Day: August 14, 2014

Lenovo S850 Review

Louie Diangson Leave a comment

The Lenovo S850 is one of the company’s latest mid-range offering that was launched in the country late last month. It features a 5-inch HD display, a 13 megapixel rear camera, nad powered by a MediaTek quad-core CPU and Android KitKat. Find out what we think of the device by reading our initial full review.

Design and Construction

A lot of mid-range smartphones nowadays have taken a few steps back when it comes to build quality and design. Most sport generic and uninspiring designs which doesn’t stand out from the crowd. In this case, however, Lenovo’s S850 offers a bit more. Although unassuming, the S850 is classy at its best.

lenovo s850_1

On the front you have the 5-inch display of HD resolution, above it is the earpiece, 5 megapixel front camera, and light sensor, while down below is the three capacitive navigation buttons.

lenovo s850_3

On the left side we have the dual-SIM tray which can accommodate two micro SIMs, and the speaker, while on the right are the volume rocker and the power / lock button.

lenovo s850_4

The microUSB port and headset jack are found right on top, while the microphone can be found at the bottom. Flip it on its back and you’ll find the 13 megapixel camera, LED flash, and the Lenovo logo which lights up when you unlock the phone or while charging.

lenovo s850_5

The S850 features a design that is mix between a mid-range Xperia smartphone with a bit from the iPhone 5. It’s plasticky yet solid and well-built. It’s got a brushed metallic finish on the sides which overlaps the glossy plastic chamfers for that nice edgy feel.

lenovo s850_6

The backside, on the other hand, has this dotted criss-cross design printed on a plastic material and then mounted with glass with edges that curve to the sides. This kind of detail is actually one of the reasons why the S850 is attractive.

Display

Another strong feature of the S850 is its display. It’s got a 5-inch screen with HD resolution or equal to 294ppi. It’s far from Full HD but the color vibrancy and clarity is superb.

lenovo s850_2

Lenovo also made the screen really close to the glass so images and icons just pop out. In addition, it’s got IPS so viewing angles are good.

OS, UI, and Apps

The S850 comes with Android 4.4.2 KitKat out of the box with a skinned UI. It comes pre-installed with your usual Google apps with the addition to Lenovo’s own apps like the Security app, SYNCit, and SHAREit.

lenovo s850 ui_1

Third-party apps made their way here as well like UC Browser, Scoop, Givera, and Gameloft app. Three games were pre-installed as well like Asphalt 7, Green Farm 3, and Wonder Zoo.

lenovo s850 ui_2

The good news is these apps can be easily uninstalled to give you more room for the 14.53GB of usable storage out of the 16GB. The bad news is, it’s non-expandable or there’s no support for a microSD so it’s very much limited.

Camera

Users who like taking pictures with their smartphones will enjoy what the S850 can offer – a 13 megapixel BSI rear camera with LED flash, which is capable of producing crisp and vibrant photos even when indoors. It comes with a few features as well like Face beauty, Panorama, HDR, EV bracket shot, PIP, Group shot, Macro, and some filters should you wish to be creative.

The S850 also features a 5 megapixel wide-angle front camera with beautify feature and built-in timer so those who like to capture selfies or group selfies will find it easy to do.

Below is a short sample clip of the S850′s video recording (1080p, 30 fps, .3gp file):

Multimedia

If you’re planning to use the S850 as a multimedia companion it surely won’t disappoint. The vibrant 5-inch HD display will definitely provide you a pleasant mobile viewing experience. The speaker, on the other hand, is loud and clear, however, it’s a bit lacking when it comes to bass. As usual, if you want a better sound experience a good pair of headphones or an external speaker is recommended.

Performance and Benchmarks

For a device with mid-range specs, the S850 performed well. It ran basic tasks with ease and ran graphic games fluidly without lags or crashes. The only issue we found is that it sometimes becomes hot when charging.

We ran our usual benchmark tests on the S850 and here are the results:

* AnTuTu – 17,814
* Quadrant Standard – 8,371
* Vellamo – (Metal) 732, (Multicore) 1,240, (Browser) 1,762
* NenaMark2 – 55.2 fps

Battery Life

The Lenovo S850 is equipped with a 2,000mAh battery which should be a standard for mid-range smartphones nowadays. We ran our usual playback test (playing a 1080p video in Airplane mode with brightness set to 50% and volume at 0%) to see how long the battery can last. The result is 9 hours worth of playback which is good.

