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Showing posts with label Smartphones. Show all posts

Smarthphones (Androids) For All

Four years ago the GSM Association held a conference at New Delhi, India where the 3G For All initiative was launched. The GSM Associations 3G For All program was envisioned to bring 3G multimedia services and mobile Internet access to a mass-market user base around the world, and the LG KU250 handset was selected as the winning device. The group planned to launch more low cost 3G devices, but eventually the initiative became necessary as manufacturers on their own launched lower and lower cost 3G devices.

Today, it is about smartphones. The feature phone will slowly fade out of existence, save maybe for the most basic handsets, and there is a need to bring smartphones to the mass market. Low cost handset manufacturers from China, with the free license Android operating system from Google, are making this a reality.

Today, we got two Huawei U8150 IDEOS handsets on Smart Communications postpaid Plan 500 offering. Globe Telecom and Sun Cellular offer the same phones on similar plans.

The phone is decently built, and while Android on a 2.8-inch 240 x 320 screen is not ideal, it is a much better choice than any other smartphone at a Php6,000-7,000 budget. It has WiFi, a high speed data connection, can run a large number of Android apps, and can even play Angry Birds (though Rio gets a bit choppy).

This kind of humble device, will bring smartphones to the masses and will probably make Android the dominant operating system in the planet.

HTC Cha Cha is here

Techi.com.ph announced that the HTC Cha Cha, an Android phone with a physical QWERTY messenger form factor is now available in the Philippines. The main feature of this phone is that is has a dedicated Facebook button, which when pressed, takes you to Facebook.

Given the form factor, the screen cannot be all that big, and the phone sports a 2.6-inch 480 x 320 screen. Inside you will find the same 512MB of RAM, 512MB of internal storage and the same 5MP autofocus camera found in HTC's similarly priced Wildfire S which is a pure touchscreen phone a 3.2-inch screen. The Cha Cha does have a faster 800MHz processor than the 600MHz processor found in the Wildfire S.

The suggested retail price is Php15,500, although we expect it to go down to a bit below Php14,000 once it becomes available at your favorite online retailers.

I am not too big on touch screen QWERTY messenger phones. I think the day of the QWERTY messenger on phone priced at over Php10,000 is over. Too many apps just require larger screens. Just imagine playing Angry Birds in a 2.6-inc screen. But the Facebook branding on this phone might help it sell.

Hopefully HTC Philippines also brings in the Facebook inspired Salsa. That one, with its 3.4-inch touchscreen, we do expect to sell well.


Salsa on the left, Cha Cha on the right

August 2011 Android smartphone buyers Guide: Budget droids with HVGA screens.

Since it release, the best budget Android phone in the market has been the LG Optimus One. As competition arrived, the prices of the Optimus One adjusted with the market, and more than six months after it was released, it is still the best budget Android. It is now selling for as low as Php9,800 with an official one year LG warranty.

The Optimus One has a 320 x 480 (HVGA) pixel resolution, which is improtant since this was the original Android reference screen resolution, which means good app compatibility. The 3.2 inch TFT capacitive touchscreen display is big enough and the 600MHz processor and 512MB of RAM make this phone fast enough. It runs Froyo (Android) 2.2, which is good enough even if not updated (and an update to 2.3 is promised). This allows you to install apps on the SD card making the low internal storage of budget phones less of an issue.

When the price went below 10K, we stopped recommending the 240 x 320 screen resolution budget offerings which we had been recommending. The 320 x 480 is well worth the additional 1-2K.

But our favorite budget Droid now faces some serious competition.

Cherry Mobile Cosmo. Get past the Cherry branding. Cherry is an ODM which sells phones manufactured by third parties under their own brand name. The Cherry Mobile Cosmo is actually a Spice Mi-310. These are the official Cherry Mobile Cosmo specifications:

Android 2.2 (Froyo)
Qualcomm MSM 7227 600Mhz
3.2" HVGA Capacitive Touchscreen
ROM: 512MB / RAM: 256MB
Dual Band GSM / GPRS / EDGE
WCDMA / HSDPA
2MP Camera
Portable Wifi Hotspot
WIFI / Bluetooth / 3G / GPS
FM Radio
Standard Micro USB 2.0
3.5mm Stereo Audio Jack
Expandable Memory up to 16GB

Priced a Php6,900 is has similar specifications to the Optimus One and is a very good alternative. It is not as good as the Optimus One coming with only half the RAM, a smaller battery (1300 mAh instead of 1500 mAh) and a lower specification camera. It also apparently cannot handle 32GB MicroSD Cards, being limited to 16GB. But it is priced Php2,900 lower, roughly about 33% less.

Alcatel OT-990. Another new offering is the Alcatel OT-990. Specifications are similar to the Cosmo, but it comes with a larger 3.5-inch screen, a 5MP auto focus camera and can handle 32GB MicroSD cards. Price is supposed to be about Php10K. Basically, the OT-990 will have a larger screen and higher MP camera, with the Optimus One having more RAM and a larger battery.

At this price Optimus One looks like better tried and tested choice, but a 3.5-inch screen 320 x 480 screen is a big plus factor. That is the screen size and resolution is that of an Apple iPhone 3GS.

