Google Android One (my/phone uno) review and specs

I was very excited when I first heard that android one is going to hit the Philippine shore, as an android fanboy that news is nothing but a breath of fresh air, imagine a google phone made affordable to the masses and since it's a certified google phone you'll be privileged enough to always get the latest android OS coupled with a very capable hardware and most importantly, the stock android experience, but is the android one worth the hype? let's find out.

I chose the my/phone uno which by the way, is a Micromax phone, Cherry mobile also offers an android one device but in my opinion the my/phone uno looks a lot more premium than its cherry mobile counterpart and it's a lot thinner too.

The front is plain black with only the rounded earpiece at the top, reminiscent of the nexus 5, the power button and the volume rocker is located at the right side of the phone, easily accessible with your thumb, just slightly raised to give you a tactile feedback but not too much to prevent accidental presses, around the back is the android one logo and the very soothing rubberized texture for enhanced grip.

Google has laid out a spec sheet for the android one, a very capable hardware for just the right price, powered by a quad-core processor and 1 gig of RAM the my/phone uno is a beast it handles multi-tasking well without serious notable lags. I did a lot of stress test with the my/phone uno and one by one it passed the test with flying colors: heavy gaming, web browsing with multiple windows, multi-tasking, HD movies, just about anything I could throw at it the my/phone uno just can't stop to amaze me, yes there will be slight lags but one that's hardly visible you won't even bother giving it a second look.

Web browsing seem to be the stellar feature of the my/phone uno, I spent many hours browsing the web with this phone and believe me it is seriously fast in rendering web pages regardless of the size, flash support is great too, you can basically watch all the flash content present on each web page just like a PC, since I got this phone I barely touched my tablet.

The 4.5 inch IPS screen is probably a feature you'd enjoy most, it's sharp and has excellent viewing angles, the my/phone uno's screen serves as a testament that at 3,999 pesos we shouldn't be getting a lower quality screen than the one we get from android one devices. I was blown away with its almost 0 touch delay, it's fast and very responsive once you tap an app icon it opens up immediately, closing it is almost just as fast too. Google didn't give a clear description about the android one's touch panel, was it Dragon trail or was it Gorilla glass? we really don't have the slightest idea yet, but one thing's for sure it's tough and it's definitely scratch resistant as well. Google has made a statement that a smartphone's screen should be, tough, sharp, has excellent viewing angles and very responsive, all for a price that's within arm's reach.

The my/phone uno comes with android 5.1 lollipop, future android updates are still up for grabs.

Google camera works well with the my/phone uno the 5MP rear camera with flash works fine too, however, I did noticed that the LED flash is sometimes inconsistent, I got subject that got too much light which appeared washed out and over exposed, I just hope that future update will fix this problem. On the other side of the phone we got our 2MP front camera in which without a doubt is a major upgrade from the VGA camera we used to get from phones with the same price, but don't get too excited because you got to hold the phone very still in order to get good results, it's not much of a problem but it's something that's worth noting. All in all the android one's camera works surprisingly well, considering it's 3,999 peso price tag.

(Sample photos android one's 5MP rear camera)


The 1700mah battery may not seem too much, however the ARM v7 architecture is known for its power saving feature, with moderate use it could easily pass the 2 day mark, with heavy usage which includes internet and gaming it could last you a day, in my case I charge my android one every other day.

PROS: very affordable, fast and reliable, always the latest android OS.

CONS: camera is sometimes inconsistent, only 4GB of internal memory.


ANDROID ONE SPECIFICATIONS

MyPhone Uno


3G/GSM

4.5” FWVGA display 480 x 854 pixels (218ppi)

MEDIATEK MT6582 Cortex A7 1.3 GHz Quad-Core processor

GPU Mali 400MP2

1GB RAM

4GB (expandable up to 32GB)

2x micro SIM

Front and rear facing cameras (2MP and 5MP) With LED flash

Video 720p

Rechargeable lithium-ion, 1700mAh

Android™ Lollipop (and gets the new version soon after it’s released)

Bluetooth, GPS, FM radio

Asus zenfone 4 review and specs

Asus have been pretty aggressive in their campaign to sell affordable android smartphones and I have to say they've been very successful so far, all that is due to their zenfone line of smartphones which had been recieving great reviews from all over the world, the zenfone 4 is the smaller sibling of the zenfone 5 and zenfone 6 also the cheapest of the bunch at 3,995 pesos you're probably wondering what can we get from that price? to know more about the zenfone 4 please read my full review.

