First Impressions: Starmobile Engage 7-inch Android tablet

Starmobile is Filipino mobile phone company that specializes in affordable feature phones of their own design. It’s no surprise that sooner or later the company will also release their own Android devices.

The Starmobile Engage is their first Android tablet at 7-inch and has a retail price of just Php5,990. Can’t believe the price right? At that price, what you can usually get are entry-level Android smartphones.

We received a unit of Starmobile Engage recently so allow us to share to you our first impressions.

Inside the box, you’ll get the tablet itself, the charger, generic earphones, manual and the warranty card. Pretty basic stuff.

Lifting the Engage we immediately notice how light it is. The 7-inch display has a wide bezel surrounding it with the Starmobile logo below it. If you notice that the display is not that sharp, well it’s because of the low 800 x 480 resolution which you rarely see even in smartphones with 4.3-inch display.

It has a curved back with a matte black finish to discourage smudges and fingerprints. Upper right at the back you’ll find the typical 3.0 megapixel camera (no flash) you find in entry-level Android phones. Speaker grill is located on the lower right portion at the back. There’s also a VGA camera in front which works with video calls like Skype.

At the bottom edge of the tablet you’ll be greeted with a whole LOT of ports. From left to right you’ll get the Home button, Reset pinhole, mic, 3.5mm earphone jack, DC charging port, mini-USB, a regular USB, standard HDMI port, microSD slot, and the Power/Sleep button.

The Starmobile Engage is a WiFi-only device but you can use your 3G or 3.5G USB dongle with it. You can also plug in a USB flash drive and access its contents with this tablet. You need a file explorer app for it though which you can easily get from Google Play.

This tablet runs on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich already and is powered by a single-core 1.2GHz CPU with 1 GB RAM. Haven’t really used it that much but I experienced a little bit of lag when waking this device. There’s a 5GB internal storage here so you’d want to make use of the microSD slot for expansion.

Bottomline here is the Starmobile Engage won’t “wow” you in terms of looks but it has a unique design compared to other budget tablets in the market. The specs are not something you will like to show off either but they’re serviceable for the price that you are paying for. You will also get a lot of functionalities out of this device thanks to its myriad of ports.

The thing is, for just Php5,995, you’ll get a lightweight 7-inch Android tablet you can use to watch videos, surf, read books, video chat and play casual games with. Starmobile also prides itself with the high-quality of customer support they give which is their edge over other affordable brands in the market.

Starmobile Engage

1.2GHz A10 Cortex A8 CPU 7-inch Capacitive Multi Touch Display, 800×480 pixel resolution 1GB RAM, 5GB internal storage, expandable via microSD to 32GB Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich 3-megapixel rear facing camera 0.3-megapixel front facing camera WiFi, HDMI, USB OTG, supports 3.5G modem No Bluetooth 3000mAh Battery SRP: Php5,990

Source: pinoytechblog

Toshiba Portégé Z930, still the lightest and thinnest Ultrabook

The first Ultrabook from Toshiba, the Portégé Z830, is one of the top Ultrabooks in its generation offering a premium, tough design with no compromise on specs and functionality. Now Toshiba retained the same build that won them a red dot award but with even better specs in the form of the Portégé Z930.

The Toshiba Portégé Z930 is a 13.3-inch Ultrabook with a 15.9mm-thin frame with durable magnesium alloy chassis with a brushed metallic finish that weighs only 1.12 kg, making it the thinnest and lightest 13-inch Ultrabook we have right now.

Powering the Portégé Z390 is Intel’s 3rd generation Core processor (i5 and i3 version), and a 4GB DDR3 RAM (up to 8GB), with 128GB SSD (up to 256GB) for storage.

What probably sets this Ultrabook apart from others is that for a thin form factor, it doesn’t skimp on full-sized ports. While others require you to have a dongle just to plug in a VGA monitor or a LAN cable, the Portégé Z930 has USB ports, Ethernet port, full-sized HDMI port, and VGA port located at the back.

