If you’re looking for a fresh new game to try on your smartphone, check WWE Immortals out! WWE gets some Mortal Kombat treatment and turns wrestlers like John Cena into a superhero and Undertaker into a necromancer.
The game allows for a Mortal Kombat style of play, with swiping and tapping combos plus finishers. You are also allowed three characters per team, and you can unlock more features as you progress. However, if you want to have that effortlessly faster, WWE Immortals has in-app purchases.
I’ve downloaded the 1.4GB game into my Google Nexus 5 already and it works beautifully smooth. You can download the game here for free: iOS, Android.
In December of 2013, Lenovo released the Vibe X which is a very nice device with decent specs but commands a high price given its limitations. Almost a year later, the company released its successor, the Vibe X2, now with better specs, build and design. Not to mention, a cheaper launch price compared to its predecessor. Did Lenovo hit it right this time? Find out by reading our full review.
Design and Construction
The Lenovo Vibe X2 sports a totally different design compared to its predecessor. While the Vibe X sports a metallic iPod Touch 4th-gen-like design, the Vibe X2 sports a clean-cut and edgier look. It’s now made of plastic but with the kind of quality that any phone would be proud to have.
It has a matte finish and feels really solid and features what Lenovo calls the multi-layered design language which means that the Vibe X2 looks like it has multiple colored layers of plastic stacked on each other under the display. In the case of our review unit it’s a stack of white, silver and gray.
On the front we have the 5-inch Full HD display, along with the earpiece, 5 megapixel front camera, and three capacitive buttons. On the left side we have the Dual-SIM card tray which can accommodate a microSIM and a nanoSIM. On the right are the volume rocker and power/lock button with a metallic concentric-circles finish.
Found right on top is the headset jack, down at the bottom is the microUSB port and microphone. Found at the back is the 13 megapixel rear camera with LED flash, secondary microphone, Lenovo logo, speaker, and the metal contacts for VIBE Xtensions accessories like the clip-on JBL speaker.
On hand, it’s surprising how light the device is at 120g. At 7.3mm thick, it may not be as thin as some of the sub-7mm high-end smartphones nowadays but it feels very comfortable (thinner than the iPhone 5S which is at 7.6mm) and gives your fingers more space to grip. Overall, the Vibe X2’s design and construction is impressive. It’s light, sturdy, good-looking, and not boring to look at.
Display and Multimedia
The Vibe X2 retains the 5-inch IPS display with Full HD resolution or 441ppi of its predecessor but it’s crisper and more vibrant. Viewing angles and colors are great even when used outdoors. In addition, the thin bezels on the sides make the screen really attractive to look at. As for sound quality, don’t get fooled by the small speaker grills at the back as it is capable of producing crisp sounds with decent bass.
That being said, the Vibe X2 is also a great multimedia device. Watching movies on it is a treat as as it comes with ClearMotion feature which makes your videos more fluid and detailed.
OS, UI, and Apps
The Vibe X2 comes with Android 4.4.2 KitKat with Vibe UI 2.0. It’s cleaner, straight-forward, and employs flat icons which makes it attractive and easy to the eyes.
Aside from the usual Google apps, the Vibe X2 comes with Lenovo’s own apps like Lenovo Security, Lenovo SHAREit, Lenovo SYNCit, and its own Theme Center. Pre-installed apps are present as well like WPS office, Evernote, Guvera, UC Browser, SCOOP, Rambla, and a few demo games like Asphalt 8, Green Farm 3, Real Football 2014, and Spider-Man: Ultimate Power. The good thing about this is they can be uninstalled to free up some space.
Speaking of space, the Vibe X2 comes with 32GB of internal storage with 25GB as usable. It doesn’t have a microSD card slot but the default storage capacity isn’t bad for its asking price.
Camera
Handling the imaging department is a 13 megapixel rear shooter with LED flash. It is capable of taking photos with good quality although we noticed that it is inclined to use a slower shutter speed even when there’s sufficient lighting. This can sometimes result to blurred or overexposed photos. Color can be improved as well as some shots look washed-out. Take a look at the samples below:
On the bright side, the Vibe X2’s camera comes with useful features like Panorama Mode, Filters, and HDR. There’s also the Quick Snap and Raise to snap features found on Settings which lets you capture a photo by double tapping the screen when it is off or by raising it. As for the 5 megapixel front shooter, it has a wide-angle camera which is good for group photos as well as the beautification feature if you want to improve your selfie shots.
