Smart Galaxy Note II now available on pre-order from Smart Communications

Samsung's new phablet, the Android powered Samsung Galaxy Note is now available for pre-order from Smart Communications at this page.

The Samsung Galaxy Note II has a 5.5-inch HD (720 x 1280) display. The Galaxy Note is designed which is designed to be used with a stylus and comes with software optimized for that purpose. With a 1.6 GHz quad core processor and  2 GB of RAM it is also Samsung's most powerful hand held device. A 3100 mAh battery is used to power the large screen and powerful processor and does a good job of that. GSMArena's battery life tests gives it almost 17 hours of talk time, almost 9 hours of web browsing and over 11 hours of video playback.

Ainol Novo 7 Flame Android Jelly Bean Tablet

Ainol has released a continuos stream of low cost tablets, with each generation offering more up-market offerings. Ainol's newest flagship is the Ainol Novo Flame. For the asking price of Php9,999 the Flame has decent specifications:

OS: Android 4.02 out of the box with a Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update available
Display: 7 inch IPS screen, 1280*800 pixel
Storage: 16GB

MicroSD card slot: Yes

RAM: 1GB DDR3



CPU:. 1.5GHz
 dual core AMLogic AML8726-M6 

GPU: Dual Core Mali40
Primary 

Camera:  5.0 Megapixel Auto Foucus with LED Flash
Secondary (Front) Camera: 5.0 Megapixel
Connectivity: WiFi
Ports: 3.5 mm earphone jack, Mini USB and HDMI out
Battery: 5000 mAh

The Ainol Novo 7 Flame has a steel case back, giving it a more premium look than other similarly priced offerings.

The tablet is a reasonable 10.6mm
 thin and weighs in a just 336g.

Where in the World is Mary Grace? (Or, why Apple Maps makes the iPhone and iPad dumb devices in the Philippines)

Smartphones are wonderful, if sometimes creepy things. They are aware of where we are and that allows them to give us information relevant to us. The most useful of these features is maps and locations. Last Saturday night I tried to search for the nearest Mary Grace Cafe branch, and Apple Maps proved to be rather useless. 

This something that everyone else gets right. An Android phone using Google Maps has no problem finding every single branch for you. A simple "mary grace" search, gives you the cafe and other places similarly named, with the cafe, being the most prominent Mary Grace in the Philippines, being highlighted in the results. 

Clicking the results list allows you to scroll through all the hits.

Google Maps or Locations (whichever app you decide to use) will also give me directions.

Windows Phone

When Windows Phone joined the fray, it biggest disadvantage in the Philippines was Bing Maps. With Nokia Maps, a Windows Phone can not compete with Google Maps and Locations. Not always having a Windows Phone device to I asked @levine of TipidCP to help me out.

As you can see, Windows Phone 7.5 will find the closest relevant entry to you, show you other relevant hits and give you driving directions.

As you can see, the Nokia Maps and results are not as polished as Googles. On the other hand Nokia does give you offline voice guided turn by turn navigation. Google will not give you voice guidance and you cannot do it offline.

Apple iPhone and iPad

Before iOS 6, Apple iPhones and iPad used the same excellent Google Maps service. Since iOS 6, they  use Apple maps.

What does the iPhone do when I search for Mary Grace. It wants me to buy a ticket, fly to the United States and visit a Catholic Church there.

Over time Apple can populate the missing info. The problem is, before they do that they have to fix the maps they are using.

Compare Apple map info (left) to Google maps info (right).

Basically, Apple smart iPhone and iPads have are not so smart in the Philippines. How long before this is corrected? I do not know.

Siri was pretty useless in the Philippines in 2011 except in answering questions relating to information about other countries or general information. A year later it still is. But Siri was an optional feature easy to ignore. Maps and locations.... well lets put it this way, would buy a phone without GPS and where people cannot sent you the location of your appointments to your address book?

Until Google or Nokia release an iPhone app, buying a new iPhone means giving up smartphone core functionality in the Philippines. If you already own one, do yourself a favor and stick with iOS 5.1.1. Or you could buy third party navigation software from the iOS store. This won't correct all the issues, but it is better than nothing.

