Sony Xperia Go: Classy Rugged

I must admit, I got so exceedingly ecstatic when the news cadenced into the market about the the Xperia Active Series, only to have dropped my vivacity to the ground when I found out that they weren't that sturdy to use in extremest and harshest condition.

But then Sony released another marvelous iteration of its active-lifestyle-driven phones via Xperia Go. 

It doesn't look the typical rugged-ish look, instead it is more of the average phone design that is somewhat reminiscent to the HTC Legend, which is essentially a plus factor on its rafts of outstanding features because some people(me for example) hates sporting a non-classy device in our fold. 

And to prove that it's really an active-lifestyle driven unit, I tried immersing it up into a container of water while playing music, and oh boy, it does work. It's IP67 certified(dust proofing and water resisting up to 1meter of water for 30min) makes me think of using one while I'm lazily dipping myself into a bath tub. 

Under its hood, the phone has a LED backlit LCD at 320x480 pixels on a 3.5inch screen. It is protected by a Sony Mobile Bravia Engine and an IP67 certified technology. 

The front camera is slapped with a 5MP with LED flash which is decent enough in taking pictures. And with its Wifi, HSDPA and bluetooth technology, you can easily dump tour pictures anywhere you like. 

Running on an Android v2.3 Gingerbread and a dual core 1GHz Cortex A9, it is one of the value for money phones in the market today with an SRP of Php14,999.

Nokia Lumia 800: A push once more

The once king of the road of mobility once again pushed another move in the gadget chess game with the Nokia Lumia 800. With the unappealing reception of the market through its orphaned Nokia N9, the Nokia Lumia 800 carries in itself a slew of uncertainties. 

One might want to say that the Nokia is a half-baked device, having had to come out from the production oven of around 6months, it was intended to be a cornucopia of greater things to come. That statement might raise eyebrows from the technophile community as it simply borrowed the overall design of the Nokia N9. 

Armed with the Windows Phone Mango, they are poised to prove that it is the first stir of its kind.

Let's us hear from them. 

The AMOLED capacitive 480x800 pixels at 3.7inch screen protected by Corning's Gorilla Glass Technology on top of Nokia's ClearBlack Display technology makes it a screen "wow grabber."

Snappy enough at a 1.4Ghz Scorpion Qualcomm MS8255 Snapdragon, it produces really good navigation feel to its user interface. The camera is slapped with 8MP Carl Zeiss optics with dual LED flash. It has a good take nonetheless butter the color is leaning towards a pinkish hue. It also has a wifi, bluetooth and HSDPA as its connectivity features. 

Although I personally like the Windows interface for business use, one ordinary user might want to ask for more, like more application after-market support.  

Cherry Mobile Cutie P9: Really cute and cuddly

If there's a phone that captured my rosy demeanor and youthful years, it would surely be this phone. Cherry Mobile P9 is dubbed as "Cutie" by the industry. And quite apparently, it has lived up to its name by being one of the diminutive devices to have ever sprung forth in the mobile phone arena. 

The last mobile phone close to its size that I have ever owned is the Nokia 8250 which I dearly loved during its heydays when the gadget epilogue back then is: "the smaller the phone, the better" contrary to today's wave of phones sporting distinctively large display and portability footprint. 

With a size smaller than a credit card, you'd be totting one of the most handy phones around, perhaps one that could be mistaken as a key chain figure. The design is leaning towards the feminine side, perhaps to the unfledged and young market demographics. 

The specs include 1inch color LCD, bluetooth with A2DP support, dual band GSM, MMS, GPRS, and WAP support, FM Radio integrated and multimedia player ready. It can also support an extended MicroSD memory of up to 8GB.

Not so much a specs wallop as other models of its kind but with its size and a price of a subPhp1k, who would ask for more. Unless you're the charming sophisticated secret agent of MI6.  

Samsung Galaxy Slll: Style and substance in one

The alpha phone smackdown between Apple and Samsung seemed to be getting a burning intensity as Samsung incessantly keeps on releasing blow by blow by its product introduction hereto and fro. 

Samsung Galaxy S3 is the latest addition to Samsung's ensemble of powerpunch devices, while brewing from its kettle are Galaxy Note 2 and probably a new tablet iteration. 