AESTHETICS:
The design of the zenfone 4 isn't much of a looker it's a bit thick and has large bezels on top where the earpiece is located, it's the same story at the bottom part of the phone where the non-lit capacitive touch panel rests, only bigger, in fact the design cue looks more like it came from 2010, to make things worst the zenfone 4 looks cheap in general, however, it feels sturdy enough to take on a serious drop, twice or even more.

Making up for that ugly design is its size, at 4 inches (screen size) the zenfone 4 will fit snugly in your pockets regardless of how tight your jeans are, pocket friendly is the right word to describe it and it's quite helpful especially if you're the type who carry multiple gadgets on the go and on a daily basis.

DISPLAY:
It's hard to believe that a phone this cheap is equipped with gorilla glass 3, having it on board gives the zenfone 4 an almost indestructible screen so putting a scratch on it is the least thing you'll have to worry about and guess what? we haven't break the surface yet, because along with its tough screen is a 4 inch display with 480x800 resolution, 233ppi (non-IPS) surprisingly, colors are vibrant and sharp, even the smallest text can be read with ease and more often than not, looked perfect and pixel free. At 4 inches it's kinda hard to recommend it as an e-reader, however, after some few trials with it using Aldiko, a couple of pages later I realized it doesn't look that bad after all, the sharp screen really made a statement that the zenfone 4 can also serve that purpose despite its small real estate.

A native app called splendid lets you manage your screen output, adjust the color temperature from cool to warm depending on your preference, it also comes with vivid mode to further boost the screen's color depth. Nonetheless, I find it an excellent tool for watching movies and playing games.

PERFORMANCE:
At the heart of the zenfone 4 you'll find an intel proccessor Z2520 (saltwell), clocked at 1.2 ghz (dual core), it's been a while since intel entered the mobile world and has been recieving great feedbacks from users all around the globe, the zenfone 4 is currently the cheapest intel powered device in the Philippine market, and thus far, one of the best performers in this price range. I was quickly drawn to how well the zenfone 4 works, just a few swipe from the homesceen is all it takes to convince me that it's a fast phone. I've managed to customized all my homescreens with multiple live widgets cramming one another and surprisingly, no lags has ever come forth to nug me, if there are any it's hardly visible, in addition apps opens fairly fast and closes almost instantaneously.

"Shadowgun works well and looks good on the zenfone 4 despite of its small screen"


The 4 inch screen won't provide you with a pleasant web browsing experience, although the zenfone 4's fast web browsing speed, responsive screen and the excellent flash support will still deliver a joyous internet experience, easily forgetting that your browsing on a 4 inch display.

USER INTERFACE:
The improved zen UI looks great and it's a far cry from the stock android experience, I haven't got a single gripe though, Asus has done a good job in making it as user friendly as possible, for instance if you swipe the notification window on the right side you'll get your quick settings or the togggle buttons, swipe it fom the left side then you'll have your notifications, even the app drawer is easy to use, on the uppper right side you got your options, with it, you can hide, uninstall, disable or even lock an app directly from the app drawer, more importantly, UI stability is one of the zenfone 4's strongpoint, in my two months of using this phone I haven't got any experiences regarding UI glithes, crashes and the like, I also do love what asus has done to their app icons it's large, easy to read and look good as well.

The zenfone 4 comes with 4.3 jellybean but a kitkat update is readily available upon purchase.

