Archos Gamepad 2

Archos just recently announced the release of the 2nd gen Gamepad, "the Gamepad 2" with improvements obviously inspired from the flaws and cons of the previous Gamepad, that being said, the latter suffers from bad control schemes like; responsiveness and game mapping problems, also adding insult to injury was the poor battery life and the washed-out screen, but now with the release of the Gamepad 2 all these problems will be nothing more but history, as Archos claims!

The Gamepad 2 has undergone a complete make-over in terms of design, emphatically, in a good way, it's now in matte black and appears more like a dedicated console and a serious contender to the PSvita and even Nvidia's Project Shield, the improvements in the button lay-out are easily noticeable, the once stiff analog thumb stick is now replaced by a more responsive ones with rubbery texture and an in-curved surface for enhanced grip, there are also additional shoulder buttons on both the left and right triggers, the d-pad is also been replaced by a one piece directional pad, that means hitting diagonals are much easier in which the previous gamepad had failed to achieve.

( An integrated Gamezone App Market ensures optimized game support for the Gamepad 2 )

Aside from its improved design and amazing ergonomics, the gamepad 2 had a dramatic change in hardware, think of it as a gamepad on steroids, it now has a quad-core processor 1.6 GHz A9, a quad-core GPU, 2 gig of RAM, and runs android 4.2 jellybean, now even the most graphically intense games will be playable with almost no visible lags, game visuals has also improved because of the gamepad 2's enhanced screen (7"IPS 1280x800 resolution) bluetooth is also been incorporated on the gamepad 2. With all this improvements it's interesting to see how gamers wil react to it, considering the disappointments they had from the previous gamepad.

(The Gamepad 2 comes pre-bundled with optimized Gameloft games, Modern Combat 4 and Asphalt 8)

ARCHOS GAMEPAD 2 SPECIFICATIONS

Included in box • Tablet, charger, USB data cable, documentation
Display • 7’’: 1280 x 800 pixels, IPS,
Application Framework • Android 4.2, "Jelly Bean"
Processor • Quad-core A9 @ 1.6GHz
• Quad-core GPU Mali 400 MP4
Capacity • 8GB* or 16GB* + micro SD (compatible with cards up to 64GB)
RAM • 2GB RAM
Video playback1 • H.264 HD (up to 1080p @30fps)
• MPEG-42 HD (up to 1080p @30fps)
• With the above codecs, the device can play video files with the following extensions: AVI, MP4, MOV, 3GP, MPG, PS, TS, MKV, FLV
Audio Playback1 • MP3
• WAV (PCM/ADPCM)
• AAC3, AAC+ 5.13
• OGG Vorbis
• FLAC
Photo viewer4 • JPEG, BMP, PNG, GIF
Subtitles • .srt, .ssa, .smi, .sub formats supported
Cameras • Front webcam
Interfaces • Micro USB 2.0: Mobile Transfer Protocol (MTP)
• USB host via OTG
• microSD (compatible with 64 GB cards formatted to FAT32)
Wireless technologies • Dual band WiFi (2.4GHz & 5GHz)
• Wireless display5
• Bluetooth
Gaming Controls • Two analogue thumb-sticks
• Directional pad
• 6 front facing buttons
• 4 shoulder buttons
Miscellaneous • Built-in stereo speakers
• G-sensor
• Built-in Microphone
• Audio Jack 3.5mm
• HDMI output (Mini HDMI / HDMI cable sold separately)
Power source • Internal: Lithium Polymer battery
• External: Power adapter/charger
Dimensions & weight • 200.5 mm x 154 mm x 9.9 mm (7.9’’ x 6.0’’ x 0.39’’)
• 400g (0.88 pounds)

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.....

my/phone A878 DUO android phone specs and price

Pinoy local brand phones are now on its prime, the news about the vast improvements of these local brand phones from then and now have reached far and wide, with the ever rising popularity of these affordable phones, local electronic consumers couldn't resist noticing it, "me included". What made these local brands popular was the release of their android line of smartphones, but in reality, to some average pinoy an android smartphone is a luxury that's hard to afford but with the local market now flooded with these cheap locally branded phones, an android smartphone is just arms-length away.

I'm aiming my sight to My/phone one of the pioneers of this industry owned and operated by the Solid Group of Companies, amidst the significant improvements in the quality and functionality of their phones affordability was never left out, thus making them the most popular local brand phone in the Philippine market and their designs are better than the rest too. I am particularly interested in one of their android phone, the My/Phone A878 DUO, last time I saw it, it was priced at 6,999 pesos just less than a month later the price dropped to 5,999 pesos and with Christmas fast approaching the A878's price is likely to drop again. The A878 is not your ordinary entry-level android phone, it boasts a generous 4.3 inch IPS capacitive touchscreen and its killer feature the 1Ghz dual core Mediatek processor. A 5,999 peso android phone with this stature is hard to come by, but yes! you can have it here "ONLY IN THE PHILIPPINES".

MY/PHONE A878 SPECS.
4.3″ WVGA (480×800) IPS capacitive display
1GHz dual-core MT6577 processor
PowerVR SGX531 GPU
Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich
512MB of RAM (483.6MB usable)
4GB of Internal Storage (2.56GB usable)
microSD up to 32GB
5MP autofocus camera with dual LED flash
720p HD Video Recording
Bluetooth v3.0 with EDR & A2DP / WiFi 802.11b/g/n and WiFi Hotspot
Dual SIM/ Dual Standby
1,800mAh Lipolymer Battery.

PRICE: 5,999 Php source: My/Phone booth River Banks Mall, Marikina city.

Archos Gamepad

Archos has finally entered the handheld gaming arena, which for decades was mastered and dominated by Nintendo and Sony. Archos was not the first to try, Nokia also has taken a bold step in entering the gaming world, but eventually met its fatal demise; and so, Nokia's N-gage was short-lived, we do come to question the Archos gamepad, will it share the same fate as that of the N-gage?

For one, the Gamepad is powered by android which since its arrival has taken the world by storm, android powered devices are the hottest selling product on the planet, more than half a decade ago gadgets are all about brands and its model, now its all about what version of android you're running, this just showed how successful android is, in the consumer market, eventhough Apple won't agree with it, Android is here to stay along with its third party developer, and that is pretty much of an assurance that the gamepad will never run out of games and will easily fill-in a spot in the gaming world. Upon the Gamepad's entry, Sony will definitely have their hands full and Nintendo a lot to think about.

The Gamepad features button mapping, which is 100% customizable depending on the gamers preference, though most games will still show their on- screen control layout, but Archos promises to release games, optimized for the gamepad, that means taking advantage of the gamepad's built-in controller, which is by the way, strategically layed-out, and of course no on-screen control that will hinder your gameplay.

The gamepad resembles the Wii U controller, but the gamepad has a bigger screen at 7 inch and an obvious sleeker design.

The Archos Gamepad is powered by a 1.5ghz dual core processor with mali 400 quad core GPU, with ICS on board........ see videos of the gamepad on my video bar for more tech specs.

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.

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.