Archos 7 android tablet

Everyone wants a little something for themselves this holiday season, as for me a tablet is the only thing I want, but unfortunately, I got a limited budget for it, and so, I put myself on a mission of finding a good tablet that won't go pass the 10,000 peso mark, obviously, that amount will definitely put an X mark to the Samsung Galaxy tab and the likes.

With checklist of malls at hand, my hunt for a 10,000 peso tablet begins, but to my surprise, I didn't even have to go far to search for what I'm looking for, I found it in a mall not more than 10kms away from my house, there it lies in a newly opened store at Robinsons Metro East, the Archos 7 android tablet. I've red a lot of articles about the Archos 7 over the net, most of them showed tremendous amount of positive feedback, and since 2004, I got this habit of reading T3 magazines; during those issues, portable media players made by Archos are a common sight, giving me a reason to believe that Archos is undoubtedly a well established brand. For just 7,490 pesos it is well within my reach. At last! I got something to get exited about this holiday season.

P.S.
I'll be posting the specs as soon as I got the device.

Is there still life left in Symbian?

Nokia has unleashed another smartphone called the X7, though, Microsoft and Nokia maybe partners these days, Nokia has decided that the X7 sticks to its roots, but is there still life left in Symbian, now that the smartphone market is dominated by the iphone’s iOS, and google’s Android. The X7 runs the new version of Symbian called Anna, it undergo some tweaks to the interface, like faster web browsing with flash, and other stuff that Nokia says can rival that of the iphone, and Android. A few years back Nokia released their highly anticipated N8 that runs Symbian ^3^, but has failed to meet the expectations of the smartphone market, making the N8 a loosing model for Nokia, now Nokia has plans of releasing a new version of the N8 running Windows OS, did Nokia learn their lesson? Probably, not, the N8’s failure to meet the demands of the smartphone market, maybe due to Symbian, being a loosing OS for smartphones. With Nokia’s decision to run, the X7 with Symbian; is all, too risky.

Sony Ericsson was once a supporter of Symbian, they use Symbian excessively to power their P-series smartphones that had once dominated the smartphone market, but with the arrival of the iOS, and Android, Sony Ericsson slowly looses its grasp from the smartphone market, with sales at stake and with the company gradually losing by the numbers, S.E. has decided to put an end to their P-series smartphones and other U.I.Q devices, giving way to their new breed of smartphones, called the Xperia, the first Xperia runs on Windows OS, but S.E. wasn’t satisfied with its feedback, and decided that the next line of Xperia be run, using Android, a decision, that puts back S.E. in the smartphone arena, and a tough competitor, they’ve become.

Symbian is something that we grew familiar with, it is where the smartphone era started; making Symbian and Nokia as the grand daddy of all smartphones, but as the years go by, a newer more powerful OS are popping out like weeds, killing all the weaker ones aside. The market is an ever changing entity, driven by human’s insatiable appetite for something new, Nokia has done everything they can, for Symbian to cope up with the latest trend, but the market seemed to be more elusive to every effort they’ve done, I hate to see Symbian go obsolete, with the release of the X7, and firmware Anna, it may be Symbian’s last hope.

Samsung Corby II review

The Samsung GT-S3850 also known as the Corby II is a cheap phone that offers more than its price, like most phones it has its ups and downs. The Corby II is a low-end phone that caters the young market, like students and young professionals who’s always conscious about numbers and figures; though cheap, it actually pack a lot of features that exceeds most phones that are in the mid-range class. For 4,990 pesos you’ll be able to get these features; a large 3.1 inch capacitive touch screen with a mediocre resolution, though, watching movies on it is quite impressive, I used an MP4 formatted video in a 320x240 screen resolution. Youtube also works well on this device and its impressive dolfin internet browser keeps me glued on the net, not to mention, the nice user-friendly Facebook interface; it also has a built-in wi-fi that most low-end phones doesn’t have, giving you free connections to the web. What surprised me even more was its multi-tasking ability; yes, you heard me right, it can multi-task, a feature only known to a smartphone and hardly ever heard of, on a java based phone. The Corby II is obviously not categorized as a smartphone it uses a standard Samsung proprietary OS that is Java capable, by pressing and holding the menu button you’ll be able to access the task manager, from there you can shift from one open task to another including java apps and games. It also boasts a music player with a nice user interface and excellent audio quality, based on my comparison it sounds a lot better than my ipod touch 2nd-gen. The media player comes with a 5.1 channel support, giving you a theater like experience on both your movies and music.

The Corby II uses Samsung's Touch-Wiz UI, which revolutionized shortcuts on a touch screen phone, though I encountered occasional glitches, specifically on the feeds and updates, and the google search shortcuts, texting also is a bit of a problem, it uses a small virtual keypads, which makes you prone to mistakes by accidentally tapping the wrong buttons, but that didn’t stop me from enjoying this nice looking phone which I considered as one of my best buy, afterall, I got it cheap.