CAMERA:
The zenfone 4 is equipped with a 5mp rear camera(no flash) and a VGA on front, I've been using entry level smartphones for a considerable amount of time now, based on that experience a good camera is always hard to come by, the zenfone 4 is somewhat a break in that tradition, equipped with asus pixel master technology along with HDR capability the zenfone 4 can take really good pictures with accurate colors and vibrant details. Surprisingly, all those goodies doesn't stop there as the zenfone 4's camera has features aplenty, such, is the selfie and smart remove mode, a set of features you'll most likely get on high-end smartphones, if that wasn't enough, the zenfone 4 can also record full HD video at 1080p with great results and yes, its still at 3,995 pesos.

"Sample photo zenfone 4's 5mp camera"


PROS: cheap, good overall performance, dual SIM, good camera with HDR

CONS: 4 inch screen, short battery life


SPECIIFICATIONS:

NETWORK: GSM/HSPA

DISPLAY: 4" TFT capacitive, 480x800 233ppi, Gorilla glass 3

OS: android 4.3 jellybean upgradable to kitkat 4.4.2

CHIPSET: Intel atom Z2520(saltwell)

CPU: dual-core 1.2 Ghz

GPU: PowerVR SGX544MP2

MEMORY: 1GB RAM, 8GB ROM expandable micro SD upto 32GB

CAMERA: 5MP autofocus (pixel master technology) VGA front

BATTERY: Li-Po 1600Mah

OTHERS: GPS, bluetooth, wifi (b,g,n) dual SIM

Samsung Galaxy young S6310 review

Samsung may have their hands locked with their flagship phones luckily, the entry level market didn't stray far from their reach. The galaxy young is Samsung's most successful budget phone released in 2011, the galaxy young now welcomes its second iteration.

The S6310 is the galaxy young's second iteration improvements in aesthetics are easily noticeable, samsung has bumped up the hardware as well and now runs android 4.1 jellybean, at first glance it slightly resembles the S3 mini, the smooth and curvy edges are more prominent than its older sibling making sure that users will have a grip friendly experience. The new and improved touch wiz ui and the 1ghz processor all together make it a different phone, as a result, even previous 1st gen owners will not think twice to consider owning one again.

Screen resolution has improved a bit and now measures at 3.2 inches, sadly IPS is not present here so dont be surprised if you find yourself bothered with its limited viewing angles and low resolution screen, It's acceptable though, considering it's a budget friendly device, however the excellent touch sensitivity may make you forgive and forget those pixilated moments.

Samsung has ushered in an improved touch wiz UI which by far is one of their best iterations yet, no more toy like look, out of it you'll get more live widgets and one thing that I'm particularly fond of, is the music player widget wherein you can play and scroll through your music files straight thru it without having the need to launch the app, on top of that, you now have up to 7 homescreens at your disposal, making it easier for you to assign more widgets, it turned out that all this improvements has just made the galaxy young a little less boring while still retaining its cheap stature.


Hardware specifications remain at a low profile, the 1Ghz processor is inconsistent at times, just keeping up with the UI is a daily struggle for its single core processor, fortunately I still find it acceptable, considering the fact that it does excell in some of its features, one with the highest regard is social networking and web browsing using the stock browser, of course there will be some trade offs but the perks one could get for paying a good deal of money still make this phone a worth while investment.

I was amazed to see that Dead Space is playable on the galaxy young S6310, you won't hear me say it's lag free though.

You have probably lost your marbles if you're expecting a good camera on this one, Samsung may be leading the way in cellphone camera technology but on this phone they've decided not to impress us with it, instead a simple working one would do the job, nevertheless, a 3MP camera on a budget phone is always welcome regardless of its performance.

The 1200mah battery won't put this phone on the endurance track especially if you're a multi media freak, not to mention it's a 3G phone and supports GPS, so you better keep those features at bay when not in use or better yet always have your powerbank with you, a full day of moderate use is easily achievable, though.

