So here’s another budget phone from DTC mobile that’ll feature a dual sim and a Mobile TV. It’s very affordable but it packs, well, a specs that is too low. But hey, the phone is very affordable! So yeah, DTC Mobile GTV1 Stark features some basic features that can be found on most phones like MP3 Player, Browser, Java Games, Camera and more. So how much does this phone cost? Well, it won’t hurt your pocket since the SRP of this dual sim phone is just P1,699!
The DTC Mobile GTV1 Stark is purely made up of plastic. The unit that I got was red and I kinda like the color of it. The display is kinda small at 2.0″ especially for this phone that features Mobile TV. It’s kinda hard to watch and understand the show when you have a such small screen. Anyway, the DTC Mobile GTV1 Stark feels comfortable in the hand. You can text easily in one hand thanks to the nicely made body and the large keypads. This phone is super light too.
At the back, you can find the antenna which is quite short and the VGA camera. When you open the back cover, you can found the 800 mAh battery which I think is quite enough for this phone like this. Oh and the battery can last up to many many days so don’t worry about the battery life. Then there’s the dual sim slot and the MicroSD up to 4GB. You can transfer your files via PC or Bluetooth. (Yeah, the phone has bluetooth too!)
The proprietary OS is just like any other basic mobile phones. I didn’t like the font which looks similar to Times New Roman (I bet you know this font!) but I like the transitions and the colors on the phone. If you feel bored while on a trip, there’s support for Java games. Oh and did I mention that the phone has Yahoo Messenger and Facebook inside? Well, it just redirects you to their website. Oh and the TV App? Well it’s kinda hard to get a reception even when outside. Well, the quality that you’ll get depends on where you are.
The phone is now available at some DTC Mobile Kiosks for P1,699. That’s pretty affordable. So if you are interested. Get one now! Oh and if you are watching the Big Time Show, our weekly podcast. I announced that I’ll be giving away three phones and one of those phones is the DTC Mobile GTV1 Stark so watch out folks!
Disclaimer: DTC Mobile GTV1 Stark was given to us by DTC Mobile which will be raffled in this blog soon!
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When you have so many circles of friends and you love to get connected to them every time, you will be pissed because some of them are on a different network. When we want to hear the voices of our love ones, I’m pretty sure that you want to hear their voices all day, all night. And in this generation, some people can’t live without Facebook so most of us logged in to our Facebook using our mobile phones and check out people and stalk them after. But admit it guys, it’s really a pain in the pocket to register to promos that will enable us to have unli calls and text plus access to Facebook. But thankfully, Globe introduced an all-new promo called Go Unli in which you can have Unlimited text to all networks, Unlimited calls to Globe/TM and unlimited access to Facebook on mobile for only P30 for a day. That’s pretty affordable right?.
So what’s so special about this promo? First of all EVERYBODY CAN REGISTER TO GLOBE’S GO UNLI. Yeah you won’t get those messages that’ll tell you that you can’t register to the promo due to the number of subscribers to that promo. Oh and I almost forgot! In Globe’s Go Unli, you can register easily and without hassle. This promo is just great. I can text my friends on all networks, I can call my friends and relatives all day, all night and I’ll have unlimited access to Facebook. So why in the world would I check my balance if this promo has unlimited text to other network? (Well you still need to check your balance if you call your friends who are on the other network). So why don’t you check out Globe Prepaid GO Unli right now? Just text UNLI30 to 8888 or just call *143# to register. I prefer to use the latter since it is much easier to register there. Well that’s not important to you guys, it’s just my personal choice hehe. Anyway Globe Prepaid Go Unli is available in other variants: GOUNLI80 for 3 days at P80, GOUNLI150 for 7 days at P150 or GOUNLI750 for 30 days
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Finally!, Microsoft has revealed the prices of the most awaited Windows RT tablet — the Microsoft Surface. FYI, Windows RT is the version of Windows 8 that runs on the low powered ARM processor which can be found on most phones and tablet these days. So what does that mean to us consumers? legacy or old Windows apps won’t work on the new surface. Yeah too bad. But hey, there’s Microsoft Office 2013 inside. Too bad it is just Microsoft Office Home and Student 2013 RT Preview. Anyway, the Microsoft Surface RT has a display of 10.6″ with a resolution of 1366×768 and it is powered by Nvidia Tegra 3 T30 quad core processor. So what’s so special about this tablet? First of all, it has a $499 price tag, a kickstand and an optional touch cover or type cover which can be connected to the surface by magnet.
So why do I prefer the Microsoft Surface RT over the iPad? here are some of my reasons:
For $499 I can get a 16 GB iPad but for Microsoft Surface I can get a 32 GB.