You’ll also love the spill-resistant backlit keyboard on this Ultrabook and it even comes with a fingerprint reader for those who don’t like typing passwords.

the Toshiba Portégé Z930 is already available for P69,990 for the Core i5 version, and P82,990 for the Core i7 version.

Toshiba Portégé Z930 Specs:

• Intel Core i5-3427U 1.8GHz Processor | Intel Core i7-3667U 2.0GHz Processor
• Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
• Intel HD Graphics 4000
• 13.3” high-brightness display
• 4GB DDR3 | 6GB DDR3
• 128GB Solid State Drive (Serial ATA, SSD)
• Full size ports: HDMI, VGA, USB 3.0, 2x USB 2.0, SD Card Reader, Gigabit LAN
• Bluetooth 4.0, WLAN (802.11 a/b/g/n or b/g/n)
• Matte A4 spill-resistant tile backlit keyboard and large multi-touch touch pad
• Magnesium casing with internal honeycomb reinforcement
• 31.6cm x 22.7cm x 0.83cm (front)/1.59cm (back)
• 1.12kg
• Li-Ion (47Wh, 8-Cell), up to 8 hours battery life
• SRP: Php69,990 | Php82,990

Source: pinoytechblog

Dell launches 2012 Vostro series notebooks

Dell Philippines launched several line of products today from their OptiPlex desktop for enterprise to their laptops, both for the commercial and for consumer market.

The Vostro, an entry-level series of laptops, caught my attention since I used to be a Vostro user for about two years before I switched to Macbook Pro. My Vostro 3400 back then was my work horse which did not give me any troubles.

For 2012, Dell will bring three sizes of the Vostro. You can make your own choice from their 13-inch, 14-inch and the 15-inch which will be available in aberdeen silver, brisbane bronze and lucerne red. All of these Vostros are loaded with the 3rd generation Intel Core processors that allows you to experience faster computing speed and a longer battery life experience.

Each of the three models has a standard Core i3 processor but there will be options for Core i5 and i7 too. It comes with Intel HD Graphics 4000 but you can choose to configure it with discrete AMD or NVIDIA graphics. The 13-inch and 14-inch will have a high-def LED Anti-glare display with 1366 x 768 resolution, while the 15-inch Vostro 3560 will have an optional full HD 1290 x 1080 display.

These Vostro notebooks come with 4GB DDR3 memory by default but can be configured to up to 8GB with 2 DIMM slots. 320GB HDD is the default storage which comes with Free Fall sensors for all Vostro but there’s the optional upgrade to 500GB, or a 32GB mSATA SDD for the Vostro 3360. The other models will have a max of 750GB HDD option.

A hi-def webcam with integrated dual digital array microphone and Waves MaxxVoice pro and standard finger print reader will be a default config too. A Gigabit LAN port, an 802.11a/b/g/n and a Bluetooth, VGA, HDMI, headphone and speaker out ports, an 8-in-1 card reader will be available on the Vostro 3460 and 3560. Vostro 3360 will have 2 x USB 3.0 with USB PowerShare, while Vostro 3460 and 3560 will have 3 x USB 3.0 and a USB 3.0 PowerShare.

The Dell Vostro series is targeted towards the SMB market and will be available this July.

Acer officially launched Aspire S5 Core i7 Ultrabook

Yesterday at the Acer’s Tech Showcase 2012, the Aspire S5 Ultrabook finally made its official debut in the country. We got a sneak peek of this laptop a last April but the Aspire S5 is now official.

The Aspire S5 is the second Ultrabook released here by Acer with the first one being the affordable Aspire S3. With the Aspire S5 though, Acer is going with more speed on this machine.

Powering the Aspire s5 is Intel’s 3rd generation Core i7-3517U processor and a 4GB DDR3 RAM. Instead of using the same hybrid storage as the Aspire S3, the Aspire S5 is going pure SSD at 128GB. It will still have a 13.3″ Acer CineCrystal LED display featuring a 200-nit high brightness.

