Home Blog Page 628

Gionee Pioneer P4 Review: It’s an affordable gaming device!

Jam Ancheta
-
5
Gionee Pioneer P4 Review: It’s an affordable gaming device!

I’ve been using this phone for days and I’m very impress with it. The Gionee Pioneer P4 sports a midrange specifications and a simple design but I’m very impress with its performance and simplistic but easy to understand UI. You know what, just read on and check out what I think of the Gionee Pioneer P4.

If you’ve checked out my first impressions of the phone, yes, the Gionee Pioneer P4 is very solid despite having a plastic construction . The build and design quality of the phone is one of the things that you would like in this phone. The Gionee Pioneer P4 just fits right in our hand and the buttons were well placed. The weight and the dimensions of the phone feels just right too.

The Gionee Pioneer P4 has a 4.5″ FWVGA display. Again, the display size feels just right for me. If you’re looking for a phablet, probably you won’t be getting this one but for me, 4.5″ is already enough for gaming and browsing the internet. The tall display might be just FWVGA but the outdoor visibility of this phone was good and of course, having a smaller resolution on the display means lesser power needed by the processor to render objects on games and applications.

Inside the Gionee Pioneer P4 is a MT6582 processor paired with 1 GB of RAM. That chipset is very common to affordable smartphones but what makes this phone different from most phones is the 8 GB internal storage of Gionee Pioneer P4. You can use around 4 GB of the 8GB internal storage of Gionee Pioneer P4. And yes folks, there’s a Dual Sim card slot on the Gionee Pioneer P4. If you are using a Micro Sim card then you might be happy using the Gionee Pioneer P4 because this phone supports both micro sim and mini sim.

The battery of the phone is rated at 1800mAh and thanks to the FWVGA display, it doesn’t need much power unlike HD displays. The Gionee Pioneer P4 was able to last up to a normal day of average gaming and browsing. Yes, it could last longer than half a day. You know what, Gionee Pioneer P4 lasted longer than I expected.  Oh and the audio quality, the Gionee Pioneer P4 is just fine. I’m not impress nor disappointed with its audio quality but I hope they could make it more louder.

The Gionee Pioneer P4 has an Amigo UI but unlike the Gionee Elife E7, this one has an app drawer and you could put widgets on the homescreen. I prefer this launcher over the Gionee Elife E7’s Amigo UI but I still feel the Elife E7’s launcher is much more cleaner and neat looking. Nonetheless, The Gionee Pioneer P4’s interface is still an eyecandy. Most of the features that are included in the Gionee Pioneer P4 are very useful like the Guest Mode and the Quick power saving mode. Another thing that I love in the Gionee Pioneer P4 is that the Amigo UI in it is very easy to grasp. If you’re a first time Android user, you’ll find the Gionee Pioneer P4’s interface user-friendly

With Guest mode, you’ll be able to hide call logs, messages, albums, and notes on your phone. You know, that would be very useful if someone wants to borrow your phone for a while and you don’t want to show some of your pictures or messages. It’s not a killer feature but it’s very nice to see this feature on a mid range phone.

The Gionee Pioneer P4 is powered by Android 4.2.2 which I think is just fine for me and I didn’t expect the Gionee Pioneer P4 would be powered by Android 4.4 Kitkat because it is just a mid-range smartphone. Gionee has tweaked most of its UI but that doesn’t sacrifice its performance and the Gionee Pioneer P4 is still fast and smooth. Another cool feature of the Gionee Pioneer P4 is the ability to change themes however, there are only a few themes that are available.

The Gionee Pioneer P4 is an affordable smartphone meant for gaming. I tried Antutu on this smartphone and the phone got a high score of 16959. That score is quite high for its specifications. There’s an MT6582 processor inside and a 1 GB of RAM and I’m impress with its performance. I’ve tried different games and to my surprise, all of them worked. I tried games like NBA2k14, Edge of Tomorrow and Dead Trigger 2

In NBA2k14, the graphics was good and playable as expected while in Dead Trigger 2, the game was smoother and I didn’t experience any slowdowns in this game. Despite having a 4.5″ display, It’s very fun to play an FPS game on the Gionee Pioneer P4 because of its taller display. I find it more convenient to play a game on a taller display because the buttons doesn’t block the first person view that much.