PROS: affordable, good built quality, acceptable performance

CONS: slight lags, low resolution screen, poor camera


SPECIFICATIONS:

Network: 3g/GSM

Display: 3.27 inch, TFT capacitive touch 320x480 resolution, 176ppi

Memory: 512mb ram, 4gb ROM, expandable micro sd 32gb

OS: Android OS, v4.1.2 (Jelly Bean)

Chipset Qualcomm: MSM7227A Snapdragon

CPU:1 GHz Cortex-A5

GPU: Adreno 200

Camera:3mp rear

Others: proximity sensor, gyro, bluetooth, GPS, wifi b/g/n

Battery: 1200mah

Alcatel One Touch Scribe easy review and specs

The one touch scribe easy is Alcatel's answer to the phablet craze, with looks and features in mind you could tell that the scribe easy aims to tackle the almighty galaxy note, though the two are worlds apart in terms of performance the one touch scribe can easily gain interest due to its affordable price.

DISPLAY:
Alcatel has up their game with their one touch scribe easy, an affordable phablet that does what its supposed to, boasting a hefty 5 inch display, this device has lots of rooms to work and play with, my only gripe though, is the underwhelming resolution and the limited viewing angles, if you tilt it up you can see colors slowly starting to fade, though for most part you can get fairly satisfying results, on top of that, watching HD movies with a seatmate is possible without getting inappropriately close to each other.

At this point in time we're probably immune to gadgets with talent to absorb fingerprints and smudges, weep not! as Alcatel did not put those cries in vain, the One Touch Scribe easy's touch screen is treated with oleophobic coating which makes it resistant to prints and grimes, meaning; you won't have to spend half of your day cleaning your phone, all it needs is just one swipe and your all done, now that's probably one hell of a feature to all the OCs out there.

DESIGN:
Around the back you'll get a matte velvet finish which feels good to the hands, it can easily get scratched though, so be mindful where you place your phone, meanwhile, the uni body design with covered ports and the stainless one touch logo at the back gives the Scribe easy a premium look, giving you an extra jolt of confidence to show it in public without that awkward feeling.

PERFORMANCE:
Though powered by a dual core processor, the Qualcomm chipset fail to deliver a smooth UI experience, lags are visible while transitioning between homescreens the 512MB RAM didn't help much either, however launching and closing apps tell a different story, it's fast enough that it won't give users any reason to complain about. Yes lags are ever present, but it's as if it's not to be expected on a budget device, compared to other rivaling phablets of the same price, the Alcatel one touch scribe easy is far superior than the likes of Huawei and ZTE.

The Alcatel One Touch scribe easy is a web browsing haven, probably there's a lot to thank about with its responsive 5 inch display, though not blazingly fast in opening a web page, mediocre for most standards is fast enough. Having experienced Facebook on its large screen makes me want to blame myself why did I bother on a 4 incher for almost a year, then it made me realized that the saying is true "once you turn 5 you'll never go 4", the one touch srcibe's web browsing reliability and long battery life is truly a match made in heaven, it turns out that web browsing and updating SNS accounts for hours on ends is now possible on a budget device.

APPS:
One of the key selling points of the one touch scribe easy is its ability to scribe as the name suggests, the device comes with a capacitive stylus right out of the box, mind you its not a magic pen like the ones being used on a galaxy note, it does look cheap in appearance but the functionality it brings is undeniably helpful. The one touch scribe comes with alcatel's own proprietary app called scribe note and scribe calculator, wherein the stylus is the main tool, the app won't break any grounds though, as there's nothing spectacular on it, though you got to give credit for how well it works, its responsive enough making it useful to jot down quick notes, the scribe calculator on the other hand is innovative in its own way, you just write down the equation using the stylus and the app automatically gives you the answer, though in comparison, a standard calculator app is a lot faster to use and also a lot more efficient, in the end I just find the scribe calculator app as a bloatware or an extra bling to sell the product.

CAMERA:
The one touch scribe easy features a 5 mega pixel camera with led flash and can take HD video at 720p, but don't be fooled to what it says on paper, as the OT scribe easy's camera is anything but sharp and needs a steady hand to get good results, like most cameras it takes good pictures in well lighted areas but where light is scarce you're better off not taking pictures, the HD video capability sounds promising and a lot might consider adopting the OT scribe easy because of that feature, Alcatel didn't lie about it though, as it takes real HD videos, however results are too shaky, and guess what? In areas with less light results are not too promising.