Following the runaway success of its predecessor, the Galaxy S2, S3 has the new set of bells and whistles to make your head turn. So let's start pointing the lusters one by one:

Though the huge 4.8inches Super AMOLED, Gorilla glass-armed screen has a size cut short compared to the monstrous Galaxy Note, it has its own advantage, for one, it is meant to be a phone with the default feature in mind, handheld comfort and weight-friendly portability. 

Prior to its release, rumor says that it should be sporting 12MP as compared to the average 8MP of the Galaxy S3, instead it had the same camera specification. Still decent sensor delivers quality still and video shots and can even shot at a 1080p video. The front camera has a 1.9mp and can shot at a 720p. Not bad huh.

Slapped with an Android Ice Cream Sandwich, it has to have a good set of hardware to be able to comply the stringent processing requirements of the ICS-supported application. So then Samsung decided to put in Quad Core 1.4Ghz Cortex A9 with 1GB of RAM. The storage capacity comes along with 16/32/64GB variant, but I have only seen up to 32GB in the Philippine market. It can be expanded up to 64MB though through the microSD card.

Connectivity and multimedia options include Wifi 802.11a/b/g/n, NFC, GPRS, EDGE and Bluetooth. Some other rafts of features include S-Voice for the command and dictation features, Smart Stay for eye tracking, Dropbox for an extra 50GB cloud storage, SNS integration, S Beam as Samsung's answer to Android beam and wifi direct. One thing that I particularly like is the live preview which previews the video thumbnail in live action. 

On the outside, while I love the texture of the Galaxy S3 especially the marble white variant, I still love the design implementation of HTX One X. 

T-Mobile's MyTouch by LG

The Philippine shore's SMART Communications call it Netphone, the Globe Telecommunications call theirs a Cloudphone, leaping into the global arena's T-Mobile, they call it MyTouch. Different names, same apple. 

For quite a while, T-Mobile's LG MyTouch lines once earned a notoriety among the consumer to have showcased only high-tiered models of phones. Now, they have summoned the techsmiths of Huawei to churn out phones aimed at a budget-friendly public. 

Coming in with two flavors, slate and slide out QWERTY, they were surprisingly a good phones with a jaw-dropping specifications. 

Powered by Android 2.3, it is slapped with 1.4GHZ Qualcomm MSM 8255 processor complemented with a 1GB of RAM. The storage capacity is 4GB internal memory with an expandability option of a MicroSD Card slot. The device runs on Bluetooth, GPS, and an 802.11b/g/n Wifi variant. Under a good lighting condition, the 5MP camera snaps out decent takes. In a less-than-ideal lighting environment, it's another story. 

My verdict, this is a capable phone nonetheless, and it has its own target demographics. Since I am a shutterbug for most of my mobile life, I am hoping that they would address a glaring design flaws especially on the camera side. I am hopping a better sensor and a good flash. But for its price, I may as well rest my case. 

F599 Ferrari Thingymajiggy

A VHS rewinder? A pencil sharpener? A gasoline station promotional product? An RC toy car? Think again. 

There's something about both the Ferrari Red and Lamborghini Yellow thematic colors that make me drool.  

Need anymore clues? 

At a Php3,500 price point, this is a cool gift idea without having to spend much. 

Although the specs doesn't quite fit for an average geek, this itself has a different targeted market which is neither niche nor consumer-base. 

Under its hood, this has a 2.0inch screen with 260k QVGA 240x320 resolution, a 0.3 MP camera capable of playing 640x480 video, expandable memory via its TF Card slot, GPRS, WAP, Bluetooth and a dual sim to boot. 

Not a plasticky feel at all, a metal back cover instead, this will appeal to those people who either want a secondary phone, or want a simple phone with esoteric form-factor, or simply a Ferrari merchandise collector. 

Samsung Captivate i897 Galaxy S

Yesterday I went to EDSA Shangri-la to claim my Samsung Captivate Galaxy S i897. Those who have been with me in my frantic search for the best "SuperduperAMOLED Android combo" phone evidently knew that I am on a buying frenzy. And my close choices of Android devices were blogged here.

Some colleagues had asked as to why do I have to go through in getting a non-RP market phone, instead of the one available in our shore. The bachelor in me hates rounded corners of the phone bezels. Kinda reminds me of the movie "One More Chance" when Derek Ramsay was mused by Bea Alonzo for having sharp edges in his house being an extrinsic symbol of bachelorhood.

That being said means that naturally I have to choose Samsung Captivate i897 over Samsung Galaxy S i9000.