I was surprised that the Gionee Pioneer P4 was able to play Edge of Tomorrow. This game is not optimized to work on a MediaTek device and so far, only Gionee Pioneer P4 was able to play this game. The game was playable although the game wasn’t that smooth. But hey, this is the only MediaTek device I reviewed that was able to play this game.

The Gionee Pioneer P4 has a 5 megapixel rear camera with LED flash. The camera of Gionee was great too and I notice that the phone can shoot really fast and the colors produced was really great. And yes, the photos were sharp. However, at lowlight conditions, the images are a little bit grainy. Here are some sample shots.

The Gionee Pioneer P4 is one great phone. It’s not the best phone in the market but I would definitely get this smartphone if my budget is at P7,000. Why? I like the build quality of the phone, there’s an 8 GB of storage and the MT6582 processor with 1 GB of RAM is already enough for me.

The Gionee Pioneer P4 is now available for P6,999.

Don’t forget to check out Gionee’s Facebook page and Twitter account!

Ye!! BTS 710 Bluetooth Speaker Review

Jam Ancheta
-
7
Ye!! BTS 710 Bluetooth Speaker Review

Whenever we’re bored or not in the mood to do anything, most of us just reach out to our smartphones, plug a headphones to our smartphones and play a music from our music player but some prefer speakers to soothe the mood of their room. I’ve used a lot bluetooth speakers but the Ye!! Bluetooth speaker is my favorite bluetooth speaker for my smartphone. Why? Because it has an attractive design and it is very very very portable.

The design of the speaker is very cute and there’s a strap that’s why it’s very portable. I also like Ye!! Bluetooth Speaker’s rubber feel because it feels more durable than glossy plastic which is use on most bluetooth speakers. Again, the Ye!! Bluetooth Speaker is very cute and small however, it doesn’t fit your pocket.

Not only the Ye!! Bluetooth speaker sports a cute and small design but this bluetooth speaker is also splash proof. So yeah, you could bring this to your swimming party or at the beach without worrying about water damage.

One feature that set this speaker apart from the others is the NFC pairing. If you’re using an Android phone with NFC, all you have to do is to tap the phone to the speaker and you’ll be connected to your phone easily. I’m using a Samsung Galaxy S5 and I didn’t had any problems and pairing my phone to the speaker was fast and easy. And yes folks, the Bluetooth connectivity range is already enough for a room or a condo. I was also glad not to experience any disconnections.

If you’re not the type of guy who likes wireless or your device doesn’t have NFC or Bluetooth then you might want to opt for the line-in included on the box but unfortunately, It’s a Micro USB to 3.5mm audio jack instead of the typical 3.5mm audio jack to 3.5mm audio jack. However, I got no complaints with that.

The Ye!! Bluetooth Speaker has a microphone in it so yeah, you could answer calls from the device. In my experience, I didn’t had any problems with the microphone. I can also hear the caller’s voice clearly. The battery life? I was very satisfied with its battery life. The Ye!! Bluetooth Speaker was able to last up to more than 10 hours. Yes, this is really good for a portable speaker. The audio quality of the Ye!! Bluetooth speaker fared pretty well. The bass weren’t that really great but I’m already satisfied with its performance.

Overall, I like the Ye!! Bluetooth Speaker. This bluetooth speaker is really great for your outings because of its portability and size and again, the Ye!! Bluetooth speaker is splash resistant that’s why it’ll be ready for your pool party or beach outing. The Ye!! Bluetooth speaker is now available at Digital Walker and Beyond the Box for P1,950. I know, it’s very affordable. Oh Ye!!

Pre-order an LG G3 now and get premium items for free!

Jam Ancheta
-
0
Pre-order an LG G3 now and get premium items for free!

Last month, LG has unveiled their next flagship phone and yes, you may now get a chance to get the first dibs of the LG G3. So why should you be excited with the LG G3? Look guys, the LG G3 is what a premium smartphone should be like. Why? it sports a Snapdragon 801 processor, a laser auto focus camera, a Quad HD display and a very beautiful design and yes, LG Philippines has accepted preorders last June 18 and it will be until June 27.

LG Philippines has accepted preorders for the 16 GB & 32 GB variants and which will have 2 GB & 3 GB RAM respectively. Customers who will pre-order will also get premium accessories for free: the LG Wireless charger & Quick Circle case worth P1,900 and P1,500 respectively.

