Smart Freedom Plan: It’s a Game Changer

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August 4, 2012

Oh hey!, there’s my Smart Freedom Plam Sim number!

This is the plan that we all have been waiting for. The Smart Freedom plan gives us the benefits of being a postpaid subscriber without the things that we hate the most in a postpaid plan — Lock-in period and a monthly service fees. Aside from that, they won’t require you to have a lot of documents or a lock-in period. And I think this offering from Smart is a game changer in the postpaid industry because for me, this plan fits to all audiences. Whether you are a college student or a professional, I think if you want to switch to Smart you should get a Smart Freedom Plan rather than getting a prepaid.

Smart Freedom Plan Sim Package (Top left), Marcelo Santos (To Right), Jam Ancheta (Bottom Left) and Vern Enciso (Bottom Right). From @smartcares Instagram account

Smart invited me for a launch at Rockwell in where there are only selected bloggers that are invited. Anyway, I really enjoy having a freedom plan sim. Why? Here are some key reasons and features that you’ll be very very interested on the Smart freedom plan

Lock-in period is a no-no – No Sh*t bros and sis! Smart doesn’t require you to have those 48 months lock-in period but of course, the only thing that you can get is the sim (And no, there are no phones). But hey! having a postpaid plan without a lock-in period is so cool!. It’s like having a girlfriend without commitmen (Wait, what?)
No Fixed monthly fees – So if you don’t consume a peso on a month then you don’t have to pay anything. That’s the beauty of Smart Freedom Plan, it starts with zero and if you don’t subscribe, text or call anything then you don’t have to pay anything. Pretty cool right?
No to a lot of documents, Just ID – All of us hates bringing a lot of documents and ID just to prove the world that you exist on earth and if you are capable of paying the bills. But if you’ll apply for Smart Freedom Plan then you just need one. I repeat. ONE VALID SCHOOL OR OFFICE ID.
P600 Credit limit, Yeah. No Bill shock – So yeah, no bill shock. But what if you’re too thirsty and hungry for more credit? No problemoo! Just go to the nearest Smart Center and add some more documentations that they’ll need from you

Okay so I know some of you guys doesn’t know the promo offerings of Smart so here it is. These are the postpaid buckets that are available for the freedom plan:

There are some things that are still missing here in the Smart Freedom Plan like the Always On in where you can browse the internet by MB and not by time. Blackberry Social promos is missing here too but there’s full Blackberry services which will cost you P599 (Yeah, so you already filled up the P600 limit). But according to Smart, they’ll include the missing promos in Smart Freedom Plan soon.

But the good thing in here is that you can combine 2 promos in a month. Example, you registered to Trio Talk 150 but you also want to have a text promo which is Alltext 100. Yeah, that’s possible. You can register to 2 promos. You can also see in your My.Smart the current subscriptions.

FAQs

Q: Hey Jam, I’m too lazy to search for the answer but what if I already maxed out the P600 credit limit and I’ve just been using it for 1 day?
A: Well, you could just pay your bills via online bank, My.Smart or even at the nearest 7-11 stores (Hey! 7-11 stores are around the metro!) and then you can waste more money again for more services.

Q: I’m a scumbag guy and I need more than the P600 credit limit. Can I increase the credit limit?
A: Of course! Just visit the nearest Smart Center and bring the additional needed documentations for your Freedom Plan 🙂

Q: Seriously? It starts at Zero?! Meh!
A: Yep, Smart is very serious about it but of course, you’ll need to consume at least P1 in two months because your number might be cut off

Q: Ok so how can I pay my bills to the nearest 7-11 if I don’t have the bill?
A: Smart will not be sending any paper bill instead, they’ll use e-bill or electronic bill. Pretty cool right?

Q: Sim Only? no bundled phones?
A: Unfortunately, there are no bundled phones 🙁

Q: So why should I get a Smart freedom plan?
A: There could be a lot of reasons on why you should choose Smart Freedom Plan but I guess, the best thing in here is that you can control your expenses and you can easily monitor the subscriptions and other stuffs.

Q: Okay Jam, you already convinced me to get a Smart Freedom Plan sim but how can I get one?

A: It’s pretty easy. Just visit any Smart store and then present your valid school or company ID and just pay a P250 fee and then poof! you’re good to go. Just wait for 24 hour activation of your freedom plan sim. Oh and you need to be 18 and up.

