Globe Telecom activates 4G first in Davao


I was dumbfounded. Shocked. Disappointed. Never have I been so sad upon hearing the news that Globe has activated 4G network in Davao. Why sad? I have been a Globe subscriber for quite some time now but when Smart offered the Galaxy Note at Unlidata Plan 2000. I switched to Smart.  But I will always have a number for Globe and Sun. Unfortunately, it's on a barebones practical dual-sim China phone. XD

Globe is now 4G in Davao. What does this mean for Globe subscribers? Faster Text, Lesser Dropped calls and ofcourse faster broadband experience. The 2G network will now be switched off but 2G phone owners need not to worry since 4G is backwards compatible anyway.

Congratulations Globe! Although I hate you know for becoming the first 4G here in Davao. Hehe. I guess the USD 700 Million Infrastructure project finally paid off.

The Activation!

The Samsung Galaxy Note Story Part 3: Life Experience (After 2 Months)


This is the last part of my Galaxy Note Story. A part where I will be able to follow up on my review on the Galaxy Note on Part 2. In this part, let me tell you how the Galaxy Note has affected my way of living. This is the true test of the Galaxy Note, the Life Experience.

The first month of me handling the device was great. I was like a little boy who got a new toy and was extremely happy for it. Some of you may be expecting a "however" or a "but", let me tell you and assure you that there is none. Holding the device for two months has made me adjusted to it. The size of it was very much acceptable for my standards but the only thing that is keeping me from enjoying the device is the slow internet speed of Smart Communications here in Davao. But that's another story. Let's start with the Battery Life.



With 2,500 mAH, it won't let you down. However, if you are an extremely heavy user on a smartphone, you know the curse of all smartphones. As for me, my personal experience was good. I still have enough juice for the night but I always charge my phone when I go to sleep.



How about the functionality? If you go Android, you will be glad that it has the most superb productivity with many different devices. I bought an accessory from Samsung that will enable me to attach USB Flash Drives on my device and transfer files to and from it. It was a lifesaver. A lifesaver for quickly transferring pictures needed immediately after taking it or send documents to the internet from the Flash drive. I can also easily send and upload pictures needed by classmates.

The Lifesaver Accessory

It also lessened my urge to bring a plethora of devices for emergencies. Everytime I go out leisurely, I am confident to leave my bag of gadgets at home and only bring my GNote with me. It's one device that I will never forget on all my trips. However, my bag of gadgets still goes with me on long trips.

To answer my question how the Gnote transformed my life? Well, it made me more productive and efficient in all my tasks as a student and as a person. I'm glad this was the device that I chose.

The Samsung Galaxy Note Story Part 2: Review (Student POV)


Last time, I have stated as to how I finally concluded on having the Galaxy Note. I compared it with one of my favorites, the Galaxy Nexus. Even though I have to give up a dream of having to acquire a Google Phone, this review will reveal whether or not it was a good decision to acquire the Samsung N7000 or better known as the Samsung Galaxy Note.

In here lies the treasure!

Part 2: The Student Review
I have been following the techworld for quite some time now. While I wipe my drool everyday about reading the latest technology trends and the future gadgets, I have never thought that I would be one of the early adopters of a niche size phone. Niche size because the phone is quite massive if you compare it with the latest phones that is coming out in this point in our technological timeline. But the thing is, it really isn't quite a big deal once you get a hold of it. I'll explain why in a minute but first, let's start with the outer layer which is packaging.

Packaging. The packaging for the Galaxy Note (or GNote) is fairly small and neat. The package contained manuals, the actual unit, an itty bitty socket USB adapter with matching black USB cable which doubles as a media transfer wire, and finally an in-earphones with extra ear plugs. My package came with a free leather flip case and a Smart Gold Sim.

Out comes the Galaxy Note!

Form Factor. You hear this in most reviews. YES the device is big for some people. Quite uncomfortable for people with small hands but definitely feels right on my hands. Although, Apple is saying that their screen was specially tailored for people with average hands, I can proudly say that I am glad I do not  have average sized hands or else I might have regretted this purchase. Also, the thin built of the device was quite awesome. For me, it doesn't feel bulky or heavy. Reading text and watching online videos is quite pleasurable compared to other devices.

