LG has been moving up on the popularity curve with its past few iterations of smartphones. The LG G2 (with buttons on the back) is a keen example of how the other South Korean electronics company is making strides. The new L Series III smartphones are Android Kitkat powered, have crisp IPS screens and are all packed with a Dual Core 1.2GHz processor. All are dual-SIM phones which makes this line a huge deal in the budget + performance category. If you’re brand-conscious, LG is definitely reputable.
The L Series III cements itself in the budget category with the L70 at P8,490 and L40 at P4,790. The L80 will be available in the Philippines this May.
We’ve already heard of wireless charging with accessories like the Powermat and the out-of-the-box Nokia Lumia 920 with its “pillow charger” but this is the first Android device to be released with this feature. The induction coil chargers are not as efficient as the regular USB-to-wall chargers but they’re still hella cool to watch. There will come a day, of course, when these charging plates will be a mainstay in every home, which means, like, your work desk is also a huge charger.
The Google Nexus 4 is a 4.7 inch device running on a quad core processor and Android v4.2 Jelly Bean. It also comes with the new Photo Sphere feature for the camera which allows you to take 360-degree photos of objects. It also features Gesture Typing which allows you to hover over the letters of the virtual keyboard to input text.
PRICING:
8GB for $299; 16GB for $349; available unlocked and without a contract on 11/13 on the Google Play store in the U.S., U.K., Australia, France, Germany, Spain and Canada. The 16GB version will also be available through T-Mobile for $199, with a 2-year contract (check here for more details).
LG has been in the habit of churning out decent Android devices the past couple of months. The new Optimus Black P970 is no exception. Running on Android OS 2.2 (upgradable to 2.3) the Optimus Black can be defined as a decent looking smartphone that gets the job done. It’s main selling point is the NOVA display technology making this smartphone shine the brightest while saving power. LG claims that this NOVA tech is more efficient than AMOLED / LED screens which is an obvious stab at Samsung’s Galaxy line.
EDIT II: Apparently the referral system is now up. I’ll be referring people who want a umobile number. The application requires me to input your name, email and a current cellphone number so if you’re comfy with giving that out to me, send me an email. All info you provide will be held in strict confidence.
SMART Telecommunications, Globe Telecommunications, SUN Cellular, Bayan Telecommunications. And now there’s room for one more.
There’s a new number in town and that number is “+63999.” Word is out that a telco called CURE which was bought by SMART has been launched for the public, and their name is U Mobile or ümobile, the country’s first free advertising-driven telco. It’s sort of like Inquirer Libre which we get to pick up on the train station free of charge — because everything is subsidized by advertising.
ümobile is a brand owned by Connectivity Unlimited Resource Enterprise, Inc. CURE belongs to the family of the 2 leading telecommunication giants—PLDT and SMART. We maintain our independence as far as strategic business decisions and day-to-day operations are concerned. SMART supports us in our needs especially on network complement. [FAQ]
Is this the telco for the masses? Well no. Not really. Not yet. Currently, applications are by invite only and I heard that people who have been invited to the service (those who went to the launch party a few hours ago) will be able to refer friends who can join up and avail of the free service. I heard as well that there is an allocation of P350 worth of credit per month for users P100 a month for the first 6 months for free. The P350 is the maximum amount of load you can receive by participating in the ad program that is sent to your mobile. We were blown away and I really have so many questions to ask. But as of the moment, that’s all I know.
Commenting on the worldwide telecommunications scene, this is something Google wanted to do – buy their own spectrum and launch their own telco free of charge, driven entirely by advertising. The Philippines is the first in Asia to have an Ad Driven telco and yeah, this is huge. Freakin’ huge. The telco has been in operations for more than a year now undercover and have now launched officially with several partner establishments to deliver advertising directly to the mobile phone.
Ads are purely contextual and users will have to answer a thorough survey which is updated every year in case interests changes. So yes, “contextual” is dependent on the survey as far as I was informed.
Cool beans. Freakin’ cool beans. This is big.
P.S. I won an LG KU380 Phone from the raffle — well I think everyone went home with one! Marketing is surely aggressive. Open bar. Piss drunk. Wheeee!