Samsung Corby II Specs.

Network: 2G GSM 850/900/1800/1900
Display Type: TFT capacitive touchscreen, 256k colors
240x320 pixels
3.1 inch screen
Touch Wiz UI
Alert Type: Vibration, MP3,WAV tones
Loudspeaker
3.5mm jack
DNSe
Memory: Phonebook, Photocall
Call record
26Mb internal memory
microSD up to 16 Gb
Data: GPRS
EDGE
WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
bluetooth
micro USB v2.0
Camera: 2MP 1600x1200 pixels
smile shutter
Video, QVGA @15fps
Features: JAVA
SNS integration with live updates
Dolfin Browser
Music player
Document viewer
Find music recognition service
Battery: stand-by up to 620 hrs
talk-time up to 9hrs

God of War "The Ghost of Sparta" PSP

God Of War “The Ghost of Sparta” is one of the most anticipated game on the PSP, it is also one of the most expensive game ever produce on a handheld, that's probably the reason why the price also comes with a kick, but you’ll find it worth buying, after all; good games always come with a price.

Based on my experience as a PSP gamer God of War Ghost of Sparta is one of the best looking game on the PSP, graphics and gameplay is so intense you’ll forget you’re playing on a handheld. The Ghost of Sparta is one of the prequels of the God Of War series, the storyline came after God of War 1 when Kratos defeated Ares and right before God of War 2 when Kratos rages his anger to the gods, it happened in between God of War 1 and 2, the story focuses more on Kratos rise to power, clearly a transition to God of War 2. Ghost of Sparta also comes with Kratos’s new moves and abilities, one of my favorite is the takedown, then followed by a ground and pound (ala UFC style) been using it since the start of the game till the end, though, some enemies are immune to that move, so it’s important to learn some melee combo in order to survive in the game, specially when played on hard mode.

God of War Ghost of Sparta reveals some of kratos’s secrets that most God of War fans didn’t know about, one of which is the coming out of Kratos brother. This prequel lets you see how the brothers got separated by the gods, and the plot behind the abduction will piece by piece be revealed as you progress in the game, surprisingly; Kratos mother played a part in this game too and it is one of Kratos quests to free his mother from eternal suffering inflicted by the gods. A lot of secrets will be revealed in this game that will shock all God of War fans, making this prequel the missing link of the God of War series. Its two thumbs up for this game. God of War “The Ghost of Sparta” was released Q4 2010, and it’s now available for download and UMDs.

Maximizing your Gadgets

As a consumer I always have this motto “Get more than what I pay for”, when gadget shopping always pick the right gadget for you, also consider price tags that won’t stress your wallet, practice your freedom to choose there are other brands out there that offers the same features but at a much more reasonable price, like Samsung for instance. As soon as you got your smartly picked gadget, maximize it by learning all its’ embedded features from top to bottom, then install some free third party apps to further boost its’ full potential. Turn your ordinary phone into a smartphone, your android tablet into a gym trainer and more, now that’s getting your money’s worth. Here are some sites that will help you maximize your gadgets.

www.umnet.com = free apps and games, all platform supported

mobile9.com, zedge.com, getjar.com = free cellphone apps, games, wallpapers, etc.

www.apptrackr.org/ = a haven for jailbroken apple devices

www.getandroidstuff.com = free android apps and games

www.uiqwenru.com = free apps and games for the classic Sony Ericsson P-series

Alcatel OT980 android phone specs.

Android phones are getting cheaper by the year, but to some average pinoy it is still out of reach, some of the cheap branded android phones in the Philippine shore are the Samsung Galaxy mini (7,990Php) and the Sony Ericsson Xperia X8 (7,780Php), until I came across the Alcatel OT980 android phone (5,900Php), the cheapest I've seen so far. I got a hands-on experience with this device in a cellphone store at Robinsons Metro East, although, the sales lady didn't allow me to take snapshots of it, company rules; it seems. It is one of a few Android phone that has a physical button, basically, it's a slider phone with qwerty keyboard, it's a bit chunky, but then again, it's typical to all sliders. As I go deeper into testing the device, I find myself satisfied with its' performance. For 5,900 pesos it is affordable to consumers who are in a tight budget, like me. The phone is not as good looking as to some Android phones out there, but the built quality of it is solid, and posses a business-like look. I'm planning to put this phone on my wishlist and hopefully buy it before Christmas, I'm very much aware of the consumer rule that Price equals Quality and Features, so I won't expect much from it than that of the more expensive Samsung Galaxy S.