Screen. Coming from an AMOLED display phone such as the HTC Desire, the viewing pleasure of the Galaxy Note was extremely awesome to say the least. The pictures and videos were vivid but some may argue that there is an issue with regards to banding and black clipping. If you are unfamiliar with these, I guess you'll be just fine. As for me, I am not really very mindful of these issues. But as I have tested so far, I do have some issues with regards to gamma and some texture when viewing pure gray colors. However, I am not really bothered at all since these issues do not really come up until you purposely put your device in specific testing method. In terms of overall user performance, the screen is good. What I also like about this device is you can actually read small texts. The texts look crisp and readable but I do advice against reading in full brightness at night. And speaking of brightness, the screen is pretty much brighter than any of the phones I have encountered.

The Whole Galaxy Note Package

Music. I am a music lover but not a music geek. I might be giving the device an overpraise but the Gnote is one amazing music phone. The headphones that came with it are pretty much acceptable in terms of sound quality although I must admit that I haven't really used major brands like Beats and Bose before but I can tell that the earphones supported rich bass unlike those cheap earphones that sounds... well... cheap and basag (no deep bass only high treble). The 5.1 channel simulation on the music app gave me massive eargasm. Bass was wonderful and the voices were clear. The audio chip really did its job.

Camera. Sporting an 8-megapixel camera, this device surely gave me such wonderful camera shots. I am actually using this phone as my everyday camera while making my digital camera a special occasions device. The video capture is quite astonishing since you can capture up to 1080p of HD Video at 30 fps.

Performance. To tell you the truth, if you came from a single core device, you will find the dual-core experience very entertaining. Everything, from processing images to simply swiping screens makes it fluid and responsive. The Touchwiz overlay seems to be more of an asset of the device because it utilizes hardware acceleration with the launcher. Viewing pure HD 1080p videos in an 5.3'' HD Amoled display causes eyegasm. The colors and the details are simply fantasic to behold and there are no visible frame skips on it. However, running a 1.4Ghz dual-core processor tends to take its toll on the battery when you are viewing videos and browsing non-stop.

Battery. 2,500 mAH is perfect for this device. Before writing this review, I have observed my battery usage for one month and I am proud to say that this device has passed with flying colors. With heavy usage, I was able to survive the whole day (removed charger by 8am)  having 35% battery left on 9pm. All sensors and services are on, including Data, Wifi, and GPS and doing Web browsing, texting, and light calls. However, battery life was considerably longer as I am left with at least 50% battery life at the end of the day.

Software. Android 2.3 Gingerbread comes right out of the box for this one but it will be Android 4.0 upgradeable. So far, I am happy with the OS even though there is an overlay on it such as the Touchwiz 4.0.  During my HTC days, I would root my phone and load a custom ROM (phone OS) on it to wipe away the overlay. This time, I left the Touchwiz launcher alone. The overall experience on the device was excellent but it could be better. I guess, I just have to wait for Android 4.0 to maximize the user experience. So far, the experience is acceptable, personally.

Sample shot of our street

Conclusion. Nothing prepared me for what I have experienced on the device. I had doubts that the size was too big that it would look awkward on me. Thankfully, it was the opposite. The device fit me well. I was able to perform mobile phone tasks with it and at the same time it was my emergency productivity suite. From e-book reading to drawing, the device performed well than expected.

Now, the question lingers if I should recommend this device? If you have extra cash, I recommend you take this device. However, if you have tiny hands, avoid this device. the form factor is quite acceptable for average-sized hands but really uncomfortable using it on one hand.

Trend Factor (Bonus Review):
This device can catapult you to the center stage if you have average hands. You do not have to flaunt it around. Simply carry it around and it can be a great conversation starter. As for social media, it's not as striking as "posted from iPhone" or "posted from Blackberry". It is also not a frequent head turner like the iPhone or Blackberry but certainly quite an attention grabber especially if you have tiny hands. But if you are looking for a current phone that will be "in" for a long time, this is it. Samsung has put such effort in marketing this since it is the first of its kind (Amoled Phablet) and I believe that this phone will still be in trend until they release a version 2 of this product which could be on the 4th Quarter of 2012.

