Archos 7o Internet Tablet 250gb review.

French tech maker and award winning innovator Archos has launched the first 250gb 7 inch slate in the 1st quarter of 2011, it's a mid range tablet offered by Archos which is priced at roughly 350 US dollars on the day of its release and costs at around 11,900 pesos in the Philippine market, it's ground breaking indeed for no other 7inch slate in its competition offers that much storage. The Archos 70 is also available in 8 gigabyte flash version.



The Archos 70 250 HDD variant is quite pricey for me, but then my uncanny ability to sniff out sales led me to a clearance sale at electronics boutique, the Archos 70 250 HDD has a cut out discount of 50% and is available until supply last. That said, the Archos 70 is an old device that needs to be cleared out of the inventory, in fact the OS itself is a tell tale sign of how old this device is, the A70 currently runs on android 2.2 froyo and an upgrade is unlikely to happen considering it's a 2 year old tablet, however 2.2 froyo is not to be overlooked, it is where the android OS really starts to kick off and still is quite competitive to date.



Archos has designed the A70 to be as slim and as light as possible, the 8gig version is just 10mm thick and weighs only at 300g, though the 250 gb variant is a tod thicker than its 8gb sibling and is somewhat heavy for a 7 incher, but then again, you have to reconsider the 250 gb hard drive inside its guts, so no complaints there!...... The overall built of the Archos 70 is excellent it doesn't come near the built quality of most, if not, all the entry level tablets out there and the design is uniquely Archos.

Under the hood, the A70 features a speedy 1ghz cortex A8 processor with DSP (ARM V7 architecture) but despite of it, the A70 is still laggy at times, especially when it comes to screen orientation, although to be fair it's a bit snappy when opening apps, and web browsing is decent enough, backed-up with a fairly responsive capacitive touch panel. This lethal combination made the A70 a serious web browsing tool nonetheless, though Archos didn't specify a clear description on its system RAM, but some reviews say it's a bit thin at 256 mb, so don't be surprised to see long lags while returning to the homescreen, bear in mind though, that you can always use the built-in task killer app to free up some extra memory. Well, infact I'd recomend that you make that a habit on the A70.



The A70 has a screen resolution of 800x480, a bit low for today's standards, however the A70's screen still manage to do a good job, color saturation is vivid enough to give it a crystal clear resolution but definitely not something to brag about. The 250 gb version is tailor made for multimedia on the go, a bigger storage could only mean bigger library for your movies, music and photos, and with a wide array of multimedia formats and codecs support, compatibility will never be an issue...... Watching 720p HD movies on the A70 is excellent and the built-in kick stand added more spice to the experience, though the lack of good viewing angles ruin the whole HD experience, tilt it downward and the WHOOO! will turn to BOOO!, but it's no big deal so I'm not complaining.


The A70 doesn't do well with skype, video calls works but loud statics interfere with the whole conversation, in fact you can't barely hear each other, skype chat do work fine though. What the A70 can't do good on skype it will do well on social networking apps such as; Facebook and Twitter, surprisingly, facebook is quite fast on the A70 and the built-in twitter app produced fast results and most importantly the 6-7 hrs of battery life will keep you in touch with friends for longer period.



Gaming on the A70 is more on the casual side, it has 3D OpenGL ES 2.0 graphic acceleration for improved gaming performance, but it's just isn't there, so don't expect Dead Trigger and Shadowgun on this one, it's just too under power to handle the latest 3D games, so if you are a hardcore gamer this is probably not for you, nevertheless, the inclusion of Bluetooth and a built in webcam is a welcome bonus on the A70, the front VGA camera which acts as a webcam captures both stills and video recordings, but the grainy resolution leaves much to be desired.


BOTTOM LINE: The A70 is one of the best froyo tab in its time and still is a capable tablet to date, however the lack of full adobe flash support tend to ruin the whole internet experience, it's been two years and still no full flash support from Archos! SHAME!


PROS: 250gb storage, Bluetooth, fast browsing speed, good built quality, 6-7 hrs battery life, HDMI out capability.

CONS: AppsLib market is thinly stocked, occasional lags, lacks full flash support.

Zongshen Z-one Motorcycle review ( X-plorer Z-150 )

This is the first time I’m going to review a motorcycle, it is one of my latest purchases so I might as well make a review out of it, some of you may find it a bit out of place in this blog, but as far as I can see, this bike is also a piece of technology with gadgetry of its own which makes it not that all different from my other reviews. The Zongshen Z-one is technology and practicality merge into one.