Q: Is it true that your phone has a crack on its back cover?
A: Yes! and it’s heartbreaking!

If you have more questions about it, you can contact @smartcares since they know a lot more about Smart Freedom Plan than me

Verdict
I really like the Smart Freedom Plan. The cool features like the no Lock-in and starts at zero really fits the wants and needs of a college student (Like me!) or a very young professional. Smart is targeting the youngsters for the Smart Freedom Plan. But hey, even though you aren’t young, I still think that this Freedom Plan can still fit for you. Especially to those people who barely use their phones for text and call.

As of this moment, I’m still having a good time with my Smart Freedom Plan Sim but I also keep my other network sim (I have a lotta sims baby!). Let’s see if Smart can capture a handful of Globe subscribers with this one especially in this time in where Smart is really aggressive with their #TimeToChange campaign. Anyway, if you want to know more about the Freedom Plan then check out www.smart.com.ph/freedom.

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DTC Mobile GT3 Astroid REVIEW and GIVEAWAY

By

Jam Ancheta

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July 30, 2012

0

Like what I’ve predicted a year ago, Android phones will be getting cheaper as we get further. Since most Filipinos wants to have a dual sim plus Android, here’s a good phone that you might like. The DTC Mobile GT3 Astroid. It doesn’t pack an eye popping and unique feature aside from being a dual sim smartphone but the phone is very affordable with a SRP of P4,999. The DTC Mobile GT3 Astroid is running on an Android Gingerbread 2.3.4 plus a Dual sim feature. Quite interesting right?

Before we get down to the review let us first check out the specifications of the phone.

3.5″ HVGA Touch screen LCD
650 Mhz MediaTek MT6573 Processor
5 Megapixel camera w/ Flash
Front facing camera
100mb Internal Storage
up to 32 GB External storage
Bluetooth
Wi-Fi
two 1450 mAh Battery (Yes, there are two batteries included in the box)

What’s inside the box?

Design, Hardware and Construction

Honestly, the phone reminds me of the HTC Desire. Actually, it looks like the HTC Desire. Anyway, the DTC Mobile GT3 Astroid is still sturdy and solid even though that the phone is entirely made up of plastic. The back cover is made up of plastic and it’s like made up of rubber. I have nothing against that and I still think that the phone is still good even though it has a plastic back cover.

At the front we can see a 3.5″ HVGA capacitive screen which is the same size with the iPhone (except that the iPhone has retina display + larger resolution) . Below the screen is the 4 capacitive Android buttons. Nothing special about it. At the top of the screen is the front camera. Which can be used to take on your own pictures. Oh and you can’t use the phone for skype video call which is quite disappointing.

At the back is the 5.0 megapixel camera with LED flash with the speaker on the side which is very very loud but not that quite clear. I really like the back cover. I felt that the phone won’t easily slip in your hand because it has a rubbery-like surface. The DTC Mobile logo is also printed at the back along with the Android logo and some features at the back. They should’ve remove some other prints at the back except the DTC logo. The back cover’s design looks messy because of it.

The 4 sides

At the top of the phone is a 3.5mm audio jack with the power button. I got no problems about it. On the right side of the phone is the MicroUSB port and the keychain hole. Unfortunately there’s no camera button on the side. On the other side of the phone is the volume rocker which is thin but still okay. At the bottom. Ughm. Well there’s nothing except the external microphone.

I got no problems with the body and construction but there’s only a 100+ mb of storage which is not quite enough for some apps and games. But thankfully, we can add a MicroSD card in where the phone can support up to 32 GB. And like what I’ve said earlier, I got no problems with the body and construction. I can hold and use the phone normally.

The display isn’t that great like the one that can be find on the HTC One X or in the iPhone 4s but this one is already good for a phone with a P4,999 SRP. Its sunlight legibility isn’t that great but it is acceptable. I think I just got used to great displays on phones. Battery life? Well the phone last up to a day or less on normal use. around 8 hours on heavy use.

One of its strongest feature is the support for Dual Sim. Well, I have no problems with it. OH FYI, if you’re using 2 sims, then you can change the colors at the notification bar and the names of the sim so that you won’t get confused. BUT there is a very important thing that is missing here. Well, the phone is lacking a 3G/HSDPA radio. So yeah, we’re stuck with EDGE.