Others. You also have two offering from Torque, dual sim Androids at Php7,999 at Php9,999... but those are honest to goodness "China phones" manufactured by companies who we cannot identify. One is a know-off of an HTC, the other a iPhone 4 look-a-like (down to the buttons). We will hold off on recommending these for now until we find out more about them.

The choice is yours, but it is great to have choices.

Update: The Alcatel OT-990 is available for Php9,999, but that is a temporary promotional price. The regular price is Php14,999, which is much higher than the Samsung Galaxy Ace which has better spec's.

August 2011 high-end smarthpone buyers guide

If you are thinking of buying a smartphone this month, it might be a good time to wait. If you are decided on getting an Android phone, you safely buy the Samsung i9100 Galaxy S II without worrying that something better is just around the corner. It is by far the best Android phone available in the market today.

The Galaxy S II's 4.3-inch Super AMOLED screen is the best screen on a smartphone today. The Galaxy S II's thin 8.5 mm makes the massive screen much more manageable than previous large screen Androids. It has the fastest processor and graphics combination in any smartphone today. With 1GB of RAM and 16 or 32 GB of internal storage, it does not fall short in the department either. It's Php29,900 suggested retail price is lower than we expected, and a little comparative shopping and you will be able to snag it for just Php27,800.

The other top end Android are interesting, but outclassed. My own personal favorite is the HTC Sensation. If I was in the market right now this is what I would buy, but at Php27,000 with less RAM, a scant 1GB or internal storage and less processing power and slower graphcis, the Galaxy S II is by far a better deal. Why would I buy it. I like HTC's Sense user interface, and I would like my next phone to be similar to my last phone.

Gamers may want to look at LG's Optimus 2x. While it is no Galaxy S II beater, These days, it can be had for as low as Php24,990 which is a fair amount less. Also it's Tegra 2 chipset is the most common dual core Android platform in use there days, and Nvidia is supporting the gaming community, so it might provide better gaming compatibility.

If you want an iPhone instead this may be a good time to wait. A new iPhone is expected next month or two. Which means you can get the current iPhone 4 for a much lower price by than or get Apple's latest offering. The new A5 chip we expect on the next iPhone will make is substantially faster than the current iPhone 4. Rumor is, it will be getting a larger screen too. The 3.5-inch screen on the iPhone is really starting to feel small in 2011.

Nokia and BlackBerry. Nokia fans are better off looking at Windows Phone 7, that is where the company is heading. BlackBerry users are better off waiting for QNX to come to their phones or buying a BlackBerry Playbook and extend the capabilities of their existing phones.

Windows Phone 7 buyers, may want to wait a bit too. We understand that HTC, LG and Samsung are about to launch a series of Windows Phone 7 Mango phones to head off the iPhone launch. And really, there is no Windows Phone 7 device these days that we would consider to be "high end".

The good thing is this time last year, we would have been looking at 33K to 40K to get the best of the best. The 25K to 28K option we are looking at right now are friendlier to the wallet.

Looking for something cheaper? Click this link.

August 2011 budget smartphone buyers guide

Buying a budget smartphone today is better than ever before. You have good Symbian smartphones like the Nokia C5-03 of E6 being sold for just a bit over Php8,000. There are Samsung Bada phones being sold at the same price point. There is actually a RIM BlackBerry phone, the 8520 being sold for under 10K. Smartphones have gotten cheaper.

I think Nokia's Symbian OS is really on its way out, so I would avoid one of those. All the talk of continued Nokia support for Symbian is just to convince you to buy one until they move on to Windows Phone 7. Samsung's Bada, never really went anywhere in the first place, I do not see the point of getting one now. There are no Apple or Windows Phones 7 devices being offered at there price points, so what do we have left.

If you use BlackBerry services, and need a new one, I would recommend the BlackBerry Pearl 3G which can be had a Php9,950 with a two year warranty or BlackBerry Curve 3G available at Php12,450 with a two year warranty. If you have a bigger budget what not get a Pearl or Curve 3G, and a BlackBerry Playbook, rather than a more expensive BlackBerry phone. The QNX OS, on the PlayBook is BlackBerry's future.

A BlackBerry is a good way to stay connected with the Php300 a month BlackBerry Push-Mail or Social packages being offered, by all carriers.

On the Android, front, you want to find a phone that is running Android's 2.2 OS or higher with a capacitative screen, and a resolution of 320 x 480 or better. Why? Android's 2.2 will allow you to install apps on the SD card. Android 2.1 and older install apps on the internal storage. Budget Androids have small amounts of internal storage.

Capacitative screens require a light touch to interact with it. Resistive screens actually require applying pressure to the screen. Resistive screen do work, but capacitative screens are much more comfortable to use.

As for the screen resolution the 320 x 480, that was Android's original screen resolution, so it gives good (but not 100%) app compatibility. We used to recommend even Android with 240 x 320 screens awhile back, but that it when phones with 320 x 480 screens were expensive.

Given out criteria, what looks good in the Android world. The LG Optimus One is a solid choice with Android 2.2, a 3.2-inch 320 x 480 capacitative screen available at now just Php9,800 with an official warranty. It is getting old, having been released in the 4th quarter of 2010, but price reductions continue to make it a good choice.

