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(UPDATE, November 5: Added ADB method, which requires more work.)
Local tech company Cherry Mobile recently confirmed to me that the Android 6.0 Marshmallow OTA update for its second-gen Android One release, the Cherry Mobile One G1, will roll out starting this week.
It’s that time of year again: Lazada Philippines will hold a massive sale called the “Lazada Online Revolution Sale” starting November 11 (11/11) until the 12th of December (12/12).
You may have heard that local Internet service providers PLDT and Globe Telecom are now offering ultra-fast fiber broadband service to residents in select upscale condominiums and communities in Metro Manila.
What may have escaped your notice, however, is that SkyCable has also updated its broadband offerings to lure higher-paying customers who want faster Internet speeds sans the constraints of a monthly data cap.
Following the launch and subsequent release of the OPPO Mirror 5 and R7 Series, OPPO has officially made the Neo 7, the successor to its Neo line of budget handsets available in the Philippines. The global smartphone maker is obviously aware that sub-P10,000 devices are making a killing on the local market these days, hence the announcement of another value-for-money contender.
Globe Telecom has earlier announced its P1,799 data plan for the 4.7-inch iPhone 6s and 5.5-inch iPhone 6s Plus, leaving existing and would-be Smart subscribers to wonder what this year’s iPhone upgrade holds. Well, they can wonder no more: Smart has now made official its postpaid pricing for the latest iPhones, which will be available beginning November 6.
I previously wrote about the Apple iPhone 6s and 6s Plus finally getting a release date in the Philippines, courtesy of local operators Globe Telecom and Smart Communications. To reiterate, the date to remember is November 6, 2015, which is exactly a week away.
(UPDATE, November 1, 2015: Acer Philippines’ PR agency on Sunday issued an apology, and the company has updated the #LikeABoss campaign to address the issues raised in this article. You can read the full apology below. I’m told Acer Philippines will also send out a statement “ASAP.”)
For a limited time, local telecom Smart Communications is giving its customers another reason to book their accommodations on Airbnb, the wildly popular short-term rental platform, which currently has over 2 million listings in 34,000 cities and 190 countries. Think Uber, but for accommodations in the Philippines and abroad.
Slow Internet? I hear you. If you’ve lived in the Philippines long enough, you may have come to the realization that local broadband speeds could conjure images of a turtle slow-walking on a swath of peanut butter, something you wouldn’t find distractingly cute or hilarious if you were in the position of the guy waiting — for weeks — for a game he had bought from Steam to finish downloading. Having the same issues? You could look for faster internet by searching broadband deals site like usave.co.uk.
You may have heard in the news earlier this year that the NTC [National Telecommunications Commission] is looking to crack down on the telecom industry and bring Internet service providers to task if they fail to hit the NTC-set minimum downstream of 256Kbps or don’t deliver on their advertised broadband speeds.
Another NBA season is scheduled to tip off tomorrow (October 28 if you live in the Philippines), and as has been the case the past couple of years, the NBA is treating its fans to an appetizer of sorts by granting free and full access to League Pass, the league’s official video-streaming service that features live and on-demand games, for a very limited time. The offer runs until November 3, though I’m not sure which time zone the deadline refers to.
Global smartphone brand OPPO has announced a refresh model under the Neo line, following the naming scheme of other creations in the company’s stable. Say hello to the OPPO Neo 7 (OPPO, unsurprisingly, chose to skip the Neo 6 entirely), an Android Lollipop-based phone with modest specs and a design that features a metallic trim and a glossy, mirror-like finish on the back.
If you’ve been wondering when the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus would be officially available in the Philippines, wonder no more: Both Globe and Smart have made an announcement as to when we could expect to see Apple’s new smartphones in stores, with the former confirming what the latter had earlier said in a press release dated October 24.
Tomorrow, Globe Telecom will begin offering its fiber-broadband network at adjusted rates that won’t be prohibitively pricey for many, albeit initially only in upscale communities and condominiums. The top-tier offer promises superfast speeds at one gigabit, or 1,000 megabits, per second, by far the fastest commercially available broadband plan in the Philippines.
(UPDATE: Globe has just confirmed new pricing tiers for its fiber-based broadband service: 50 Mbps for P2,499 per month; 100 Mbps for P3,499; 200 Mbps for P4,499; 500 Mbps for P7,499; and a whopping 1 Gbps for P9,499. Check how it compares with plans being offered in other countries here.)
HOOQ just got a lot better. The subscription video-on-demand service has just pushed an update to its mobile app, adding what it earlier promised, and what many users have been waiting for: Chromecast support. The update means you can now stream any of the 30,000-plus videos on the HOOQ platform to an HDMI-compliant TV or monitor fitted with a Chromecast dongle, which is sold separately.
HOOQ now works with the Chromecast dongle, allowing you to stream any of the 30,000-plus videos on the platform to a TV with an HDMI input.
Globe Telecom is currently bundling the first-generation Chromecast with broadband deals starting at P1,299 per month. If you already have a DSL or fiber line, you’d have to fork out around P1,600 (or $35) for the dongle itself, a fair price to pay for the convenience of wirelessly streaming content to the biggest screen in your home.
If you own an Android device, and you’ve been hoping to score a killer deal on quality games, then stop what you’re doing and fire up the Play Store app now. You’ll find that several titles from Electronic Arts and its subsidiary, Chillingo, can be bought from the Google app store for just P5. No, that’s not a typo. Normally, these games would cost you around P200, but for a limited time you can get them for almost nothing.
