Last month, Techbox Philippines held a 3-day Nokia Clearance Sale where you can buy Nokia-branded smartphones at discounted prices. But in case you missed it, the company has announced that it will hold its second sale starting tomorrow.
The Ultimate Nokia Sale Part 2 offers up to 80% discounts as well as a ‘Buy 1, Take’ promo on select handsets.
Techbox PH’s Ultimate Nokia Sale Part 2 will happen on April 16 to 18 (Thursday to Saturday) at at 2299 Pasong Tamo Extension, Makati City.
For more updates and announcements you can visit Techbox PH’s Facebook page here.
Hearthstone Heroes of Warcraftarrived for Android in December 2014 but it was only compatible with Android tablets with 6-inch displays or larger. A new update has arrived which now enables it to run on devices with smaller displays.
Here’s what’s new on version 2.5.8416:
* Hearthstone now supports Android phones – Featuring an intuitive interface for the mobile experience, it’s never been easier to take Hearthstone with you
* Added an indicator to show if your connection is losing signal
BUG FIXES
* Fixed an issue where cards were not awarded after defeating Blackrock Mountain bosses
* “Spectate Invite” now works for both sides of a match
* Previewed cards in the Collection Manager should no longer get stuck
* Fixed various graphical, sound, and UI issues
Hearthstone Heroes of Warcraft for Android is 619MB in size and can be downloaded here.
As for iOS, it is optimized for the iPhone 5 but works with the iPhone 4S and later, and iPod touch (5th generation). It is 743MB in size and can be downloaded at the App Store via the link provided.
The scorching heat of the sun that we experience today only suggests one thing — summer is officially upon us. This is also the season where we plan our out of town trips to cool off at the beach or up the mountains. Whatever your plans may be, you’d surely want to document it and here are some of the action cameras that are up to the challenge.
The cameras listed in this article can be purchased here in the Philippines through offline and online stores, and are arranged in no particular order. We have the specs list as well as sample footage for some of the devices to help you choose better. Let’s get started!
1. HTC Re
HTC Re specs:
16MP, 1/2.3-inch Sony CMOS sensor
Bluetooth v4.0 LE
WiFi 802.11a/b/g/n
WiFi Direct
5-pin micro-USB
microSD card slot
Tripod Hole
1080p, 30fps FHD video
720p, 4x slow motion video
Android 4.3, iOS compatible
IPX7 water resistance
820mAh battery
66.5 grams (weight) Price: Php9,878 (Lazada)
CD-R King Action Camcorder specs:
1080p camera with 170-degree Lens View Angle:
LCD Display: 1.5-inch LCD
Image Resolution: 1920 x 1080, 2560 x 1920, 3264 x 2448, 4000 x 3000
Video Resolution: 1920 x 1080 @ 30fps, 1280 X 720 @60fps
IP68 Rating (waterproof/dustproof)
Wifi 802.11 b/g/n
Mini USB 2.0
HDMI
up to 32GB microSD support
900mAh battery Price: Php3,380
5. Garmin Virb Elite
Garmin VIRB Elite specs:
16MP ½.3-inch CMOS sensor
1.4-inch Chroma display @ 205 x 148 resolution
Video recording up to Full HD at 30fps
GPS
ANT+ signal
Wi-Fi
Mini HDMI connectivity
Water-resistant (IPX7) up to 1 meter for 30 minutes
3.2 x 5.3 x 11.1cm
235 grams (with battery)
2,000mAh battery Price: Php25,590
Hit the play button to check out the VIRB Elite’s video quality.
In addition, the company recently released an update to their action cam lineup — the Garmin VIRB X and XE.