Another option would the the Alcatel OT-990. Specifications are similar to the LG Optimus One, but it has a larger 3.5-inch 320 x 480 screen. The OT-990 is priced a supposedly 15K (are they crazy) but is available at a promo price of Php9,999. I think this phone will be on "promo" for its entire life. The LG Optimus One is a tried and tested product, making it easier to recommend. The larger screen might be worth taking a "risk" on the Alcatel OT-990. Pick your own poison.

At about Php13,250 you will find the Samsung Galaxy Ace. The Galaxy Ace is a bit faster the the Optimus One, but I don't think a user would actually notice. What makes the addition 3.5K worthwhile is the 3.5-inch 320 x 480 screen and the camera which is much better than one found in the LG Optimus One. Actually the Galaxy Ace has a very good camera.

If you are looking for something higher end, take a look at the guide at this link.

It is now or never for Windows Phone 7

InformationWeek reports that the share of Microsoft in the US mobile phone market has gone down 38% since Windows Phone 7 launched last year. When Windows Phone 7 was launched last year, Windows Mobile held 8% of the US smartphone market. As of the end of June 2011, the combined share of Windows Mobile and Windows Phone 7 is down to 5.8%.

HTC has done the most among all manufacturers to promote Windows Phone 7. How long will it continue.

With no information of global sales of Windows Phone 7 devices, we looked at Statcounters GlobalStats which records mobile phone usage by recording how many webpages tracked by Statcounter are visited by different mobile devices. For the month of June 2011, Windows Phone 7 was recorded as being used by just a bit over 1/4th of one percent of all users.

At the same time, Nokia was toppled from its spot as the top maker of smartphones, falling from first to third, behind Apple and Samsung.

While Nokia's adoption of Windows Phone 7 is supposed to give impetus to the Windows Phone 7 operating system, Nokia is taking a long time to launch its first Windows Phone 7 device. For some reason or other, Nokia took the time to release its MeeGo powered Nokia N9, which is apparently a one-off device. Nokia would have better spent its time launching a Windows Phone 7 device. Not that there is anything wrong with MeeGo, but it does not seem to make sense for Nokia to launch a platform that is is abandoning after a single phone.

With each passing day, a Windows Mobile or Symbian use migrates to Apple's iOS, Google's Android or even RIM's BlackBerry OS. A new iPhone (or maybe two) is expected in the next two months, and a new Ice Cream powered Google Nexus phone is expected soon after that. It will be harder for Windows Phone 7 to gain traction after that.

If Windows Phone 7 is to make a serious stab at the market, Q3 of 2011 is when it has to make its move, and that move is really for Nokia to release a Windows Phone 7 device. The OS is ready and the available apps are sufficient. If the new alliance does not, Windows Phone 7 market share may be so small, and Nokia's clout in the market might be so diminished that it really wont matter anymore.

Smart & PLDT launches the new Experience Center, and lets you experiance the HTC EVO 3D

Smart Communications and PLDT launched the new Experience Center where you can try out the latest products and services and services offered by the two Telecom giants. We have not seen it yet, but the guys over at Hardwarezone.ph have, and they get some hands-on time with the HTC EVO 3D. Pictures, pricing and availability information care off Hardwarezone.ph can be found at this link.

The HTC EVO 3G is an Android powered from with a 4.3-inch 540 x 960 screen, powered by 1.2 GHz dual-core processor, Adreno 220 GPU, Qualcomm MSM8660 chipset and back up by 1GB of RAM. The HTC EVO 3D is very similar to the HTC Sensation already available from Smart Communications. The main difference between the devices is the primary camera.The HTC Sensation has an 8MP snapper, capable of capturing video in 1080p, while the EVO 3D counts on a pair of 5MP cameras to capture 3D video. The EVO 3D can be used in 2D mode but video recording capability is capped at 720p.

Smart is offering the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 plus phone on postpaid plans

Smart Communications is offering the new Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 bundled with a phone for postpaid subscribers.

Plan 2500 (Consumable plan) - Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 plus Samsung Corby 2
Plan 3000 (Data, call and text plan) - Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 plus Samsung Galaxy Mini
Plan 4000 (Data, call and text plan) - Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 plus Samsung Galaxy Ace

We do not have the details of the whether the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 being offered is a WiFi only model, or WiFi and 3G model. We also have no idea on the lock-in period, but it will be at least 24 months.

You can reserve your Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 combo at this link. Promo period is from June 27 to August 12, 2011.

Smart Communications is offering the BlackBerry PlayBook

Smart Communications is offering the BlackBerry PlayBook (16GB), bundled with a 3G BlackBerry smartphone on pre-order. Smart is offering these two options:

Free at Plan 3000 with BlackBerry Pearl 3G 9105
Free at Plan 4000 with BlackBerry Torch 9800

Globe Telecom also is offering the BlackBerry PlayBook. You can find Globe Telecom's offers at this link.

August 2011 mid-level smartphone buyers guide

What do we consider mid-level these days, basically phones priced at Php15,000 to Php23,000, although the best choices are really priced at about 18K. What do you expect to get for this amount. What do expect to get at this price range, a phone with a single 1GHz processor, a decent camera and is capable of 720p video recording and playback.