Alcatel OT980 Specifications:

NETWORK: 2G: GSM 850/900/1800/1900
3G: HSDPA 900/2100
SIZE: Dimensions: 108 x 60.4 x 15.9mm
Weight: 152g
DISPLAY: Type: TFT resistive touchscreen, 256K colors
Size: 240 x 320 pixels, 2.8 inches
- QWERTY keyboard
- Accelerometer sensor for UI auto rotate
SOUND: Alert types: Vibration, MP3 ringtones
- loudspeaker
- 3.5mm jack
MEMORY: Phonebook: practically unlimited entries, Photocall
Call Records: practically unlimited
CPU: 600Mhz
Internal: 194 MB
Card slot: Micro SD, up to 32GB
DATA: GPRS: class 12(4+1/3+2/2+3/1+4 slots) 32- 48 Kbps
EDGE: class 12
3G: HSDPA,7.2 Mbps, HSUPA,5.76 Mbps
Wi-Fi: 802.11 b/g
- bluetooth
- micro USB v2.0
CAMERA: Primary: 2MP, 1600 x 1200 pixels
- video recording
FEATURES: OS: Android 2.1 Eclair
Messaging: SMS, MMS, Email, IM
Browser: HTML
Colors: Black soft touch, Steel gray
GPS: A-GPS support
Java: via java MIDP emulator
- Digital compass
- MP3/WMA/AAC player
- MP4/H.263/H.264 player
- google searc, maps, Gmail
- youtube, calendar, google talk
- organizer, voice memo
Battery: Type: Lithium 1150 mAh
Stand by: 245 hrs.
Talk time: 10 hrs.
Music play: 35 hrs.

Gadgets on the go.

Every time I travel, I always carry with me, my gadgets, whether be it, work, leisure or out of town, and it’s always a question what gadget is to bring. I always have two kinds of every gadget I own, like two handhelds, PSP, NDS lite, two phones, a smartphone and an ordinary phone, two internet tablets like Nokia N800, and a 7inch android tablet, two mp3 players, Creative Zen and an ipod touch. Each of them have their own purpose; let’s say if I’m traveling out of town like a resort or a beach, its best not to pack too much weight in my bag. So instead of bringing a laptop, I’ll bring a tablet, and my Nokia N800 is best suited for the job, with its’ pocket friendly size, and long battery life, giving me less hassle by recharghing it less often, and in an instance, where wi-fi is unavailable my android tablet is an alternative, it can connect online using my Globe Tattoo broadband stick, don’t want to miss those live updates on my FB, twitter and blogger. Other gadgets will be my sleek and lite Samsung CorbyII, a digicam for those precious moments, and a PSP to keep my little boy occupied trough out our stay.

There are times that I travel from Manila to Laguna to do some business errands, and sometimes it is more practical and convenient to ride a bus than to bring a car, and one way of enjoying a long bus ride is with an ipod touch; listen to my favorite music, watch movies and play games on the go, and since my travel is business related my windows mobile smartphone is a good partner, afterall; my transactions and inventories are all recorded in there.

I’m also a motorcycle enthusiast and a member of a local biker group called T.O.C.S Riders Club, there are times that we organize long bike rides, like riding from Antipolo to Laguna, Batangas and Quezon Province. In these types of activities, size matters; carrying bulky gadgets in your pockets may restrict your body from moving freely to tight curves and may result to accidents, so it’s best to pack as light and as comfortable as possible. Riding a motorcycle is best appreciated when listening to music, my credit card size Creative Zen mp3 player will fit comfortably in my left pocket, and in case of emergencies communication is a must, my right pocket is home to my light weight Samsung Corby II. My choices may vary from time to time, and there are instances that I carry more than three gadgets at a time, depending on my willingness to pack an extra load.

6 reasons why pioneer gadget shoppers always get the bad end of the deal.

1: You get to buy it at a high price.

2: You always get the bulky and least attractive design.

3: System stability is not 100%.

4: You regret buying it as soon as the 2nd gen is release.

5: You'll spend more cash if you trade your 1st gen to a 2nd gen.

6: Makes you look like you're holding a fossil as soon as the 3rd or 4th gen is released.


What!!! my psp (1st gen) and my ipod touch (2nd gen) is now a fossil!

If you got a 1st gen device there's no need to upgrade it to a newer version all you have to do is upgrade its' firmware, that's what I've been doing with my psp (1st gen) and my ipod touch (2nd gen) for the last 4 or 5 yrs, but if you have a deep pocket and lots of money to spend for, then go for it, that will make you the envy of the town.