The Camera

The DTC Mobile GT3 Astroid has a 5 megapixel rear camera with LED flash and a front camera that can be use as a mirror to fix your hair or just take your own vain shots. And just like what I’ve expected, the 5 megapixel camera didn’t fared well. Oh and by the way, you’ll need to have a MicroSD card in order to use the phone’s camera because it won’t allow you to save your photos at the phone’s memory.

Anyway, the camera’s quality isn’t great just like what I’ve said earlier. It lacks in many aspects but you can do a lot in the camera app. You can adjust settings, use effects and the thing that I like the most is that you can use Panorama in it. Everything else is similar to a HTC camera app. Here are some sample shots using the DTC Mobile GT3 Astroid, You’ll be the judge:

Here’s a video at 720×480. It isn’t that great either but hey, this is an affordable dual sim Android phone so don’t expect a HD recording on this device.

Software and Performance

Obviously, the phone’s UI is very similar to the one that can be found on the older HTC Devices. There’s HTC sense in the homescreen but it wasn’t as smooth as I expected. Almost everything is the same with the HTC sense — from the camera app to widgets. Almost everything and anything. Thankfully, the MediaTek MT6573 650 Mhz can handle most apps really well. Well, not those hardcore and 3D-hungry apps, just the good ol apps that we mostly need in our daily routine like Facebook and Twitter which is already built-in inside the phone.

Apps and games? well, there are already built-in apps like what I’ve said earlier like Facebook and twitter but there are also 3 games that are included in the phone — Fruit Ninja, Devil Ninja 2 and Angry Birds Rio which you can play without much hitch. But if you feel that your phone needs some more apps and games then check out Play Store in where you can download a lot of apps (I can’t install Instagram and I don’t know why). Well not all apps in Android will work on this device but hey, there are a lot more apps that you can download in the Play store.

VERDICT

There are a lot of affordable Android out there but you might want to consider this phone if you are not always into mobile data since the lack of 3G is a big letdown. If you are the type of guy/girl who wants to have a dual sim phone but you also want a taste of Gingerbread. Well, Android Gingerbread then write the phone’s name in your longlist. If you want to get one, check out the nearest Mega stores out there and DTC Mobile Kiosk. The DTC Mobile GT3 Astroid is now available with a SRP of P4,990.00

GIVEAWAY!

Here we go folks. The raffle that you’ve been waiting for! By following some tasks in rafflecopter, you can get a chance to win a DTC Mobile GT3 Astroid that we use for review (But hey! At least we’re giving it away!)

As long as you can pick up the device at Manila City Area, Batangas area and at Calamba, Laguna Area then you are eligible to join.
You can enter the raffle through the Rafflecopter widget and follow the instructions below
The winner will be notified via Facebook/Email/Twitter
This giveaway period starts at July 30 2012 and ends at August 20 2012

a Rafflecopter giveaway

DISCLOSURE: THANK YOU DTC MOBILE PHILIPPINES FOR SPONSORING THIS GIVEAWAY

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Top 5 Apps for Nokia S40 phones

By

Jam Ancheta

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July 26, 2012

0

Apps. This is always the first thing that I think of whenever I buy a new phone. Without apps and games, our phones would be boring. Whether you’re using a smartphone or just a featurephone, eventually all of us wants to have apps or games to our phone. And thanks to the built-in store on the featurephones and smartphones, we can easily browse and download free or paid apps and games. One example of it is the Nokia Store for S40. Remember the Nokia Asha 302 that I reviewed a few weeks ago? Yeah, there’s a Nokia store inside that phone. So I downloaded some apps from the Nokia Store and here are the top 5 apps that I really like on the Nokia Store

5. GMA News – Can’t catch up with the news? Don’t worry, there’s a GMA News app on the S40. We always need to be updated on the latest news right? This app basically use the phone’s browser to check the GMA News’ website and check their latest news from the Latest news to Showbiz. Almost anything and everything that you want is there. Very informative. (Requires internet connection)
RATING: 3/5 (1 is the highest, 5 is the lowest)

4.iTyphoon – This season is when the storms usually take a visit here in the Philippines. Whenever you know there’s a storm in the Philippines, I’m pretty sure you’d want to know where will it go and how strong will the winds will be. It’s a useful app especially when you’re in the typhoon prone area. Oh and you can also list the things that you want to get during a typhoon. Yeah, a very useful app here for all of us.