What makes this Ultrabook unique is its hidden port design. Only ports seen on the side are the 3.5mm audio jack and the SD card reader. The rest are concealed at the back which is accessed by pressing a button (on the upper right side) to lift the back a bit to reveal the rest of the ports. Looks cute but might be troublesome in the long run that you’ll mostly leave it open.

Anyway, the Acer Aspire S5 is now available and will retail for around Php65,000 making its market a bit exclusive. You’ll get a snazzy, slim and powerful Ultrabook in return though.

Acer Aspire S5 Specs:

13.3″ LED display @ 1366×768 pixels, 200-nit
Intel Core i7-3517U processor (1.9GHz, TurboBoost up to 3.0GHz)
Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit
Intel HD 4000 Graphics
128GB RAID O SSD
4GB DDR3 RAM
Acer InviLink Nplify WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth 4.0 + HS
2 x USB 3.0 ports
1 x HDMI port
1 x Thunderbolt port
2-in-1 Card reader
SRP: Php65,000

Microsoft announces its own tablet, calls it "Surface"

Earlier at a press event in L.A., Microsoft’s CEO Steve Ballmer unveiled their latest “big” device that will hit the market. A 10-inch tablet they call Surface.

I find it surprising that Microsoft is now entering the hardware computing space when they’ve only been doing peripherals before, since they already have a long list of big brands to handle hardware development. Having the Surface PC will compete not only with Apple’s iPad but with other upcoming Windows 8 tablets as well.

Anyway, the Surface is here and Microsoft is showing the world how a Windows tablet should be made. There are two Microsoft Surface PC versions, an Intel-based tablet running on Windows 8 Pro and one based on the ARM chipset with Windows 8 RT.

Both tablets have a 10.6-inch Gorilla Glass 2 display and a vapor-deposited (PVD) magnesium chassis with a built-in kickstand. Microsoft describes it as being “rigid” yet “light” and feels “natural” when handling. There’s not much difference between the two in terms of design, just the physical size and weight of the device.

Here’s a specs comparison between the two models.

	Surface for Windows 8 Pro	Surface for Windows 8 RT
OS	Windows 8 Pro	Windows 8 RT
Screen	10.6" 1920×1080	10.6" 1366×768
Processor	Intel Core i5 Ivy Bridge	ARM-based Nvida
Storage	64GB, 128GB	32GB, 64GB
Thickness	13.5mm (0.53")	9.3mm (0.36")
Weight	903g (1.99lbs)	676g (1.49lbs)
Battery	42Wh	31.5Wh
Connectivity	microSDXC, USB 3.0, Mini DisplayPort Video, 2×2 MIMO antennae	microSD, USB 2.0, Micro HD Video, 2×2 MIMO antennae
Pen support	Yes	No
Accessories	Touch Cover, Type Cove	Touch Cover, Type Cover
Est. Price	~$800+	~$400-$600

A thing of note for those who are thinking about Windows 8 RT version and its ARM-based tablet. It’s similar to Android tablets in a way that it’s not a full-blown version of Windows 8. You can’t freely install your applications and games like you would on an Intel-based tablet running Windows 8. To make things simple, it’s like Apple’s iOS vs their Mac OS X.

Accessories initially available for the Surface include a Touch Cover which is very similar to the magnetic Smart Cover of Apple, but this one has a touch keyboard and touchpad on the inside as well. Type Cover on the other hand is a cover with depressable a keyboard.

As for availability, the Windows RT tablet will ship around the same time that Microsoft releases Windows 8 (expected in October), while the Intel-based Pro tablet will arrive about three months later.

Samsung refreshes Series 9 with Intel Ivy Bridge, now properly an Ultrabook

When the Samsung Series 9 was released in March last year, it was well ahead of the “Ultrabook” category which was coined much later. Yesterday, Samsung announced the refreshed version of their Series 9 which is now properly called an Ultrabook.