If you must pick only one, at least pick Need for Speed: Most Wanted or Dead Space; from experience, they’re worth your time.
Here’s the list of discounted games, directly from Google Play.
I have no idea when the deal will expire, so be sure to take advantage of it while you can. If you must pick only one, at least pick Need for Speed: Most Wanted or Dead Space; from experience, they’re worth your time. Oh, and one last thing to note: Some of the titles have in-app purchases, meaning paying the sticker price won’t get you all the content available for them.
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Google app for mobile
If reports are accurate, we might see a new Samsung flagship immediately after the holidays. In January at the earliest. A recent post by South Korea’s Electronic Times claims: “Samsung Electronics have confirmed that it will announce its next strategic smartphone ‘Galaxy S7’ in January of next year.”
The article, citing “people in [smartphone] parts industries” as its source, adds that Samsung finalized the Galaxy S7’s design in September of this year, and that the Korean company is currently sourcing components for the device.
It’s obvious why Samsung would choose to launch the Galaxy S7 so early: The company wants iPhone 6s hopefuls to reconsider their choice.
Android fans may recall that the Galaxy S6 debuted in March of this year. That would give its successor a two-month head start.
Not that getting an advantage over 2016 flagships is the ultimate goal here; it’s obvious why Samsung would choose to launch the Galaxy S successor so early: The company wants iPhone 6s hopefuls to reconsider their choice. It’s a Hail Mary play, especially considering it would probably take Samsung longer to release the phone, but it’s a risk the Seoul-based firm is reportedly willing to take.
And it’s easy to see why: Amid positive feedback for the Galaxy S6 from critics, Samsung failed to reverse its fortunes in the mobile business, with the company reporting a startling 38 percent decline in smartphone profits earlier in the year.
On a related note, Samsung has seen its market share improve in the Philippines recently, so it’s not all doom and gloom for the company.
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Camera shootout: Samsung Galaxy S6 vs Apple iPhone 6
Image via jamesdeakin.ph
Taking an Uber in the Philippines could mean fewer worries now that the app-based ride service has entered into a yearlong partnership with Lifeline Rescue, a private ambulance service.
The deal allows an Uber passenger to summon a Lifeline Rescue ambulance (by calling 16-911) free of charge in the event of a serious accident involving an Uber, and the driver of the vehicle or the passenger “has to be taken to the hospital.” Uber didn’t go into detail as to what should be considered as grounds for seeking hospital treatment, but that’s probably to your advantage. It’s not only passengers in the Philippines who have to consider their safety while travelling in an Uber. Everyone should be considerate. If you are someone who has recently been involved in an accident while travelling in an Uber, you may be able to claim compensation for medical bills, lose of wages, suffering and more through an Uber accident lawyer who will help you fight for the restitution you deserve.
Outside of emergencies that require immediate and professional medical attention, Lifeline Rescue will charge a fee for its services. (Gas isn’t cheap, as you know; a fine should also deter abuse.)
Uber has struck a deal with an ambulance service, allowing passengers to summon an ambulance free of charge in the event of an accident.
So there you go. Yet another reason to call an Uber instead of hopping into a cab. Hopefully, the next arrangement Uber makes is with an insurance company to give its users more peace of mind.
Earlier today, Altec Lansing announced its comeback to the Philippine market with a fresh batch of compact, rugged Bluetooth speakers, which the company describes as “everything-proof.”
This includes the Life Jacket, Mini Life Jacket, Jacket H20, and Mini H20, which combine long battery life (up to 16 hours of playback for the Life Jacket) with rich sound quality that would make bass-heavy tracks come to life. There’s also speakerphone functionality for taking calls, as well as an auxiliary input for those who don’t have a Bluetooth device.
Altec Lansing announced its comeback to the local market with a slew of ‘everything-proof’ speakers you can pair with your phone.
Perhaps more importantly, they come in durable designs that earn them a waterproof, sandproof, and shockproof rating, something that has become a necessity, not a luxury, for modern wireless speakers.
Regardless of whether or not the products can actually handle water and sand just fine — based on what I saw on the demo floor, I’m positive they can without any ill consequences — you have to admit: These speakers are shaping up to be the perfect companions to a beautiful day at the beach, eardrums be damned.
The Altec Lansing Life Jacket, Mini Life Jacket, Jacket H20, and Mini H20 will retail for P7,250, P4,850, P3,995, and P1,995, respectively, when they arrive in select retailers nationwide.
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Altec Lansing Life Jacket specs (Price in the Philippines: P7,250):
* IP67 rating (waterproof, sandproof, shockproof)
* Bluetooth
* NFC
* 16-hour battery life
* Hands-free speakerphone function
* Universal mount
Altec Lansing Mini Life Jacket specs (Price in the Philippines: P4,850):
* IP67 rating (waterproof, sandproof, shockproof)
* Bluetooth
* 10-hour battery life
* Hands-free speakerphone function
* Universal mount
Altec Lansing Jacket H20 (Price in the Philippines: P3,995):
* IP67 rating (waterproof, sandproof, shockproof)
* Bluetooth
* 8-hour battery life
* Hands-free speakerphone function
Altec Lansing Mini H20 (Price in the Philippines: P1,995):
* IP67 rating (waterproof, sandproof, shockproof)
* Bluetooth
* 6-hour battery life
* Hands-free speakerphone function