RATING: 2.7/5 (1 is the highest, 5 is the lowest)

3. Coffee Craze – This game is almost similar to Diner dash but this one, you’ll have to serve your customers with coffee and bread. The controls isn’t that hard because I just have to use 1,2,3,4,5 and *. As you get further in the game, you’ll have more and more customers and you really need to memorize those servings and you gotta have some pretty fast hands. Well, it’s a really good customer serving management game. You might learn some things in this game. (Requires internet connection). Pardon me for the lack of picture, It’s very hard to take a picture on the game.
RATING: 2/5 (1 is the highest, 5 is the lowest)

2. Bomberman – If you are a 90s kid, you already know this game. When you’re bored or waiting for your next class, the best time waster that you have on your pocket is the games on your phone. Basically, the goal of the game is to place bombs on wherever you like and kill those balloon like enemies. After killing those enemies, you’ll have to find a way to exit the game by finding the stairs on those bricks. Pretty addicting. Oh and there are 2 modes in the game — the classic and supreme. Classic mode is the game similar to the Bomberman in the 90s while the Supreme mode is the new Bomberman with some pretty new features.
RATING: 1.6/5 (1 is the highest, 5 is the lowest)

1. MMDA – If you’re in the Metro Manila, you might want to avoid the traffic around the metro and look for another route. So here’s a very helpful app for you when you’re around the metro because you can know what’s the current situation on selected roads around the roads in the metro. Basically, there’s a road map on selected roads and you can easily check whether the road is congested or not. Pretty useful especially when you always travel around the metro. (Requires internet connection)
RATING: 1.5/5 (1 is the highest, 5 is the lowest)

So there you go! These are my top 5 favorite apps on the S40 Nokia phones. All of these apps can be downloaded for free at the Nokia store which is already installed inside your phones. So what are you waiting for? Check it out now on your S40 phones!

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Shark Dash Review: It’s cute and it’s fun

By

Jam Ancheta

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July 19, 2012

0

Games are the best way to kill our boredom and here is an addictive game that can really kill your boredom and your social life. Shark Dash was made by Gameloft who is already known when it comes to mobile games. Yep, Gameloft made some very addicting games including Gangstar, Asphalt series and Dungeon Hunter. Anyway, Shark Dash is a puzzling physics game in where you control a shark (there are different sharks in the game with different features)

The game is somehow similar to Angry birds but like what I’ve said earlier, you’ll use sharky to eat those pesky rubber ducks who got Mrs. Shark in where Mr. And Mrs. Shark are enjoying their peaceful swim at the tub. Anyway, we’re not after the story of the two shark lovers but we’re after the game.

Basically, the goal of the game is to eat all those ducks who kidnapped Mrs. Shark and made Shark’s life miserable. Aside from those rubber ducks, there are also coins that isn’t required to get but they’ll help you buy some upgrades and elixirs that are very helpful in the game but if you run out of coins, you can buy a lot of coins via real money.

There are also some items in the tub that will make the game more challenging like the sponge, a block of soap, bombs and many more. Those items has different functions and uses in the game. Actually, even the tub can also be used to bounce off in the tub. The more the items in the tub, the more the fun but of course, it will just make the level harder

Everytime you finish a game, there are these 3 stars. Basically, you’ll collect these stars to unlock the next level. So yeah, it is very essential to get all those 3 stars. So how can I get a perfect 3 stars? Well in order to get all those stars you need to collect all the coins, eat all those rubber duckies and beat the stage with a certain number of moves. There are also limited moves allowed in a tub so if you exceed the limited moves in the tub, Mr. Shark will automatically be flushed out of the tub. Oh and if you, got out of the tub or if you got stuck out of the water, the game will automatically end.

Just like any other game, the levels became more difficult as you move further in the game. But if you feel that you can’t finish the game, you can use the skip level but it will just consume your coins. Oh and if you want to get back to your last move, you can also do that but again, it will consume more of your coins.

All in all, I really like the game. I’m not addicted to it but it’s a great and cute game from Gameloft that can eat your idle time. I also believed that this game is even more challenging than the Angry Birds. The graphics were cute and the game is overloaded with strategy and fun. If you want to get one, it is now available at the Play store for 41 pesos only. Download the game at this link. Must have game? — YES!

Disclosure: Gameloft provided me a full version of Shark Dash for the Samsung Galaxy S3 to review.

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Playstation 3 Super Slim coming soon?