Android Displays the Power of Open Source

I have five Android devices used by different members of the family.

• HTC Desire HD (Released Q4 2010)
• Samsung Galaxy Tab P1000 (Released Q4 2010)
• HTC Sensation XE (Released Q4 2011)
• Google Galaxy Nexus (Released Q4 2011)
• Samsung Galaxy S III (Released Q2 2012)

All these are, or were, top of the line handsets at the time of their release. However, software support has been so so.

1. The HTC Desire HD and Samsung Galaxy Tab are officially stuck at Gingerbread (Android 2.3.x) due to alleged "performance issues" or other issues. 
2. The HTC Sensation is on Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0.3), and while HTC may update this phone to Android 4.1, my view in HTC's support for softwares updates these days is dimm, so I think this phone will get stuck here.
3. The Google Galaxy Nexus and Samsung Galaxy S III are on Ice Cream Sandwich with Jelly Bean on the way.

So, if we were to look at just Ice Cream Sandwich upgrades, with five top end Android devices, we would have 40% fragmentation. 

But Android is open source. It means kind hearted third parties can mess around with it and give, us what the manufacturers don't want too.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab P1000 is now on Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.04) courtesy of CyanogenMod.  Work is already being done on a Jelly Bean ROM (Android 4.1), with a very functional experimental version on its third release, expect a stable version of this ROM out within the month, or next.

The HTC Desire HD is now also on Android Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.04) courtesy of Team Blackouts ICS Incredible. Actually, it is hard to pick a good Ice Cream Sandwich ROM for the HTC Desire HD. You have too many choices. You have a nice stable full Sense 4 ROM from the Virtuous Team, a nice AOKP (Nexus like) ROM from LorD CloakaN, and literally another dozen other versions. There are already several mature Jelly Bean options too, and if that suits you randomblame's Jelly Time is a good bet.

Of course, you will need to root your phone, and many fora are not too newbie friendly. Don't go it on your own. The nice people at the Phandroid Android Forums are very happy to help first time rooters.

So, what is the bottom line? 

Manufacturers Ice Cream Sandwich compliance for < 2 year old devices = 60%.

Manufacturers + Community Ice Cream Sandwich compliance for < 2 year old devices = 100%.

Will report on the Jelly Bean score card in a few months.

In the end, two obsolete devices, the HTC Desire HD and the Samsung Galaxy Tab have gotten updated that make them viable for a another year or so of use.

Look at this in contrast to a closed environment. The original Apple iPad has good hardware, better than the Apple iPhone 3GS. But the 3GS get one more update to let it live on till 2013. In a few days or weeks, the Apple iPad will be offically obsolete.

Globe Tattoo MediaPad

Globe is offering the Huawei MediaPad under its Tatoo brand. The Huawei MediaPad is a 7-inch Android tablet which has HSDPA connectivity. The MediaPad is a pretty current device with a HD display (720 x 1280) display and powered by a 1.2 GHz dual core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor with 1 GB of RAM. The operating system installed out of the box is Android 3.2, Honeycomb, but it is upgradeable to Android 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich.

The MediaPad has 8 GB of internal storage, 5.8 GB of which is user available. While 5.8 GB is not much for a tablet, storage is expandable via a MicroSD card.  The MediaPad also come with a 5 MP primary camera and a 1.3 MP secondary camera. Connectivity options are good, with the MediaPad being equipped with Bluetooth, a HDMI port (to plug it into your LCD TV) and USB-on-the-Go (so you can plug USB Flash Drives into the tablet via an adapter). 

In order to get the MediaPad from Globe, you have to subscribe to a unlimited data plan. With a Php999 per month data plan you can get the Huawei MediaPad for Php10,990. This is not a bad deal since you can expect to pay at least 17K for a HSDPA enabled tablet. Globe Telecom will also allow you to pay the Php10,990 over a period of 12-months at zero interest, making the package more affordable. You will be locked into Globe for 24-months on Plan 999. 

Samsung Galaxy Note II

Samsung officially announced the Samsung Galaxy Note II at IFA in Germany. The new note has a larger 5.5-inch display as compared to the 5.3-inch display of the previous model. But the Galaxy Note II will be easier on the hand being a few millimeters narrower. This is because instead of the 800 x 1280 display on the old Note, the Note II gets a 720 x 1280 display.  This makes the new note taller but a bit narrower.