For Google's Android, you have plenty of options available. Many of the Android 2010 flagship phones are still available, and you have the 2011 mid-level Androids with 2010 technology upgraded with a front camera. My favorite mid-level Android is the LG Optimus Black P970. It is the perfect example of a mid-level Android phone.

LG Optimus Black P970

Inside you will find 1 GHz Cortex-A8 processor, PowerVR SGX530 GPU, TI OMAP 3630 chipset, which by 2010 standards was not even top of the line, but which most users will find sufficient. Some of the newer games, or higher end versions of the newer games designed to run on dual core platforms will not run on the Optimus Black. Video recording is limited to 720p, and not the higher 1080p resolutions that the new dual-core Android phones are capable off. Other than that, it has enough power to do pretty much everything else.

Outside, it has what you expect from a 2011 Android. A better screen, slimmer form factor and front facing camera. The Optimus 2x has a large 4-inch screen capable of producing 700-nits brightness NOVA display, so it can be easily viewed even in bright sunlight. The phone is just 9.5 mm thick. The front camera means that it will be able to use apps the require a front camera, for things like video calling and facial recognition. A front camera became standard equipment when Google updated the Android OS to Gingerbread, so we expect more and more apps to take advantage of it.

With a suggested priced at Php19,900, and a market price of Php17,990 it is hard to beat.

Other options at this price range are Samsung i9000 Galaxy S and HTC Desire HD, the top of the line offerings from these two companies in 2010. They will cost you 4-5K more than the Optimus Black and the Desire HD does not have a front camera. Some Galaxy S phones do not have a front camera, so you should check the particular unit for that feature.

Update: One of our readers found the Samsung Galaxy S, available for Php18.600 at CMK Cellphones. At that price it would be a better choice than the Optimus Black, unless the absence of a flash on the Galaxy S is a deal breaker. The Galaxy S would have a better display, faster graphics and more internal storage. We have not found stocks in the retail stores in our area (the south) at that price, but if you can snag one at 20K or less, it would be a good deal.

You also have HTC's new for 2011 HTC Desire S which comes with a smaller 3.7-inch S-LCD screen. It is a very nice phone, but selling for Php21,500 the Optimus Black looks like the better deal. If you like HTC Sense UI, that would be a good reason to get the Desire S instead.

The other option at this price range is the new for 2011 Samsung i9003 Galaxy SL, which sells at Php16,900 these days and the older 2010 HTC Desire at Php17,000. Both are about 1K less than the Optimus Black, but the NOVA display and slimmer form factor make up for the higher price.

If you have been thinking about trying out Windows Phone 7, now might be a good time. The HTC 7 Mozart is available for just Php20,500 these days. Back in February I was looking at the 3.7-inch HTC 7 Mozart or the 4.3-inch HTC Desire HD, they were at the same price point. I went with the HTC Desire HD. If the Mozart had been a few thousand cheaper I may have gone with that.

Windows Phone 7 is the new player, and is not well established, but it is coming along nicely. If I was looking at a HTC 7 Mozart versus a HTC Desire S, which are now at similar price points. I think I might pick-up the Mozart instead.

If you are a Nokia fan, the Nokia N8 is still the best camera phone ever built. It's not just the 12MP that makes the N8 camera special, it is the large sensor behind it. I don't think we will be seeing a better camera phone till 2012. You should be able to get it these days for about Php18,000 with the improve Symbian Anna operating system.

For BlackBerry users, you have the Torch and the Bold 9780, at this price range, but I would really recommend holding off till QNX, or investing in a BlackBerry Playbook and get a taste of QNX today.

Apple really has nothing at this price point for now.

If you have no preference on operating systems, between the Android powered LG Optimus Black P970, the Windows Phone 7 HTC 7 Mozart and the Symbian powered Nokia N8, the LG Optimus Black P970 offers the best bang for the buck.

Picking a smartphone by form factor

Picking a smartphone can be though these days. There are more options than ever. One way to go about it is by deciding what is the best smartphone form factor for you? When I used to use my mainly phone for calls, SMS, email, editing documents and following Twitter feeds, a physical QWERTY keyboard with a decent sized 2.4 to 2.6 inch screen was a my favorite option.

Today, we use our smartphones to do much more. With larger screens, we are more likely to browse the web, edit photo's, play games, watch video's and social networking has evolved into a multimedia experience. To enjoy this expanded functionality a larger screen goes a long way to improving the experience. Apple chose the 3.5-inch screen size. Google's Android designs started with 3.2-inch screens, than 3.7-inch screens, and now the Google Nexus S is using a 4-inch screen with current Android flagships sporting screens as large as 4.3-inches. Windows Phone 7 devices range from 3.7-inches to 4.3 inches. To make room for the larger screens, two approaches were taken:

Get rid of the physical keyboard.
Use a slide out keyboard.

The QWERTY messenger. If you are a proficient touch typist, a virtual keyboard wont allow you to type as fast as a gold old fashion phyical QWERTY keyboard. Word prediction technology will get you by, so if you really have no plans of going beyond call, SMS and email, a physical QWERTY bar phone like a BlackBerry Curve or Bold, would still be a viable option. BlackBerry's push email is still the best email on a phone option.