Personally, though, it's not a head turner nor a conversation starter for me since it looks normal on my huge hands. But I still love it simply because it's a device where I can do almost everything as a student such as writing notes, doodling when bored, and even quick editing documents on-the-go.

This ends part 2 of the story. I hope that you learned something from this and I hope that it helped you decide which phone to get. If you have some questions, hit me up in the comments below.

The Samsung Galaxy Note Story 1 of 3: The Dilemma


Hi! I have been out for a couple of weeks now and I want to let you guys know that I am still alive and well. I have been gone due to some real life activities that really demand attention and time. But here is my 3-part series regarding the Samsung Galaxy Note. From the conception of the idea of acquiring a new phone to the actual review of the unit and the post review. First part would be the dilemma of choosing which phone to buy. If you have been following my tweets, you will notice that the GNote was not my first choice. Details on how I came out with my decision will come after. Part 2 is the Student Review of the Samsung N-7000 Galaxy Note. Part 3 on the other hand is some impressions on how the Galaxy Note transformed my life. It will tackle some things I like about it and what I don't like about it during my day to day activities. So, here's part 1!

Image courtesy of hemmordroids.net

Part 1: The Dilemma


The year 2012 was the year I have decided to upgrade to a new  mobile phone. I was eyeing on the Samsung Galaxy Nexus for quite some time now and having learned that the phone will be released on January made me ecstatic.  It was my dream phone.

A pure Google phone.

However, as I do my usual googling about the reviews, I came across another product. The Samsung Galaxy Note. The phone has a massive 5.3'' display as opposed to the Galaxy Nexus which has 4.65'' including the on-screen keyboard. What I liked about the Galaxy Nexus is the Zero-Lag camera shutter and, of course, the wonderful Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich or ICS). I dug deeper between the two and noticed that there was a significant difference between the devices. The processor of the Gnote is powerful, the GPU is state-of-the-art, and the Camera is 8 Megapixels.



But having experienced ICS on my HTC Desire is really something. Everything was buttery smooth and bare-bones Android 4.0 is simply fantastic. I really hated OS overlays for Android phones. For example, the HTC Sense on my HTC Desirem, Motoblur for Motorola, and Touchwiz for Samsung. It makes it sluggish and the frame-skips drives me crazy.

The date of acquisition is nearing. I need to make a decision. Until suddenly... Aaron Baker happened.

I've seen many comparisons on Galaxy Note and Galaxy Nexus online but the conclusion was not helping in my decisions. But Aaron Baker, from PhoneDog.com, helped me decide by replying to my queries on his page and watching his reviews and comparison video of the Galaxy Nexus and Galaxy Note.

I have decided to get a Galaxy Note.

Yes, the ending was a little spoiled because of the title but let me sum up as to why I got the Galaxy Note.

Reasons:

  1. Camera is a whole lot better on the Galaxy Note but Galaxy Nexus is way faster. I preferred quality over speed.
  2. Exynos Processor on the Galaxy Note is being praised a lot.
  3. Mali-400 GPU is one of the revolutionary GPU's lately. The Galaxy Nexus has an overclocked SGX 540, same with the Nexus S, although SGX is pretty compatible with most games.
  4. The S-PEN is something that intrigued me. A stylus with ballpen-like precision is pretty much useful in taking NOTES (pun half-intended). 
  5. Big battery life. I like doing lots of stuff on my phone. Galaxy Nexus has less.
  6. Ability to extend storage. SD storage on GNote. Gnexus, none.
  7. I have big hands. Big screens is a treat for my big hands.
  8. It doesn't look awkward on me when I am making a call.
  9. Looks very professional. 
So, that's it. That's how I got the Galaxy Note. Next up is the Review.

Level Up! and e-Games Merge?! [OMGWTFBBQ]


It's quite fitting for the Valentine's Day as two huge online gaming companies here in the Philippines, Level Up! and e-Games, merges. What does this mean for the Online Gaming community? Well, it will be amazing! Imagine, one massive national event for all the games alone will be epic!