Zongshen have progressed thru the years as China’s leading motorcycle manufacturer, merging with European brands such as Piaggio and Aprillia mana, thus acquiring European technology and concept designing. The Z-one in particular is a joint venture product of Piaggio and Zongshen, similar to what Bajaj and Kawasaki did to the Rouser. Sharing of technology and know-how is essential to the success of two merging companies; the Z-one is a product of two distinct motorcycle technology merge into one, a combination of European and Chinese know-how.

The Z-one is distributed worldwide; in South America i.e. Peru and Brazil it bears the name Zongshen Z-one, while in Europe it resembles the Piaggio-Zongshen Robinson with slight design alteration, most evidently, on the tail light and head light section, meanwhile, in the Philippines, Motorstar is the sole distributor of the Z-one, and they re-introduce it here as the Xplorer Z-150 but still carry the brand Zongshen, in my opinion it’s better off as the Z-one...... also distributed by AKT as RTX-150 in Colombia.

Z-one Latin American version Peru and Brazil import.



European version Piaggio-Zongshen Robinson. (also manufactured by Zongshen in China)



Z-one Philippine version distributed by Motorstar as Xplorer Z-150



It was love at first sight when I saw the Z-one on display at Eastworld Motors, a naked street bike oozing in machismo, the Z-one is uniquely designed and will guarantee to turn heads as you pass on a crowd, whether on a traffic light or a parking lot it will surely attract attention.

The Z-one’s size to weight ratio is well balanced and the ergonomics stresses greatly on the rider’s comfort perfect for everyday commuting, a feature which is obviously European in nature, probably designed by Piaggio, who had participated a lot in the Z-one’s overall design. The weight is evenly distributed making the Z-one easy to maneuver in heavy traffic, the curvy seat is comfortable to sit on, the leather and the amount of cushions used is just right to keep the rider comfortable for long distance riding and the recessed indentation on both sides of the tank keeps the rider’s knees and legs in a safe and relaxed position.

Acceleration: On paper, the Z-one is powered by a diagonal type 150cc engine with 5 speed gear box, in which I find it responsive enough to cater my need for speed, whether on city driving or hi-ways you won’t find it lacking in power, the Z-one’s engine is also equipped with Engine Balance technology, which aims to minimize engine vibrations during high-revs and high speed driving, keeping the rider safe, and comfortable even on the fast lane and ensuring no after ride vibrations will be felt on your palms and feet.



The Z-one is well planted on concrete roads, thanks to its vacuum type tires, skidding and slipping is greatly reduced, the tire thickness is just right to give the bike a stable performance ( front = 90x90, rear = 110x80 ), the tire measurements also match the Z-one’s size, which overall gave it a muscular appeal.



Safety is always been an issue for two wheel rides, the Z-one however, will provide you with such features. The front disk brake is equipped with dual piston caliper, and the responsive rear drum break will ensure a steady sudden stop when needed, proper illumination is also important especially at night, the Z-one uses an all LED light for night illumination which is 30% brighter than ordinary light bulbs and it gives off better visibility in daylight. The headlight is impressive as well, it illuminates a wide area of the road in front of you, making night visibility at its best, the headlight also features a 3D lighting effect which eliminates glares, keeping you safe especially on two way roads.

The fully adjustable rear suspensions absorbs bumps well and the large front telescopic fork ensures stability and comfortability on rugged terrains, the Z-one’s 170mm minimum ground clearance suggests that it can handle both on-road and off-road conditions.



The 21st century is all about the digital age, Zongshen and Piaggio took note of that and have decided to give the Z-one a digital console display and is lit up by a blue backlight, which personally I find it neat, though I noticed some minor issues, like the LCD display is a bit small and has poor viewing angles, and it's somewhat a pain to get readings, there will be times wherein you’ll have to position your head just to get a clear feedback, the speedometer reading and gear positioning, is not much of a problem but the fuel gauge and the trip counter is a pain to look at, which is kind off disappointing especially when driving, the analog tachometer however is perfectly lit and it's a marvel to look at....... All in all the Z-one is definitely worth riding.



Z-one APES modification by Piaggio

Band in America (Chinese Smartphones)

Apparently, the US government has band Chinese brand phones in the country (Huawei in particular) for allegedly spying on US soil, believe it or not, the government speculates on possible hacking software embedded in most Chinese made phones which eventually gives the Chinese the ability to spy on every Americans who uses it, like monitoring credit card transactions or eavesdropping on possible government projects or even top secret information that can be access through cellular communications. In stories like these, I can't help but think, was it over exaggeration or simply paranoia, if these things continue it might lead to another cold war.