If you want to pre-order an LG G3, you may go to the nearest LG Concept Stores: SM Megamall, SM North EDSA, V-Mall (Greenhills), SM Baguio, SM Cebu and Gaisano Mall (Davao). You may claim the LG G3 and its freebies on July 4, 2014 onwards at the same LG Concept store on where you pre-ordered.

There will be a P3,000 reservation which is non-refundable but don’t worry, it will be deducted from the SRP. The LG G3 16GB variant will be available for P31,990 while the 32GB sells for P35,990 for both cash and credit card payments. I strongly suggest that you get the 32 GB version since the 32 GB variant has a larger RAM.

LG G3 Specifications

  • 5.5-inch IPS display, Corning Gorilla Glass 3, 2560×1440 resolution
  • 2.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 quad-core processor
  • 16GB/2GB & 32GB/3GB of Storage & RAM with MicroSD Card slot
  • 13 MP rear camera with Laser AF, OIS, dual-LED flash
  • 2.1 MP front camera
  • Wi-Fi
  • Bluetooth 4.0
  • NFC
  • USB OTG
  • GPS & A-GPS
  • GLONASS
  • LTE
  • 3000mAh removable battery
  • Android 4.4.2 KitKat
  • P31,990 for the 16GB/2GB  and P35,990 32GB/3GB

Nokia X2 unveiled: Glossy design & Dual SIM

Jam Ancheta
-
0
Nokia X2 unveiled: Glossy design & Dual SIM

Nokia has unveiled today their next generation of the Nokia X family, the Nokia X2. The Android-running Nokia X2 still sports a colorful and vivid design just like the Nokia X and the Nokia Lumia. There are noticeable new features on the Nokia X2 like the inclusion of the home button on the front & a glossier design. You can now switch and close apps by holding the back button of the phone and yes, the operating system running on the Nokia X2 has improved and it sports a lot of new features.

The specifications of the phone isn’t really enticing since the Nokia X family is categorised as between the Nokia Asha and the Nokia Lumia family. The Nokia X2 sports a Dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 processor, 1 GB RAM, and a 5 MP camera. Check out the full specifications below:

Nokia X2 Specification
  • 4.3″ WVGA Clearblack LCD
  • Dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 1.2GHz processor
  • 1 GB RAM
  • 5 MP Rear camera
  • Front facing camera
  • Dual SIM
  • 1800mAh

The Nokia X2 will come in glossy green, orange and black, with glossy yellow, white and matt dark grey and it will be priced at 99 Euros but I expect it to be Php7,000-Php8,000 when it arrives here in the Philippines.

TYLT Tunz Speaker Review

Jam Ancheta
-
0
TYLT Tunz Speaker Review

Everytime I go back from school the first thing I open is Spotify on my smartphone or tablet and my Bluetooth speaker. Yes, no wires, no hassle just my device and my Bluetooth speaker. And whenever I ran out of battery and there’s no socket beside me, I just bring out my TYLT TUNZ speaker and charge my device.

The TYLT TUNZ is one of the most stylish bluetooth speakers around and from the box itself, you’ll already notice the guys behind it really gave an effort and time for the design and construction of the TYLT TUNZ Speaker. Again, this bluetooth speaker is one of the best and most stylish that’s available in the market. So how did it became one of the most stylish speakers around? By adding a gleamingly interchangeable silicon bands in the box.

Not only the TYLT TUNZ speaker packs a pleasant design but it also packs a feature that you can’t find in most bluetooth speakers – NFC. The TYLT TUNZ has a USB charging cable inside, an AUX cable, a bag, and Silicone bands. The TYLT TUNZ’s texture feels like rubber while the front speaker grill has a textured design which is an eye candy.

At the top, there are 4 touch buttons however, unlike other buttons, these buttons do not click that’s why I find it hard if my clicks and taps are recognized by the TYLT TUNZ speaker. You could also connect your device to the speaker via NFC by just placing your device at the side of the speaker.

One of my gripes on this speaker is whenever I’m connected to this speaker via Bluetooth, the range wasn’t that good. I get disconnected most of the time whenever my device is more than 6 feet far from the TYLT TUNZ Speaker. However, the AUX wasn’t a problem. I always connect my TYLT TUNZ Speaker to my Braven 570.