Samsung Captivate is only available for AT&T, so if you're planning of getting one, your only choice would be to get it in the US, from Best Buy or Radio Shack perhaps.

Captivate is armed with 1Ghz ARM Cortex CPU, 5MP camera(sorry no LED flash and secondary camera), 16GB of ROM, 512MB RAM, microSD card slot that can handle up to 32GB capacity, 400x800 pixel 4inch SuperAMOLED(yes, you heard it, SuperAMOLED and not just AMOLED), Gorilla Glass(industrial-grade scratch resistant screen), GPS, and a whole slew of connectivity options(Bluetooth, Wifi, 3G, etc).

The hadware itself is topnotch despite the absence of LED Flash and secondary front camera. It has a vibrant crystal clear display which doesn't deteriorate even in direct sunlight exposure and angular shift. The performance is snappy and speed is blazing. The audio is fantastic and the person calling you can still hear you from quite a distance on speakerphone. The design element is also elegant as it sports a carbon-fiber inspired metal at the back.

Inside it brews an Android Eclair 2.1 which is actually one of its letdowns as some devices are sliding towards Froyo 2.2 already. Although there is a leak Froyo update support for Captivate but being "leak" means that they're an unofficial release.

Samsung is known to have a relatively delayed support for their software/application implementation, which I think is very important if they want to catch up with HTC in this smartphone arena.

Samsung Wave S8500: S-AMOLED attraction

I have been having a Supahdupah AMOLED display delirium recently, with some of the phones springing my mind such as Samsung Galaxy S i9000, Samsung Captivate i897, and Samsung Wave S8500. Notice that all of them are all Samsung, naturally because Samsung pioneered the technology, thus obviously they can manipulate the production. The images produced by the SuperAMOLED devices are so way better than any phones in the market.

What really enamored me is the Samsung Wave S8500. Why? Because it has an underdog OS. Ironically, Bada has been trumpeted as Samsung's official OS, however due to its lack of after-market support and third party applications, they apparently paled in comparison compared to the other market players like Google Android and Apple iOS.

What sets the Samsung Wave S8500 among all of them is its elegant, metallic chassis and a design implementation way ahead of its time. But inside the Samsung wave S8500 body are some nifty hardware features: 1GHz Cortex-A8 CPU, PowerVR SGX 540 GPU, 512MB of RAM, WiFi b / g / n, Bluetooth 3.0, GPS / A-GPS, FM radio, video output, compass and accelerometer, GSM radio, which is unlocked, supports quad-band EDGE but only dual band HSPA (900 / 2100 MHz), MP camera with a LED flash and a secondary camera for 3G videocalling.

Two things that might humoring one to acquire this lovely phone: 1) no Mac support which is important for people like me who have been using Mac since the dawn of mankind 2) Bada OS seems not promising as a next-gen technology

However if you'd stick on a phone with powerful camera flash without minding to install plethora of apps, then this phone might just be good for you.

Your chance to have a SuperAMOLED phone at just a meager price of Php15,990.

HTC Desire Z: A slide-out keyboard Desire

It's probably meant to rock the world of a Motorola Milestone(Droid) with a similar landscape QWERTY keyboard slide-out mechanism.

But this sibling of the Desire HD has more than its hood to offer. HTC Desire Z boasts of an impressive SLCD(Super LCD) screen rammed with other rafts of features. Indeed, it is a snazzy Droid offering from HTC, a brand juggernaut in mobile technosphere that started out making phones long before we had our first cellphones. Remember SMART Amazing Phone? It was actually an HTC hardware slapped with a SMART logo and offered first to the enterprise market and ultimately to consumers.

It is encased in a sturdy-built aluminum body and a beautiful screen nonetheless, despite of it not being AMOLED, unlike some Desire, due to Samsung's AMOLED hoarding… este shortage.

My only gripe though is the slide out keyboard has a questionable durability since it essentially swivels out three separate hinges instead of just two. I don't know what goes into the minds of HTC but come on, this isn't Optimus Prime!!!

Although the processor speed is just 800Mhz, a 200Mhz short of the de facto 1GHZ standards of the other competing brands, the application execution is still way snappy. 5Megapixel camera has LED flash which is handy when shooting under poorly-lit environmental conditions.

This is a pretty decent device if you're not concerned about its slide out hinges getting brittled overtime. And not bad for a Php26,000 price point.

