, you’ll already feel how solid the Nokia XL is. The design and quality of the Nokia XL doesn’t disappoint and yes, it feels like the phone won’t broke even when you dropped the phone from two floors. Inside the Nokia XL is also a metal frame, which makes it stronger and solid than other smartphones. Although, I feel that the Nokia XL is a bit thick and heavy for its specifications.

The availability of many colors on the Nokia XL was one thing to love on this phone. The one that I got was bright green and it is very vivid and lively. The hardware buttons and the ports are well placed however you might find the Nokia XL odd because of its single capacitive button at the front which is just back button. Unfortunately, You can’t do all the Android functions because of that.

Display



There’s a 5” display on this device and unfortunately it is at 800×480 only. In today’s standards, WVGA display isn’t really enticing and unlike other Nokia smartphones, the Nokia XL has a reflective display but I appreciate Nokia’s effort on putting Nokia Glance and double tap to wake. Nokia Glance is one of the minor features that you would probably love on this phone. Nokia Glance is a feature in where the display shows you the time even when the phone is lock.  Oh and despite having this hardware, the Nokia XL does have a 5 multi-touch points.
Software and performance

The Nokia XL runs on a customized version of Android OS. What does that mean? You could run Android apps on this device however, if they’re not available on the Nokia Store or 3rd party stores, you should manually install it on your device.  How? by using a file manager. There’s a built-in Nokia Store in the Nokia XL and there are 3rd party app stores that are available in the Nokia Store that’s why there are a lot of apps that you can install on this device. I tried sideloading an Android app on this device and it is very familiar and easy just like the one that we see on other Android smartphones.

The UI of this device is very similar to the Windows Phone and it is almost smooth as its Lumia brothers.  There are also tiles on this forked Android OS but unlike Windows phone, these tiles are more customizable. You can put tiles in groups, change their colors and their sizes however, I find it confusing at first but I got used to it after a while.

One of the main features of this smartphone is Fastlane. Basically, Fastlane lists all your recent apps and notifications on your phone. Fastlane is very useful when I’m texting to someone because it is much easier to navigate to the one I’m texting. All I need to do is swipe from the homescreen and I can see all the recent things that I’ve done in my phone.

Of course, this smartphone has Microsoft and Nokia services. But again, this is forked Android that’s why you can’t find Google Play Store or any Google services installed on this device. Since this is a smartphone made by Microsoft and Nokia, there are already apps that are already pre-installed on this device like OneDrive and Here Maps. Just like the Windows Phone counterpart, Here Maps was easy to use and it is one thing that you would surely love on Nokia devices.


Nokia XL isn’t really good in games because it only sports a Dual-Core Snapdragon 200 processor and a 768MB of RAM but thankfully, there are some high quality games that are optimized for the Nokia XL like Minion Rush and Asphalt 8. Of course, if you want to install your favorite Android games, you could try sideloading it on the Nokia XL however, don’t expect to run heavy games on this device. The battery life of the Nokia XL was able to reach up to 2 days of average use. That’s not actually bad for me. In Antutu, the Nokia XL got a score of 6696.

There’s a 5 Megapixel camera on unlike its smaller brother, there’s a front-facing camera on the Nokia XL. It can shoot images fast and the colors were not pinkish and most of the time, the images aren’t sharp. The images were also soft and warmer at some times. But again, I already expected that since the phone is placed between the Asha and the Lumia. Check out the sample shots below.

Nokia XL is not for the hardcore Android users but for first time Android users, they might like the Nokia XL. The specifications of the phone isn’t really made for heavy apps and games however, those people who is just looking for Android smartphone with the genes of Nokia, they should probably get this. Why? This is the best android smartphone in the Nokia X family but performance wise? you might not like it compared to other Android smartphones. The Nokia XL is now available for P8,990.


The Simpsons-Family Guy Crossover

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This is an epic crossover guys! Look! It’s Peter Griffin getting along with Homer Simpson! Can you imagine that? Yes, there will be one dedicated episode for the crossover and it seems that both shows’ humor is still there. I don’t want to spoil you guys but you can watch a 5-minute clip of the crossover episode below.  I hope that they could do more episodes like this again in the future .

Source: The Verge

Warcraft movie is coming soon!

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Yep, you read that right, This is not a hoax or something folks because Legendary pictures has tweeted the link to a 10-second video on YouTube showing the Warcraft Movie title. Unfortunately, Only the title logo was shown and it didn’t show any characters or a sneak peek of the movie. Warcraft Movie is already on post production and it is expected to arrive on theatres on 2016. Check out the 10 second video below.

Source: Legendary

Audio-Technica WS-33x Review

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Audio-Technica WS-33x is probably one of the headphones for its budget. If you’re looking for a perfect combination of style and performance then you might want to look at this baby. I really love using this headphones, I almost use it everyday because of its good performance, You know what, just check out my review.

When it comes to design, I like its combination of black plastic body and the shiny Audio-Technica logo. Don’t get me wrong, despite having a plastic build, the Audio-Technica WS33x is pretty sturdy and it doesn’t feel that it will break anytime. Its adjustable headband slider is also made up of plastic but I wish it is metal to make it more sturdy and solid.

The earpads on the 40mm drivers of the Audio-Technica WS33x is not the most comfortable of all but it is acceptable for me. Although, I wished that the headphones had a more comfortable earpads. You could also swivel the cans but only to sides, which makes it less portable when it is in pouches and bags.

The sound quality of this headphone was very good. It’s actually awesome. The lows were very noticeable and it was awesome for its price. I tried different songs with a very deep bass and I was very happy with it. The mids and the highs of the headphones are great too. I didn’t expect that the headphones would have an audio quality like this.

This is one of my most favorite headphones that I’ve tried. If you’re looking for a headphone at this price range then better get this one, this headphone is really worth its price. The Audio-Technica WS-33x is now available for Php3,499.00.

Here’s Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman

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Fast and Furious 6 star, Gal Gadot will be playing the role of Wonder Woman in Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice and today, Director Zack Snyder has posted an image of Gal Gadot in Wonder Woman’s costume. It might look like different from the Wonder Woman that you’ve seen in the late 70s and in the comics but damn, Wonder Woman looks hot and pretty serious in the movie. Actually, Wonder Woman’s custom reminds me of Xena. Oh geez, I can’t wait for Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice on 2016!

Source: Reddit

Cherry Mobile Tegra Note 7 Hands-on, starts at P9,999

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Nvidia has finally launched their Tegra Note 7 tablet and it will be exclusive to Cherry Mobile in the Philippines! The Cherry Mobile Tegra Note 7 is a gaming tablet powered by Nvidia Tegra 4 with 72- Nvidia Geforce GPU. Yes, the Tegra 4 processor is very powerful and it can even reach a score of 34000+ at Antutu. There’s a 7-inch HD IPS display, 1GB RAM and an Nvidia DirectStylus which makes the tablet not only for gaming but also for taking notes and drawing stuff.

The Cherry Mobile Tegra Note 7 has a front facing speakers and I also notice that there’s a big bezel on the tablet. At the back, there’s a rubber matte finish which is similar to the Nexus 7 but unlike that tablet, the Cherry Mobile Tegra Note 7 is quite thick and heavy. But hey! There’s Micro HDMI here and I can connect the tablet to my HDTV!

 If you’ve notice, Cherry Mobile Tegra Note 7 is different from other Tegra Note 7 tablets it’s because the Cherry Mobile Tegra Note 7 is the second generation Tegra Note 7 tablet. The Cherry Mobile Tegra Note 7 is now available for P9,999. Considering its performance, I think the Cherry Mobile Tegra Note 7’s price is reasonable.