The audio performance of the TYLT TUNZ was good, not great. The bass were superb on this one and I really love the boom of the TYLT TUNZ. The mids and its highs are also good too. The TYLT TUNZ can also be used to answer calls from your device however, I also notice the microphone doesn’t really perform well. The battery life of the TYLT TUNZ however was good. It was able to last up to a day of bluetooth use.

Overall, I really like the TYLT TUNZ Speaker’s design, construction and its superb bass. It’s one of the most stylish available in the market. If you’re looking for a bluetooth speaker that’s stylish and you want to maximize that NFC feature, you might want to look at the TYLT TUNZ speaker.

Is this Samsung Galaxy Note 4’s specifications?

Jam Ancheta
-
0
Is this Samsung Galaxy Note 4’s specifications?

The Samsung Galaxy Note 4 has hit Antutu and yes, both the Exynos 5433 and Snapdragon 805 variants has visited our favorite benchmarking application.

Both Samsung Galaxy Note 4 variants are expected to have a 5.7″ Super AMOLED display with QHD resolution (That’s 2560×1440 and yes, that resolution is bigger than your TV or your monitor that you’re using right now). The Samsung Galaxy Note 4 is also expected to have a 32 GB internal storage, 3 GB RAM, 16 MP Camera and I’m guessing that the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 would be also water and dust resistant like its smaller brother, the Samsung Galaxy S5.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 4 is expected to be announce on IFA this September.

Source: Antutu

Starmobile Roar: Another mid-range Quad-core smartphone for P4,690

Jam Ancheta
-
0
Starmobile Roar: Another mid-range Quad-core smartphone for P4,690

Starmobile has announced a new midranger phone that has a quad-core processor and a 4.5″ display and no, this is not a phone in partnership with Katy Perry. The Starmobile Roar has some interesting features like pop out video function, noise cancellation,wave control and talk to unlock. These might not be a killer features for a smartphone but these are really interesting to see on a smartphone at this price range.

Starmobile Roar Specifications

 • 4.5-inch IPS 480 x 854 Display
• 1.3GHz Quad-Core MediaTek MT6582M processor
• 512MB of RAM
• 4GB of storage, expandable via microSD
• 8 MP rear camera & 2 MP front camera
• Wi-Fi
• Bluetooth
• USB OTG
• GPS, A-GPS
• HSPA+
• 1750mAh battery
• Android 4.2.2

Too bad, Starmobile Roar only rocks a 512 MB of RAM but that’s alright because I’m pretty sure the phone wouldn’t be that slow because it sports an FWVGA display and not HD. The Starmobile Roar is now available for P4,690.

Apple iMac now starts at P56,990

Jam Ancheta
-
0
Apple iMac now starts at P56,990

Good news! Apple has released a cheaper version of iMac (But still expensive) which is Php11,000 much cheaper than the former entry level iMac. However, having an iMac at a much lower price comes with a caveat. The new entry level iMac is sporting a processor similar to the macbook Air. Yes, there’s only a Dual-Core 1.4 GHz Intel i5 processor, 500 GB HDD, 8 GB LPDDR3 RAM, and an Intel HD Graphics 5000. The performance of this iMac might be on par or the Macbook Air might even have a better performance because the iMac has a larger resolution on its display. But don’t worry, the Macbook Air was pretty fast already with that specifications and I’m sure that Apple won’t allow their iMacs to be suck. You can check out the new iMac at the Apple Online Store or just visit the nearest Apple resellers like Beyond the Box.

Gionee Pioneer P4 First Impressions

Jam Ancheta
-
0
Gionee Pioneer P4 First Impressions

Gionee Pioneer P4 is one of the most affordable smartphone of Gionee. If you haven’t heard of Gionee, they’re an international company based in China and they’ve made some interesting smartphones like the Gionee Elife E7 that has a really great camera with a powerful processor. I’ve been using Gionee Pioneer P4 for a while now and I can say that it performed above my expectations.

The design of the Gionee Pioneer P4 is very simple, clean and generic but the Gionee Pioneer P4 is very solid. There are no squeaks or any moving parts. Unlike the Gionee Elife E7, this smartphone is smaller therefore; more portable and pocketable. But don’t worry about the phone because for me, the 4.5″ display is already enough for gaming and browsing.