6. Sony 4K Action Cam
Sony Action Cam FDR-X1000V specs:
12.8MP Zeiss Tessar lens with ultra-wide angle 170-degree FOV
Back-illuminated Exmor R CMOS sensor
BIONZ X image processor
4K video recording with 3840 x 2160 resolution @ 30fps
Full HD video recording with 1920 x 1080 resolution @ 120fps for slo-mo effect
HD video recording with 1280 x 720 resolution @ 240fps for ultra slo-mo effect
SteadyShot stabilization technology using EIS
Wind noise reduction for better audio
Loop recording feature
USTREAM for livestreaming videos
Still image burst mode
Motion Shot LE
HDMI output Price:Php27,999
7. Veho Muvi K2
Veho Muvi K2 specs:
16MP camera with 140-degree wide-angle lens
Full HD video recording
MicroHDMI port
MiniUSB port
MicroSD slot (up to 64GB)
Wi-Fi
1500mAh battery Price: Php 13,995
GoPro Hero3+ Black Edition specs:
12MP camera with f/2.8 aperture
Ultra wide angle field of view
4K resolution @ 15fps
1440p @ 48 fps
1080p @ 30fps, 60fps
720p @ 60fps, 120fps
12MP Ultra Wide @ 4000 x 3000
7MP Ultra Wide Medium @ 3000 x 2250
5MP Medium @ 2560 x 1920
Time Lapse 0.5, 1, 2, 5, 10, 30, 60 second intervals
Burst Mode @ 30 photos per second Price: Php19,850 (Lazada)
We took a Hero3+ to an out of town trip and swam with whale sharks. Watch the footage below:
GoPro Hero4 Black Edition specs:
12MP camera with f/2.8 aperture
Ultra wide angle field of view
4K resolution @ 30fps
1440p @ 25fps, 24fps
1080p @ 30fps, 25fps, 24fps
720p @ 60fps, 50fps, 30fps, 25fps
12MP Ultra Wide @ 4000 x 3000
7MP Ultra Wide Medium @ 3000 x 2250
5MP Medium @ 2560 x 1920
Time Lapse 0.5, 1, 2, 5, 10, 30, 60 second intervals
Burst Mode @ 30 photos per second
Night Lapse Price: Php25,990 (Widget City)
(Additional) Xiaomi Yi
Although only available online from overseas, we decided to include the Xiaomi Yi since a big number of people are interested due to its specs and affordable price. We’re also giving one away for free so stay tuned for that!
Xiaomi Yi Sport Camera features:
72 Grams and made from PC + ABS and metal composite materials
Ambarella A7LS Processor
Sony Exmor R BSI CMOS 16MP Sensor
155° (Mobile Phone 89°) Wide Angle Lens
3D Noise Reduction
WiFi Connectivity (up to 100 meters)
BLE Ultra-low power consumption
Bluetooth and Remote App control
4 Operating modes include; Photo, Time-lapse photo, Timed photo and Video
Share to social media within 10 seconds using the smartphone APP.
Video support: 1080p 60 FPS, 1080p 30 FPS, 720p 120 FPS, 720p 240 FPS
H.264 Video encoding with Sport level image processor providing ultra high-fluency
Urban White and Jungle Green colors Price: CNY399 (approx. Php2,800)
The ASUS VivoPC is a compact computer that aims to provide productivity for the house and even on-the-go. It’s packed with capable internals that should prove sufficient for daily browsing or even heavy tasks. Let’s take a closer look at what it can offer and if it could meet the needs of today’s users.
Ultra-compact yet powerful PCs have been around for some time. Intel has the NUC (Next Unit of Computing), Gigabyte has the Brix, ECS made the Liva and Liva X while Acer also experimented on the Revo.
For Asus, we have the VivoPC. It’s small in size, but big in promise.
Design and Construction
Note: You can also check out our hands-on and demo video of the ASUS VivoPC. It shows more of the device, its Wi-Fi GO! app, as well as how easy it is to remove its internals for upgrading.
The VivoPC has a square form factor that’s almost the size of a regular Wi-Fi router. The sides measure 190 x 190 millimeters while weighing only 1.2 kilograms. Its internals are housed in a shell with metallic gray finish and is made of plastic with the company’s trademark design implemented at the surface.
The entire device has a minimalistic approach with the sides devoid of any buttons and designs. There’s only the company’s brandings stamped on its front side with the connectivity ports all lined up at the back.
At the leftmost corner we have the power button, a card reader, the Kensington lock, four USB 3.0s, an HDMI port, DisplayPort, LAN, two USB 2.0s, audio jacks, and an S/PDIF port.