O.S.
Not much has change from the stock android 4.1.1 except for some few tweaks on the notification bar and some pre loaded icons, you'll also notice the white theme instead of the black background that we get so used to, and like a tablet the screen rotates even while you're at the home screen.

BOTTOMLINE:
Now a days a large screen is considered a standard in smart phones, though each one has its own bragging rights the one touch scribe's affordability is a far better offer than what the other competition can bring to the table. As experience tells us affordability can sometimes lead to disappointments, though as years come and go a lot has change especially in the tech world. These days affordability can easily turn tables especially in stiff competitions.

PROS: affordable phablet, good build quality, good overall performance, excellent battery life.

CONS: slight lags, low resolution screen, poor camera.

SPECIFICATIONS:

NETWORK: GSM/3G, single SIM (micro SIM)

FORM FACTOR: bar type, uni-body

OS: android jellybean 4.1.2

DISPLAY: TFT LCD 480x800 resolution, 187 pixel density, scratch resistant, oleophobic coating

MEMORY: 512RAM, 4GB internal memory, expandable via micro sd card 32GB max

PROCESSOR: 1.2 Ghz dual-core MSM8225 snapdragon chipset, adreno 203 GPU

CONECTIVITY: wifi b/g/n, bluetooth, micro USB

CAMERA: 5mega pixels autofocus/touch focus with LED flash, HD video at 720p, front VGA

BATTERY: 2500Mah

OTHERS: wifi hotspot, accelerometer, compass, proximity sensor, GPS

LG Optimus L7 P705 Review and Specs.

Life just got better when android smartphones hit our shelves and it didn’t fail to amaze us with its seamlessly endless improvements in design, features and functionality it is also the most versatile piece of tech that had hit the market and offers a bevy of choices ensuring each individual has its own unique choice. The LG Optimus L7 personifies an android smartphone’s individuality for it targets a unique group of individuals who had a taste for premium phones but struggles to afford one, yes! the L7 is a premium looking phone with an affordable price tag, but was it worth the purchase? Let’s find out

The Optimus L7 have been around the market for quite some time now, at first glance you’ll think it’s a premium phone with an expensive price tag until it finally reveals itself entirely, then it makes you wonder why can all phones look premium and yet cheap, the L7 is a good example that it can be done, instead of the price having to compromise with design and built quality, however as technology gets cheaper by the year I got a gut feeling that we’re gonna see a lot of these in 2014 and the year that follows.

I have to say that the strongest selling point of the L7 is its premium design, even though it is made entirely of plastic; LG successfully gave the L7 a premium look, a mixture of good engineering and clever design. The screen is made of a scratch resistant glass-like plastic which is one of the best I’ve seen so far in this price range and it’s quite responsive too, what gives the L7 a premium look is the clever shiny black plastic bezel along the sides in which a lot of times had been mistaken for a black metal bezel, a good example of clever designing, and what I truly loved about the L7 is its super slim design along with the boxee shape and minimalistic look, add all that together and you’ll have an affordable premium looking phone by the name of the Optimus L7.

(L7 paired with a Liveview watch)

The optimus L7 is a two year old smartphone so having dated android OS doesn't come as a surprise, the L7 runs android 4.0.3 (ICS) and LG won’t be supporting a jellybean upgrade, as we've learned through the years most android devices can not be upgraded to a newer version of android, given only if you'll flash it with a custom ROM (at your own risk), however LG will be supporting firmware updates for the L7, although I find it difficult and inconvenient to update the L7 because it lacks the ability to make updates over the air, you’ll have to sync it with the LG phone suite that’s installed in your PC. But old or not I haven’t got problems using dated firmware for as long as it can perform my everyday task, that will put me at bay for a while before craving for a newer version, but certainly that won’t be the case for early adopters.