As a result of this band, no Chinese phones are supported by US couriers and dealers aren't bold enough to sell it, let alone put it on their shelves, you might call it patriotism. However, Americans can still own one by ordering through the internet, once again the power of the internet is greatly highlighted, not even the most powerful government on earth can't stop its current from flowing as it pleases, though the US government still issues warnings from using such phones, think of it as a government warning on every cigarette pack you buy, and they even suggest to flash out the native android OS and replace it with stock android, that way all hidden spy software (if there really are!) will be deleted and be replaced by an American friendly OS, but in reality, was it the Japanese who had their dealings with, well, that's what history tells us, come to think of it, Sony just kicked out Ericsson, will Sony be band next.....lol

Sony PSP 3000 Review

Sony unveiled their third iteration of the Play Station Portable (PSP 3000) in the fall of 2008, with minor cosmetic changes and a few hardware add on and software tweaks as well. At first glance, the changes are hardly recognizable unless compared side by side with its predecessor, design-wise the PSP 3000 have better ergonomics than the PSP 2000 because of its well contoured edges, playing it on long period is much more comfortable. The addition of a recessed circular indentations on the buttons and D pad layout made the Playstation's patented circle, square, triangle and X buttons slightly protrude the surface and is more pronounced in the center lay out resulting to better and comfortable clicks to the thumbs, the design was so successful that Sony decided to use similar design on the PSvita’s button layout, only better.



There are also some hardware changes as well on the PSP 3000 the inclusion of a built in mic is one, its main purpose is to support voice chat with the built in skype application and other online enabled games, “call of duty in particular”. It’s a huge leap in my opinion for it eliminates further expenses on the gamer’s side, all you need now is a standard earphones which most of us already own, however you still have to worry about the expensive proprietary memory card. (Memory stick Pro Duo)



The most significant revamp on the PSP 3000 is the brighter and more vibrant screen, as a matter of fact, if you compare it side by side with its older brethren the difference is easily noticeable even from a far, Sony claims gamers can now play their PSPs outdoors without compromising visibility, thanks to the PSP 3000’s anti glare feature, and with an enhanced screen games looks more vibrant than ever before.

Sony did add a little more spice on the PSP 3000 by enabling gamers to play PSP games on their TV using the PSP AV out accessory, sounds promising, but in fact, it does work.



The PSP 3000 comes with the firmware (5.0) and with it Play Station Network (PSN) not only will the PSP 3000 play tangible games on its proprietary UMDs, it can also play downloaded materials on the Play Station Network, a huge advantage over its younger brethren the PSP go, which can only play downloadable materials from the Play Station Network, and its smaller screen is a major turn off.

The PSP 3000 now has increased contrast and wider color display that gets rid of a lot of the older PSP's ghosting side effects, however, gamers claimed that they’ve experienced jaggies and other graphic malformation in the form of lines during high speed game plays, some say it’s a cure worst than the disease, but I dare not speculate on that matter for I haven’t experienced it first hand, even if I did I think it’s barely noticeable and most importantly, it’s not worth the bother.



The PSP have had a hefty price on its debut release and struggled to get a foot hold in the electronics market in terms of sales, it took them merely two years to jump start their way in the hand held gaming market which was then spearheaded by the Nintendo DS, now on the late part of its life cycle the PSP has undergone a series of price drops and gamers who have yet experienced the PSP are now playing it first hand, it may be an old horse but the graphics and gameplay is still not outdated. The PSP has definitely carved its name as one of the best handheld console in gaming history.


PROS: Excellent game library, more vibrant screen.

CONS: Reduced battery life.

NBA 2k13 on Cherry Mobile Fusion Ice and Fusion Bolt (how to install for free)

NBA 2K game is the most popular sporting game on the planet, an ever present entity on every gamer’s wish list, that of course includes tablet gamers, NBA 2K13 in particular is the latest in the NBA 2K franchise and the demands for it is ever growing resulting into a never ending questions of device compatibility.

One popular question in the local tablet gaming community lingers on top, transferring from one mouth to another and is in need of some serious answering --- Will NBA 2K13 work on cheap tablets like the cherry mobile fusion ice and fusion bolt? The answer is YES it will work on both device --- in this article I’ll be more than happy to share with you bits of information on where to download and how to install NBA 2K13 on both the fusion ice and fusion bolt for free.