By

Jam Ancheta

-

July 14, 2012

0

So you’re thinking of buying a brand new PS3 slim? Nah, you might change your mind when you see this. And yes, there are leaked online photos of what seems to be the next Playstation 3. This Playstation 3 is slimmer than the slim version and they might call this console as the Playstation 3 Super Slim. The slimmer and sleeker Playstation will still have the same ports and Wi-Fi. So what are the variants available for the Playstation 3? Well the Playstation 3 Super Slim will have a 16 GB, 250 GB and 500 GB variants. Yeah, that’s 16 GB. I guess they’re really planning to have a very affordable Playstation 3 console to match up with the affordable Xbox 360 4 GB version. We’re not sure yet about when will the console be launch and how much would it be available. But hey, it’s pretty nice to see a more affordable Playstation 3 in the market (Well, I really hope that it will be more affordable).

Obviously, the model name is CECH-4011

Via Tecnoblog

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GOOD DEAL: Buy 2 LG Optimus 2X for P22,990

By

Jam Ancheta

-

July 13, 2012

0

So you want to buy a dual core smartphone but your partner or your friend wants to have one too? Here’s a promo from Widget City that you might want to see. If you’re getting a LG Optimus 2X then you might want to buy another one because the two phones will be just priced at P22,990 that translates to P11,495 each. And if you are planning to buy just one you can get the phone for P13,800 . The LG Optimus 2X is powered by a dual core processor, 4.0″ WVGA screen, Android 2.2 (The Optimus 2X will get ICS this Q3 2012) oh and there’s a 8 megapixel rear camera and 1.3 megapixel front camera. Storage?, well the phone has 8 GB storage and it can expand up to 32 gb. Not bad at all. Well, I think the phone is worth the price. YES, This is a good android smartphone for its price. Oh and this promo is from July 11 to July 30 only. If you want to get one, check out Widget City’s website

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Sony Smartwatch is now available at Widget City for P5,700

By

Jam Ancheta

-

July 10, 2012

0

So there you go folks. Finally, the most awaited accessory at Widget city is finally here! The Smartwatch that is selling like hotcakes across the road is finally available at Widget City! Well, it’s not that affordable compared to the Sony Ericsson Liveview which is already priced at P1,450. Anyway, what’s up with the Sony Smartwatch? Well you can get a touch screen Smartwatch that can have some exclusive apps that can be downloaded on the Google Play. So yeah, you can tweet, change your status, check your email and latest notifications right on your wrist. Oh and not just on your wrist because you can clip the Sony Smartwatch anywhere as long as the Sony Smartwatch can be clip on it. If you want to get one, check out Widget City and order a Smartwatch. It will cost you P5,700.

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Samsung Galaxy S3 (Globe) Review: The best of the rest

By

Jam Ancheta

-

July 8, 2012

0

One of the most awaited phone this year and probably the best android phone available in the market, the Samsung Galaxy S3. It is the latest flagship phone from Samsung that sports an eye popping specifications and performance. This phone was officially launched last May but Globe had their own launching last June 1 at Mind Museum in Taguig in which I won the phone thru the raffle. (Oh yeah, you can check out my post about the launch here) Hurray! Check out the review after the break.

Hardware and construction

Designed for humans

At the first glance, you might think that Samsung didn’t take design that serious and they just made the phone too simple. The Samsung Galaxy S3 kinda reminds me of the original Samsung Galaxy S because of its curvy design. Samsung is really serious about the “designed for humans” marketing (sorry aliens!). When you look at the phone’s white paper, some people might refuse to buy this phone because of the large 4.8″ screen but hey, I felt that the phone is very comfortable to hold than its predecessor, Samsung Galaxy S2. Why? Because of the thin profile and the curvy body of the Samsung Galaxy S3. So yeah, Samsung really designed the phone for humans. Not for aliens. Not for chickens. Not for cows but for humans.

The Specifications

Here is the specifications of the Samsung Galaxy S3. And yes, It has a pretty amazing hardware.

Quad Core 1.4 Ghz Exynos CPU
4.8″ Super AMOLED HD display 1280 x 720
16/32/64 GB Storage and MicroSD up to 64GB
1 GB RAM
8 Megapixel Rear Camera w/ 1080p video recording
1.9 Megapixel Front Camera w/ 720p video recording
2,100Mah Battery
Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich
HSPA+

What’s inside the Box?

Yeah, the phone is pretty big but it just fit right in my hand. I must say that Samsung did a job well done in terms on its body. The looks isn’t as pretty as the Samsung Galaxy S2 and HTC One X but they really made a good job on designing the phone for easy grip on not-so-big hands.