Since the VivoPC looks very simple and doesn’t take up much space, it can be placed anywhere near a TV where it connects and will easily blend to any existing setup.
Users can also save more space by using the included VESA mount. To do so just screw the mounting system onto the PC, attach it to its corresponding spot behind the television, and you already have a more efficient workstation.
Software and Storage
Out of the box, this compact PC has several proprietary software built-in like ASUS HomeCloud Server, ASUS Secure Delete, and WiFi GO. There’s also a 64-bit Windows 8.1 operating system on-board, meaning it’s just waiting to receive Windows 10 any time — just like the ASUS ROG GR8. In addition, our unit had about 300GB of space in terms of internal storage.
Upgradeability
The case is also built in a way that upgrading its components is not only convenient, but also only takes a short while to accomplish. We simply toggled the Kensington lock at the back and the top cover was able to slide off revealing it’s HDD. After that we only needed to slide it up and it will already disconnect from its port (check video).
Doing so reveals a door that stores the RAM. Unscrewing it gives access to its tray for adding more memory sticks. The VivoPC could support up to 16GB RAM. When everything’s set we just put all the components back together and it’s ready to power up once again.
Performance and Benchmark
This VivoPC is running on an Intel Core i3-4030U processor that’s clocked at a decent 1.9GHz. Graphics department is also run by Intel’s HD Graphics 4000, accompanied by 4GB of RAM. It’s important to note that there are also different variants of the VivoPC with one having a more powerful Intel Core-i5 CPU and the other an Intel Celeron processor. It would depend on how heavy of a workload you’d be doing on it so that’s something to think about before getting one.
We used it on daily productivity tasks like e-mailing, photo editing, and audio mixing, and we had no gripes with its performance. It was easy to set up, quick to boot, and was able to deliver what we needed it to do.
Running 3DMark’s benchmarking tests, we got the following results:
What the tests dictated was this mini rig is not meant for heavy gaming. We saw laggy graphics (around 2-3 frames per second) while the software ran the test video and it was not enjoyable at all. It’s not that surprising since ASUS really didn’t have gaming in mind when they released the VivoPC.
Wireless Connectivity
The VivoPC also comes equipped with Wi-Fi 802.11 a/c for wireless connectivity. Using its Wi-Fi Go! software and by downloading the similar-titled app for a smartphone or tablet, we were able to establish a communication between the two and perform the following productivity tasks:
Transferring files from a device to the computer and vice versa - users can make room for their internal storage by freeing up space on their devices. Just use the app, select what files to send, and it will do the rest with no wires involved.
Mirroring the PC – users can also mirror what’s shown on their display onto their devices and manipulate it straight from the app.
Using a smartphone as a keyboard and mouse – when reading text-heavy documents on the television or simply browsing the Internet, this feature comes in handy as we could just sit back and scroll down the pages with ease using our smartphone. The entire screen of the phone could act as arrow buttons or a trackpad for easy navigation.
Remotely shooting photos and recording videos – using the software, we were also able to control the phone’s camera and make it snap images and record videos on our cue.
One thing we noticed was that the app kept on crashing on our Android phone when we attempted to transfer files. We kept trying for a couple of times but the results were the same. On iPhone, though, we didn’t have this problem and file transfers were easy. It seems like a bug which a software update could easily fix.
Conclusion
Although we came across with some hiccups, its wireless connectivity features are also handy for freeing up phone storage and navigating the computer without any cables involved. Additionally, the ease of upgrading its internals are also what’s commendable with the VivoPC. We were able to open and gain access to its HDD and RAM in no less than 1 minute.
Having an ASUS VivoPC around is convenient in a way that you can bring it on out of town business trips, for example, and still have a capable rig at your disposal. It’s far from running a high-def video game smoothly, but it performs well to get work done. With its compact form factor, bringing it with you is not much of a hassle as it can fit easily inside a backpack or a travelling case.
ASUS VivoPC specs:
1.9GHz Intel Core i3-4030U processor
Intel HD Graphics 4000
4GB RAM
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
Bluetooth v4.0
SonicMaster audio with 2 x 2 W speaker
190 x 190 x 56.2mm
1.2kg
64-bit Windows 8.1 operating system
Starts at Php16,990
