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    Review: Samsung Galaxy S II

    Gadgets Team
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    4
    Review: Samsung Galaxy S II

    The first Galaxy S had a lot of things going for it – it was slim, responsive, and was packed to the brim with all the latest tech goodies that the Korean manufacturer could stuff into it. It’s probably an understatement to say then, that the Galaxy S II has its work cut out for it. Thankfully the Samsung Galaxy S II manages to surpass the original in almost every way.

    The Galaxy S II is the latest in the line of Samsung’s superphones, and since it’s Sammy’s current flagship model, it’s packed to the brim with everything you’d expect – a fantastically bright and crisp 4.3-inch super AMOLED screen, a dual-core 1.2GHz ARM Cortex-A9 processor and the latest build of Android, Gingerbread 2.3.

    The Galaxy S II is undeniably slim, and measures in at 8.5mm at its thinnest point. There’s a 3.5mm phone jack on top and USB/charger input at the bottom.

    There’s also an 8-megapixel camera on the back.

    The speakers are located on the small bump on near the bottom of the device. Unlike its competitors, the Galaxy S II only uses two touch sensitive buttons at the bottom of the screen.

    Physical buttons are slim pickings – there’s the power button on the right and the volume rocker on the left, with a home button being the sole, physical key in the front of the device.

    The overall build quality of the Galaxy S II is good, and though it’s mostly made out of plastic, we’re fairly certain it’ll stand up to abuse well. The Galaxy S II is extremely light, and only slightly tips the scales at around 116 grams. The design is simple, yet elegant, and the rounded corners plus the slightly textured back of the device mean that you’ll always have a comfortable and positive grip on it.

    One of the best things going for the Galaxy S II is its screen. It’s seriously one of the best, if not THE best displays we’ve seen on a smartphone so far this year. The super AMOLED screen is nice and bright, has excellent colors, viewing angles and so on and so forth. The blacks are amazing on the screen, and everything you do with it – from watching movies and videos – feels so much better than viewing it on a regular LCD screen. One thing though – AMOLED screens tend to suffer when exposed to direct sunlight, kind of like a vampire (no, not the one that shimmers). The Galaxy S II doesn’t suffer as badly compared to other AMOLED devices, but it’s still something to keep in mind.

    Like most other manufacturers, Samsung’s tweaked the stock Android interface and injected their own improvements by way of their TouchWiz UI.

    I especially liked the fact that four of the most important widgets – Phone, Contacts, Messaging and Apps – are always accessible even while going through the seven different (and customizable) homescreens.  As with anything Android, you can customize the screens depending on what you want.

    Performance-wise, the Galaxy S II did not disappoint. It trudged through Quadrant Standard like a champ, scoring an impressive 3259 points. To put that in perspective, the HTC Sensation we reviewed a couple of weeks back (which also had a dual-core 1.2GHz processor) scored 2212.

    It was pretty much the same story for AnTuTu, with the Galaxy S II scoring extremely high, nabbing about 5249. It was weird though that it didn’t reach the highest benchmark score on AnTuTu (which was about 5600) even though it was set by the same unit, the Galaxy S II.

    Battery life was excellent, and it managed to last more than a day on a single charge. Usually battery life is the my main complaint when it comes to reviewing smartphones, with most devices not lasting the night if not plugged in to the socket. The Galaxy S II managed to stay on even when I forgot to charge it of the night, which speaks volumes about the screen’s power efficiency.

    It’s hard to find fault in the Galaxy S II, but there is one thing that really bothered me about it. The back cover on the device is extremely flimsy – it’s less than a millimeter thick, and judging from the condition of the cover when the unit got to us, it’s a bit prone to damage.

    But don’t let that little detail stop you from trying out the Samsung Galaxy S II. It’s possibly one of the fastest smartphones, if not THE fastest smartphone out in the market today. It’s also one of the slimmest around, and brings both style and technology in a beautiful package that fits in the palm of your hand.
    What’s Hot:

    Super AMOLED screen

    Extremely responsive

    Fast processor

    Excellent performance
    What’s Not:

    Back cover is flimsy, prone to damage

    Bottomline:

    It was a tall order, but the Samsung Galaxy S II managed to surpass the original in every way. Definetely a must buy.