It has a few apps but it will surely grow since it’s Microsoft and developers would love to develop apps for Windows 8 and Windows RT.
Microsoft Office. Well, the full version isn’t available yet but we might see it very soon.
The Windows ecosystem
There are a lot of pros and cons on the Microsoft Surface but I still want it. The Windows RT doesn’t have enough apps as of this moment. Anyway, the Microsoft Surface is now available for pre-order at Microsoft Store. Too bad it won’t be available in the Philippines but it’s a good thing that some OEMs would be force to lower their price because of the Surface. So you’ll need to have a relative or some guy to purchase it for you in the US.
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Last Saturday, we had another show and we have just had a lot of very interesting topics this week. This week we talked about Blackberry 10, DTC TV Phones, Some small news like the Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini, the rumored LG Nexus Phone, Nexus 7 upgrade rumors and of course the iPad Mini. Oh and I almost forgot to tell you guys, Mr. Alan Wong with Rafael Oca are live at the Blackberry Jam Hackathon and they just showed us the Blackberry 10 which is expected to be release early next year. He just showed a Blackberry 10 device and showed some of the nifty features that can be found on the BB10 OS. Mr. NFC also invited some guys at the hackathon and we asked them about the apps they made. After that, I showed some of DTC Mobile TV phones that I’ll be raffling out soon (hurray to that!). So why don’t you just check out the #BigTimeShow and the podcast links after the break?
So that’s it for this week. Be sure to check out our previous episodes at Youtube and subscribe to The Technoclast’s YouTube Channel or subscribe to our podcast at iTunes (Awww yeah! we’re on iTunes!). So if you have some time to spare for us, join us every Saturday night at Big Time Show!
Here’s a new addition to the Samsung Galaxy Family, the Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini. From its name and design, you can see which roots it came from. It’s a smaller version and this one sports a lower specs compared to its big brother, the Samsung Galaxy S3. The Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini is powered by Jelly bean which will make sure that your phone is buttery smooth. I think that’s just one of the main selling point of this phone since most phones out there won’t be updated to Jelly Bean (Oh and my Samsung Galaxy S3 doesn’t have the JB update as of this posting!). Aside from that, the Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini would have the nature-inspired homescreen and wallpapers just like its bigger brother, the Samsung Galaxy S3. Since there’s a word “mini” in it, it is expected to sport a 4.0″ WVGA Super AMOLED screen. Yeah another let-down since a lot of people are expecting that this phone would have a HD screen. The Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini would also have some unique features that can be found on its bigger brother like Direct Call, Smart Alert, S Beam and S Voice.
The rear camera was also downgraded to 5.0 megapixel. Same with the front camera, it’ll sport a VGA camera. The biggest let-down of the Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini is the downgrade from the quad core processor to a dual core processor. Oh and the phone can only record 720p videos. Too bad. I think Samsung want to target people who wants to have a phone that has the looks and feel of the Samsung Galaxy S3 but kinda smaller. I wished that they should’ve just name it to Galaxy W2 since the specifications of this phone is kinda at mid-range or 2011-ish. Anyway, I hope the price wouldn’t hurt our pocket.
Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini Specifications 121.55 x 63 x 9.85 mm, 111.5 g 4.0” WVGA Super AMOLED display 1GHz NovaThor Dual Core processor 8 GB Storage with MicroSD up to 32GB Wi-Fi Bluetooth NFC 5 Megapixel camera w/ 720p video recording VGA front Camera 1500mAh battery Android 4.1 Jelly Bean
Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini Price in the Philippines The price of the Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini wasn’t announced but I my guess estimate is that the phone will have a price tag of P15,000 and up when it reaches the Philippines shores.
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Cherry Mobile has been known for creating mobile phones that are very very affordable but some of their users are complaining that their UI is too ugly. But this one might change you perspective about Cherry Mobile phones when you’ve seen this phone, the Cherry Mobile W3. The main feature of this phone is that Facebook button which is obviously a shortcut to the Facebook app. It isn’t the first phone to feature that. One of the first few Facebook-dedicated phone is the HTC ChaCha which is a QWERTY Android.
Hardware and construction
First of all, you might notice the three Android buttons at the bottom but unfortunately this phone isn’t Android but this phone packs some apps and features that you can find on most smartphones like the Facebook button below. Yeah, this one is a phone made for Facebook. Anyway, the phone got a 3.5” capacitive display that is quite responsive. I’m quite glad that they used capacitive instead of the resistive touch screen. FYI, the capacitive touch screens are more responsive than the latter. Oh and there’s multi-touch on the phone too. So you can pinch in and out on the image viewer.