The L7 P705 variant does not come with the NFC feature unlike its European counterpart, it's not much of a loss, though, as NFC is a feature that’s hardly been used in our country (Philippines), though I honestly admit it’s better to have it on board than not have it at all. That aside you’re probably wondering where did LG cut down on price? If you have tried one yourself it’s apparent that LG had compromised a lot with the L7’s hardware, generally the L7 is a slow phone and you can blame it on its somewhat anemic specifications, LG provides a 1ghz Qualcomm single core processor and a measly 512 MB of RAM for the L7, not much muscle there, so gaming, multi tasking and web browsing isn’t the nicest thing to do with this phone, however as an everyday phone that organizes your schedules, e-mails and social networking accounts this isn’t a bad choice.

Though the L7 features a 5MP auto focus camera with LED flash, it’s not something to get excited about, for one, using it in dark areas isn’t the best thing to do with this phone but in areas with lots of sun it tells a different story, the 5 mp camera takes sharp pictures outdoors with print quality materials, my only gripe, though, is the slow shutter speed and the camera app which takes time to launch, you'll loss 4-5 seconds of your precious time over and over just trying to open the app, however, having the geo tag feature on board will somehow make-up for that loss, in addition video chat and selfies is something that ain’t new with the L7, the front VGA camera will make those selfie moments as easy as saying cheese.

(Below are samples taken from the L7's 5Mp camera)

I have to admit, multi-media is one of the best thing that the L7 can do; with its sharp 4.3 inch IPS screen watching movies on the go is an experience that’s second only to high-end phones, the screen also provides good viewing angles which is quite impressive for its price. It goes without saying that one can expect excellent music quality with an android device, true enough, that most adopted it as a portable music player, while the L7 has average to good battery performance, using it as a media player though, will drain your battery a lot faster and may struggle to last a day, although in this day and age most tech users already own a power bank so that erases that problem.

All in all the optimus L7 holds its own, experience-wise I can say that it fares better than most single-core 1ghz android smartphones, but needless to say, with the uprising of affordable dual-core android phones I find it difficult for the L7 to still find a market.

LG OPTIMUS L7 SPECIFICATIONS


NETWORK: GSM/3G

OS: Android 4.0.3(ICS), optimus UI

DISPLAY: Corning's Gorilla glass, 4.3 inch IPS 480x800 at 217ppi

PROCESSOR: Qualcomm MSM7227A chipset, Snapdragon 1Ghz Cortex A5, Adreno 200 GPU

MEMORY: 512 RAM/ 4gb internal storage, expandable micro SD card 32gb max

CAMERA: 5MP autofocus/touch-focus with LED flash, Geo-tag, front VGA

OTHERS: Wifi, bluetooth, A-GPS, Wifi Hotspot, proximity sensor, auto-rotation

BATTERY: 1700 mAh

Xperia Play Review and Specs.

It’s sad to hear Ericsson’s departure from the Sony bandwagon after Sony bought them out at a whooping 7.5 billion Swedish kroners which then put them in full control, however as sad as it may seem, Sony has plans of a bright future for their smartphones, and one amongst such is the plan to incorporate Playstation mobile to all their smartphones, something Sony is reluctant to do when Ericsson was still on board. The Xperia Play was Sony’s first venture alongside Ericsson to incorporate Playstation on a mobile phone and was in development since 2006, and as early as 2005 rumors about it has flooded the net along with concept photos of a Playstation phone, the wait just ended when Sony announced the release of the Xperia play in 2011.

At first glance the Xperia play looks more like a PSP go especially the slide up design but the control schemes are a bit different from one another, although gamers worldwide would agree that both these devices are not comfortable to play and may strain your hands on hours of gameplay, bad ergonomics and crammed real estate are mostly the reason, the capacitive touch pad is a good idea but sadly it’s not that responsive. What the Xperia play lacks in comfort it will more than make up for its versatility, for one, it’s an android smartphone so it’s not locked on just gaming alone, the Xperia play can do pretty much all things without you having to grind your teeth in dismay, web browsing, facebook and twitter are some of the xperia play's stellar feature, since it's a smartphone it can also do all work related stuff, in which at that time no other gaming device could offer.