Official Announcement below:

IP E-Game Ventures Inc. (E-Games), the listed online gaming subsidiary (PSE:EG) of IP Ventures, Inc., and Level Up! Inc. (LUI), have reached an agreement to merge their Philippine online game publishing businesses. On February 14, the parties signed an agreement stating that most of E-Game’s titles and assets relating to its game publishing business will be transferred to LUI and the publishing operations of said titles will be merged into LUI’s associated online game publishing company, Playweb Games Inc.

In exchange, E-Games will receive equity in LUI, a commercial interest in Playweb Games Inc. (game publisher and operator of all game titles and services under the Level Up! brand in the Philippines), and a cash consideration. The parties shall work in good faith to complete the deal. The appropriate disclosures and comprehensive statements shall be made at the appropriate time. E-Games and LUI, as a merged entity, is expected to strategically benefit both companies as a result of future operational synergies and savings.

Source: PSE

Samsung Galaxy S III is Coming?! [Beautiful Specs]


The Samsung UAE seems to have slipped when the GT-I9300 seems to have appeared in the list. Is this a sign that Samsung will release a new flagship phone soon? Or someone just added something to the list earlier than expected.

Image from Redmondpie.com

A preview of Samsung Galaxy S III was leaked some time ago and the internet was buzzing ever since. According to the leak, the new Galaxy S3 was planned to have a whopping 1.8Ghz DUAL CORE processor, a huge 2 Gigs of RAM, 12 Megapixels, and a 4.6'' Super AMOLED Plus HD screen. But that was just a rumor and the picture below is an unconfirmed leak.

Photo from Phandroid


Webpocalypse 2012: SOPA, PIPA, PCFOPA + SOPA Philippines Brewing



When the Mayans predicted that the world will end on 2012, maybe it isn't the world that will end but the Internet. Or they did run out of stones to write on. In any case, the file sharing world is under attack from FBI as they keep on shutting the File Sharing websites one by one (see the list at the end of this post).

SOPA and PIPA is still not passed yet and yet the crack down is already this hard. If SOPA and PIPA passed, the internet will indeed be broken as a government will be given authoritative power over the internet. Censors will be all over the place and the once free internet community will be just a memory. But now, another legislation is being realized. The Protect Children from Online Pornographer's Act or PCFOPA.

Despite the heroic name of the legislation, it's actually worse than SOPA. PCFOPA aims to scan you internet history for any Children pornography and even give the right to scan your credit card purchases if ever you purchased online children pornography.

January 18, 2012 protest may not be enough

Sounds good right?

But please take note, it gives the government to SCAN YOUR INTERNET HISTORY. It's almost like it's an internet big brother.

Intentions are good but it is again, without a doubt, open for abuse. FBI can't even protect their own website  from a cyber attack, how can we be sure that the tools that will be used for this is even secure in the first place? This legislation is bad for everyone since I know that other countries will be affected.

How do I know? Our very own country, Philippines, is already formulating a legislation that takes pattern with SOPA. TechLocal.com reports that different organizations, such as the MPA and IP Coalition, are already lobbying the legislation. It also reports that  Rep. Rufus Rodrigues and Sen. Loren Legarda and Edgardo Angara has already been approached by these organizations regarding this and they are hoping that it will be passed this year.


Very dark times for the internet indeed.



In other news:


MegaUpload - CLOSED.
FileServe - Closing, doesnt sell premium.
FileJungle - Deleting files. Blocked in EUA.
UploadStation - Blocked in EUA.
FileSonic - Doesnt know much (Under FBI investigation).
VideoBB - CLOSED! Soon will disappear.
Uploaded - Banished from EUA and FBI will go after the owners that disappeared
FilePost - Deleting all files (will leave only executables,pdfs, txts)
VideoZer - Closing and blocked in affliated contries to USA.
4shared - Deleting files with copyright and is FBI's line.
MediaFire - Called to testify in the next 90 days and it will have to open the doors to FBI
Torrente org - Might delete everything until 30 days "is under criminal investigation"
Rede Share mIRC - Waits decision on Torrents case to continue or shut it down
KoshiKO - operating 100% Japan will not adhere to SOPA/PIPA
Shienko Box - operating 100% China/korea will not adhere to SOPA/PIPA
ShareX BR - grupo UOL/BOL/iG dizem que não irão aderir ao SOPA/PIPA / will not adhere to SOPA/PIPA

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