Like the previous Note, the display is a Super AMOLED display. Those hoping for a Plus display, it looks like that might be a thing of the past.

Physically, the Galaxy Note II takes its design queues from the Galaxy S III. It comes in white and titanium grey.

The Note is all about the S-Pen, and Samsung has improved the S-Pen with the Note II. Samsung has made the S-Pen longer, making it more comfortable to use. The S-Pen now has a rubber tip, to give it a more pen like feel when writing on the slippery glass. Pressure sensitivity is now up to 1024, from 256 of the previous Galaxy Note. This is of interest to those who like to do a little art work on their note. The S-Pen being so important, the Note II will actually warn you if forget leave the S-Pen on a table somewhere and start to walk away.

The Note II has also been given a feature called "Air View" which allows the S-Pen to interact with the UI by hovering over the screen in addition to touch input. This sounds similar to Sony's floating touch technology on the Xperia Sola.

Inside you find the same quad-core Exynos chipset you find in the Galaxy S III, but this one is clocked at a faster 1.6 GHz. RAM is upped to 2 GB. Combined this makes the Note II, Samsung's most powerful handheld device. The battery size has also been increased from 2500 mAh to 3100 mAh.

Its other specifications match the original Note, with an 8MP primary camera, secondary camera 16 GB of internal storage, expandable via a MicroSD slot and HSDPA+ connectivity. My only complaint about the new model is that, it still uses a physical and two dedicated capacitative buttons. 

All-in-all, the new Samsung Galaxy Note II is a significant upgrade from the original Galaxy Note. I expect it to hit Philippine shoes by October, with a price somewhere north of Php35,000.

The Perfect Handheld Tablet? - Samsung Galaxy Player 5.8

I prefer smaller tablets since I find a tablet useful for us only in situations where I would not want to use a laptop. If I was working on a desk or coffee shop tablet, I would prefer to have a laptop. I do write a lot so a keyboard is something I am not likely to give up. 

While traditional smaller tablets like the 7-inch Galaxy Tabs are small enough for me to thumb-type effectively, their  350 grams or so in weight makes it tiring. For me, the ideal size and weight for a tablet would be in the range of something like Amazon's 6-inch eBook Reader which weighs in at a light 170 grams. 

Samsung launched in Korea a small tablet, named the Samsung Galaxy Player 5.8. As its name indicates, in comes with a 5.8-inch display and weighs in at 220 grams. The Android powered Samsung Galaxy Player 5.8 looks like it will be a low cost devices. This lower cost nature of this device is hinted by it qHD, 540 x 960 pixel resolution, display. The Samsung Galaxy Player 5.8 also comes only with a front facing camera, which should keep the cost down.  Two versions have been released, one with 16 GB of storage, the other with 32 GB. The Samsung Galaxy Player 5.8 comes with a 2500 mAh battery so it should have good battery life. The Android operating system installed is Android 4.04, Ice Cream Sandwhich themed with Samsung's TouchWiz.

How much do I expect the device to cost. Somewhere between the 13K price of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 P3110 and the the 10K price of the Samsung Galaxy Player 4.2.

Aesthetically, the devices look like a large Samsung Galaxy S III. An interesting about this is that this seems to confirm that the Samsung Galaxy S III's design will be the template for future Samsung mobile devices. I am guessing, this is what the Samsung Galaxy Note to be unveiled in two days will look like.

Devices with confirmed Android 4.1 Jelly Bean Updates

What have Google Android OEM's have said about Jelly Bean updated (please note, only devices officially released in the Philippines are covered in this post).

1. Google's last two Nexus phones, the Galaxy Nexus and the Nexus S will be getting Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.

2. HTC has confirmed that the HTC One X and One S will be getting updated to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean (Source: The Verge). Notably, there is no mention of the HTC One V, and last years HTC flagships, the HTC Sensation, Sensation XE and Sensation XL.