I’ll be using a cracked version of NBA 2K13 “pirated” is a more universal term ---sshh! Don’t tell my mom! Surprised that’s why it’s free. Some cracked games will not work on a particular android device unless it has been rooted, that includes the cracked version of NBA 2k13, lucky for you, I won’t go on elaborating the complex world of android rooting, saves us both from the messy part of nose bleeding. The magic comes from the fusion ice and fusion bolt itself; both are stock rooted meaning they’ve been rooted since day 1, though I’m still not sure whose part had played a role in the stock rooting process. Ainol is the original manufacturer of both devices, it could be possible that they’ve deliberately released a stock rooted tablet, but then, I doubt it --- it’s most likely that cherry mobile is responsible for such act, or a blessing of sort.

All cherry mobile devices are re-branded products coming from a wide array of OEMs, like Konka and Ainol. CM had then created a habit of tweaking their entire product line to give it a convincing cherry mobile looks and feel, most evidently, on their android devices. Some software alterations on an android device may require root access in order to perform such tweaks, i.e. start up animation, UI tweaks, tethering, embedded built in app, and USB 3G dongle brand compatibility. All of these modifications are prominent in most cherry mobile android devices spearheaded by their tablet line, so I’m pretty sure that the stock rooting stuff was done in the part of cherry mobile itself. ----- without further a do let's get down to business.........

--------- DOWNLOAD PROCEDURES --------

Download the NBA 2k13 apk + data file, the download link is provided in my DOWNLOADS AND EXTRAS, click the link to redirect you to the download site, (refer to the image below).



First download the apk file, just click the "free download" icon (refer to the image below) the file is approximately 49600kb



Now it's time to download the data file, scroll down to the lower part of the web page until you see the highlighted "click here to download the data packet" (refer to the image below) click it to download the data file (rar), file size is approximately 827 mb, it may take some time to download so be patient ---- after a successful download, extract the rar file using winrar or any extracting tool you have on your PC after extracting, folder android will appear, open it until you get the folder "com.t2ksports.nba2k13android.




-------- INSTALLATION PROCEDURE ---------


* Copy the apk file in the root folder of your SD card, or internal memory (for users without SD cards).
* Copy the data folder "com.t2ksports.nba2k13android" to your SD card/android/obb, or internal memory/android/obb, (for users without SD cards).
* Install the apk file then run the game......ENJOY!


"something to bear in mind for Fusion Ice owners, when playing NBA2k13"

* never use live wallpapers.
* kill all task using ES task killer or any other task killer app.
* kill all recent apps running in the background.
* deactivate your anti virus (optional)

LG Optimus L3 E400 Review and Specs.

LG may not be as charismatic as Samsung, though it's fair to say that it is one of the most recognizable electronic brands in the market today. The Optimus L3 is LG’s attempt to enter the budget android market with style and functionality but does it have what it takes to spar with other budget android phones that have flooded the market lately?



At first release it has already out-sold most of its competitions, you may wonder why? Well, as an owner of the optimus L3 it’s the design that caught my eye and I’ll stick to my words that the L3 is the best looking budget android phone out there, as always design play a great role in the success of a product.

A hefty part of the optimus L3 is made of plastic but LG did a great job in the design of their L style series and the Optimus L3 is a member of that product line, it may be plasticky but it is well crafted, it has a simplistic design with a touch of class and the well lit icon (touch button) below is a marvel to look at.



The optimus L3 looks good on the inside as well as the outside, during use, there’s an easy to navigate UI, LG didn’t stray away from the stock android too much, the L3 uses optimus UI 2.0 lite on top of gingerbread and have ignored to add bloatware and needless apps which I think should be the norm for android phones, every person’s needs varies from their lifestyles, so it’s just fair to let the users decide what’s best for them, it is also crucially vital for most entry level android phones, for they natively lack the ability to store that many apps.



Obviously, there are compromises from its 4,890 peso price tag, one is the low res LCD, top up with bad viewing angles and there are times when small letters appear jagged and blurry, however the 3.2 inch screen with LG’s L style design, somehow have managed to cope up with the poor resolution, you get more room for your fingers to move around and the screen appears wider, which give users better visuals, not bad at all.

The Optimus UI 2.0 glides smooth on the L3 especially on the homescreen, touch response is ace thanks to its 800 mhz processor with Adreno 200 GPU, though, opening and closing apps is somewhat in the mediocre level but I do noticed occasional lags on the text messaging app especially when currently engaged on other tasks like music and Liveview, as a frequent user of entry level android phones, I've noticed that such performance has become a culture, regardless of the brand, but for as long as I’m below my irritating threshold such lags are acceptable for a budget phone.