Search for the Best DROID

I have grown tired of the iOS that I am now teetering a buying frenzy for the best DROID device. Sadly, there is no such thing as a consummate gadget, which means that no matter how powerful your device is, there is always be a trade off. Because each consumer has an assortment of needs, any electronic device can never be perfect for anyone.

Droid version is something that might not be essential at the moment since Froyo(or perhaps Gingerbread and Honeycomb) is already marching towards the horizon for those devices still at Eclair stage.

So let's see the three Android devices that I am stalking at, and see what makes them grin and grimace:

1) Samsung Captivate Galaxy S(SRP Php22,000)

HOT:

✔Super AMOLED Screen, high contrast ratio and is vibrant even in direct sunlight

✔Screen made of Gorilla Glass(from Corningware) which claims to be impervious to virtually any scratches

NOT:

✘Samsung TouchWiz sucks

✘no Camera flash

✘available only for AT&T

2) HTC Desire HD(Php33,000)

HOT:

✔large 4.3" screen

✔HTC Sense UI is a delight

NOT:

✘only uses LCD

✘because it has a relatively large screen, the battery tend to be a tad too short

3) HTC Desire Z(Php26,000)

HOT:

✔SuperLCD screen

✔HTC Sense is really cool

NOT:

✘moving parts can get brittled in time

Why did I not include the Samsung Galaxy S which is available in the Philippines? Well, I don't like the too-rounded corners in a device, which simply put, I don't like how it looks like. And if my pals at HTC are reading this, please mull over(at the very least) a feasibility of creating an HTC Incredible Droid GSM version.

Nokia N8: Most powerful camphone

Touted as the most powerful camera phone, Nokia N8 rallied as one of the many high-end phones hoping to put Apple iPhone under extreme pressure. We know for the fact that Nokia has been struggling to retain its earlier dominance in the high-end phone category, a foothold once wielded by the Nokia Communicator.

This time around, Symbian^3 seeks salvation fait accompli in the form of Nokia N8. But what else does this phone do aside from having a monster camera.

Outside it is enclosed with an aluminum chassis perfectly blending with my similarly aluminum MacBook Pro. One notable physical characteristic is the Home button oddly placed at the bottom far left side and the protrusion of the camera at the back. Fret not because this packs the biggest image sensor yet to be clad by any phone, Carl Zeiss optics and a Xenon flash combines a megapixel power. Best of the feature has yet to unfold, it also comes with the HDMI port that outputs recorded video, images, and even music.

Under its hood is the ARM 11 Microprocessor at 680Mhz clockspeed with 256MB RAM. This configuration is a giant leap from previous Nokia devices but not as monumental as the ones sported by the competing manufacturers like HTC, Samsung, and Motorola. On the connectivity feature, it comes with 802.11N wifi, Bluetooth 3 Plus A2DP, GPS, USB On-The-Go, and an HDMI Port. 3.5inch AMOLED display at a 640x360 screen resolution is quite impressive, however it isn't as commandingly detailed as the Apple iPhone 4G. It may produce vibrant images due to its high contrast ratio but not as a sharp as the iPhone 4g.

The verdict? It may wallop megapixel pound-for-pound with other smartphones in the market, and has the recently updated Symbian flavor, however it still glaringly cut short against the Android and iOS competition. But if you're a long-time Symbian user, this might just be a good buy for you at Php20,990.

LG Optimus One: Another budget Android Phone

Hell no, this wasn't hatched out of the LG sale some few weeks back. Not that I don't want to grab that steal-deal of 50% off slashdown, I was actually there, but just to witness the event. I dread that the long lines will be insanely lengthy, and it indeed was. And as a technology journalist, I am always there to cover tech-related events, where it happens, when it happens.

This LG Optimus One was priced at SRP Php12,990. Although, some off-mall shop offering gray market units can get one for around Php12k at a cost of an uncertain warranty entitlement.

So what makes this LG glaringly sought after than the other sale item that same day which is Nokia C6. Let's dissect it:

The screen is just an HVGA, one that pixelates when you zoomed out pictures. virtual keyboard is the de facto Android keyboard which is not really appealing, although one can get a plethora of keyboard options at the Android market. Camera is a 3megapixel snapper but not a LED flash to light out dark shooting conditions. I like it sturdy feel over Samsung Galaxy 5, but the physical buttons(Menu, Home, back, Search) devoid its glamour. It would have raised a design ante had it sported similar HTC Wildfire's optical buttons.