Since it runs on android it can play both android games and Playstation games that are being thrown by Sony in the Playstation mobile store, unfortunately there are only few optimized games on google Playstore, though you can still play it using the touch interface as any normal android device would. The 4” inch screen is sharp enough and produces good color saturation which evidently, makes all the games look gorgeous, viewing angles are also OK.

The Xperia play is made of glossy plastics and is susceptible to fingerprints and smudges, the front , the sides, the back, you name it you can stain it, I really hated Sony for creating a device that catches dirt and prints easily, however the Xperia play’s good built quality and over-all good looks can equally make up for it, although some consider the Xperia play as bulky, and here's what I gotta say, yes it is! but only if you think of it as a smartphone but as a handheld console with phone features, one can’t complain.

The xperia play’s controller and button lay-outs are well arranged and looks absolutely fantastic, sadly it’s an ergonomic nightmare, Sony considers good looks rather than comfort on the xperia play and one couldn’t play long enough without suffering hand strains, for long gameplays you're better off with the touch screen, “try it and you’ll thank me.”

The Xperia Play is powered by a Qualcomm MSM8255 Snapdragon chipset with 1Ghz single core Scorpion processor, 512 mb of RAM, Adreno 205 GPU, and runs on android 2.3 gingerbread, Sony didn't bother a 4.0 update for a good reason "hardware limitations", but the snapdragon chipset is no slouch, for a single core processor it performs absolutely phenomenal, lags are barely noticeable and 3D games like Wild Blood plays well on the Xperia Play with full controller support, in some ways the raw processing power of the Xperia play fares better than most entry-level dual core smartphones.

It's kinda ironic to see a Sony device with no proprietary Peripherals, as odd as it may seem the Xperia play uses a micro sd card for memory expansion and a micro USB port for charging and file transfer but sadly it starts and ends with the Xperia play, how I wish Sony consider this to all if not some of their future products, it's highly unlikely but hey! wishing is free.

PROS: Capable gaming machine, good camera, no proprietary ports and media.

CONS: Few optimized games, no game mapping software, uncomfortable to play.

SPECIFICATIONS:


Size: 119 x 62 x 16 mm
Weight: 175 grams
Phone memory: 400 MB
Memory card support: microSD™, up to 32 GB
Memory card included: 8GB microSD™
Operating system: Google™ Android 2.3 (Gingerbread)
Display: 4" inch TFT, 480x854 pixels, 245ppi, multi-touch
Chipset: Qualcomm MSM8255 Snapdragon
Processor: 1Ghz Scorpion
RAM: 512MB
GPU: Adreno 205
Camera: 5 megapixel rear with auto focus, LED flash, VGA front
GPS
Accelerometer
Proximity sensor
Light sensor
PSP-like controller with left and right touch pad.

Alcatel Soleil OT5021E Review and Specs

Alcatel is well-known for its affordable products like smartphones and tablets, however as cheap as they come they are actually on par with other expensive brands in terms of performance and durability, built quality is no push-over either, having said that, Alcatel’s smartphones are mostly underrated once you find a little space in you to try one, you’ll probably know what I’m saying. Alcatel is anything but green in this business in fact they’ve been here for quite some time now and through years of experience they’ve finally set things right with their ONE TOUCH series.

The ONE TOUCH Soleil is Alcatel’s budget dual-core android Smartphone currently running 4.1 jellybean, design-wise there’s a heft of goodness to it, noticeably clear is the good built quality (in relation to its price) and somehow it doesn’t feel cheap whilst in your hands, the curves are also well placed and aims to minimize stress while holding it for long period --- there’s a large space at the bottom of the screen about more than half an inch, apparently it is where the capacitive touch buttons are placed and it kind of spoil the whole design, but once lit a different face emerges, and immediately you'll notice that it doesn’t look too bad after all.