Nokia makes some really nice QWERTY messenger phones, but this is a thing soon to be in their past, while BlackBerry will probably be supporting this form factor for a long time to come. If you decide on a touchscreen later, RIM will be ready to supply you a familiar looking device sans the keypad.

There really is no Apple iOS option in this category and Android on a small screen is not a great option.

In sum, if you want a QWERTY messenger phone, go with a BlackBerry.

The slide out keyboard. If you like slider phones, RIM has its Torch. There are several Android phones made by HTC, Motoral and Samsung which will combine a large screen and keyboard. There are even some Windows Phone 7 offering available. Android is a much better touchscreen OS than RIM's OS 6. We will have to wait and see how good RIM's OS 7 is. Android will have a much larger market share, and consequently, apps market.

In sum, if you want a sliding keyboard phone, go with a Android.

Pure touchscreen. The most common form factor for smartphones today is the pure touchscreen phone. Apple's iPhone is always a good choice. It is fast, stable (but 3rd party apps can crash) and has the biggest app market in the world. There are several subjective reasons you may not want an iPhone:

You only have one option on screen size, 3.5-inches, if you want something bigger on a phone, you cannot get it from Apple.
Informative home screen. If you came from Windows Mobile, Symbian or BlackBerry, you might find the feature of being able to have your next appointment displayed on the home screen, or a large clock or some other informational widget. iPhone do not have widgets.
Cost is another factor. In the US with carrier subsidies an iPhone is pretty inexpensive. It costs a bit more in other countries. If you go prepaid it can be terribly expensive.

If the three reasons above apply to you (in my case it was all three), Android is a good option.

Windows Phone 7 is viable, but I would wait and see what the future hold for Windows Phone 7. I think Windows Phone 7 may have been more successful if they launched to OS with mid-level phones.

Nokia's president says Windows Phone 7 to make iOS and Android look outdated

Phone Arena interviewed Nokia president and head of North American operations who said Windows Phone 7 to make iOS and Android look outdated. Bold words for a mobile operating system with a less than 2% market share, but Mr. Weber is correct. Apple's iOS and Google's Android look like a computer desktop operating system designer designed their interface. One is an a launcher, the other is an app launcher with widgets. Pressing Menu on your Android is like pressing the Windows key on your PC.

Microsoft to its credit, came up with something different. The interface looks like a website, where you basically pan around with visual queues telling you which way you should go. Back in February, when I was looking for a new smartphone, I dismissed iOS for lack of an informative home screen. It is not essential to a phone, but coming from Windows Mobile and Symbian it is something I am used to an like. Android widgets allowed me to build the home screen I wanted. Windows Phone 7, well it was something I never imagined but after a few minutes of using it, all I could say was WOW. Powerful, with a good control on how much information to display to the user at a given time.

In the end I went the way of Android. I felt it was too early to jump to the Windows Phone 7 bandwagon. Now with over 25,000 apps (I mean how many do you really need, I use about 50 of the 250,000+ that Android has). Also, from a hardware standpoint, the cheapest Windows Phone 7 option available to me at the time was the 3.7-inch HTC 7 Mozart, which was priced at about the same as the 4.3-inch HTC Desire HD. If I was buying one today, with the Mozart being priced 15% lower the the Desire HD, I might opt for the Mozart. Than there is Gmail. I like Android Gmail app, more than using MS Exchange.

Unless Windows Phone 7 dies, there is a better than even chance, my next phone will be a HTC Windows Phone 7 device. Windows Phone 7 is far from the leaders, but if you are buying a smartphone give it a good look.

July 2011 smarthpone buyers guide

We just finished our last buyers guide, but prices have changed so it is time for an update.

Php25,000 and higher. Buying a top of the line smartphone is now cheaper than ever, If you want the best smartphone that money can buy right now it is the Samsung Galaxy S II.

The Galaxy S II has a 4.3 inch 480 x 800 Super AMOLED screen, is powered by a Dual-core 1.2GHz ARM Cortex-A9 proccessor with a Mali-400MP GPU on an Exynos chipset 1GB of RAM, has 16GB of internal storage and a 8MP autofocus camera with a LED flash. It comes installed with Google's Android 2.3 operating system running under the new TouchWiz v4.0 user interface. Available from CMK Cellphones for as low as Php27,800, there is little reason to consider any of the other top end phones.

You do have HTC's Sensation at Php27,500 which has a higher resolution qHD (540 x 960) S-LCD, but the Galaxy S II overall has a better display, runs much faster, has more RAM, and more internal memory. The only reason I can think of buying the Sensation instead of the Galaxy S II is if you simply cannot live without HTC's Sense user interface. You also have the LG Optimus 2x at a lower price of Php25,400 but the Galaxy S II specifications more than justify the higher price.

The other option at this price range is is the iPhone 4, but that will actually cost you more than the Samsung Galaxy S II, and is about to be replaced by a newer and better iPhone. If you want an iPhone, best advice I can give is wait for the newer one or buy the iPhone 4 after it price goes down (when the new one is released).