The build is quite nice and it doesn’t look and feel that cheap. When it comes to hardware and build, this phone isn’t the best but it does feel solid and it has a nice design. Like what I’ve said earlier, there’s a Facebook button at the bottom of the phone. The button looks nice and it does have a texture. Oh and the Facebook button is not that annoying.
The Facebook Button
Chrome-y sides surround the phone and I don’t think that you can easily chip the chrome sides. There’s a volume rocker on the side there’s no dedicated camera button. At the top is the on/off button and then there’s the hole in where you can put your key chains or other stuffs that you want. At the bottom, there’s the 3.5mm audio jack and, microphone and Micro-USB port. I tried plugging in my speaker and the charger. Don’t worry because you can plug in each other simultaneously. I got no issues with the positioning of the 3.5mm audio jack and the Micro-USB Port.
The 4 sides of the Cherry Mobile W3
The back cover feels solid even though it is made up of plastic. The design is simple yet quite nice. There’s the 3 megapixel camera without the flash and the speaker grill at the bottom right. The speaker is just like any otherI’m quite disappointed to see the LED flash missing. Inside is a 1200 mAh which is already enough for a battery life than can last up to 2-3 days on a normal usage. Not bad for a phone like that and then there’s the dual sim slot inside along with the MicroSD card slot, which is up to 8 GB. Too bad the sim is not hot swappable. But I don’t think that’s a deal breaker. I don’t think you would want to switch SIM cards if you’re already on a Dual Sim.
The Dual Sim slot
The Back cover
The sound quality of the phone is not that bad. It isn’t the best but it is quite loud and clear. Overall, the hardware and construction of the phone is quite nice. It fits just right into the hands of every Filipino but a lot of people might get confused of that Android-looking buttons.
Camera
And just like what I’ve expect on a feature phone. It doesn’t pack an eye-popping camera but just a normal camera. Oh and no autofocus. Well, you might be disappointed with the camera but c’mon guys! This is a feature phone with an affordable price. Check out the pictures below:
For a 3 MP camera with a price like this, I think those are nice already. Anyway, here’s a video sample. It’s not that good but hey for a phone with a price tag like this, I think this is a bit okay.
Software and performance
Like what I’ve said earlier, this phone isn’t equipped with Android so don’t expect apps like Facebook for Android, Google Play Store, Instagram, Angry birds and a lot more. But it’s good to see that there’s Opera Mobile 10.1 inside. Oh and some of the features of the Cherry Mobile W3 feels like Android. Even the phone wasn’t equipped with some fast blazing processor, I feel that the phone is fast and transitions were cool. Oh and yeah, I like the transition when swiping applications.
The cool thing that I love in this phone is that you can have live wallpapers on this one. YES! Live wallpapers just like the Android phones. And just like what I’ve told earlier, there are some apps that you guys might wanna check out like the Facebook and the Opera Mobile 10.1. Well, the Facebook is just the Java version of Facebook but hey it’s pretty usable.
I was very disappointed with the performance of some apps like the Facebook. Sometimes, it force closes due to the lack of memory. Well, I wish Cherry Mobile should do something about it. But the rest of the apps are fine. The games were good and well, they’re not so addicting but I still like those games.
Verdict
Well, the Cherry Mobile W3 isn’t for everybody. Some people need some apps that can only be found on the Smartphone. This is a phone made for people who have low budget but want to see a Wi-Fi, touchscreen and a social-network centric phone. This phone isn’t a waste and I think you should check out this phone. It’s pretty good. It has a 3.5” screen, 3 megapixel camera and a Facebook button. The Cherry Mobile W3 is now available for P3,699.00 at Cherry Mobile kiosk and concept stores. Check it out now!
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If you have been following my tweets and post at JAM Online’s Facebook page especially every saturday night, You’ll see a lot of post about the Big Time Show. Well, Big Time Show or BTS is a podcast/Youtube Live show produced by Alexei Rivera of The Technoclast with editors TJ of Tj’s Daily, Rafael of Family ko, Johann and yours truly Jam Ancheta. So what’s up with the Big Time Show? Every week, we talked about the coolest and latest news on the tech industry. We also have some pretty cool and funny segments like “Cooking With NFC” by Rafael Oca. The Big Time Show a.k.a. BTS had a few runs and you can check out some of our previous episodes and stuffs at my Youtube channel’s playlist. If you want to watch the live streaming of the show, we usually start at Saturday evening or midnight at The Technoclast’s Youtube channel. You can also download our podcast at iTunes (Subscribe now!). Oh and we have a Facebook Page and a Twitter account too. So if you got some problems, suggestions, comments or violent reactions then give us a message at those accounts.