Although this has a whole slew of connectivity options like HSDPA, Wifi, and 3G, one that really makes me a mad cow virulent to covet it is the Android Froyo. I asked same thing to the people during the sale event. Some would say it is because of the Android OS 2.2 which promises to topple iOS 4, while most says they're merely bargain hunters. I belong to the Android demographics, although I am a happy iOS user as well. Surprisingly none ever expressed affirming brand loyalty to LG. That chaotic sale event may further antagonize LG and foster "brand insulation".

My verdict with this phone is that, at it's price point, it is already a perfect blend of price and functionality. If you want more frills, grab one with a heftier price-- PRICE is always a key indicator of electronic device's desirability value.

HTC Wildfire: Budget Android Phone

The good thing about yuletide season is not the filled, hung stocking on the chimney wall. It is what you fill into those stockings. Can't quite get the metaphor? It's your capacity to buy gadgets like there's no tomorrow, thanks to a myriad of company bonus and 13th month and 14th month and what-have-you.

Let me introduce to you the latest addition to HTC phone lineage, the HTC Wildfire. This budget device is touted to be a crossbred between two equally powerful, Android-clad devices, HTC Desire and the Google's Nexus One. I say it's a budget device because without the Samsung Galaxy 5, it could have been the cheapest among its breed.

Similarly Android powered as its distant cousin HTC Desire, under its hood are premium specs: 528Mhz Qualcomm MSM 7225 processor, 3.2inch capacitive display, 384MB of RAM, and a 5megapixel camera. For its price point, one would only expects 2.8inch resistive display, 256MB RAM, and a 3.2MP camera. So you get your money's worth on the specs alone, being only tagged as Php13,990.

It has plethora of software a road warrior could ask for, including Android 2.1 Eclair(which can be upgraded to Froyo 2.2 if available), Leap which is neat for switching homescreens, FriendStream widget for checking out your friends, intuitive highlighting tool similar to iPhone, built-in Flash lite, and a Keyboard that which is probably one of the best virtual keyboards in the market. It also has Live Wallpapers that I find cool to pride when having Android OS. :)

One caveat though, aside form the fact that it isn't AMOLED, is that some apps from the Android market may not run properly because of its low resc screen, so future Android users might want to consider having at least 480x320 resc.

I am not really enamored at the sable brown finish because it looks so D.O.M.-ish, so a white variant is astutely fine for me. Trendy and modern, it's an immaculate white with a metallic silver band slicing the monotony at the back cover, just like the HTC HD2.

My verdict? HTC Wildfire may not punch a power wallop in comparative degree to HTC Desire, but it does deliver its job fairly well at its price point.

Samsung Champ: Cheapest Touchscreen Phone

Touted as Samsung Libre in UK, this phone, a Samsung Champ C3300K in AsiaPacific, was indeed FREE c/o telco service provider as a second loyalty reward for this year. It pays to be a loyal customer and patient at an occasionally erratic delivered services. Well, nothing is perfect as they say, and that holds true with devices as well.

Same goes true with Samsung Champ C3300K. It doesn't have the usual bells-and-whistles, a lowly 1.3MP camera, no 3G, plus other several other glaring omissions, but the name itself champs over when it comes to the cheapest touchscreen-implemented phone, being retailed at Samsung Mobile Concept Shop for less than 5grand.

With specs such as a TFT resistive touchscreen that enabled display with the support for 240 x 320 pixels and a descent 2.4 inch size of about 256K colors, this may pale in comparison as compared to other touchscreen phones, but it's sufficient enough to handle basic functionalities. It even has an accelerometer sensor for auto-rotation of the user interface layer called TouchWiz Lite edition. My real obvious gripe is that it dwarfed on my large fingers.

Compact and stylish with a nice convenient grip, the Samsung Champ is targeted to youngsters(or feeling-young few) who are enamored at the exciting features like TouchWiz Lite, social networking services, FM Radio that plays without the headphones plugged in. And it even plays on the stereo speakers. There’s a microSD slot as well to hold an extensive music collection.

I have been using several Samsung phones for quite a long time now and I somehow noticed some software stupors such as an old browser and poor SNS support, but overall this one is simpler to use with a solid-built design.

