Cherry Mobile will be having a one day sale in all of the branches nationwide. They will be offering the D11 for only Php 899 and the W1 for only Php 1,999. I am guessing that this is part of their payday sale and these two phone will be the only ones attached with the promotion.

Here are the specifications of the two phones:

Cherry Mobile D11

• 2 inch colored LCD
• VGA Camera
• Multimedia Player
• FM radio
• 3.5mm headset jack
• Flashlight
• Calendar/alarm
• Bluetooth
• MicroSD card up to 8GB

Cherry Mobile W1

• Wi-Fi
• Opera Mobile 10.0
• 3.2 inch full touchscreen LCD
• 3MP camera
• Multimedia Player
• FM radio w/ recording
• 3.5mm headphone jack
• Yahoo Services
• Cherry Mail
• Bluetooth
• MicroSD up to 8GB

The Cherry Mobile W1 priced at Php 1,999 looks very promising. For that price, having a full touchscreen Wi-Fi phone is almost a steal. Go check out the nearest Cherry Mobile store near you!

Competition these days are high, and when one telco can’t provide, the other takes over. Both Smart Communications and Globe Telecom didn’t let that happen as they both announced the newest cellphone in their lineup, and it’s definitely not just any other android powered device – It’s the new Samsung Galaxy S3.

Here are their announcements through the Smart Communications and Globe Telecom Twitter account:

What’s funny is that they almost simultaneously posted their announcements in their twitter accounts. The competition heats up with the newest smartphone in town!

Currently, no price or rates have been announced but I will definitely keep you guys posted. Knowing these both telcos, I’m pretty sure there will be a sweet deal by either of them. It’s great that they both get to offer this handset to the market. Competition is always good for us consumers.

Here are the complete specs of the Samsung Galaxy SIII :

• LCD: 4.8-inch HD Super AMOLED (1280×720) Pentile (no Plus)
• CPU: Exynos 4 Quad @ 1.4Ghz for HSPA version
• RAM: 1GB
• Rear Camera: 8MP Autofocus, Flash, Zero Lag Shutter BSI Image sensor
• Front Camera: 1.9 MP HD, Flash, Zero Lag Shutter
• Video: Full HD 1080p Recording and Playback
• Storage: 16GB/32GB/64GB
• 2,100mAh battery
• GPS with GLONASS
• 802.11n Wi-Fi, NFC, Bluetooth 4
• microSD expansion
• 21Mbps HSPA, LTE supported
• Micro SIM

With the most recent release of the Samsung Galaxy S3, we all knew that LG had something up their sleeves. In a recent press launch in Korea, the LG Optimus LTE2 was introduced and boy, you can definitely consider it THE main competition for the Galaxy S3. It features a mind-boggling 2GB of RAM, wireless charging capabilities, Android 4.0 ICS, and a new 2,150 mAh battery. LG claims that this new battery will increase the battery life by as much as 40% more than the previous generation. Additionally, the phone will feature LG’s patented True IPS Display (which they claim performs better than Samsung’s AMOLED displays). In line with this, the LG Optimus LTE2 will be sporting a 4.5″ touch sensitive screen.

There are still currently no announcements about what CPU this beast of a smartphone will be carrying, but we have reports that the phone will be sporting an 8MP rear camera that will take advantage of the Ice Cream Sanwich’s camera API. This includes the best photo mode, sub-second photo capture, and simultaneous photo and video taking. There are currently no announcements to when this phone will be released outside Korea, but we do know that the new LG Optimus LTE2 will be setting a new standard in the smartphone industry very soon.

1. PCHub

TipidPC Pricelist: click here

Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/pchub

Contact Number: 4160363

Branches: Gilmore, Fairview, Pampanga, Alabang

PCPinoy.com Overall Affordability Rating: A

2. EasyPC

TipidPC Pricelist: click here

Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/easypc.makati

Contact Number: 5196833

Branches: Makati, Ortigas, North Edsa, Alabang

PCPinoy.com Overall Affordability Rating: B+/A

3. PC Options

Pricelist: None online. This is precisely the strategy of PCOptions, they want you to see their prices in their shops “in order to believe” – It’s actually one of the cheapest price lists in Gilmore. Go check them out.

Facebook Page: None. Again, the folks at PCOptions are really secretive about their products. Weird eh?

