Top Ten Stories in YugaTech: April 2015

Bored on your #Staycation or #Laboracay trip? Why don’t you take some time to read the top stories that definitely made a scene this April? Here’s a list of what made it into our Top Stories the past month.

YTS-201504

It had been a pretty busy month for both the local and international tech industry. A leading tech company just announced new ways to expand its new operating system and mobile device operations, and two companies merged together, forming a new entity.

In local news, a top smartphone brand took its new devices off the wraps to be released this quarter, and an international brand just created on a storm on the local tech market by offering its latest bang-for-the-buck device at a price less than expected. Here are our top ten stories in April 2015, in descending order.

10. Cherry Mobile Flare S3 Power: Octa-Core, 4000mAh for Php5k

flares3power

Who couldn’t resist this offer from Cherry Mobile? You’ve got an octa-core processor and a long-lasting 4000mAh battery capacity with a Php5k price point. Many eager folks who want to get their hands on this device are waiting for its release, slated to be anytime this quarter.

9. Rumor: There’s a move to position G2, G Pro 2 against Zenfone 2

lg-g2-32gb

In light of recent Zenfone 2 developments, we heard that there’s a dealer-initiated promotion to get the LG G2 and G2 Pro 2 to compete with the Taiwanese tech giant’s bang-for-the-buck smartphone. We heard it comes with a free smartphone too!

8. Facebook starts banning jeje names and Jejenese

Facebook Jejemon Ban

We kicked off this month with three stories that may be too-good-to-be-true, and everyone seemed to be behind on the idea that Faceboook started to ban jeje names and ‘Jejenese’ in the social networking platform. Come on, who wouldn’t be irritated whenever you read status updates from ‘BhOzSx’ and read ‘Ik4w lNg s4pH4t nuh’ on comments? I’d be thankful if this ever comes true.

7. Asus officially reveals regional ZenFone 2 pricing

zenfone 2

The Asus Zenfone 2 was launched in the SouthEast Asian region more than a week ago, and prices were revealed which were apparently meant for the Indonesian market. Until we get the official prices, we wish it would stay on the rumored prices as stated below.

6. How to spot a fake Xiaomi Mi Powerbank

Look Ma, no lights!

Look Ma, no lights!

A Xiaomi Mi Powerbank is an affordable godsend for those who need the extra juice to carry on with their activities throughout the day. As scarce as the flash sales may be come the proliferation of fake ones in malls, online sites, overpasses, and even sidewalks. Here’s how you can able to distinguish a fake powerbank from a genuine one.

5. What to expect for Zenfone 2: exact variants, prices, release dates

zenfone2-price-philippines

We got insider info on how much will the Asus Zenfone 2 variants be priced in the country, as well as its rumored date of availability. Take it with a grain of salt, though, as anything can still change up to the last minute.

4. Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML Review

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Three of our top stories the past month involves our interaction with new devices, this variant of the Asus Zenfone 2 for one. The ZE551ML boasts top-tier specs for a price mostly seen on other brands’ mid-range devices. Can Asus live up to the Zenfone 2 hype? Only time can tell.

3. Alcatel Flash Plus in the flesh, first impressions

alcatel-flash-plus

We also laid out our first encounter with the bang-for-the-buck Alcatel Flash Plus. With a 5.5-inch screen, octa-core processor, 2GB RAM and 3500mAh of battery as its selling point, it has set itself to be a competition that should not be taken for granted.

2. Asus Zenfone 2 ZE550ML Review

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The Asus Zenfone has so many variants that might be hard to memorize. The variant in this review, for one, sports a 5.5-inch HD screen and 2GB of RAM. Quoting our review, “It comes with a familiar and solid design, pretty good hardware with LTE support, all packed in a very price-conscious offering.”

1. Philippine Call Centers under scrutiny from AT&T data breach

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Our top story for the past month involves our Business Process Outsourcing industry and US telecom AT&T. Reports surfaced that there are customer privacy regulations the telecom has violated, and it paid a staggering $25M in fines. As a result, a lot of BPO offices holding AT&T accounts, including those that are here in the country, are on the company’s watch list.

These are the top stories in YugaTech that mattered to you this past month. Which story marked the most?

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Xiaomi Mi5 and Mi5 Plus alleged specs and release surface

It seems like it won’t be long until we see the next flagship from Xiaomi since rumors are now rushing in. Unlike last time, the Chinese company could be releasing two brand spanking new phablets referred to as the Mi5 and Mi5 Plus.

Xiaomi Mi5 render (ibtimes.co.in)

Xiaomi Mi5 render (ibtimes.co.in)

Xiaomi Mi5 rumored specs:
5.2-inch display
Snapdragon 810 processor
3GB/4GB RAM
16MP rear camera
Fingerprint sensor
3000mAh battery

Xiaomi Mi5 Plus rumored specs:
6-inch QHD display @ 2560 x 1440 resolution
4GB RAM
32GB internal storage
16MP rear camera

In addition to the bigger Mi5 Plus, Android Headlines reports that a bezel-less display is to be expected just like the company-confirmed ZTE Nubia Z9. As for the release date it’s been said that they will be arriving this July.

If you were to ask us, this two-device release with the other one bigger that the other seems all too familiar, don’t you think? Although it’s almost certain that they will be priced significantly lower.

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Fast Five: Popular Smartphone Case Brands in PH

A smartphone case is considered something essential for people who frequently drop their phones as it provides a certain amount of protection against bumps and scratches. In this weekly Fast Five edition, we take a look at some of the most popular smartphone case brands in the country.

fastfive-smartphonecases

To give an ample insight of which case brands are popular, we went all around Metro Manila and surveyed a sample size of 30 stores, each of which carry one or multiple brands of smartphone cases. We then tallied the brands each surveyed store carry, and thus reflect in this list. The five listed in this list are the most carried brands by stores. List is not in any order.