The Vibe X2 is also capable of shooting videos at Full HD resolution at 30fps. Watch the sample video below:
Performance and Benchmarks
The Vibe X2 is powered by a 2.0GHz MediaTek MT6595m octa-core CPU, PowerVR G6200 GPU, and 2GB of RAM. Partnered with Android KitKat, the Vibe X2 is snappy and responsive. Apps launch quickly and we didn’t experience any lags while playing graphic intensive games like Asphalt 8. In other words, performance is really good.
Below are the benchmark results:
* AnTuTu – 48,838 (non-verified score)
* Quadrant Standard – 20,379
* Vellamo – 1,800 (Metal), 2,307 (Multicore), 3,165 (Chrome Browser)
* PCMark – 3,971
* 3DMark – 14,366 (Ice Store Unlimited)
Connectivity and Call Quality
One of the main features of the Vibe X2 is its dual-SIM support (micro + nano) with LTE connectivity. So far we didn’t encounter problems with its connectivity features. Voice calls are also great provided that you have a healthy signal in your location.
Battery Life
Providing juice for the Vibe X2 is a 2,300mAh battery which is an improvement from the Vibe X’s 2,000mAh. We ran our routine battery test which involves playing a 1080p video on loop on Airplane mode at 50% volume and brightness with headset plugged in, and the result is 8.3 hours worth of playback which is good.
We also tested it with the ClearMotion feature on and we got 5.3 hours worth of playback which is not bad at all. In addition, Vibe X2 also lets you manage how the device consumes resources with the help of Power Manager and the Scheduled power on & off feature.
Conclusion
The Lenovo Vibe X2 is light years away from its predecessor, the Vibe X. It’s faster, more feature-packed, and better-looking. If there are things to complain about is the underwhelming camera and the lack of microSD card slot and USB OTG support. As for its SRP, Lenovo has probably learned when it comes to reasonable pricing and launched the Vibe X2 for just Php18,999. Compare that with the Vibe X’s original asking price of Php19,999 which sounds like a joke.
To conclude, Lenovo got it right with the Vibe X2. It has a fantastic display, great performance, Android KitKat with an attractive UI, dual-SIM with LTE, good battery life, and sub-Php20k price tag. And with Android Lollipop promised for the device, things are looking good for the Vibe X2.
Lenovo Vibe X2 specs:
5-inch Full HD IPS display, 441ppi
2.0GHz MediaTek MT6595m octa-core CPU
2GB RAM
32GB internal storage
13 megapixel AF rear camera w/ LED flash
5 megapixel fixed-focus front camera
Dual-SIM support (AP region)
4G LTE, HSPA+
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n/ac
Bluetooth 4.0
GPS, A-GPS
2,300mAh battery
Android 4.4 KitKat w/ VIBE UI 2.0
140.2 X 68.6 X 7.27mm
120 g
What we liked:
* Great display
* Great build and design
* Great performance
* Attractive UI
* Good battery life
* Dual-SIM with LTE support
* 32GB internal storage
What we didn’t like:
* No microSD card support
* Underwhelming camera performance
* No USB OTG support
There are currently two major telcos in the Philippines right now. In the previous reports that we’ve shared, it’s obvious that quite a number of subscribers aren’t totally satisfied with the service that they’re getting. In this article we list down a few points why we think there is a need for a third telco player in the Philippines.
Let’s first take a trip down memory lane. There use to be three major telecom players (PLDT/Smart, Globe, and Digital/Sun Cellular) between 2003 to 2011 and we saw how fierce the competition was.
PLDT’s revenues were shrinking the previous year due to the fierce competition.
By buying into Sun Cellular, the company hoped to consolidate and strengthen its position as the majority telecom provider in the country. So now, we’re back to just two players.
We looked back to those years where 3 independent telcos made more sense for the subscribers and listed down these points:
An additional telco means more choices for consumers.
This is as simple as it sounds. If there are more than two options to choose from, consumers would not give in or be forced to be under a telco that doesn’t specifically cater to their needs/wants. This is what we’ve also talked about in our previous article, “Why do Filipinos pay more for slow Internet?” where we came to a conclusion that we pay for expensive Internet because we simply have no other choice.
The current duopoly is weak due to potential standoff.
Since there are just two telco players right now, there tends to be a waiting game between them. It’s like one is just waiting for the other on its next step, with both readying to react to whoever makes the first move.
Another reason is since two players are only involved, it’s easier for both to predict what the other company will do next. Put a third contender into the mix and it would be harder for them to prepare for the competitor’s next agenda.
Copy-each-other formula.