    Buymeter: 9

    TECH SPECS

    • Operating System
    • Android 2.3, TouchWiz UI
    • CPU
    • Dual-core 1.2GHz ARM Cortex-A9 proccessor, Mali-400MP GPU
    • LCD size
    • 4.3 inch, Super AMOLED Plus capacitive touchscreen
    • Physical Dimensions
    • 125.3 x 66.1 x 8.5mm
    • Weight
    • 116 grams
    • Band
    • GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900, HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100

    TV5 and MMDA’s Traffic Navigator officially launches, mobile app will be available soon

    Gadgets Team
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    1
    TV5 and MMDA’s Traffic Navigator officially launches, mobile app will be available soon

    So we’ve been using the Traffic Navigator that was developed by TV5 and the MMDA for a while now, and we’re not going to lie – it’s definitely a time saver. Little did we know that the site was only in its beta stages, and things have gotten better since then. The service was officially launched tonight at the EDSA Shangri-La, and it’s picked up a few improvements since we last saw it. The site has been optimized for web browsing on almost every screen and operating system, be it in your monitor or on your smartphone. They’ve also announced a few planed improvements to the site, including adding more roads, which will include Katipunan, Marcos Highway and Ortigas (hopefully including arterial roads as well) and mobile versions of the app for iOS and Android. The site is updated every 15 minutes, so people will hopefully get a good idea of what they’re getting into before they leave. Another nice feature that’s been unveiled is the ability to share traffic deets via Twitter and Facebook, and soon the ability to see the reason why a certain part of the road is congested.

    We were given a preview of the iOS app for Interaksyon app. Aside from giving users a way to keep track of the what’s happening on the road, the app also allows you to keep up with the stories that broke during the day, as well a way to download and read the articles later. As an added bonus, you can also listen to music from TV5’s own radio station, DWFM 92.3. Sadly, aside from the normal app development routes (Android, Blackberry and Windows), there’s no word on a Symbian app yet (this is still Nokia country, after all) but we’ve gotten word that they’re trying to find a way for non-smartphone users to benefit from the site.

    Doodle.ly: Why write when you can doodle?

    Gadgets Team
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    1
    Doodle.ly: Why write when you can doodle?

    Times New Roman, Arial, Helvetica – These fonts never had anything on those crazy little doodles that once filled the pages of your notebook. Now, the web is your personal sketchpad with Doodle.ly. This new website allows you to get those creative juices flowing and create your works of art and share them with the rest of the world rather than keeping them in between your school notes and trapper keepers. Put color, character and personality into your sketches and leave those boring old fonts for the class and boardroom. Visit the site, start doodling, and share via Twitter or Facebook. (I’m sure the guys over at wewilldoodle will absolutely love this!)

    Hopefully soon, it’ll find its way into your iPhone and iPad. What’ll you do at school/work then?

     

    Source: Coolhunting

    Unmanned drone can crack your WiFi and GSM networks

    Gadgets Team
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    0
    Unmanned drone can crack your WiFi and GSM networks

    Every year the Blackhat Security Conference and DEFCON becomes the stage where hackers, whatever hat they wear, come and play. This year’s conference however, had our inner nerds smiling and our paranoid selves looking for the nearest tin hat. It’s because of the WASP, or the Wireless Aerial Surveillance Platform. Basically it’s an unmanned drone (kind of the like the one that the US Army uses to blow up targets in Afghanistan) that’s been heavily modified to snoop in on wireless and GSM networks. It’s able to break into secured wireless networks with ease, and it’s GSM antenna allows it to eavesdrop on calls and text messages in whatever area it’s flying in.

    And if that wasn’t enough, aside from takeoff and landing, the drone can be completely automated. After take off you can forget about it, and once it lands, you can have your way with all the data it’s managed to accumulate. Oh, did we mention that it’s totally capable of taking videos too?

    Source: Forbes

    Globe drops the price of its Tattoo BB stick to Php 995

    Gadgets Team
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    4
    Globe drops the price of its Tattoo BB stick to Php 995

    Been itching to grab a Globe Tattoo BB stick but was too stingy for it? Well, now’s the time to drop the cash – Globe’s dropped the price of its Tatoo BB stick to a measly Php 995. Aside from surfing the web on this USB powered dongle, users will also get 120 hours of surfing good for 5 days with their purchase. Though users may be a bit wary when purchasing Globe’s internet sticks now that Smart’s come out saying that theirs is significantly faster than the competition. Regardless, Php 995 isn’t much, and at that price (and the surfing time included) means that you still get your money’s worth.

     

    Meet the Alesis AcousticLink: a guitarist’s next best friend

    Gadgets Team
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    0
    Meet the Alesis AcousticLink: a guitarist’s next best friend

    If you’ve ever tried miking your acoustic guitar, then you’ll probably understand that that it is one of the more complex instruments to record. However, with the Alesis AcousticLink, all your frustrations might just come to an end.