You’ll be surprised to see that facebook and twitter produced fast results, which made this phone a good choice for social networking fanatics, who’s sole purpose is to have fun without spending too much, and thanks to its fast processor mobile internet browsing is like second nature on the optimus L3, most importantly, you may not have the need to install alternative browsing tool like opera mini, because the stock browser itself can cater pretty much everything you need.



The optimus L3 features a 3 megapixel camera which produces average results and has limited shooting modes but snapping is surprisingly fast it only takes 2 seconds to ready your next shot, though some might ask for a better and higher resolution but in my opinion a 3 megapixel camera is an acceptable sacrifice for owning a 4,890 peso smartphone.

The battery is the star feature of the Optimus L3 it lasted for almost two days of intense use with wifi on, the low resolution screen and low power processor help in conserving battery consumption, while the 1500 mAh battery still keep the phone lightweight at 110g.



BOTTOM LINE: LG has successfully converge high end design and affordability on the Optimus L3, a cheap yet a good phone to own which you won’t feel embarrassed to reveal in public.


PROS: affordable high-end design, social networking ace, long battery life.

CONS: low resolution screen.


SPECIFICATIONS

OS: Android 2.3 gingerbread (optimus UI 2.0 lite)

DISPLAY: 3.2 inch, 8.1 cm QVGA, 240 x 320 resolution, capacitive.

CPU: 800 Mhz with Adreno 200 GPU.

RAM: 512 MB, 384 MB usable.

STORAGE: 1 GB internal, expandable 32 GB micro SD.

CAMERA: 3.0 MP (back)

BATTERY: 1500mAh

Cherry Mobile Fusion Bolt Quad-core Tablet Review and Specs.

I admire Cherry Mobile for their continuous effort to offer and serve cheap but quality products to our plates, and they’re on it again with their latest offering the Fusion Bolt, just to give you a glimpse on the specs it is a quad-core tablet with 1gig ram and on board is android’s latest iteration “jellybean” if that wasn’t enough, then hear this because the best is yet to come, amazingly! CM gave it a staggering price of just only 3,999 pesos, sounds impossible but CM stands their ground and strongly pushing their campaign for the fusion bolt as a true and legit quad-core device.

The fusion bolt is cheap in deed, however the idea of it producing quad-core processing results may seem far fetched, and if you truly believe that a 3,999 peso device can live up to its claims, well I guess this review will knock some of your senses back.



The Fusion Bolt is powered by Jellybean and on board is Project Butter, for all I know project butter is some kind of OS optimization software that makes the UI run faster on any device regardless of hardware specifications, the fusion bolt, being a jellybean device makes use of it, sadly you’ll still experience slight lags and occasional hiccups, bear in mind that the fusion bolt is a 3,999 peso tablet, so I advice not to expect too much on its quad-core processing abilities, as to all cheap device we should always learn to accept the issues that goes with it, or otherwise settle for the more expensive ones.

The fusion bolt may be sub par in comparison to other quad-core device like the Nexus 7, however, at 3,999 pesos, it definitely has all the advantages of a stable device, it’s so obvious that the price is the fusion bolt’s greatest ally.



At first glance you’ll be impress by its well built design, slightly resembling the Nexus7, the back is tattered with what seemed to be a snake skin covering, which personally I consider useful and ergonomically designed, for one, it wards off fingerprints and smudges, and it’s comfortable to hold even on long period, at the right side you’ll see all the basic ports of a traditional tablet including the HDMI out, an extra feature in which as far as my test concerns, works well on flat screen TVs, at the top right you’ll see the power button and the volume rocker which somehow I find it awkwardly placed, the buttons are deeply planted making it harder for users to touch-locate and press, though it does not appeal to me as a major setback. All in all the fusion bolt is a handsome and solid beast, except for the warped indentations on the sides of the screen.

One thing that stands out on the Fusion Bolt is the 5 point touch 7” inch HD super IPS capacitive touch screen (1280 x 800) resolution, its High Definition for the masses a sure value for money, the screen is so sharp and crisp that even the smallest text can be read with ease, since it uses IPS technology the screen remains sharp even when viewed on different angles, who says cheap products can’t offer high-end features, oh! And did I mention that it can also play HD videos up to 2160p with great results.