At the top of the phone is the 3.5mm audio jack and a microphone. At the left side, you can find the Lock/Unlock/Power button and if you’re looking for a camera button, sorry Samsung didn’t add that one on the Samsung Galaxy S3. On the opposite side is the volume rocker. Nothing special about these things. The sides of the phone is not made out of brushed metal but just plastic but the phone doesn’t feel cheap and it still feels very solid on my hand.

One thing I don’t like about the Samsung Galaxy S3 is the back design and its cover. The design is too simple and it isn’t that attractive because it is made up of pure thin plastic which is very prone to breakage. My Galaxy S3’s back cover already have a crack at the back cover but it’s not that big and visible. I got that crack after the phone slipped on my hand an dropped. I estimated that I dropped the phone at 2 feet high. The Camera, LED Flash and the speaker are aligned to each others with the Samsung logo at the back.

Thank God, the battery can be removed unlike the other phones like the HTC One X and the Lumia 900. You can change your MicroSD card without removing the 2100mAh battery. Yeah, the MicroSD is hot swappable but unfortunately, the Micro Sim suffers a different fate. Yes guys!, you’ll have to cut your sim if you’re still using a regular sim. And no, you can’t change your Micro Sim when the battery is still intact but I doubt that will be a deal breaker for you guys. The speaker can also be found at the back which is quite decent. It isn’t that great nor bad, just a normal speaker that is doing his job well. Nothing special about the speaker. Oh and the battery life?, The phone can last up to a day on regular use but when you’re a heavy user (Mobile Data is always on) like me, I suggest that you get a power bank and use power saving (A pretty cool feature on the S3) most of the time because the phone will just last up to 8-12 hours only.

The only usable internal storage on the phone is 11.35 gb and when you feel that you need some more, there’s a MicroSD card slot up to 64gb at the back. I put my music and videos to the MicroSD while the apps and games are on the internal storage.

The 4 sides of the Samsung Galaxy S3

The Display

The 4.8″ Super AMOLED HD Screen is one of the best features of the Samsung Galaxy S3. It’s very big and it produce great colors. The sunlight legibility of the phone is good but I think the Nokia Lumia 800 does better on the sunlight legibility. But hey, the Super AMOLED HD still beats the Nokia Lumia 800’s Clearblack AMOLED Display when it comes to colors. The display is very crisp and I really like how little the pixels are.

The Camera

Samsung Galaxy S3 is equipped with a 8 megapixel rear camera while there’s a 1.9 Megapixel front camera. The 8 megapixel is quite nice but I was quite disappointed with Samsung because they didn’t made it to a 12 megapixel camera. Anyway, those are just numbers, the important thing is that the phone will have a much better sensor and picture quality. Anyway, the phone can capture images with no lags and you can even use burst shot. There’s a feature called Best shot in where the phone chooses the best photo on the 8 photos that you got in burst shot. I think it’s a great feature especially for those people who want to have stolen shots hehe. Here are some shots from the Samsung Galaxy S3:

Here’s a HD video sample of the Samsung Galaxy S3:

The Software and Performance

Inspired by Nature

The Samsung Galaxy S3’s tagline is “Designed for Humans, Inspired by Nature. It is really inspired by nature. The new Touchwiz UI is entirely inspired by nature. The wallpapers are all from nature and the lock screen is like touching a clear water. And yeah, I really want to play with that most of the time. Oh and the Samsung Galaxy S3 is available in 2 colors — Marble White and Pebble Blue. Yeah, even the colors was inspired by Nature. Honestly, at first I really didn’t like that Samsung used the inspired by nature thing but after I tried and used the phone for weeks, well yeah. I think they made a good job on that one. Thanks to the quad core processor of the Samsung Galaxy S3, navigating and swiping transitions on the phone is fast. Oh and we’re not on Jelly Bean yet! Surely, when Jelly Bean arrives, there will be a much faster and silky smooth experience on the phone.

Pop-up Play
For those people who loves to multi-task might find this feature very useful. So if you’re watching Game of thrones and you want to play Temple run or any app that you want to open. No problemo! Because with pop up play, you can watch a video while browsing the web or playing a game. And no, I didn’t experience slowdowns or crashes whenever I use the Pop-up play.