    Meet the Alesis AcousticLink, an interface that provides acoustic guitar/bass players a no-drill and no-frills way to record their songs directly onto the computer.

    This interesting device requires no modifications on your beloved instrument, since the Alesis single-coil pickup fastens onto the guitar’s sound hole via cushioned clamps. Sound then travels from your guitar via a 1/4″-to-USB cable that connects directly into your PC or Mac. Furthermore,  the AcousticLink is also compatible with the iPad (when used with Apple’s iPad connector).

    Since this product has just been announced, there are no retail prices available just yet, so stay tuned for updates.

     

    Fore more info: Alesis AcousticLink

    $25 PC Raspberry Pi is set to enter production soon

    Gadgets Team
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    1
    $25 PC Raspberry Pi is set to enter production soon

    Remember that $25 USB Stick PC that we reported on a couple of months back? Well, it’s ready to go into Alpha production and it’s picked up geeky name to go with it – Raspberry Pi. If you’re too lazy to read back on that link, game dev/awesome human being David Braben originally came up with the concept of the ultra-low cost PC for kids and schools. The device has a 700MHz ARM11 processor, 128MB RAM, OpenGL ES 2.0, 1080p output and will run Linux. Connectivity will be handled by a USB 2.0 hub and 10/100 Ethernet controller, and will theoretically be able to use all the free tools that’s available for Linux. It also seems that there will be two variants of the low cost PC: a $25 device (Model A) with 128MB of RAM, and a $35 device (Model B) with two USB host ports and Ethernet, will come with 256MB of RAM.

    Source: Geek

    Study shows that IE users have lower IQ than other web browser users

    Gadgets Team
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    0
    Study shows that IE users have lower IQ than other web browser users

    Yes, you read that right. A study conducted by Canadian company AptiQuant titled “Intelligence Quotient (IQ) and Browser Usage” found that there may be link between browser usage and average IQs. The company tested about 101,326 individuals older than the age of 16 and found that users of IE6 had the lowest average IQ scores of the bunch at around 80, while Chrome and Firefox users have much better average scores – about 110. Camino and Opera users were the smartest of the group, with their IQ scores averaging at more than 120. To be fair, IE users’ IQ scores increased with better versions of the browser (except of IE9, which trails behind IE8).

    The study concludes that “individuals on the lower side of the IQ scale tend to resist a change/upgrade of their browsers,” which kind of makes sense. People with higher IQs tend to switch and upgrade to better and faster software (in this case, browsers) and have more of a tendency to experiment and try new things.

    Source: Mashable

    Pinoy_Blogfest 2.0 advocates social media for social good

    Gadgets Team
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    0
    Pinoy_Blogfest 2.0 advocates social media for social good

    With Filipinos once again acknowledged as among the most active social media users — via FaceBook, Twitter, Multiply, Tumblr, Flickr, YouTube, etc. — Filipino bloggers are challenged to explore the potential of social media as a transformative force in Philippine society.  “Social media as an agent for change” will be the theme of Pinoy_Blogfest 2.0, happening on Friday, 05 August 2011, at the TriNoma Activity Center in Quezon City.

    Leading the discussion will be prominent social media activists Usec. Manuel (Manolo) L. Quezon III and Ms. Gang Badoy, who will share their thoughts on these two basic questions: How can we harness the power of social media for the social good?  Can bloggers become positive change agents through social networking?

    Both Usec. Quezon and Ms. Badoy will be the main speakers during the Blogger’s BIO (By Invitation Only) programme, scheduled from 7:00 to 10:00 pm as the culminating activity of Pinoy_Blogfest 2.0 on Friday, 05 August 2011.

    Manolo Quezon is a popular essayist and blogger, who is currently an undersecretary of the Presidential Communications and Strategic Planning Office.  Prior to this, he hosted The Explainer and The Explainer Dialogues on ANC cable news channel.  He also headed the Speaker’s Bureau and was a columnist and editorial writer for the Philippine Daily Inquirer, and was the assistant managing editor for the Philippine Free Press weekly news magazine.  Usec. Quezon has received various awards for his professional work, including being named “Opinion Writer of the Year” in 1994 and 2005 by the Rotary Club of Manila’s Journalism Awards, one of the oldest journalism awards in the country.  He also won the 1st Prize for the Essay in English for the Carlos Palance Memorial Awards for Literature in 1997.