Samsung Galaxy 5: Cheapest Android solution

The mobile phone OS that has the audacity and rightful claim to challenge the dominance of iPhone, Google Android has gradually gained overwhelming popularity due to its widget-based home screen set up, and.. oh well, price factor.

One of the industry leaders when it comes to mobile phone category took the cudgels to fiercely compete the current market dominatrix duo, Nokia and iPhone.

Samsung Galaxy 5 I5500 is the cheapest Android solution, cheaper by 5grand than the HTC Wildfire. It is essentially Samsung's entry-level device that derived its form-factor from the Corby series.

Commonly coined only as Galaxy 5, it packs a wallop when it comes to rafts of features that one wouldn't expect in a bang-for-the-buck brick.

The device is equipped with 2.8-inch capacitive screen with QVGA resolution, 3G, WiFi, GPS, 2-megapixel camera without flash, 3.5mm jack, microUSB port and microSD expansion card slot. The more interesting thing, however, is that the affordable cell phone runs Android 2.1 Eclair.

The looks department brims with glossy material and sturdy built. The framing is basically just a plastic which is to be expected from its price point. However, it's craftsmanship is forged with elegance. It fits snugly in the hands and is comfortable to hold.

One of the topnotch features is the display technology which make use of a capacitive screen, sporting native resolution of 240x320 pixels, instead of the resistive counterpart.

Inside the hood is the Samsung's TouchWiz 3.0, a personalized interface shell where one can tailor-fit his lifestyle by the utilization of widgets. Aside from the usual eye-candy, one would also get enamored with a whole gamut of apps: Swype, a text input interface that provides faster method by the continuous finger motion, much like swiping, and the SNS(Social Networking Service) that enables you to synchronize your contacts with relevant information about them from various social networks. It´s also what the preinstalled application Write and Go relies on in order to give you the option to simultaneously update your Facebook, MySpace and Twitter status.

Despite the small screen downside, this is still a lovely piece with features as complete as your entertainment touchscreen devices.

iPhone 4 16GB: first dip

The most-coveted device, since the time man invented silicon chips, is already here in our shore. Globe Telecom, the Philippine's official carrier, just had a 2-in-1 launch for it, 2 events in 1 day, or 2 hotels for 1 blast.

With an ever-widening fan base, iPhone 4 is a classic example of Apple's uncanny ability to rally its product to consumers. Rumors of its release is spreading like wild-fire in the degree of anticipation and specs-guesses.

Now that it's here, I will also take my dip on it:

The industrial design-overhaul was made, from a plasticky feel of the predecessor iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4 already sports solid yet squarish design classic, with an aluminum alloy that wraps around its bezel edges. Design elements include a pair of two strengthened glasses(I don't know if it's a Gorilla glass, that industry talked-about glass with the strength of a sapphire crystal) and a stainless steel band that firmly embraces on all four sides. The effect of which is stunning simplicity.

Along with the enclosure are the usual suspects like the rocker volume, speaker, and a camera. Unlike the iPhone 3GS that only has a camera at the back(not to mention crappy), this time iPhone 4 is accentuated by cameras of both front and back, with 5Megapixel snapper and a flash as a frill factor.

Another rehash that makes the market rave crazy is the "Retina Display". The 960x640 IPS LED backlit is crisp with high pixel density and is probably one of the clearest, if not the clearest, mobile devices around. With my iPhone 3GS, you can literally see the difference in terms of overall display quality.

The phone is comparably thinner than the 3GS at .37 inches compared to .48 inches, making the whole package seem tighter and denser. It's as almost around 25% more to the size of a regular ID. See my astronomer ID alongside with it.

Inside its ace-high exteriors are a treasure trove of fantastic specs: blazing-fast 1Ghz A4 CPU, a spanking 512 RAM, and a capacity option for either 16GB or 32GB of storage space, and of course an OS4 user-interface with APIs that can excellently do backgrounding.

It has an impressive multitasking capability and a plethora of applications to boot: Facetime which is nifty for videocalling, Mail improvement which now include threaded messaging, iMovie(we're already familiar with this, I know, right), and a lot more under its hood.