Internet browsing may be the primary reason for owning a tablet, nowadays internet users demands faster connectivity on their device in which only a quad-core tablet promises to offer, fortunately, the fusion bolt guarantees fast browsing speed, it may not be as fast as other quad-core brands but for its price I can definitely say that it is still a fast tablet. The fusion bolt is powered by a 1Ghz quad-core processor ATM7029 (Actions Semiconductor) with a Vivante GC1000+ GPU, top up with a 1gig DDR3 memory, the chipset may be the reason why the fusion bolt can’t spar with other quad-core brands, but given the reason as an entry-level device, Ainol actually did a good job, no other quad-core brand can compete in this price range. The 1 gig DDR3 RAM, however will provide users adequate memory for multitasking, and yes! It is still priced at 3,999 pesos.



Benchmark result using Quadrant Standard: The fusion bolt got a fair score of 2,766 which earned its place on the top 3 position, as a quad-core device it should have bag in more scores but nevertheless, it's a fair catch and to see the fusion bolt beat the living daylight on some expensive well known brands is heart warming.

The fusion bolt is equipped with two cameras, one at the back and the other on front, the primary camera is a 2megapixel shooter (back), don’t expect good results from it though, in fact even the fusion bolt’s vivid screen can’t fix the bad photos taken from its camera, nor made it look an inch better. The front VGA camera is used primarily for online features, like skype and other video calling services, you’ll be surprised that skype works well on the fusion bolt, another neat feature that you can fancy on this 3,999 peso tablet, of course it all depends on your preferences, mine just happens to fit the fusion bolt’s skype overall performance.

Battery life: The Fusion bolt manages to squeeze-in 3 to 4 hours of non-stop use, with 2 to 3 days of stand-by time on a 60% brightness level, a bit short for a device advertised of having a 4,000Mah battery capacity, perhaps the Fusion bolt’s high definition screen has taken its toll on battery performance, it’s an acceptable trade off in my opinion.

When you think quad-core you think gaming, the fusion bolt is no exemption, fortunately, it can handle graphic intensive games but only a few of it, some might work and some might not, or some will just simply run sluggish on the fusion bolt, I think it’s the weak GPU who’s to blame (Vivante GC1000+ GPU). Arnova tablets use these types of GPUs and they are known the world over as a bad gaming tablet, if it not for its quadcore processor the fusion bolt would have suffer the same fate, but don’t get me wrong the fusion bolt is a capable gaming device, just to show off a bit, here are the list of games I currently have on my fusion bolt; NBA 2K13, Dead Trigger, Anomaly Korea, Deadspace HD, Virtua Tennis. These games all run smooth on the fusion bolt.



NBA 2K13 an all time favorite comes to mobile, back then it was only playable on high-end tablets but now you'll be surprised to see that most Cherry Mobile device can handle this game, the fusion bolt is by far the cheapest tablet that can handle NBA 2K13 the way expensive tablets do so.



Anomaly Korea is a real time strategy game with PC like graphics, the game looks great on the fusion bolt's high definition screen details are excellent and there are hardly no visible frame drops during game play, a must have for fusion bolt owners.


Bottom line: The Fusion bolt is the only quad-core tablet under 4k that does its job well (in relation to its price), it may not go head to head with the Nexus 7, but given the price, it is definitely a good tablet to hang around.


PROS: Affordable quad-core tablet, fast browsing speed, vivid High Definition IPS screen

CONS: Occasional hiccups, Sluggish keyboard


FUSION BOLT SPECIFICATION:

OS: Android 4.1 Jellybean

PROCESSOR: 1Ghz quad-core ATM7029 (Actions Semiconductor)

GPU: Vivante GC1000+

DISPLAY: 7"HD IPS, 5 point touch panel, 1280 x 800 resolution.

RAM: 1GB DDR3

MEMORY: 8GB internal expandable micro SD 32GB

CAMERA: VGA front, 2MP back

PORTS: 3.5 mm audio jack, micro USB 2.0, HDMI

BATTERY: 4000mAH

Sony Ericsson Liveview watch review

Smartwatch is the next trend in consumer electronics and there's no better way to join the trend than to have one, I got my smartwatch in an online store known as Lazada in a very tempting price of only 1,489 pesos. Immediately seeing it as a good offer, without any hesitations, I ordered one, then in less than 48 hours it was delivered "talk about express delivery" I bought this product with a sole purpose in mind, to pair it with my Cherry Mobile W500 Titan, a large phone who is in dire need of the Liveview's services and guess what? it turned out fine.