    Ms. Gang Badoy is a media practitioner and alternative educator.  A product of the Assumption San Lorenzo High School, UP Diliman and the Indianapolis-Purdue University, she worked first for ABS-CBN in San Francisco and became news desk editor for NBC’s Eyewitness News.  In 1999, she accepted a post with the Diocese of San Jose, California, and worked closely with Catholic Relief Services.  She came home to the Philippines in mid-2003 and joined Jesuit Communications (JesCom) and spearheaded workshops on “Media and Ministry” for the East Asian Pastoral Institute.  Primarily a writer, Ms. Badoy founded Rock Ed Philippines, an alternative education volunteer group that works for a more interesting way of presenting socio-civic issues to the youth.  She also devotes time to giving media literacy lectures in campuses all over the Philippines, and is a staunch volunteerism advocate.  Ms. Badoy was awarded as one of the Ten Outstanding Women in the Nation’s Service (TOWNS) and Ten Outstanding Young Men (TOYM) for 2010.

    Pinoy_Blogfest 2.0 is a whole-day event, with several Social Activities targeted at various audiences.  These are open to the public, as follows:  10:30 am to 12:oo nn – The New Workplace; 01:00 pm to 02:30 pm – It’s A Digital Life; 02:30 pm to 04:00 pm – Photography; 04:00 pm to 05:30 pm – Healthy Living.  With expert resource persons for each of these social activities, the public will surely find the sessions both educational and entertaining.  On-site registration will give the audience a chance to win raffle prizes and other give-aways.

    Pinoy_Blogfest 2.0 is organized by GADGETS Magazine, with the support of The Coca-Cola Export Corporation, Teletech, Canon, Globe, Pony, Neo, Asus, Western Digital, Archos, BenQ, JBL, Sennheiser,  Manila Bulletin, Business Mirror, and TriNoma.

     

    The week in review: July 25 – 29

    Gadgets Team
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    0
    The week in review: July 25 – 29

    Bummed out that you missed the hottest tech stories last week? Don’t be. We’re taking a second look at the tech stories that broke in the website last week that you might have missed.

    News:


    Tests conducted by NESIC show Smart Bro plug-it is faster than the competition

    Smart’s Rocket Plug-it promises up to 12Mbps speeds

    Dell makes teaching in the digital age easier

    MacBook Air now for sale in Power Mac Center

    Razer outs Electra headphones, wants you to use them with music too

    HP’s HoP on to HP Getaway promo says thank you to customers in a big way

    Asus officially launches ROG branded Vulcan ANC Gaming Headset

    Sony’s Great VAIO S-Cape Raffle promo update

    Add a “Jewel” to your kitchen

    Razer’s Switchblade gaming device has first dibs on new Intel Atom Z690 procie

    WD releases 1TB Scorpio Blue for notebooks

    Teletech Pioneer Recruitment Hub Soon to Open

    Canon joins the Manila Zoo in celebrating its 52nd anniversary

    ThumbMOB launches Vuclip locally – view online videos on any device, on any carrier

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Dell makes teaching in the digital age easier

    Gadgets Team
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    0
    Dell makes teaching in the digital age easier

    Kids these days are much more advanced when it comes to being familiar to technology than ever before. Most of them already have Facebook accounts, and some of them already have PCs and notebooks of their own. Dell understands this all too well and have developed a number of solutions and products to address the changing landscape of teaching. The Connected Classroom, as Dell calls it, gives teachers and educators the necessary tools to deliver their message and lessons to their students. It includes innovations like an interactive whiteboard, control over student’s notebooks while class is ongoing and the capability to stream lessons to far flung classrooms in the country. Dell has also introduced a couple of new products to compliment their software, including the Dell Latitude 2120 Netbook, Dell Latitude XT2 Tablet PC, Ergotron TeachWell Mobile Digital Platform and their Dell S300wi Interactive, Short Throw Projector.

    Become a smart shopper with the Smart Cart (and your smartphone)

    Gadgets Team
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    0
    Become a smart shopper with the Smart Cart (and your smartphone)

    Many people may find grocery shopping to be quite the task at hand especially when you’re on a budget. For many shoppers, finding true “convenience” in a convenience store is something that needs quite a bit of work. Personally, I still write a grocery list on a piece of paper and estimate how much each item will cost so that I know not to exceed my budget. Then come shopping day, I walk around with cart, list, and phone calculator in hand just to make doubly sure there won’t be any “void” items at the checkout counter.

    But now, grocery shopping might not be such a daunting task with the SK Telecom Smart Cart.  This program has begun testing in China and integrates the shopping cart with your smartphone so you have access to store and product information along with discounts and coupons. Once your phone is synced to that the tablet PC installed on the shopping cart, you can now see what you’re buying, how much, where the discounts in the store are as well as the membership points you’ve accumulated.

    If this finds itself in the Philippines, I’ll probably want to shop every weekend.