It's probably the next-big-thing in the mobile technology sphere. But the market reception rest on the laurels of the consumers who would either go for it despite its initial signal criticisms and reported significant call drops or let go of it with the temporary help of the free bumpers.

iPhone 4 launch at Makati Shangri-la

"Good News! You may have a chance to get an iPhone 4 TODAY, Sept. 26. Please be at Makati Shangri-La Hotel (Rizal Ballroom) from 4pm-5pm and bring your valid ID. Hurry! First come first served. Limited stocks only. Please disregard this message if you have already availed of a loyalty reward recently." --- a txt from the friendly Globe robot.

I lined up for the public release of the much coveted iPhone 4, but to my dismay, I have found out that the iPhone 4 variant that I want is not yet up-for-grab. It's the iPhone 4 White. They only have the black variant.

But for those who would like to settle for the black(or borak black, as how Epoy describes it), you can check with your nearest Globe Business Centers to avail it.

Those who couldn't wait just opted buying them from Singapore or HongKong. Well, it might be cheaper there, knowing that HongKong doesn't have VAT(that's probably why they are acclaimed to be Asia's shopping capital, for economic reasons), and if you just get the a unit for yourself, there'll be no customs duties as well. Just take it out of the box and use it right away.

Some things I noticed from my friends though, the microSIM activation varies. Some only took like 3-5hours, some are not yet activated exceeding 7hours. Do they activate microSIMs on a24hour period assimilation?

Although one need not line up long from the registration area but inside the hall, it was a bit chaotic. Some clamored for the availability of their unit, some complain for the inconsistency of their bill and plan issue vis-à-vis termination. I have learned though that you can get an iPhone 4 16GB for free if you sign in for Plan 1799 for 36months. Oh well, the 32Gb stock depletes during late afternoon so one can only avail the 16Gb(should he wishes). Bottleneck is at the payment section, but lucky me since I refused to get the black, I need not experience what my friends have gone through. The Customer Representatives were really friendly but the density of the population inside was staggering. I refused to go with my friends taking the smorgasbord feast the Globe prepped for them because I was full coming from John&Yoko Cosmopolitan Japanese Restaurant right before the event.

Kudos to the Globe Customer Representatives, they have tried their best to dish out the best customer experience we all yearn.

Cherry Mobile: Price is their brand strategy

Philippines holds a commanding market for the mobile phone industry, with Filipinos almost changing makes and models almost every six months. We are so distraught about our handset unit that it has somehow become part of our fashion signature, and for some, a symbol status. We would not have been a world's "text capital" if not because of our incurable fancy to mobile phones despite our economic improbability. But there are thrifty few in some of us who preferred the most practical option.

If you are that person, how practical can you get when it comes to mobile phone. Have you ever scrimped with your trusty Nokia 5110 for the longest time now? Or stayed in love with that Ericsson T-series one liner clamshell phone? Or the Alcatel "Safeguard-looking" phone.

Or you'd better be grab the new price-buster models from Torque and Cherry Mobile that would cost cheaper than you regular balance. Ok, I'm exaggerating, I just couldn't believe that there are phones in the market that would cost Php1,000 or less.

Lately, a friend Jordan lost his Nokia phone at one of the drinking bars we are frequenting to. He even tried going back to the bar just to check with the waiters if there's any phone left from the table he was seated. To the unlucky him, none was found. Or admitted found.

Right now, the fellow is just sporting a Cherry Mobile P1, smaller than the size of my Filipino astronomer membership ID. So small, it is as small as its price range. If that isn't the cheapest phone out there, I don't know what is.

The P1 is housed in a sturdy plastic with five different eye-catching candy colors: Black, Red, Green, Blue and White/Silver. The user interface is straightforward. 8-year-olds would find the UI of the Cherry Mobile P1 a piece of cake. The phone’s functions come with its price tag. It’s limited to texting and calling making it an awesome secondary phone. So if you’re looking for an affordable phone and your only requirements are being able to text and call, this is one phone to consider.

It's a no frill phone. It can do your expected basic phone function: SMS with predictive T9 input, GSM 900/1800, and 8-tone polyphonic melodies reminiscent of a Tamagochi. Not bad for a subPhp1,000 price point device. Indeed, Cherry Mobile's brand positioning is the price. Nothing beats that.

I particularly like Jordan's comment when we started raising our eyebrows upon looking his phone that we initially thought to be just a calculator or a keychain. He said, "it's ok, I may have the most backward of phones in terms of features, but I am driving a Honda Civic SIR, let's just drag the road and I will let you bite the dust." The guy has a point. Or he is just pissed off.