In this episode, we talked about the new Nokia Lumias — the Lumia 920 and 820, Globe’s Nano Sim, Smart LTE and My|Phone Android phones which was discussed by Mr. Chuckie Dreyfus. Yes guys!, we have a TV star at our show already! So what are you waiting for? Check it out now! Oh and don’t worry, there are some annotations on the video. Yeah, you could click on it and listen to the topics that you’re only interested.
GALAXY Note II Product Image Key Visual 25281 2529
So the most awaited Phablet is coming to Widget City! Yes, the Samsung Galaxy Note II is now available for P31,000. I know, the price is quite high but take note, you’ll be one of the first to have the Samsung Galaxy Note II if you pre-order one. Just to give you a recap, the Samsung Galaxy Note II packs a larger 5.5″ screen, a thicker S pen, Android Jelly Bean and a lot of new features. Obviously, it has a very similar design to the Samsung Galaxy S3. So if you place your Samsung Galaxy S3 beside the Samsung Galaxy Note 2. The Galaxy S3 will look like its smaller brother. Anyway, the Samsung Galaxy Note II is now available for pre-order at Widget City for P31,000. To pre-order, contact them on their numbers which can be found on their Facebook page or just check out their site.
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Do you feel that your internet is too slow and you need more speeds on uploading some stuffs then take a look at this. Globe Tattoo Black was launched last week at Greenbelt 5. Globe Tattoo Black is the telco’s premium broadband offering. Yeah, It is their LTE offering. I was able to see the prowess of Globe’s LTE and test their speeds too and yeah it was pretty fast. They also revealed their broadband sticks along with their visionaries — Liz Uy and Fernando Aracama.
The event was hosted by Raymond and Georgina
“Tattoo Black is the future of broadband technology. This is a premium mobile broadband stick that is powered by LTE for Internet connection at break-neck speed and with the best overall broadband performance. On top of the speed, Tattoo Black redefines your broadband experience as it comes with unparalleled customer service plus exclusive perks and freebies,” as explained by Dong Ronquillo, Head of Tattoo Nomadic Broadband Business.
Globe Tattoo Black LTE comes at Plan 1799 and Tattoo Black Elite Plan 1799. The Plan 1799 is Tattoo Black’s entry level offer and the base speed is up to 28 Mbps. Not bad right? The data allowance is up to 12 GB per month but it will take effect on January 31 2013 so if you’ll get a Tattoo Black right now, you can download all you want without the fear of reaching the max data limit. Oh and Tattoo Black Plan 1799 comes with a free USB dongle but you can upgrade to a Superstick that can share your WiFi for up to five devices.
61.01 Mbps. Dat Speed. Well that’s the highest I got.
And then there’s the Tattoo Black Elite Plan 2499 which has a speeds of up to 42 Mbps and it has a data allowance of up to 15 GB but like what I’ve said earlier, there would be no data caps until January 31 2013. It also includes a lot of premium services including a dedicated hotline, priority handling in stores and a personal relationship manager. In short, it feels that you’re like a VIP in Globe stores. Oh and you can also get complimentary tickets to Tattoo events and a priority on Globe handsets and tablet devices. So if you’re a loyal Globe subscriber and you have some money to spare then I suggest that you get this one instead.
the USB Stick(Left) and the Superstick(Right)
Makati will be the first one to get Globe’s LTE service. By the end of October, Globe is expected to have 50 LTE sites in Makati and they are targeting to have 100 LTE sites by the end of the year. So if you’re planning to get the Tattoo Black LTE, be sure that you’re always staying at Makati Central Business district to have that LTE speeds. We tried downloading a 900 MB files and we have downloaded the file in less than 5 minutes. Damn fast. That’s LTE Be one of the first to experience the LTE speeds from Globe when it hits the stores on October 28, 2012. You can register now at the nearest Globe stores or by just checking out http://tattoo.globe.com.ph/
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Who wants a brand new iPhone 5? I Do! We Do! Yeah, we love the iPhone 5 despite mixed first impressions and the disappointing Apple Maps. But who cares about those things if we can get an iPhone 5 for free! Yes! Lazada is raffling away a brand new iPhone 5 for those people who are going to buy products at Lazada and have a minimum purchase of P2,000. A customer can qualify as many as he/she wants as long as he/she can provide single purchase of any of the items. Yeah that’s P2,000 of minimum purchase for 1 raffle ticket. The iPhone 5 raffle has already started yesterday and it will end at October 5 2012. If you want to know more about the mechanics then check out their website.
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