Php15,000 to Php24,999. At the mid-level, we recommend another Android, the LG Optimus Black. Priced at Php17,990 it is really tough to beat. It 700-nit 4-inch IPS display screen is the best you will find at this price point and its 1 GHz TI OMAP 3630 processor , PowerVR SGX530 GPU and 512MB of RAM will satisfy all users but the dedicated mobile phone gamer. It will run most games on the Android Market, not all.

The Optimus Black is a thin 9.2 m, but is 122 mm tall and 64 mm wide. This looking for a smaller package may want to check out HTC's Desire S at 115 x 59.8 x 11.6 mm . This comes with a smaller 3.7-inc screen but actually has 50% more RAM and a faster processor and GPU than the Optimus Black, The Desire S will cost you must more than the Optimus Black at Php21,500.

Nokia has several offerings at this price point, the Nokia N8, E7 and X7, but Nokia is going to be moving to Windows Phone 7 by the end of the year. No point investing this much money in an operating system which is all but phased out. But if you are looking for the best camera phone available, the Nokia N8 is still the best.

There are a couple of BlackBerry devices at this price point too, but RIM is also moving to a new OS, QNX.

Php10,000 to Php14,999. At a lower price point we recommend another Android, the Samsung Galaxy Ace. With a 3.5-inch 320 x 480 resolution screen, an 800MHz processor and a better than expected camera, it is a competent Android phone. Priced at Php13,000 it offers good specifications for the asking price. It's only real competitor is the HTC Wildfire S with a smaller 3.2-inch screen and slower processor.

Another interesting option at this price is the BlackBerry Curve 9300 3G at Php12,400. If you want to avail of BlackBerry services this is the phone to get. The next cheaper BlackBerry loses the 3G connectivity, and the higher end models really will not give you a significantly better experience.

Below Php10,000. Even at entry level prices, we still are recommending an Android. The LG Optimus One is the best phone at this price range. At Php9,800 with a 3.2-inch screen and a 320 x 480 screen resolution is the cheapest phone that will allow you to enjoy Android that way that it was designed to be used. Anything cheaper has a smaller, lower resolution screen.

Another interesting option at this price point is the Nokia E5. At Php8,800 it offers free lifetime turn by turn navigation.

July 4, 2011 update. Since we wrote this article the lowest price we have found on this phone with an official warranty went up to Php28,500. A few hundred more won't change out minds though. This is the killer Android phone to buy.

Nokia Windows Phone 7 to be launched on August 17, 2011

GSM Arena that they received an invitation for a Microsoft-Nokia event to be held on August 7, 2011 in Cologne, Germany. It does not take a rocket scientist to figure out what the event will be for. The Nokia Windows Phone 7 device is almost here. Details of the Nokia Windows Phone 7 handset, code named "Sea Ray" have been floating around the entire month of July.

What should we expect? I do not expect it to be lesser than Nokia's Meego powered N9, so we should expect a 4-inch or so 800 x 480 AMOLED display, 1GB of RAM, at least 16GB of internal storage and an 8 MP auto focus camera with Carl Zeiss optics and a dual LED flash... basically, a pretty good phone, but what is probably the subject of most of the speculation is the processor. Forbes, reported awhile back that it will be sporting a dual core processor from ST-Ericsson, a joint venture between Geneva-based STMicroelectronics and Swedish telecom equipment and services supplier Ericsson.

Even with the new notification system and cloud services, Apple iOS is starting to feel old. An app launcher for a user interface is not something I have ever been interested in. My old Symbian and Windows Mobile devices had more informative home screens. I love my HTC Android with its HTC Sense UI, but rather than one integrated device, it still does feel a bit like a hodgepodge of applications like my personal computer. Windows Phone 7 feels like a powerful phone, rather than a computer OS transplanted to a mobile device.

Windows apps are over 25,000 in number, Mango is here and now Nokia is joining the party. Has Windows Phone 7 day arrived?

Did I mention I am a big Halo fan?

August 4, 2011 update: No Mango-flavored smartphones are to be unveiled at the Nokia Microsoft party. Oh well...

The smartphone wars

Apple has recently intensive its efforts to stop the progress of the Android operating system, this time though not through the release of new products or promotions but in legal action in the United States and Australia. Microsoft too seems to have it sights set on Google's Android. We have seen software patent wars before, and we will see than again in the future.

iOS. WMPowerUser has data from Market Research company Kantar World Panel on smartphone sales in seven countries. The data gives us some insight on why Apple and Microsoft might be a bit nervous. Apple is winning in the battle of profitability, but loosing ground in market share. Comparing figures from the last the 12 week period ending July 2010 and the same period in 2011, it would seem that the iPhone share in smartphone sales is actually slipping in three of the countries.

Great Britain

12 weeks ending July 2010 - 25.3%

12 weeks ending July 2011 - 20.2%

Germany

12 weeks ending July 2010 - 24.6%

12 weeks ending July 2011 - 20.0%

France

12 weeks ending July 2010 - 33.1%

12 weeks ending July 2011 - 20.3%

I would think in part, the slide in sales could be the delay of the release of a new iPhone.

Market share in smartphone sales has increased in four of the countries.