Spigen

spigen-case

Spigen is a renowned leader in creating top-of-the-line premium smartphone cases for flagship devices. An Irvine, California company, it strives to “innovate and push the boundaries of design, technology, and availability on all frontiers of the industry.” Such are the recently-released cases for Samsung’s newest flagship Galaxy devices which are offered in solid thin-fit or crystal clear variants, to name a few.

Capdase

capdase-case

Capdase is a device accessory company based in Hong Kong with over a decade of experience in creating cases. I remember seeing a lot of cases for all sorts of devices before, but it seems that the company has reduced its portfolio to only include iPhones and a select few Android and Blackberry flagships.

Nillkin

nillkin-case

Nillkin is a Shenzen(China)-based company that not only make cases, but also other digital accessories of sorts such as car chargers, bluetooth speakers, and more. There are smartphone cases for both iPhones and Androids, and offer perhaps one of the most extensive lineups in the market. It’s the only brand I saw that offers an assortment of cases even for entry-level and mid-range devices such as my LG G3 Beat, much to my surprise.

Baseus

baseus-case

Baseus (which they say means Base on Us) is a Chinese smartphone case brand providing innovative and fashionable products to customers. This iPhone bumper case, for instance, might turn heads as it actually rocks Swarovski crystals embedded onto it.

Ahha

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Also found in Hong Kong, Ahha rounds up our list of smartphone case brands. With products spanning from selfie-centric and dual-faced cases to colored USB cords and collaboration designs, Ahha has provided a wide-range of products and has been selling to more than 25 countries.

Now that we’ve given this list, do you agree with it? Check out our poll below to vote for the smartphone case brand you like the most, or leave a comment down below for a brand that’s not on this week’s list.

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

Disclaimer: Due to limitations in metrics to define popularity, we limited our research to store visibility as a direct correlation to that effect — the more stores who want to carry a specific model or brand, the higher the demand for it.

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2015 Macbook hands-on, initial impressions

We managed to get a few minutes with the new Macbook during our last visit to Singapore last week. This model i so in demand none of the stores who had it on display had stocks left to sell.

So our plan to bring home one was in vain. One store rep told us even the online orders have been pushed back to 4-6 weeks.

From afar, you won’t immediately recognize the new Macbook as it looks the same as the 11-inch Macbook Air. The only obvious hint you’ll have would be the space gray or gold colors.

Once you get a hold of it, that’s when you realize how thin and light it is. The Macbook Air was already thin and light but this new Macbook blows it out of the water. The difference in the size and weight is evident when you place them side by side.

Despite that, the Macbook is still able to accommodate those large island-type keys on an almost full-sized keyboard which spans from edge to edge, maximizing the small area it has. The trackpad is also as large as the one on the Mac Air 13″ and takes up the remaining length below the keyboard mat.

Between the gold and the space gray, we were originally leaning towards the space gray. However, after seeing all three color variants (silver, gold, space gray) our attention was redirected to the gold color variant.

The only concern we had was for that single USB Type-C port that might be an issue if you’re used to plugging a lot of devices to your laptop.

At the moment, the Macbook is available for orders only thru the Apple PH Online Store with a starting price of Php64,990 with a 4 to 6 weeks waiting time.

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Meizu MX4 Pro receives Lollipop update, gets higher benchmark score

Those waiting for the Lollipop update of the monster-phone Meizu MX4 Pro can now get it over-the-air. Users will enjoy a slew of improvements in terms of usage as well as a significant boost in its benchmark performance.

meizu-MX4Pro

As a quick refresher, below is Meizu MX4 Pro‘s specs:

5.5-inch Sharp IPS Display, 2560 x 1536, 542ppi
Corning Gorilla Glass 3
Samsung Exynos 5430 chipset (Quad-core 2.0GHz Cortex-A15 + Quad-core 1.5GHz Cortex-A7)
Mali-T628 MP6
3GB of RAM
16GB, 32GB, 64GB internal storage; non-expandable
20.7-megapixel rear camera with Sony IMX220 Exmor RS sensor and dual LED flash
5-megapixel front camera
NFC, Wi-Fi 802.11 ac, Bluetooth 4.0, GNSS (GPS, GLONASS, BDS), LTE
mTouch Fingerprint sensor
Retina Sound (Hi-Fi audio, ES9018 and OPA 1612 chips)
Flyme 4.0 OS based on Android 4.4 KitKat
Colors: Gold, Gray, White

Meizu-MX4-Pro-lollipop2

According to DigiPassion who discovered the fresh software, they were notified by a new version of Flyme OS in their phone. For those unfamiliar it is the company’s own OS that’s layered on top of an Android KitKat. After the 650MB update was downloaded and installed the software version is already Lollipop 5.0.1 (Flyme OS 4.5.1A).

Meizu-MX4Pro-Lollipop-updat

The changelog was in Chinese so they could only guess what the improvements were, but the site reported to notice the following changes in their device:

  • All the Lollipop goodies are there (ART runtime, improved battery performance, new UI animations etc)
  • The overall phone speed and app launch time has noticeably improved
  • Touch sensitivity and accuracy of the Home button has vastly improved
  • The nagging heating issue has been resolved to a large extent
  • AnTuTu benchmark score has shot to 49000+ (from previous 45K) placing it on the top spot and beating Galaxy Note 4

If you own one and haven’t automatically received the update you can opt to manually update your phone.

Related:

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