Every phone features eventually falls down to their hardware specifications and the One Touch Soleil is one tough competitor that doesn’t fall short on these qualities especially when we’re dealing with a budget Smartphone. The Soleil boldly features a dual-core processor (MTK6577) coupled with a Power VR GPU (SGX531) and 512mb of RAM. I was dumb-founded to see a budget device performed exceptionally well, lags are barely noticeable in fact I was that close to believe that there was any, but of course no such smartphones are free from lags. That aside, the Soleil is definitely as smooth as butter, just try swiping from one homescreen to the other and you’ll immediately felt Project Butter doing what it’s supposed to, opening and closing apps is also fairly exceptional , all that for a price that’s just arms length away.

Web browsing is a smartphone’s most used feature, if you browse the web a lot and spends most of your time on Facebook than any other thing on earth, then you won’t be lost with the One Touch Soleil, surprisingly, the Soleil is one budget phone that does web browsing on a decent scale whether be it mobile or desktop view you won’t be disappointed, a feature only possible on higher-end dual-core smartphones but rarely on a budget phone, scrolling on a web page is fairly responsive, although you might encounter slight lags while zooming in and out but not on a level that might disappoint you. Furthermore the whole google ecosystem is yours to enjoy and android 4.1 jellybean is made use by the Soleil’s capable hardware, in which other budget jellybean device couldn’t do well.

A Smartphone isn’t just your everyday Personal Data Assistant it is also your handheld gaming device, for some; buying a dual-core smartphone suggests their need for gaming than any other thing a smartphone can offer, the Soleil, however is a capable gaming device, the Power VR is a proven and tested gaming GPU, for those who didn’t know the PSVita and the Sega Dreamcast uses Power VR GPUs each with specific model. The Soleil can be your everyday handheld gaming console, for casual gamers it can run pretty much all your games including Temple Run 1 and 2, For hardcore gamers, well, For starters it can play Dead Trigger and Samurai II with acceptable gameplay and I’m sure enough that other graphic intensive games will be playable.

The Soleil features a 4 inch IPS display 480x800 resolution, it’s not the brightest but it gets the job done, in fact its sharp enough not to strain your eyes when reading small text, the IPS display, meanwhile renders users a wide area of good viewing angles, colors are vibrant and well saturated in which I find it essential for gaming and watching movies, with its 4 inch display the Soleil is definitely one hell of a multimedia device.

I’m not a big fan of smartphone camera but then again this is one feature that the Soleil does exceptionally well, it’s not as sharp as the iphone 5 or the galaxy note 3 but for the price it’s definitely enough to put other expensive smartphones to shame and it doesn’t even have a flash --- Now it all comes down to battery life, honestly I find it a bit short in juice especially if you are a gamer on the go, but with moderate use it will last you a day, however wifi and 3G does drain your battery a lot faster so you might want to turn that off when not in use.

The Alcatel One Touch Soleil is available at Sun Cellular PLAN350 a relatively good offer for a good phone --- these days 350 pesos is just your average everyday gas consumption and if somehow you don’t find this as a good offer, well honestly I don’t know what is.


ALCATEL SOLEIL OT5021E SPECIFICATION:

CPU:

Chipset MTK6577
Android 4.1 jellybean
CPU speed Dual Core 1GHz
Power Vr SGX531

DISPLAY:

4.0 inch IPS WVGA 480 x 800 pixels TFT
16M color display Capacitive screen

CAMERA:

5 Megapixel camera with fix focus
Face / Smile detection Digital Zoom
Video Player: 720p@30fps Video capture: 720p@30fps Video codecs: H263, MPEG4, H264
video streaming
front camera VGA

MEMORY:

Internal Memory 4GB ROM / 512 MB RAM
1.4GB end user memory
MicroSD ( up to 32GB)

CONNECTIVITY:

GSM 850/900/1800/1900
UMTS 850/1900/2100
HSPA (HSDPA/HSUPA)
WIFI b/g/n
bluetooth 4.0 with A2DP

OTHERS:

GPS with AGPS
G-sensor
proximity sensor
light sensor

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