United States

12 weeks ending July 2010 - 20.4%

12 weeks ending July 2011 - 28.6%

Australia

12 weeks ending July 2010 - 32.9%

12 weeks ending July 2011 - 39.2%

Italy

12 weeks ending July 2010 - 13.4%

12 weeks ending July 2011 - 22.0%

Spain

12 weeks ending July 2010 - 3.9%

12 weeks ending July 2011 - 7.1%

All in all, absent a new phone things are looking pretty good for Apple's iPhone.

Android. The problem is Android is on a tear.

Great Britain

12 weeks ending July 2010 - 18.6%

12 weeks ending July 2011 - 48.8%

Germany

12 weeks ending July 2010 - 4.8%

12 weeks ending July 2011 - 44.3%

France

12 weeks ending July 2010 - 19.7%

12 weeks ending July 2011 - 41.0%

United States

12 weeks ending July 2010 - 24.2%

12 weeks ending July 2011 - 57.0%

Australia

12 weeks ending July 2010 - 4.7%

12 weeks ending July 2011 - 38.0%

Italy

12 weeks ending July 2010 - 1.3%

12 weeks ending July 2011 - 27.6%

Spain

12 weeks ending July 2010 - 10.7%

12 weeks ending July 2011 - 47.9%

Apple iPhone's are selling well, but overall more Android phones are being sold. This is not really much of a surprise for us since the available iPhone's the 3GS and 4 would only cater to the higher end market, while Android phones range from entry level smartphones to iPhone challengers.

Symbian is falling heavily on all seven countries and it looks like most of the slack is being taken up by Android. This is not too surprising since Nokia smart phones phones sell at the same price points as Android smarthpones. So, in the end while the iPhone continues to sell well, it looks like it is Android which is really taking Symbian down. This is something Microsoft would want to delay until the Nokia Windows Phone 7 devices are released.

RIM is loosing sales overall, but is only loosing heavily in the United States and Australia. It actually gained some ground in Great Britain and in Spain. WHat is interesting to note is RIM is loosing the most were the iPhone is the strongest.

Windows Phones 7, not much good news here, but it managed to get 7.1% of the German market

The next Google Nexus phone

Google released their Nexus One reference design phone in January 2010 which consolidated all the latest hardware than available to make the best phone that commercially available technology could than achieve. With a 3.7-inch 480 x 800 pixel resolution screen AMOLED screen, a 1GHz processor and 512MB of RAM it was the Android super phone of its time.

In December 2010, it Google released the Nexus S, which really was a substantial but incremental upgrade of the Nexus One, with a larger 4-inch Super AMOLED screen, a faster graphic processing unit, 16GB of internal storage and a front facing camera. While the Google Nexus One heralded new technology, the Nexus S was basically a Google branded Samsung Galaxy S released several months earlier. If you owned a Nexus One, the Nexus S did not make it feel obsolete. The next Goolge Nexus phone is rumored to be the next super Android phone.

The rumors will be true. The next Google Nexus phone will be the launchpad for Android 4.0 (Ice Cream). So what do we expect the next Google Nexus phone to carry.

A given is that the next Google Nexus phone will have a dual core processor. Whether it will have a Nvidia Tegra 2 based system or run on Samsung Exynos chipset and Mali-400 graphics is the only question. I am betting on Tegra 2 since this provides nearly comparable performance at a lower production cost. The processor speeds will be north of 1.2GHz.

The phone will be equipped with 1GB or RAM and have 16GB of internal storage, with a 32Gb version also available. There seems to be little reason to provide more internal storage as internal memory should be expandable via a MicroSD card.

The camera will be an 8MP auto focus unit with some form of flash and we do expect a front camera capable of doing 720p video recording.

The real question will be the screen. We expect Samsung to manufacture the next Nexus phone as well, so we expect it to get some form of Super AMOLED screen. Rumors have abounded that it will have a 720 x 1280 resolution or a 800 x 1280 resolution.

Google's standard resolution from 2008-2009 was 320 x 480, which was bumped up to 480 x 800 in 2010. We do expect another bump in screen resolution this year. Since Google Honeycomb tablets are already using HD screens we expect Google phones to follow suit which means giving up the current 3:5 ratio screens for 9:16 ratio screens. Phone with smaller 3.7 to 4-inch screens will probably use qHD screens with 540 x 960 resolutions, while phones with larger 4.2 to 4.7-inch screens will see a HD 720 x 1280 screen. We expect the next Nexus Phone to have a screen which is will be larger than 4.2 inches and would expect it to have the higher resolution screen.

We do expect the physical and capacitative buttons to disappear from the phone. This seems to a smartphone industry trend in general. This would allow large screens in a smaller form factor.

These specifications should place it on par with Apple's iPhone 5 expected to be released at about the same time, around the third quarter of this year.

Windows Phone 7 Mango - Its a winner

When I was taking a look at a new smartphone last February I liked the Windows Phone 7 interface best. Most people have not had a chance to try Windows Phone 7 and assume that it is not very different from an iPhone or Apple's iOS. Watch this video to see the difference.