BE SMART: The reason why I'm not upgrading my psp 1st gen to psp go is because it's just a cosmetic make-over, if ever I'm going to upgrade it, I'm gonna go for the PSVita and as for the ipod touch 4th gen, it didn't just get a trim down design but a different experience as well, with it's retina display, dual camera, facetime support, game marketshop, and a 1ghz processor, truly a whole new different experience from it's 1st, 2nd and 3rd gen brethren, I'll consider this as a future upgade, that is if a got the money....:-(

Dead Space Ipod Touch

Dead Space for Apple handhelds is a game developed by EA exclusively for the Apple platform, the storyline is unique for this device, it's a survival horror game in a third person view, and it's by far the best looking game i played on my ipod touch. The story took place in some kind of space odyssey wherein you take the role of Isaac Clarke codename Vandal a space miner who is also a member of a religious cult. Game begins by following orders from some high ranking religious cult member until you found out that you've been used. I won't tell the whole story or give details on how the game ends, coz, I don't want to ruin the elements of surprise; and with respect, to gamers who's not done with it yet; but the thing that bothers me in this game was; upgrading your weapons and armor is a bit complicated, you just have to give extra effort in reading all the in-game texts in order to fully understand it, but at least it rewards you with awesome graphics and superb gameplay. I put a couple of screenshot on this blog to give gamers an idea on how the game looks like. For those who haven't got the game yet you can download it at http://apptrackr.org/ mind you applications and games on this site will only work on jailbroken apple devices. Dead Space is compatible only to iOS 3.0 or higher.


The GOOD: Graphics and scare factor will blow you away, music and sound effects are truly impressive plus you'll get an extra bonus of gaining wallpapers as you progress in the game.


The BAD: It runs sluggish on ipod touch 1st and 2nd gen when dealing with multiple enemies, I haven't tried it on a 3rd gen, but works perfectly well on the 4th gen ipod touch.

It's raining tablets

Tablet is the latest trend in technology today, probably because when it comes to mobile computing and internet on the go it surpass some features of a netbook and nothing beats its' compact size and mobility it is smaller than the smallest netbook in the market today, that's why more people prefer tablets than netbooks, specially those who are always on the go. Tablets are here since the mid 90's alongside with its' brethren the first generations of PDA that uses black and white screens but it suffered poor sales that's why it was never known to hit the market until tech giant Apple unleashed the iPad, that forever change the fate of this device, when iPad was first released it was as hot as summer, it was everyone's top 1 wishlist in their christmas shopping, other manufacturers notice the potential of the device and started making their own; thus begun the tablet war, Nokia had their N-series internet tablet, Samsung have their Galaxy, Archos, LG, Motorola's xoom and we're still waiting for Sony's mighty roar in the tablet war. I like what Nokia did to their N800 internet tablet, it is one of the few tablets that can fit in your pocket, truly Nokia live up to its' claim "full internet in your pocket" though it uses a very limited Linux based OS, for me android is still the best OS for tablets and in my opinion it was google's android that gave life to this device.

Almost everyone are spending money for their gadgets it doesn't matter if it will aid you in your everyday life or not for as long as it keeps you entertained it's a thing worth buying, after all it's your choice and your money.

Acer DX 900 Crash Tips

Acer DX900 is a smartphone that runs windows mobile 6.1 professional, formerly known as the Eten Glofish DX900, until Acer bought and took over the company (Glofish) then it was re release with the ACER brand. The phone is jam pack with features but unfortunately it has some issues; crashes and slowdowns, at first I thought it was the bad connection between the phone and the memory card, until recently I found out that the problem is in the today screen timeout feature. Here are some tips; problem occur when the today screen goes to sleep so you might want to deactivate that feature, here's how, go to settings then today, uncheck the box today screen timeout, you might also want to download Wizcode Defragment tool, regular defragging helps speed up your phone. This tips will not totally rid you of that problem but it will reduce crashes from 3x a day to 3x a week. Try it :-0

Globe Tattoo what a waste!

I was on my 7o'clock routine, laying on my couch and watching the news when i saw the globe tattoo ad. Globe claims it's the fastest broadband prepaid stick in the market, I've seen that ads hundred times but the thing that triggered me to buy it is the discounted price of 995 pesos, so immediately after seeing the ad I went to SM Masinag and bought one. After installing it on my laptop I got disappointed almost immediately; that fuck turned my laptop into a cellphone, I found myself carrying my laptop, finding a good position just to get a signal. (ala cellphone style).

We got an internet connection at home and a wifi, the problem is I still have to switch turn with my brothers just to get my time on the net, wifi signal can't reach my room so i have to go to the living room to connect via wifi, so probably the primary reason why I bought this broadband stick is to surf the net in the comfort of my room but it turned out it's just a waste of money but i don't give up easily, I find ways, and so i did! I put a long USB chord on my laptop and at the other end the broadband stick, i hung it near my window and believe me, it made my desk look stupid, but it works, so for now I'm going to keep this, for how long? I don't know.....and O ya! all the things that Globe claims they're all a bunch of lies....Fast my ass!!! but wait there's more if you loose a signal you'll be cut off and be charge for another 5 pesos if you try to reconnect or another option, is to wait for the signal to comeback while the clock is ticking and load vanishing. shame....shame