The Sony Ericsson Liveview or some call it the Sony Smartwatch gen 1, is like an extension / remote of your android device and will only do just that, straight forward, you'll find it useful if you own a large android smartphone or tablet, but then, you need bluetooth in order to communicate with it, sadly, that's one thing my Arnova tablet couldn't provide, so it's basically of no use with my Liveview watch, though, the Liveview will make a good partner for my Cherry Mobile W500 Titan, the main reason why I bought it in the first place. The Liveview can connect with multiple device, however it can only do so one at a time, provided a liveview app is installed on each device, the Liveview app can be downloaded on Google Playstore for free.

Pairing it is easy all you have to do is turn your bluetooth on, start the liveview app and press connect, then your phone will automatically sync with your liveview watch, your phone's time settings, incoming messages, missed calls and even podcast will all show up on the Liveview's home screen.



The Liveview is no more than a remote controller to your android phone and a limited one, in deed, example, if someone sends you an SMS the Liveview will notify you by vibrating then you can instantly read the message on your Liveview watch without having the need to take your phone out, but replying to an SMS is out of the Liveview's boundary, the same thing can be said on incoming calls, the only way to do all that, is do it the old fashion way, take your phone out of your bag.

I find the Liveview quite amazing when using the phone's music player, it's like having a remote on your wrist with all the music info on it, imagine the comfort it could give on a daily commute, you can play, pause or skip your favorite tracks on a long bus ride without the struggle of pulling your phone out of your tight jeans.... Holding the right shoulder button for 3 seconds will take you to the Liveview's music player feature.



The Sony Ericsson Liveview is not for the outdoor seekers and adventurers alike, for one; you're pretty much stuck on its current brightness level, no display settings here! Under direct sunlight you can barely see what's on the screen, resistance to water is highly questionable too, but then again at 1,489 pesos we really can't complain.

You may have heard about the Liveview's disconnecting issues, almost all users do complain about that, to tell you the truth I do encountered it a dozen times but recently I noticed, it do happen most frequently if you insist to use plug-ins that doesn't work well with the Liveview watch, it seems that the only way to prevent it from happening is to stick with the Liveview's basic features, but where's the fun in that ! well in my case I only use plug-ins that works perfectly well on my Liveview watch, plug-ins like ringer mode and contacts call, a useful app, by the way; it allows you to call from your contact list directly on your Liveview watch.... By doing these simple steps you can minimize the chances of disconnections, except if it goes out of range. F.Y.I. the Facebook plug-in doesn't work with the Liveview watch, it's ironic to see that the liveview's internet photo ads has Facebook written all over it, marketing can sometimes be deceiving.



The strap that you see here is not the original strap that goes with it, I bought this one from Timex, an original replacement for their ironman watch series, I got it for 400 pesos, my Liveview watch looks good on it, so I think its worth all the penny I spent. Some of you may wonder why did I bother spending 400 pesos on a strap, well, because the strap that goes with it looks more like a Chihuahua strap than a watch strap, if you are the conscious type, you'd probably do the same thing, and honestly in my opinion the Sony Ericsson Liveview watch is not quite a looker, but it might be, with an extra add-on, that is.

All in all I find this device useful specially if you own a 5 inch android smartphone like I do.

Huawei Ascend Y200D Review and Specs.

Huawei a Chinese brand is starting to make a name for itself worldwide, infact it already had made its mark in the UK, the Huawei ascend Y200D in particular is beginning to gain popularity here in the Philippines, some local cellular network actually offers the ascend Y200D in one of their postpaid plans, luckily, I got mine free from my Sun Cellular subscription line. The ascend Y200D is not exactly an enticing phone, for one; it uses an older version of android (gingerbread) nothing wrong with it, its just that with the uprising of the ICS and Jellybean it somehow made the gingerbread inferior, but for someone who just wanted an android experience, gingerbread still has a lot left to offer and the Huawei ascend Y200D maximizes the gingerbread’s potential in a 3.5 inch screen.



The Huawei ascend Y200D is a dual-sim phone with dual standby feature and is powered by an 800mhz Qualcomm MSM7225A processor with 512 mb of ram, I was impressed the first time I use it to browse the web, it’s fast and responsive the way an 800mhz processor should be and the 512 mb ram allows you to open more apps, the best I’ve seen so far in its class, most android phones that fall in this criteria only have 256mb of ram. I have no idea on the exact price but I’m guessing it ranges somewhere in between 4,490 to 4,990 php competing with the Samsung Galaxy Y….. Advantage once again favor the ascend Y200D from its competitors, the 3.5 inch IPS capacitive touchscreen is something you don’t normally see to a phone falling under this criteria, it’s large, it’s sharp and it’s affordable. Huawei’s choice of hardware ensures system stability for the ascend Y200D, a thing that keeps them apart from the stigmata that Chinese brands are made out of volume not by quality.