Conclusion

To conclude, the Lenovo S850 sets a good example of what features a mid-range smartphone should start with – good form factor and build quality, really clear and vibrant display, and good performance and battery life.

lenovo s850_7

However, Lenovo’s biggest hurdle here is the price, at Php13,999 its an expensive offering considering that the ASUS Zenfone 5 16GB costs half of that while the Xiaomi Mi 3 sports flagship specs at more than Php3k less.

lenovo s850_8

Lenovo S850 specs:
5-inch HD (1280 x 720) IPS LCD Screen, 294ppi
1.3GHz MediaTek MT6582 quad-core CPU
Mali 450MP2 GPU
1GB RAM
16GB of internal storage (non-expandable)
13 megapixel BSI rear camera with LED flash
1080p video recording
5 megapixel front camera
Dual-SIM (MicroSIM)
3G/HSPA+
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth 3.0 with A2DP
GPS, A-GPS
Android 4.4.2 KitKat
2,000mAh battery
141 x 71 x 8.2 mm
140g

What we liked about it:
* Good build and design
* Dual-SIM
* Great display
* Good performance
* Good camera
* Good battery life

What we didn’t like:
* No microSD card support
* Pricey for mid-range device

The post Lenovo S850 Review appeared first on YugaTech | Philippines, Tech News & Reviews.

THL 5000 gets priced at Php11,999, to arrive next month

Louie Diangson Leave a comment

Novo7Tech has officially announced on their Facebook page the local price of the THL 5000, the octa-core Android smartphone that packs a massive 5,000mAh battery, and it is set to arrive early next month.

thl 5000

THL 5000 specs:
5-inch Full HD IPS display, 441ppi
Corning Gorilla Glass 3
1.7GHz MediaTek MT6592W octa-core CPU
2GB RAM
Mali-450 MP4 GPU
32GB internal storage
microSD card support
13 megapixel Sony IMX 135 rear camera, f/1.8 aperture
5 megapixel front camera
HSPA+
WiFi b/g/n
NFC
Bluetooth 4.0 w/ A2DP
GPS, A-GPS
USB OTG support
NXP-box audio
Android 4.4 KitKat
5,000mAh battery
144.9 x 72.3 x 8.9mm

The THL 5000 has an SRP of Php11,999 and will arrive in the first week of September at the following Novo7Tech branches: SM North Edsa, SM Southmall, Lucky Chinatown, and Gateway Cubao.

Novo7Tech is also accepting reservations/pre-order for the THL 5000 and is offering a Php400 discount if you send them your contact info via Facebook. Head to the source link below for more info.

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Baked Pasta with Chicken and Sun Dried Tomatoes

celia kusinera Leave a comment
Baked Pasta with Chicken

This month, the Daring Cooks challenged us to think inside the box - the icebox, that is! Audax taught us some really cool tips and tricks for stocking our freezers with prepare-ahead meals that can keep our taste buds satisfied even during the busiest of times.

Apart from the Mac and Cheese, I've never done a baked pasta dish with white sauce. I thought this will be a good test if white sauces freeze well. And it really does. Thanks is in order to Martha Stewart's website for the recipe that I adapted. It just needed a little tweaking in salt and pepper department plus extra cheese to prevent the sauce getting too bland. This recipe also confirmed my dislike for chicken breast. Believe me, it didn't do anything to the dish in terms of flavour. It was just there as a cardboard-like protein but virtually no chicken flavour. I even bought a free-range one but it was just ... meh! So next time either I add in non-breast chicken meat or maybe put in some chicken powder in the sauce. This recipe is definitely still in the tweaking stage so don't be surprised if there are changes later. However, I do love the garlic in the sauce that really lifted it up from the ordinary.