Contact Number: 4151488, 7230100

Branches: Gilmore, Shaw Boulevard

PCPinoy.com Overall Affordability Rating: A/A+

4. DynaQuest

TipidPC Pricelist: click here

Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/dynaquest

Contact Number: 3532014, 7335552

Branches: Makati, Ortigas, Manila

PCPinoy.com Overall Affordability Rating: B+/A

5. Foxcom

TipidPC Pricelist: click here

Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Foxcom-Computer/140231326026598

Contact Number: 4160363, 4127382

Branches: Gilmore

PCPinoy.com Overall Affordability Rating: A/A+

6. PCnetmiles

TipidPC Pricelist: click here

Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/people/Pcnetmiles-Alabang-Legarda-Eton/100000611260419

Contact Number: 7885280, 7360368, 7558995

Branches: Ortigas, Alabang, Legarda

PCPinoy.com Overall Affordability Rating: A/A+

7. Cooltechpc

TipidPC Pricelist: click here

Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/cooltechpc

Contact Number: 3841287, 3772586

Branches: Ortigas, West Caloocan

PCPinoy.com Overall Affordability Rating: B+/A

So there you have it folks! my own list of cheap computer part stores in the Metro. Have more to add? comment up! I will feature them here after my own investigation. Let us unite, fellow broke tech induced friends and provide everyone with the secrets of the cheapest PC shops in the Philippines!

Blackberry Philippines recently released it’s newest (and cheapest?) phone in the present generation of Blackberry smartphones. It is set to replace the aging Blackberry 8520, which has become a popular hit among Filipinos who prefer to use the phone for basic social media (twitter, facebook) and BBM which doesn’t really require a fast 3G connection. Blackberry will use this same strategy with the new BB 9220, in a slimmer and more compact phone with minor changed looks (a sleeker and sexier one).

Here are the specifications of the new Blackberry 9220:

• LCD: 2.44 inches TFT 65k colors
• CPU: 806 Mhz
• Resolution: 320×240 pixels
• Camera: 2 megapixels
• OS: Blackberry 7.1
• Connectivity: EDGE, GPRS, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1
• Sensors: Accelorometer, compass, proximity
• Dimensions: 109 x 60 x 12.7 mm

Price: $210 USD or Approximately Php 9,100 (expect this to be higher by a few hundreds)

Notice the lack of a 3G connection, as I’ve said earlier, Blackberry’s strategy for this phone is to continue serving the market that wishes to experience blackberry in an affordable package. Having this phone will allow users to access blackberry social applications as well as BBM, which is quite affordable now in the Phillippines. It comes with the new Blackberry 7.1 OS and with its faster processor (clocked at 806Mhz), you can expect a much better performance compared to the old 8520. Overall, this phone definitely has potential, but the seemingly very minor changes keep us looking for more.

Not only that, a few pictures of the Samsung Galaxy S III’s screen protectors are roaming around the internet as well. This only confirms that the new screen will support a whopping 4.8-inch LCD! That is actually quite a hefty size and it comes very close to the size of the Samsung Galaxy note.

This is awesome news (or should I say rumors?) for all you Samsung fanatics out there! Stay tuned and keep updated for more leaked goodies.

Here is their newest phone lineup (with specifications and prices):

Click the image for a larger version

The cheapest phone in their lineup is the Starmobile Mercury B101 which only costs Php 799. Get this – it has a wireless FM radio, a video player and expandable memory. On the other hand, their most feature packed phone is the Starmobile Jupiter Q501i which sports a 3.2 megapixel camera, a WiFi connection, TV access, and a music player all for only Php 3,290.

Check their website out at: http://www.starmobile.com.ph

Cherry Mobile is set to release it’s newest Android smart phone next week (May 3, 2012). The new phone is called the Dragon Phone because of it’s 1.2Ghz Qualcomm Snapdragon CPU. The Cherry Mobile W900 is set to compete against most entry level smart phones and will do so with a very competitive price of Php 9,999.

Here are the specs:

• LCD: 4-inch capacitive display @ 480×800 pixels
• CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon S2 1.2GHz processor
• GPU: Adreno 205
• RAM: 512MB RAM
• ROM: 1GB internal storage - up to 32GB via microSD (8GB included)
• Connectivity: HSPA+ 21Mbps, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, WiFi hotspot, Bluetooth 2.1, GPS w/ aGPS support
• Etc: DLNA certified, DivX, Dolby Digital Plus
• Camera: 5MP rear camera w/ 720p HD video recording, VGA front-facing camera
• OS: Android 2.3 Gingerbrea

For only Php 9,999, the Cherry Mobile W900 Dragon Phone is definitely a good buy for it’s specifications. Having a Snapdragon S2 1.2Ghz processor is more than enough for usual day-to-day smart phone tasks. It’s complete connectivity (which includes HSPA+) will give you great internet connectivity based on your provider. The 5 MP rear camera and the VGA front-facing camera, make it seem like it’s not a Php 9,999 phone. I’m excited to get my hands on one of these. Stay tuned for more about this phone!