I decided to pass on it since it and get an Andorid becuase Windows Phone 7 lacked some key features I find important:

1. Copy & paste.

2. Multi-tasking.

3. Bluetooth file transfer.

That was six months ago. What a difference six months makes in the mobile world. Copy & paste was added, Mango bring multi-tasking in a manner than would make my Android envious. Still no bluetooth file transfer. The ability to sync the phone to your PC via WiFi reduces the need for this. Still I hope this feature is added to Windows Phone 7 one day.

Windows Phone 7 has always had a good focus on people. It has tight social networking integration from the start. As a communications mobile OS it is second to none.

In the next video, Joe Belfiore, corporate vice president of Windows Phone, shows off some of the new features coming to Windows Phone Mango.

Should you consider Windows Phone 7. The best and most intuitive mobile phone interface, just got a power user upgrade. You should definitely give it a good look.

RIM's new BlackBerry Storm (I mean Torch) 9850/9860

RIM has announced three new BlackBerry's running their BlackBerry OS 7. We will have to wait for the reviews to see how good this O.S. is. For now, we can look at the hardware specifications.

The new BlackBerry Torch 9810 is very interesting. I looked at the Torch for a bit earlier this year, and considered buying it. Its 360 x 480 pixel resolution screen looked sharp enough, 3.2 inches was a bit on the small side, and the web browser disappointing. All in all, not enough for me to pay nearly 30K back than.

I do have a bias, I never really like slider phones. I passed on the Torch in the same way I passed on the HTC Desire Z. Slider phones tend to be heavy the Torch weigh as much as the HTC's 4.3-inch monster phones, and the Desire Z is even heavier.

While I love the physical keyboard on both units, after a friend let my play with his iPhone 4 for an extended period, I figured I could get along with the virtual keyboard. Five months on no regrets. I can still type faster with a physical keyboard, but intelligent word prediction gets me by.

The BlackBerry Storm appeared to be dead... so I was left with Android, iOS, or Windows Phone 7

RIM has announced a new Torch, a new Bold and a new STORM. Well not really, the touchscreen only BlackBerry goes under the "Torch" name too. With a 3.7-inch screen 480 x 800 screen. I know it is a little too little a little too late. I know that BlackBerry 7 OS is a placeholder till QNX, but...

I think I want one. I really do not need all that many apps, and BlackBerry's push email is still better than what Android, iOS and Windows Phone 7 have to offer.

So what do you all think? Am I nuts?

The rumours of Nokia's death have been somewhat premature

While it has been widely reported that Apple and Samsung are now the No. 1 and 2 in the smartphone world, that is only true if you count units shipped. If you look at units sold in the second quarter of 2011, Nokia is still number 1. Fox Business reported that "Gartner, which counts sales of mobile handsets to end users rather than units shipped by individual handset makers, said Nokia sold a total of 97.87 million units in the second quarter compared with 111.47 million units a year earlier, and had a total market share of 22.8%, down from 30.3%"

With the impending shift to Windows Phone 7, Nokia re-seller channels are keeping stocks low and trying to sell existing stock. Microsoft which looks panicky about its Windows Phone 7 operating system and seems to clings to every bit of news as some sign of a future for its mobile operating system should really just be pushing Nokia to get its Windows Phone 7 devices out the door.

Something not realized by plenty of technology writers based in the United States, where Nokia has about a 2% share is that in Asia and some other parts of the world, the name Nokia is a trusted brand and could boost Windows Phone 7 sales.

Each day of delay in the release of a Windows Phone 7 device by Nokia risks the migration of a existing Nokia user to another platform.

Price point. A Windows Phone 7 device today still cost a fair amount of money. You can always find grey market units for lower prices, but the cheapest Windows Phone 7 device we found in the Philippines with an official warranty is HTC 7 Mozart, which is now retailing for just under Php20,000. Nokia S60 smarthpones today start at around Php6K. If Nokia can manufacture and sell Windows Phone devices at substantially the lower price points remains to be seen, but a variant of the Windows Phone 7 operating system, called "Tango" is design to do just that.

If Nokia can hand Microsoft a 10% share of the smartphone market when it fully migrates to Windows Phone 7 devices by the second or third quarter of 2012, that will be more than enough. Apple's iOS operating system smartphone operating system has a 18.2% market share for the first two quarters of 2011, while Smartphones running Google;s Android operating system only had a 17.2% in 2010. In other words, 10% is not a bad start (Source: Gartner cited by Fox Business). The only question is, whether Nokia can use it name to get Microsoft back into the smartphone game.

When? "So just when will Nokia take delivery of their first Windows Phone smartphones? Well apparently Nokia Windows Phone devices are being manufactured by Taiwanese firm Compal and the latest word is that Compal will begin delivering Windows Phone handset to Nokia sometime in September" (Source: Phones Review).

How many? Even when the Nokia Windows Phone 7 devices start shipping, which sold almost 100 million smartphones in the second quarter of 2011, appears to have only ordered 2 million Nokia Windows Phone 7 devices (Source: Phones Review). That is not a lot.

Too little too late? I think we will have to wait for the end of the first quarter of 2012 to find out where this is going, by than Nokia will be knee deep in Windows Phone 7 devices or will be headed to becoming a full time feature phone maker.