What’s new with the new Samsung Series 9? For starters it’s going to be the cream of the crop laptop from Samsung coming in at 15-inch (compared to 13-inch before) and packs a 3rd generation Intel Core i7 Ivy Bridge processor. It will have the same thin form but Samsung is proudly claiming it to be the thinnest 15-incher around at only 14.9 mm thin and weighs only 1.58kg.

Aside from the beefy processor, they jacked up the RAM to 8GB, and made the storage to 256GB SSD as default. Having used SSD as the storage choice, the Samsung Series 9 can boot up its Windows 7 Pro at just over 9 seconds. The LED display still has the same 400-nit brightness as before to give good contrast even under heavy light. And it will also retain its backlit keyboard.

The new Samsung Series 9 will retail for Php76,900 (cheaper than the first when it debuted) and comes in Titanium Silver. Samsung is also offering it at 12-months zero percent interest.

Samsung Series 9 15-inch Specs:

• Intel Core i5-3317U Processor (1.7GHz, 3MB cache)
• Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit)
• 15-inch LED HD+ (1600 x 900) 400 nits SuperBright Plus Technology
• Intel HD Graphics 4000
• 8GB DDR3 memory
• 256GB SSD
• 1.3-megapixel web cam
• 802.11 a/b/g/n, LAN, Bluetooth 4.0
• microHDMI port, LAN port via dongle (included), VGA port via dongle (not included)
• 2x USB 3.0, 1x USB 2.0
• 4-in-1 card reader
• 8-cell Li-Po battery (up to 10 hours)
• SRP: Php76,900

ASUS delivers “Happiness” experience to customers with latest notebooks

Aside from the unveiling of the Zenbook Prime, ASUS communicated to the press its commitment to deliver a whole new user experience with its upcoming notebooks. These new notebooks, including the Zenbook Prime, will be focusing on aesthetic Beauty, Sound, Touch and Cloud service, all part of the core element of ASUS design thinking DNA in delivering customers’ happiness.

ASUS Country Manager Mr. George Su and Marketing Manager Mrs. Jamie Zaldivar showed us what this new “Happiness” experience is all about brought by the entire new line of X, K, N, G Series notebooks, as well as the Zenbook Prime.

Beauty

ASUS delivers incredible beauty through its designs. “Premium Perception” is the core design concept of ASUS notebooks this year.  Each notebook is developed with two goals  in mind and that is to be unique and elegant.  Only through closer inspection would users be captivated by the attention to detail penned by ASUS designers.

Sound

ASUS recognizes the importance audio plays in consumers’ daily lives and have taken steps to ensure all ASUS notebooks feature the ASUS proprietary SonicMaster sound technology which was co- developed with B&O ICEpower. SonicMaster technology brings notebook audio to life, with a combination of fine-tuned software along with superior speakers and oversized resonance chambers. SonicMaster delivers a crystal-clear, yet deep with a richness of bass sound playing across a wider range to ensure the purest audio from a portable PC.

Touch

For better user experience of notebook input interface, ASUS enlarge the touchpad and provide more smooth multi-gesture when scroll, swipe, rotate, zoom in & out. More gesture functions are available with this new touchpad solution created by ASUS Magic Touch team.

IOIC (Instant On, Instant Connect)

ASUS provide the best instant on, instant connect solution through 2 seconds resume and up to 2 weeks standby time. ASUS will provide Instant Connect Link (IC link). It is a solution which includes an app and a cable to share the internet from your smartphone instantaneously.

Cloud

ASUS cloud service will provide the most convenient cloud service for customers, easily storing, sharing, and syncing up all the data. With the MyBitCast App, users can quickly sync the notes, photos and audio recording data to various devices at once.

ASUS’ upcoming laptops will also feature the ASUS SuperBatt technology that extends the overall lifespan of the battery by three times than the regular batteries. All of these features go to show that ASUS would never compromise when it comes to fulfilling customers’ happiness, and it remains their top priority.