Baked Pasta with Chicken ready to freeze


Baked Pasta with Chicken and Sun Dried Tomatoes

500 g  penne rigate or rigatoni
6 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1/2 cup plain flour
6 cups whole milk
2 tsp coarse sea salt
450 g  boneless chicken meat - cut into bite-sized pieces
1 tsp olive oil
300 g  white mushrooms - trimmed and thinly sliced
1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes - drained and thinly sliced
2 cups grated provolone or matured cheddar
125 g  [about 1 cup] finely grated parmesan
some salt and freshly ground black pepper
  1. Cook the pasta 3 minutes short of package instructions. So if it says cook for 12 minutes then cook for just 9 minutes. Drain and set aside.
  2. Grease ovenproof pasta dishes and set aside.
  3. Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat. Pour in olive oil, heat for a minute then add the chicken. Season with some salt and pepper and cook until opaque throughout, about 5 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.
  4. In a 5-liter heavy pot, melt butter over medium heat.
  5. Add garlic, cook for about 1 minute or until aromatic.
  6. Add flour, whisk for 1 minute.
  7. Gradually add 2 cups of milk while whisking all the time. Bring to a simmer. Repeat this until all milk is used.
  8. Add 1 tsp of the sea salt. Simmer for another 2 minutes.
  9. Add the mushroom and sun-dried tomatoes; cook for 1 minute.
  10. Remove from heat and gradually stir in the provolone (or cheddar) and 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese.
  11. Taste the sauce. If need be, add the remaining 1 tsp sea salt and some ground black pepper.
  12. Add the chicken and pasta to the sauce. Divide among the prepared dishes and sprinkle the remaining Parmesan cheese on top.
  13. Bake uncovered in a preheated 200°C/fan 180°C/400°F oven for about 25 minutes.
*Note:
  • To freeze: do up to step no. 12. Cover tightly with cling wrap and/or foil and freeze up to 3 months.
  • To bake from frozen: Preheat oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/400°F and bake covered in foil on a baking sheet until centre is hot, around 1 1/2 hours. Remove foil and bake until golden, about 15 minutes.
    *OR*
    Defrost completely and follow baking instructions in step no. 13 above.


Baked Pasta with Chicken

Samsung’s first 20nm Exynos Octa-Core processor

Daniel Morial Leave a comment

The new SoC that powers the latest metal-clad Samsung Galaxy Alpha is a Samsung Exynos 5430 Octa SoC, the first SoC coming from Samsung’s 20nm HKMG process. What is its difference from the 28nm HKMG process? Read on to find out.

To start, it is an octa-core big.LITTLE processor design with four 1.8Ghz Cortex A15 and four 1.3Ghz Cortex A7 CPU, with a Mali T628MP6 GPU. This has been done before with its predecessor, the Exynos 5420 SoC. The improvement is in the manufacturing process, as mentioned, from 28nm to 20nm.

According to AnandTech, here are a few of the critical changes:

• Instead of a gate-first approach for the high-k metal gate formation, the gate is now the last part of the transistor to be formed. This improves performance because the characteristics of the gate are no longer affected by significant high/low temperatures during manufacturing.

• The lower-k dielectric in the interconnect layers reduce capacitance between the metal and therefore increase maximum clock speed/performance and reduce power consumption.

• Improved silicon straining techniques should also improve drive current in the transistors, which can drive higher performance and lower power consumption.

For users, this means a more powerful processor with longer battery life. We expect to see this SoC powering future Samsung devices and other OEMs. For now, the Samsung Galaxy Alpha gets the first dibs.

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TMAP report shows Filipinos pay the highest tax in ASEAN

Kevin Bruce Francisco Leave a comment

The Tax Management Association of the Philippines (TMAP) reports that in all of the ASEAN region the Philippines is the country with the highest income tax. They’re currently in the process of appealing to the Congress to cut down the tax rate for Filipinos.

"You cannot expect the BIR to collect from air, you will have to reduce the revenue goal." - BIR

“You cannot expect the BIR to collect from air, you will have to reduce the revenue goal.” – BIR

Rina Manuel, President of TMAP, mentioned that now is the time to lower the tax bracket or amend it to make it equitable. “Corporations are only subjected to 30% tax rate while individuals are taxed 32%. Ang corporations may deductions pa, while ang empleyado personal exemptions lang at additional for the Children,” Manuel voiced out.

Philippine tax vs. other SEA countries (for Php500,000 income):

Philippines: 32% income tax
Vietnam: 20% income tax
Cambodia: 20% income tax
Laos: 12% income tax
Malaysia: 11% income tax
Thailand: 10% income tax
Singapore: 2% income tax
Brunei: 0% income tax

In addition, TMAP is also proposing that minimum wage workers should be exempted from paying tax, so long as they are truly earning minimum wage salary. If there is additional income (no matter how small in excess of the minimum wage) then it qualifies to be taxed by the government.

The side of Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) gave a warning that smaller tax collections would affect government spending used to “drive economic growth”. They said that along with the reduction of tax there should also be reduction of revenue goal.

“So if the final decision is to reduce tax rates, you cannot expect the BIR to collect from air, you will have to reduce the revenue goal. It is like a household, if someone decide to stop working, you cannot keep on spending the way you use to do because eventually you will go bankrupt or you do not expect people to keep on lending to someone who is a credit risk,” BIR said.

{Source}

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