     

    Source: designboom

    Smart’s Rocket Plug-it promises up to 12Mbps speeds

    Gadgets Team
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    1
    Smart’s Rocket Plug-it promises up to 12Mbps speeds

    Aside from dropping their speed bombshell earlier today, we also managed to get a sneak peek of Smart’s soon to be released Rocket Plug-it broadband stick. The stick uses Smart’s newly overhauled HSPA+ network, and will be available for retail of about Php 3,995. It’s going to launch soon (hopefully by next week), and the Rocket Plug-it will still be able to take load via Smart’s reloading system, and will still follow their pricing tier (Php 10 for 30 minutes). Once we get our own unit, we’ll keep you updated if this thing performs as advertised.

    Tests conducted by NESIC show Smart Bro plug-it is faster than the competition

    Gadgets Team
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    2
    Tests conducted by NESIC show Smart Bro plug-it is faster than the competition

    It’s a conundrum every potential broadband stick buyer faces: which network is faster? While each broadband provider likes to tout figures and “theoretical” speeds their products can achieve, nothing beats seeing hard numbers backed by empirical evidence. Smart’s saying that their Smart Bro Plug-It has faster connection speeds than the competition, and has the data to prove it.

    Smart enlisted the help of engineering service provider NESIC Philippines, Inc. (NPI) to find out how fast their stick really was. Tests were conducted in 100 locations around the country (29 in Metro Manila, 21 in North Luzon, 18 in South Luzon, 15 in Visayas and 17 in Mindanao) to find out how Smart’s offering stacked up to the competition. The results of the tests were staggering: Smart Bro managed to outperform the competition in ALL locations in terms of average download speeds, and according to NESIC, there is an average difference of 0.74Mbps between Smart Bro and its rival with 26 areas reflecting a 1Mbps discrepancy or greater.

    As far as we know, the tests were conducted with the popular online speed testing program Speedtest.net, with the server being used located in San Francisco. Here’s a couple of key statistics that were shown during the briefing:

    Peak Speed Results

    • Smart is faster in 99 of the 100 test locations
    • 2.66Mbps highest peak speed for Smart Bro achieved at Plantation Bay Resort
    • At least 1Mbps faster in 47 locations
    • At least 1.5Mbps faster in 14 locations
    • Highest speed difference of 2.29Mbps achieved in Tondo, Manila

    Average Speed Results

    • Smart is faster in ALL locations
    • 0.9Mbps average download speed for Smart Bro vs 0.17Mbps of Competition
    • At least 1Mbps faster in 26 locations
    • Highest speed difference of 1.52Mbps achieved in Parkview Village, Taguig City

    To further prove the point, Smart pitted Globe’s HSPA+ broadband stick the Tattoo Tonino Lamborghini versus their soon to be released HSPA+ Rocket Plug-it broadband stick. To put things in perspective the event was held in the MCafe in Ayala, which as most readers would know, is primarily a Globe dominated area.

    First off the Globe Tattoo Tonino Lamborghini:

    Now Smart’s Rocket Plug-it:

     

     

    MacBook Air now for sale in Power Mac Center

    Gadgets Team
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    0
    MacBook Air now for sale in Power Mac Center

    For those that have been anticipating the arrival of the new MacBook Air in the Philippines, we have some great news. Power Mac Center has just announced that it will be available starting today, July 29 2011.

    What’s been improved in the new MacBook Air? It now comes equipped with the Sandy Bridge processors, which are quicker and consume power more efficiently. While the standard installation in the laptops will Intel Core i5, customers may request for an Intel Core i7 to be installed. Other features include a Thunderbolt I/O port, backlit keyboard and all-flash storage capacity, ranging from 64GB to 256GB.

    The prices are as follows:

    11-inch: 64GB – ₱52,990
    11-inch: 128GB – ₱62,990
    13-inch: 128GB – ₱68,990
    13-inch: 256GB – ₱82,990

     

    So, if you would like to purchase the new MacBook Air, simply visit any of the following Power Mac Center’s outlets:

    Greenbelt 3
    TriNoma
    The Annex at SM City North EDSA
    SM Megamall
    SM Marikina
    Power Plant Mall
    SM Mall of Asia
    Festival Supermall
    SM City Pampanga

     

    *****

    {quoted from Press Release:}
    Established in August 1994, Power Mac Center is a recognized Apple Premium Reseller and an Apple Authorized Service Provider in the Philippines strategically located in nine major malls in the country.
    For pricing and ordering details on the new MacBook Air and other offers and Power Mac Center services and promos, as well as updates on the latest Apple products, visit their website at www.powermaccenter.com.
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