Sony gives a sneak peek of new VAIO laptops at the Philippine Fashion Week

Believe it or not, Sony has always been a part of the Philippine Fashion Week, equipping models in the catwalk with their stylish digital cameras and cutting-edge designed laptops.

For this year, Sony’s latest VAIO laptops which will still be launched next month made a surprise appearance during the PFW last May 23. As apparent to older VAIOs, the upcoming VAIO laptop models still cater to a variety of lifestyles.

The redesigned E Series, for instance, is intended for trendy students, it features a modern wrap design, and provides customers with a choice between an 11” and a 14” version as well as three colors—black, silver and pink.

Also present was Sony’s Ultrabook, the T series which provides both form and function for people on the go. Reflecting today’s extremely mobile lifestyle, it offers full featured connectivity and complete user experience through its integrated ports.  Moreover, it is also equipped with Intel Smart Response Technology that enables users to start up their laptops quickly, with the same speed as booting up a tablet or smartphone. The T series also comes in two sizes—11” and 13”.

On the other hand, the premium S Series represents a perfect balance of power and mobility. Designed for business users, it features dual/extended battery operation to ensure a longer uptime. Other high-end features that elevates the series include hybrid graphics, improved sound quality, gesture control, Exmor HD web camera, HDD port replicator solution and a USB charging function that works even when the device is turned off.

“Gadgets have become one of modern life’s most essential accessories,” comments VAIO Marketing Officer Jhoey Benedicto.  “Sony products are not only technologically innovative but also stylishly designed in order to reflect our customers’ cultivated tastes.”

We’ll surely keep you posted on details once we get a closer look of these new laptops when they launch this June.

Asus unveils successor to its Zenbook, the Zenbook Prime

It was barely three months ago when the Asus Zenbook was introduced to the market. It was one of the best-looking Ultrabook ever made and is quite comparable to Apple’s MacBook Air. Today, Asus launched its new and improved Zenbook, featuring Intel’s latest Ivy Bridge processor for a better overall performance.

From preliminary testing, we found that the new integrated graphics (Intel HD Graphics 4000) from Ivy Bridge offers a huge boost in graphic performance as compared to Intel HD Graphics 3000 found in Sandy Bridge chips.

So aside from having the latest Intel chips, what else is new with the Asus Zenbook Prime?

One major niggle we found on the Asus Zenbook UX21 we reviewed before was the keyboard. Its keys are a bit flat that they don’t provide enough tactile feedback when typing making you wonder if you’ve pressed a key hard enough. There’s also the lack of backlight which should be a common feature in premium notebooks.

Well Asus fixed that with this latest generation of Zenbook. The backlit keys are a bit raised now and gives a soft feedback and they also improved the trackpad to be more precise and responsive.

The 13-inch Asus Zenbook before has already the highest resolution display on a laptop with 1600×900 but with the Zenbook Prime, they upped the ante to having a full HD display of 1920×1080 for a better and sharper picture. It even has an IPS LCD panel for wider viewing angles.

There’s not much change done on its exterior features. It still has its sexy looks, ultrathin edges and brushed metal finish. If it ain’t broke why fix it right?

The Asus Zenbook Prime will be available in stores this June starting with the Intel Core i7 model (UX31A) which will go for Php69,995.

MobC cases for the Samsung Galaxy Note and Galaxy Tab 10.1

Apple iPad and iPhone users has everything going for them in the accessory department. Cases are always aplenty in all colors, designs, and materials you can think of.

Seeing the popularity of Samsung Galaxy devices, MobC, a Korean protective casing manufacturer, created cases for the successful Galaxy Note and the full-sized Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet. MobC prides itself in high-quality products, built with premium materials with a modern and classic design.

MobC C-Pocket for the Samsung Galaxy Note

The C-Pocket is an ultra-slim protective case that features a sturdy hardshell back case that holds your device, but has a front cover that is made of rich genuine leather. Take note, genuine not faux! A soft, fiber lining on the inside cover prevents scratches and smudges, while it double-duties with discrete card slots for your business essentials. It also comes with a front screen protector. A practical case for a smartphone that can do a lot.  SRP: Php3,500, comes in black and brown.