Direct Call

There are a lot of cool new features on the Samsung Galaxy S3 and here’s just one thing that you might like. Direct call is pretty feature exclusive to the Galaxy S3. Basically, when you’re on the contact info or on the threaded text message of the phone, you just need to place the phone on your ear without pressing any key and automatically, the phone will call to that contact. It works 90% of the time.

S Voice and Voice Commands

When the iPhone 4S was launched, one of its notable features of it is Siri so Samsung created their own version of Siri called S Voice. The S voice is base on Vlingo which I think can be found on the Predecessor, the Samsung Galaxy S2. The thing that I like in the S voice is that it can recognize my Batangueno/Tagalog accent but I felt that talking to Siri is much better than talking to the S voice. But hey, I can still command the S voice to send a message for me, set an alarm and many more.

Oh and aside from that, I can also command my Samsung Galaxy S3 to play a music, unlock and open the camera on the lock screen by just placing setting up a wake up command for that. Oh and when you’re on your music player, you can change the music or set the volume down by just saying “next” or “volume up/volume down”

Smart Stay
Smart Stay is just one of the Smart features of the Samsung Galaxy S3. So what does this feature do? Well, the Smart stay can detect your eye whether you’re looking at it or not. And if you’re not looking on the phone, there will be an “eye” icon on the notification bar at the top and the phone automatically dim its brightness. A nifty feature of Samsung Galaxy S3 if you want to save more battery. This feature works most of the time. OH! and Smart stay won’t work if you’re on a low light environment.

Some other cool stuffs

For those people who didn’t know yet, the Samsung Galaxy S3 comes with a free 2 year 48 GB free storage on Dropbox. So all in all, you can get a 50 GB of free cloud storage. You just need to finish some steps or you can just receive an email to activate the free 48 GB storage. But I’m not really a fan of Dropbox because I always use my Skydrive which has 25GB of storage for old users. Too bad, there’s no official app of Skydrive on the Android.

There are also some special motion and gestures that you can use on the phone like placing the palm on the phone while you’re on the music player will automatically pause the music player. There is also a feature called the Smart Alert. So basically Smart alert will notify you about missed calls and messages when you get your phone after placing it down. The phone will vibrate to notify you that you have new messages and other notifications.

The Hands-on

The Verdict
Let me get this straight guys, the Samsung Galaxy S3 is the best Android phone right now. It’s features are really good even though some of them are not really useful in our everyday routine but hey, the 4.8″ HD Super AMOLED display and the quad core processor is a monster. Some people say that this phone is too simple and ugly but I assure guys that once you’ve tried this phone, you might change your outlook with the Samsung Galaxy S3. We don’t have Android 4.1 Jelly bean update yet but surely, Samsung will have a Jelly bean update for the Samsung Galaxy S3 very very soon. So if you want to get one from Globe, it’s available for Plan 1699. It’s available in 2 colors — Marble white and pebble blue

Seriously, this monster phone is really awesome and I want to puke rainbows because of it.

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Sony Smartwatch coming to Widget City soon!

By

Jam Ancheta

-

July 6, 2012

0

There are only a few accessories that are really worth buying for a phone but here’s an accessory for some Android smartphones that isn’t necessary but you’ll definitely love, the Sony Smartwatch. Obviously, this device acts as a watch but did you know that this watch also acts as an accessory for your Android phone? Yes, you can read your tweets, facebook posts, text messages and install some apps exclusive to the Smartwatch. You can connect the Sony Smartwatch to your Android smartphone via bluetooth. Oh and how can you control the Sony Smartwatch? obviously, you can control the smartwatch using the touch screen. You’ll also get a watchband and a USB charger along with the Sony Smartwatch. No word on the price yet but it will arrive on Widget City very very very soon.

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Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 and 7.0 now available at Widget City!

By

Jam Ancheta

-

July 4, 2012

0

So you’re looking for an alternative to the new Apple iPad? Here’s an affordable tablet from Samsung, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 and 10.1. They are much cheaper than the current iPad but these tablets doesn’t feature a high resolution screen. These tablets just feature a decent specification for an android tablet like the dual core processor, Android Ice Cream Sandwich, dual cameras and a lotta more. Both tabs will get a Wi-Fi only or Wi-Fi + 3G variant and obviously, the one with 3G will be a lot more cheaper. The Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 is now available for P13,800 and P17,100. That’s Wi-Fi only and with 3G respectively while the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 is available for P19,500 and P22,500. That’s Wifi only and 3G respectively. If you want to get one, place your order at Widget City’s website right now!

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