If you’re an avid fan of Dropbox or even the whole kingdom of cloud storage, you would be pleased to know that Google recently announced the newest member of the family. Introducing Google drive! – Google’s noteworthy attempt at standardizing cloud storage.  Its designed to make creating, sharing, and collaborating with your friends and family much easier as everything will be stored in the “Cloud” which is basically in the deepest recesses in Google’s data centers.

Google promises an initial 5GB free for users who opt not to pay for the service. According to them, that’s enough to store your family vacation photos and important documents. You can choose to upgrade the service for 25GB of storage for a $2.49 (Php 110.00) payment per month. They also offer 100GB for $4.99 (Php 220.00) a month and 1TB for $49.99 (Php 2150.00) a month.

Here are the different features of Google Drive:

• Create and collaborate. Google Docs is built right into Google Drive, so you can work with others in real time on documents, spreadsheets and presentations. Once you choose to share content with others, you can add and reply to comments on anything (PDF, image, video file, etc.) and receive notifications when other people comment on shared items.
• Store everything safely and access it anywhere (especially while on the go). All your stuff is just… there. You can access your stuff from anywhere—on the web, in your home, at the office, while running errands and from all of your devices. You can install Drive on your Mac or PC and can download the Drive app to your Android phone or tablet. We’re also working hard on a Drive app for your iOS devices. And regardless of platform, blind users can access Drive with a screen reader.
• Search everything. Search by keyword and filter by file type, owner and more. Drive can even recognize text in scanned documents using Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology. Let’s say you upload a scanned image of an old newspaper clipping. You can search for a word from the text of the actual article. We also use image recognition so that if you drag and drop photos from your Grand Canyon trip into Drive, you can later search for [grand canyon] and photos of its gorges should pop up. This technology is still in its early stages, and we expect it to get better over time.

I believe that this service could easily make Dropbox users think twice because of how cheap Google’s offering their cloud storage. Do you know any other could service that could easily match up to the Google drive? comment up!

Check out Google Drive here: http://drive.google.com/start

Intel recently announced its newest 22nm quad core processors aptly named, “Ivy Bridge”. According to Intel, the performance boost of this newest chip will be approximately 20% more than the previous generation Sandy Bridge. This newest innovation allows for more computational power while requiring less power to run it. Intel initially released 14 new quad-core Ivy Bridge processors, but this is expected to be more by the middle of the year.

Here are the announced various new features of the Ivy Bridge processors:

• Tri-gate transistor (“3-D”) technology (less than 50% power consumption at the same performance level as 2-D planar transistors)
• RAM support up to 2800 MT/s in 200 MHz increments
• PCI Express 3.0 support
• Intel HD Graphics 2500/4000 with DirectX 11, OpenGL 3.1, and OpenCL 1.1 support
• The built-in GPU is believed to have up to 16 execution units (EUs), compared to Sandy Bridge’s maximum of 12
• A new random number generator and the RdRand instruction, codenamed Bull Mountain
• Intel Quick Sync Video
• Low voltage DDR3L for mobile processors.
• Multiple 4K video playback.
• Max CPU multiplier of 63 (57 for Sandy Bridge)

One of the main performance boosts of the Ivy Bridge processors is its new integrated graphics chip. The Intel HD 4000, allows for a 100% performance boost over the previous generation processors. With the new Ivy Bridge line running on 22nm power, performance boost through overclocking will surely be a hit. With its low running temperatures, overclockers will enjoy performance gains without much of the temperature worried the previous generations had.

Intel’s new tri-gate transistors was designed to allow for more headroom for performance. This new technology sets a new standard in processor manufacturing as it veers away from previous generation “2D” or planar transistors. This allows for much more performance with less power consumption.

Expect the lineup of Ivy Bridge processors to invade your favorite computer stores around the Philippines very soon. As of now, expect the prices to be similar to that of the Sandy Bridge line when it was released last year.