The Gionee Pioneer P4 has a 4.5″ display with a resolution of FWVGA. Some of you might be disappointed but don’t worry, the display wasn’t bad and did you know that the smaller the resolution of the smartphone, the better it performs on gaming. Why? because it needs less power on smaller resolutions. So yeah, the higher the resolution, the more powerful processor that you need.

At the back, you’ll get a simple but minimilastic design. There’s the Gionee logo just above the speaker grill and there’s a 5 MP camera at the top back of the phone. At the side, you’ll see the volume rocker with the power button while the 3.5 mm audio jack is placed at the top of the phone. Gionee Pioneer P4 is now available for P6,999. If you want to know more about it, you can check out my Tagalog unboxing and hands-on below:

Samsung WB350F Review

Jam Ancheta
-
0
Samsung WB350F Review
We all agree that point-and-shoot camera buyers are slowly deteriorating because of smartphone getting better camera sensors, and DSLRS & mirrorless cameras getting a larger share in the market. That’s why most manufacturers are doing something to spice up their point-and shoot cameras.

The Samsung WB350F looks very simple but there’s something that you don’t know inside it, it’s a Smart camera. Yes, it can connect to your smartphone and even upload photos and videos to your social networking accounts. It may be called as a Smart Camera, but the Samsung WB350F isn’t powered by Android.
The Samsung WB350F might fool you with its looks, but its design isn’t really made up of leather. It’s actually made up of plastic. Unlike the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and the Samsung Galaxy S5, the Samsung W350F doesn’t have that texture of those phones so yeah, don’t get fooled by its texture. But of course the Samsung W350F isn’t entirely made up of plastic, there’s little bit of metal. I wished Samsung had made the leather look similar to the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 so there will be more grip into it.

The Samsung WB350F is slim, small and very light. Yeah, I really like its dimensions. One cool feature of the Samsung WB350F is NFC, which allows you to connect to your smartphone via Wi-Fi. You can also send pictures and videos to your Android device. It’s easy to connect to your smartphone to the smart camera. You just need to press the direct link button and just follow the instructions. The Samsung WB350F can also connect to your Android device and use your Android device as your viewfinder. Yep, great feature for selfie lovers.

At the top, you can find the mode dial in where you can find the Samsung WB350F’s coolest features.  On the rear, there’s the 3-inch touch screen LCD, which is just okay for a camera. Just don’t compare it to flagship smartphones’ display, okay? Unfortunately, you can’t tilt the camera’s display. There’s multi-touch and the display was responsive. I didn’t had any problems with its display. You could also adjust the camera’s settings via touchscreen display

One of the disappointing features of the Samsung WB350F is the use of MicroSD instead of the typical SD card, which can be found on most cameras.  But of course, some people might appreciate this because you can switch your phone or tablet’s MicroSD card to the camera whenever the camera’s MicroSD card is full.

Like what I’ve said earlier, the Samsung WB350F has a dial mode in where you can find its coolest features.  With Samsung WB350F, you’ll be able to adjust the ISO, Shutter speed, Aperture and many more. There’s a smart mode too in where there are presets best suited in most conditions. I use it whenever there’s a shooting condition that matches one of the presets in the camera.
I always use the direct link on this smart camera. I always connect the smart camera to my smartphone but sometimes, I experience disconnections and errors and I don’t have any clue why that happens

The Samsung WB350F features a 21x optical zoom lens with OIS. The camera has a 16.3 MP back-illuminated CMOS sensor but the sensor isn’t that large at 1/2.3. The Samsung WB350F is also capable of recording FHD videos at 30 fps. Here are some sample photos:

I used the Samsung WB350F for sometime and I was disappointed in its color reproduction however, I applaud its fast auto focus and its sharpness. The noises are noticeable at lowlight conditions.

I recorded some videos too using the Samsung WB350F and unlike the photos that I took, most videos that I recorded were quite well.  The audio quality was good and the OIS was great and it was noticeable on videos.

The Samsung WB350F is hoping to make a mark in the point-and-shoot industry but the unpleasant image quality especially in lowlight was a dealbreaker. Nevertheless, there are only a few smart camera that are available in the market and you might be interested on this one if you want that feature.
1...627628629...771Page 628 of 771