In terms of design the ascend Y200D is a thing of beauty a master craftsman’s masterpiece, it is ergonomically designed to fit the user’s hand without stressing it and the materials used are high quality plastics. Huawei incorporates their proprietary Emotion UI in all their smartphones to make it distinct to other brands and even more so, to make navigation easier. The ascend Y200D handles the Emotion UI very well I’m guessing it’s the Adreno 200 GPU that kicks in to action, and I’m pretty sure it will handle games seriously, but to my dismay the ascend Y200D had a flaw, a very small internal rom, only 79 mb is available for use, so installing games in it seems near impossible, to make things worst it doesn’t come with a Facebook app, it needs to be downloaded via google play and will consume a lot from that precious 79 mb of realty, not to mention viber, skype, and IM+, who needs games when space is at a premium. It’s just a small blimp it might seem but it causes a domino effect, a large amount of points taken away from this would have been excellent phone.



The ascend Y200D features a 3.2 megapixel camera with fix focus lens, the first snapshot I took from it was clearly amazing, it’s sharp and vivid, another bonus you can get from this phone, sorry no front camera here, though it supports 3G connectivity, a deliberate move from Huawei to keep the phone glued to such a low price. The battery life, however is reliable even with moderate use it will last you for more than a day and a half, it also comes with a built-in power saving app, activate it and you’ll see a big difference in battery performance….. I’m beginning to speculate that this phone is designed for the business people, no games, long battery life, sizable screen and a clear call conversation courtesy of its dual-mic noise reduction feature, clearly the way a businessman would want it.



Bottom line: The Huawei ascend Y200D is one of the best in its class, however shortage in application storage prevents it from rising up, a good phone though, in relation to its price.

PROS: affordable, sizable screen, excellent built quality, good browsing speed.

CONS: low internal storage, slight lag on the home screen.


HUAWEI ASCEND Y200D SPECIFICATIONS:

3.5 inch IPS capacitive touchscreen 320×480
Qualcomm MSM7225A 800MHz processor
Adreno 200 GPU
512MB RAM
2GB ROM
HSDPA 14.4Mbps
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
Dual-mic noise reduction
3.2MP camera, fix focus lens
proximity and light sensors
GPS w/ aGPS support
Bluetooth 2.1
Android 2.3 Gingerbread
1250mAh Li-Ion battery

Project Butter comes to Cherry Mobile (Omega)

Cherry Mobile has gone a step further into the android world, welcoming yet another new breed of android OS "the Jellybean" once again CM had made a ground breaking event as the first local brand to introduce Jellybean in the Philippine market and they did it the best way possible "Jellybean for the Filipino masses". No surprises there! for they were also the first local brand to release ICS (Cherrypad Paladin) in the local market and one good way of retaining a good name is to continuously be the first.

Project Butter comes to Cherry Mobile in the form of the "Omega" an android smartphone with a 5.2 inch capacitive touch panel and a 1Ghz dual-core processor which retails only at 6,699 Php. The Omega was such a success that during its first week of release it was almost completely sold out, who wouldn't be tempted to a phone with this caliber and with a price already bargained to the lowest point possible, affordability has never been this flexible. Watch videos of the Cherry Mobile Omega on my Video Bar for more tech specs.

CHERRY MOBILE OMEGA SPECIFICATIONS:

GSM 850/900/1800/1900 (Quad-band)
3G/HSDPA Capable (UMTS 850/1900/2100)
Dual SIM / Dual Standby

5.2" WVGA (800x480) capacitive display
179ppi with 5-point multi-touch feature

1GHz dual-core MT6577 Processor
Android 4.1.1 (Jelly Bean)
PowerVR SGX531 GPU
512MB of RAM

4GB of internal storage
microSD slot up to 32GB

5MP autofocus camera with LED flash
720p HD video recording
VGA (0.3MP) front-facing camera

Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n / Wi-Fi hotspot
Bluetooth v2.1 / GPS with A-GPS support

microUSB 2.0 / 3.5mm audio jack
MP3 / Multimedia Player / FM Radio
Motion Sensor, Light sensor, proximity sensor

2,300mAh Li-Ion battery

PRICE: 6,699 PHP, AVAILABLE NOW.....