MobC Page Diary for the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1

The Page Diary offers Galaxy Tab 10.1 users a solid polyurethane (PU) hardshell case in a slim, folio design that easily folds back to prop up the device. The folio is made of durable PU leather that is resistant to weather changes and easy to clean. The inside of the case is lined with soft fiber for protection against scratches.

If you’re not feeling taking down notes on the tablet itself, the Page Diary comes equipped with a pen and notepad holder and an initial pad of smooth, lined sheets. SRP: Php3,500, comes in black and gray.

MobC Easy Diary for the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1

If you want things bright and simple for your Galaxy Tab 10.1, the Easy Diary folio case is the one for your. It is made of durable PU leather, with a hardshell case that securely holds your tablet and a magnetic clip that easily snaps close. SRP: Php3,300, comes in black, blue, and orange.

MobC is now available at the Samsung store in Greenhills, San Juan, and in selected gadget stores. To order online, please visit their official Multiply store  - GadgeteerOnline. For product inquiries, please you may call 0917-5754812 or inquire at their Facebook Page.

Sony unveils own Ultrabook, the VAIO T11 and T13

After waiting a long time, Sony finally decided to join the Ultrabook party by coming up with their VAIO T11 and T13, an 11.6-inch and 13.3-inch Ultrabook.

Unfortunately, while others are gearing to release their 3rd gen Intel Ivy Bridge powered Ultrabooks, these VAIOs still use 2nd gen Intel Sandy Bridge processors starting with a Core i3-2367M. Anyway, Sony is giving its Ultrabook buyers the choice to configure it with a hybrid HDD+SSD drive for storage capacity or a pure SSD drive for  better speed performance and longer battery life.

Instead of going with the slimmest title in the Ultrabook market, Sony decided to go with a functional design on the VAIO T11 and T13. Both models come with full-sized VGA, HDMI and even ethernet ports, along with memory card readers and both USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 ports. You’ll also get 4GB RAM, Bluetooth 4.0+HS, Exmor R lens for webcam and Sony’s xLoud and Clear Phase technology for its audio.

Sony is claiming an impressive 9-hour battery life on the pure SSD models, and it can even go up to 90 days on standby mode.

Price-slash on laptops with the ASUS Blazing Summer Deals

ASUS will heat up your summer with their Blazing Summer Deals promo where you can get their popular K-series notebooks at a discount.

The Asus K-Series notebook was a popular all-around lappy late last year which gives the right balance of price and specs. With their Blazing Summer Deals promo, you can get these laptops at Php1,000 off.

These colorful laptops feature their Ice Cool Technology which prevents the palm rest of the notebook from overheating. It also has Palm Proof technology that safely ignores input from your palm or wrist while you’re typing.

The ASUS Blazing Summer deals is already available with the following models of K series notebooks.

	K43E	K43SJ	K43SD
	K43E-VX306R/7R/8R/9R	K43SJ-VX570	K43SD-VX296/297/298 K43SD-VX296R/297R/298R
Processor	Intel Pentium B950	Intel Core i3-2330	Intel Core i3-2350
Display	14.1” LED Color Shine	14.1” LED Color Shine	14.1” LED Color Shine
Memory (RAM)	2GB DDR3 1333mhz	2GB DDR3 1333mhz	4GB DDR3 1333mhz
Graphics	Intel HD Graphics	NVIDIA GT520M 1GB	NVIDIA GT610M 2GB
HDD Capacity	640GB	640GB	320GB
OS	Windows Home Basic	NO OS	Windows Home Basic
Battery	6 Cells Battery	6 Cells Battery	6 Cells Battery
Colors Available	Choco Brown, Seduction Pink, Passion Red and Chill Blue	Choco Brown	Chill Blue, Passion Red, Seduction Pink
NEW PRICE	PHP25,995	PHP25,995	PHP28,995 without OS PHP31,995 with  Genuine Windows 7 Home Basic