Tech Toys & Gadgets | Prepys' Homepage

5 Tech Gifts under Php500

December 25, 2012December 25, 2012 Ronnie Bulaong Leave a comment

It’s Christmas day, and for some of you who still hasn’t figured out what gift to give your tech savvy love one, here are 5 affordable suggestions you might want to consider. We’re pretty sure that there are other affordable tech gifts out there that weren’t mentioned on this post, so feel free to share your thoughts on the comments portion below.

USB Accessories

From fans to lamps, there are tons of USB-powered devices that you can choose from that would surely delight your friends. Another cool thing about these gizmos is that they’re wallet-friendly, meaning you give as much 3 items, or maybe even 4, if you know how to budget your PhP500 well enough. Our go-to place for anything USB is CD-R King, but a fair warning though, there’s a big chance that you’ll walk out of the store with more than what you initially planned to buy.

Handset cases

Just like the USB accessories, handset cases are easy to find (especially those cases and holders made popular handsets) and you’ll have a wide-range of options to choose from. You can always go for premium brands such as Otterbox, but if you’re on a tight budget, there are a lot of cheaper options that you can go for.

YugaTech gifts

Tablet sleeves or covers/Laptop bags

Stores/booths that sell smartphone and handset cases sometimes also offer tablet sleeves for less. Unlike sleeves, however, laptop bags that costs under PhP500 is a bit trickier to find so you’d have to be extra patient and kind to the store clerk, especially when you’re haggling.

Earphones/Portable speakers

Decent audio peripherals such as earphones and portable speakers that costs PhP500 or less are little harder to come by compared to the first three suggestions. But all is not lost, because there are good earphones like the Promac Pro One that we reviewed back in April that will only set you back PhP499.

Other device add-ons

Besides cases and bags, there other affordable accessories that you can give your gadget-loving love ones. If your friend is in to photography then you could probably give him/her a small tripod or a 16GB Class 4 SD Card whichever you think will rock his/her boat. If the person you’re planning to give a gift to has a car, then a portable car charger is viable present.

ibattz mojo

If the person is a road warrior then a portable power bank for a Christmas treat will surely make him/her a happy camper this holiday season. The problem with this, however, is that there aren’t too many sizeable power banks to go along with that costs PhP500 and below. But if you have extra dough to blow then you can get that person a portable battery with bigger capacity.

Coming up with a tech gift that costs PhP500 and below is a tough proposition because these things usually cost a fortune and let’s face it; not everyone has enough resources to buy expensive gifts. Cheap as it may sound, let’s bear in mind that in giving gifts it’s not the cost but the thought that counts. And speaking of gifts, don’t forget to join our Gadget Giveaways for a chance to take home one of the many devices we’re giving away in line with the holiday season. Merry Christmas everyone!

The post 5 Tech Gifts under Php500 appeared first on YugaTech | Philippines, Tech News & Reviews.

Logitech Mini Boombox Review

December 15, 2012December 15, 2012 Bob Freking Leave a comment

Bluetooth speakers really are a prize. We barely encounter quality speakers.Logitech takes it for a try & promises us loud and fulfilling sound projections in the form of the Logitech Mini Boombox. Check out our review after the break.

20121208_131646

Design and Construction

The Mini Boombox is truly a beautiful object to hold. It doesn’t stand out from the rest of the competition, but it does feel solid and well constructed. The design is clean and flawless. You’ll see yourself carrying the device with joy too as it is moderately light and ergonomic.

Up top you’ll see the only buttons, and they’re capacitive. You’ll find the usual playback buttons, along with the volume controls and the button for answering calls and disconnecting devices. On the back you’ll find an AUX port, the micro USB port and the on & off switch. On the front, you’ll see the speaker itself.

The capacitive buttons are not adding much value to the device; it isn’t practical in use. We would actually prefer physical buttons just because this one is a speaker; you’ll need that specific assurance that device is actually touched. At times, it doesn’t feel responsive too.

Sound Quality

Now of course, the sound quality is the main course here. The Mini Boombox produces very loud sound for its size. It’s also very clear in producing audio.

This came with quite a cost however. Treble isn’t there yet; it’s quite flat. The bass production is also bad. There’s unpleasant sound whenever the music involved bass-heavy elements such as drums and electric guitars.

Battery and Connectivity

The battery is non-removable Battery life was solid as well. We kept playing music at loud volumes and it went on for so many songs. On moderate use, we got through a day or so.

You’ll easily connect your devices with this one. Just read the instructions and you’re good to go. Pairing and unpairing is an ease, and the distance your device can get away from the speaker is somewhat far.

Conclusion

Logitech’s take on the Bluetooth speakers has some things going for it. It’s solid in terms of build quality, battery and connectivity.

On the other hand, sound quality was quite bad. Well, it does feature that loudness factor for those who only need the extra volume, but for music enthusiasts – it’s not there yet.