3. Asus Tranformer Pad, Transformer Prime and Transformer Pad Infinity will be getting Android 4.1 Jelly Bean (Source: BGR).

4. While not official yet, the Samsung Galaxy S III will be getting Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. But it looks like the Galaxy S II will also be getting Android 4.1 Jelly Bean (Source: Android Authority). If the Galaxy S II gets Jelly Bean, the Galaxy Note will be getting it too.

Ainol Novo 7 Mars - A Decent 7-inch Android Tablet for 4.5K

You should consider this tablets if you main use is web browsing, social networking and gaming. They are small and light to carry and have a decent four hours or more of battery life. Some tablets are so inexpensive that it really makes access to mobile computing really inexpensive.  There are plenty of low cost tablets these days from manufacturers like Ainol, Archos, BMorn and Onda to name a few.  These tablets can be found with screen sizes from 7, 8 and 9.7-inch screens. Price ranges starting at Php3,000 to over Php10,000.

On the lower end of the price spectrum is the Ainol Novo 7 Mars at Php4,500. I was able to take a look at one of these in Digitag, while there to buy a hard disk power control module, and was pleasantly surprised at what it offered.


The Ainol Novo 7 Mars is a WiFi tablet with a 7-inch display with a decent 1024 x 600 resolution. Most tablets in this price range have a lower 800 x 480 pixel resolution. Inside is a 1 GHz processor, Mali 400 Graphics, 1 GB of RAM, 8 GB of internal storage and a 3700 mAh battery. Storage is expandable via a MicroSD card, with support for cards of up to 32 GB. The Ainol Novo 7 Mars comes with Android 4.0.3 pre-installed and has access to the Android Market. 


Some other things you might be looking for are not there. The Aino Novo 7 Mars does not have a primary camera, Bluetooth, GPS and HDMI out. Still not bad for the money.


Do we recommend these China tablets? Sure. The hardware not bad for what you pay. Build quality is so so, but they do work. Warranty is only three months. Still, for the asking price it is not a bad deal. 

There are lots of cheap tablet to avoid in this category. Don't buy anything running Android 2.3 or earlier. Do not buy those with 800 x 480 displays. The Ainol Novo 7 Mars is a cheap tablet worth buying.

Nexus Power: Jelly Bean is coming to the Galaxy Nexus, Nexus S and Motorola Xoom

Android 4.1, Jelly Bean, is starting to roll out for the Galaxy Nexus now. The Nexus S and the Motorola Xoom (quasi Nexus) will be getting Jelly Bean in the near future too.  

There have been some complaints that Android 4.1 may have come too soon, with Google's OEM partners still completing their upgrades to Android 4.0. On the other hand this could be Google stab at taking control of its ecosystem. For the past three years, we have considered the Google Nexus phone a reference product. Than Google re-opened its online sales network for its Galaxy Nexus, and offered it at a unbelievable US$349 price of contract. With the launch of the Nexus 7 and Nexus Q, Nexus is on the verge of becoming a household name, in the same way Android is.

Imagine a Nexus S buyer back in 2011. After a few months, he may have suffered from buyers regret, seeing the dual core Android's that came out after that. But by 2012, any regret would would have been lost when they got Android 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich and watch owners of other phones ask when they would be getting their tasty threat. Now the Nexus S Owners eagerly await Jelly Bean, and owners of other devices just receiving Ice Cream Sandwich will be behind the curve yet again. 

Google has done what it can to convince its OEM's to update their phones and tablets faster. It made its OEM's commit to an 18 month support commitment. Yet, we see Samsung phones like the Galaxy S Advance, launched months after Android 4.0, with no commitment to an Android 4.0 upgrade. 

This quick roll-out of updates might be Google pushing its OEM's to stick with vanilla Android. Sure you can pick Samsung's or HTC's latest and greatest, but if you want Google latest and greatest, go with a Nexus device. 

With the Nexus 7 Google is going into the table market in a big way. The Nexus Q aims to put Nexus in your living room. If the rumor proves true that Google might launch more than one Nexus phone this year than, it could be Google saying if OEM won't provide Android updates in a timely manner, Google will give you phones that will get those updates. 

Me, I am convinced, my next Android phone, will be a Nexus phone.