When Globe announced its Free Facebook campaign, a first in the world, Smart also announced its free Internet for its subscribers.
This kind of formula eliminates the room for thinking outside the box. Having a third independent player will most likely disrupt this current model and will encourage the three of them to introduce more fresh offerings for the Filipinos in the attempt to have an edge over the other two contenders.
There is very little incentive to disrupt current line of services and pricing.
Since they just copy each other, whatever they do just tend to cancel each other out. This results to them not going past the norm or disrupting the status quo since some of their efforts don’t bear much fruit.
As an example, there was a SIM-swap campaign that was launched a few years back where Globe offered to swap people’s Smart SIM for a Globe SIM plus an additional load credits. This resulted to gazillions of subscribers swapping to Globe and at first was good news for the company.
However, Smart countered it later on with their own swap campaign which successfully brought back their subscribers — this resulted to both telcos just ending up with almost the same number of subs they started with and even lost the free load credits for each SIM swapped.
Basically, they both just spent money to be somehow back in square one.
The dynamics of the competition will be different if it’s a three-way battle.
With just two players, it’s automatically a seesaw setup wherein when an individual dislikes one service he would automatically give his loyalty to the only remaining player. But with three companies vying for the subscriber’s loyalty, an individual still has two options when he decides that he no longer wants to receive the service of one company. This will result to the telcos stepping up their game in hopes to still be chosen over the last option when the original choice no longer works for the subscriber.
For example, if you find the service of Telco A to be unreliable you’ll still have Telco B and Telco C to choose from. Because of this, Telco B would want to be chosen rather than Telco C so Telco B would still have that drive to make their offers more attractive for everyone. In our current setup, Telco B automatically wins when Telco A fails — this wouldn’t be the case when Telco C is around and is also ready to accommodate potential subscribers.
As we’ve pointed out, bringing in an additional player in the telco business not only gives us more choices but it could also change the slow, unsatisfying service that both networks are currently serving us. We’ve just reported that Philippines is STILL at 2.5Mbps of average Internet speed as of Q4 2014– with the rates that we’re paying for there’s certainly a big room for improvement, don’t you agree?
Another report from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo in KGI securities (who has a good record on inside scoops from Apple) shows that the Cupertino giant is planning to revive the use of a stylus on tablets as an accessory to the rumored “iPad Pro” that should be Apple‘s biggest tablet yet.
Is Apple on its way to releasing a stylus for its 12.9-inch tablet? (Photo: The Verge)
Kuo states that reviving the functionality of a stylus is just what the 12.9-inch iPad Pro needs for the enterprise and creative users that the tablet is aimed at.
Given that it’s more precise than a person’s fingers, a stylus can be more convenient to use than the combination of keyboard and mouse in some cases. Therefore, we believe Apple’s stylus will improve the user experience of 12.9-inch iPad.
The reported stylus will most likely connect and charge via the company’s Lightning connector and not by wireless means. This, according to Kuo, is the road Apple is taking to keep costs relatively down. These styli could also have a gyroscope accelerometer to support “3D handwriting” so users can write in the air or on other surfaces, although this feature might come later on and not with the first few models of the accessory.
As for the alleged iPad Pro, previous reports suggest it could come with a 12.9-inch display with 2K resolution, a better A8X processor, 2GB RAM, and the company’s signature Touch ID.
Another report from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo in KGI securities (who has a good record on inside scoops from Apple) shows that the Cupertino giant is planning to revive the use of a stylus on tablets as an accessory to the rumored “iPad Pro” that should be Apple‘s biggest tablet yet.
Is Apple on its way to releasing a stylus for its 12.9-inch tablet? (Photo: The Verge)
Kuo states that reviving the functionality of a stylus is just what the 12.9-inch iPad Pro needs for the enterprise and creative users that the tablet is aimed at.
Given that it’s more precise than a person’s fingers, a stylus can be more convenient to use than the combination of keyboard and mouse in some cases. Therefore, we believe Apple’s stylus will improve the user experience of 12.9-inch iPad.
The reported stylus will most likely connect and charge via the company’s Lightning connector and not by wireless means. This, according to Kuo, is the road Apple is taking to keep costs relatively down. These styli could also have a gyroscope accelerometer to support “3D handwriting” so users can write in the air or on other surfaces, although this feature might come later on and not with the first few models of the accessory.
As for the alleged iPad Pro, previous reports suggest it could come with a 12.9-inch display with 2K resolution, a better A8X processor, 2GB RAM, and the company’s signature Touch ID.