Logitech Mini Boombox specs:
Bluetooth 2.1
Wireless range up to 30 feet
Rechargeable Li-ion Battery
115.4 x 71.2 x 57.7 mm (dimensions)
230 g (weight)

Suggested retail price: Php3,199.

What we liked about it:

Loud volume
Beautiful and solid design
Easy to operate & connectivity
Battery life

What we didn’t like about it:

Capacitive buttons feel impractical
Sub-par sound quality

The post Logitech Mini Boombox Review appeared first on YugaTech | Philippines, Tech News & Reviews.

G-Shock SmartWatch companion for the iPhone

December 6, 2012December 6, 2012 Ronnie Bulaong Leave a comment

Looking for a perfect watch to go along with your new iPhone 5? Well, Casio may just have what you’re looking for with their G-Shock (GB6900AA) SmartWatch.

GB6900AA

The Casio G-Shock GB6900AA SmartWatch isn’t exactly new. In fact, the company first previewed this fancy watch during this year’s CES (January) and has launched it in their homeland back in October. Casio has just recently made this fancy watch available in the US and is priced at USD180 a pop.

Aesthetically, this new SmartWatch from Casio looks similar to other G-Shock watches before it, especially for the untrained eye just like the one I have. What’s special about this watch, however, is that it informs users of new messages (SMS and Email) and incoming calls when paired to an iPhone 4S running on iOS 5 and above or iPhone 5 via Bluetooth.

Speaking of Bluetooth, Casio equipped the GB6900AA with energy-efficient Bluetooth Low Energy chip to ensure that consumers will not have to replace the standard watch battery every so often. As a testament to this, the GB6900AA’s battery is rated to last for 2 years even with 12hours/day Bluetooth connection. This is indeed a remarkable feat especially when compared to other SmartWatches which SmartWatches struggles to last even for 3 days with 8 hours of Bluetooth connection every day.

G-ShockBluetooth

Besides providing basic notification alerts, there are other things that users can do with the GB6900AA’s Bluetooth functionality. People who often travel to different countries doesn’t have to worry about adjusting the time with this watch anymore because the watch takes care of that part for you by automatically fetching info from the iPhone.

In addition to its arsenal, the watch also informs the user when the connection is lost abruptly making sure that you don’t misplace your iPhone. And if you did lose your iPhone, the GB6900AA is capable of finding your phone with a touch of a button thanks to a downloadable app called G-SHOCK+. To give you a better overview of what we’re talking about, here’s a short clip of Casio G-Shock GB6900AA in action.

At the moment, we’re not sure if Casio has plans of officially releasing the GB6900AA locally through their partner distributors. But as soon as we hear from them, we’ll definitely let you guys know.

****** A word from the fine folks of Sun Cellular ******

Sun Cellular launches BlackBerry Prepaid!

Get the Sun BlackBerry All Day 50 for all-day unlimited mobile internet, unlimited social networking, unlimited instant messaging, unlimited BlackBerry browsing and unlimited BBM for only Php50.

Follow @suncelltweets for more info.

The post G-Shock SmartWatch companion for the iPhone appeared first on YugaTech | Philippines, Tech News & Reviews.

Asus releases Nexus 7 audio dock

December 2, 2012December 2, 2012 Bob Freking Leave a comment

Asus’ Japanese Website just posted an accessory for sale, a dock for the Nexus 7, which will be available by December.

The dock will operate once the tablet is placed horizontally and is designed to enhance the loudness and the quality of the sound. Details are quite scarce but the accessory will feature a micro USB port for charging and energy supply purposes, and a 3.5 mm audio jack.

The Nexus 7 will be harmonizing with the dock through pogo pin connectors. It was very seldom that we see companies utilizing the functionalities of pogo pins; we’re hoping that local companies will be maximizing the existence of these docking pins.

The docking station will be selling for 3,480 Japanese Yen, which is around Php1,800. We are hoping it won’t sell exclusively at the Google Play Store as that won’t be available for our country, but seeing Asus selling it in Japan through their site might be a good sign.

{via Source}

The post Asus releases Nexus 7 audio dock appeared first on YugaTech | Philippines, Tech News & Reviews.

Mugen Power outs 6400mAh battery for Galaxy Note 2

December 2, 2012December 2, 2012 Louie Diangson Leave a comment

If the Galaxy Note 2′s 3100mAh battery is not enough for your then you might want to consider getting Mugen Power’s extended battery that adds 6400mAh worth of juice to your massive handset.

Aside from more than doubling your Note 2′s battery life, the HLI-N7100XL Mugen Power extended battery also features a kickstand for landscape viewing and a battery door to give you an option to swap battery packs. On the downside, all that juice will surely add bulk to your device.

The Mugen Power extended battery costs $98.95 or Php4,038, is available in grey and white colors, and will start shipping on December 21. Meanwhile, you can check our review of the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 here.

{source}

The post Mugen Power outs 6400mAh battery for Galaxy Note 2 appeared first on YugaTech | Philippines, Tech News & Reviews.