Video: Nokia thinks DSLR should retire

It is true that Nokia creates the best camera smartphone but saying that DSLR should say goodbye? That is indeed very debatable.


Since the PureView 808, Nokia made a stand regarding the megapixel race. A 41-megapixel in a phone chassis, even though fat, is a great achievement. Even until now, the PureView 808 is a very capable camera phone despite running on an obsolete software.

Incorporating Windows Phone 8 and Optical Image Stabilization plus newer hardware made the Nokia Lumia 1020 a worthy successor. Don’t forget the Lumia Black update that makes its image algorithms better. So can it replace your DLSR when travelling?

{source}

The post Video: Nokia thinks DSLR should retire appeared first on YugaTech | Philippines, Tech News & Reviews.

Video: Nokia thinks DSLR should retire

It is true that Nokia creates the best camera smartphone but saying that DSLR should say goodbye? That is indeed very debatable.


Since the PureView 808, Nokia made a stand regarding the megapixel race. A 41-megapixel in a phone chassis, even though fat, is a great achievement. Even until now, the PureView 808 is a very capable camera phone despite running on an obsolete software.

Incorporating Windows Phone 8 and Optical Image Stabilization plus newer hardware made the Nokia Lumia 1020 a worthy successor. Don’t forget the Lumia Black update that makes its image algorithms better. So can it replace your DLSR when travelling?

{source}

The post Video: Nokia thinks DSLR should retire appeared first on YugaTech | Philippines, Tech News & Reviews.

Top 5 Most Affordable Windows Phone 8 Devices in PH

It’s the midway point of the year and if you’re planning to get one of those Live tile touting phones with your mid-year bonus, you should probably check out our list of the most affordable phones running Windows Phone 8 in the local market, and maybe we can help you in deciding which one to choose.

(Note: Prices are based on online sellers and lowest mall prices we’ve found.)

1. HTC Windows Phone 8S (around Php12,990)

htc-8s

Pros:

  • Solid and beautiful design
  • Loud and clear sound performance
  • Refreshing user interface

Cons:

  • So-so battery life
  • Sub-par camera performance
  • Prone to dirt stains

HTC Windows Phone 8S specs:
4-inch S-LCD Display (480 x 800) 233ppi
1GHz dual-core Krait CPU
Adreno 305
512 RAM
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth 3.1
4GB internal memory
up o 32GB via microSD card
5 megapixel camera (LED flash, 720p video)
Windows Phone 8
120.5 x 63 x 10.3 mm (dimensions)
113 g (weight)
Li-IOn battery 1700 mAh

2. Nokia Lumia 720 (Php12,700 – Php14,500)

nokia lumia 720

Pros:

  • Great performance for a WVGA screen
  • Snappy performance
  • Outstanding battery life

Cons:

  • Inconsistent camera performance
  • Lack of apps because of 512MB RAM

Nokia Lumia 720 specs:
4.3-inch ClearBlack IPS LCD display @ 800×480 pixels, 217ppi
Corning Gorilla Glass 2
Qualcomm MSM8227 Snapdragon 1.0GHz dual-core
Adreno 305 Graphics
512MB RAM
8GB internal memory
microSD card up to 64GB
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, dual-band
HSDPA 21.1 Mbps
Bluetooth 3.0
NFC
6.7MP AF camera, Carl Zeiss, with LED Flash
720p video recording at 30fps
1.3 megapixel front-facing wide angle camera
Li-Ion 2,000mAh battery
Windows Phone 8
Wireless Charging support
GPS w/ aGPS, GLONASS
Dimension: 127.9 x 67.5 x 9mm
Weight: 128g

3. Huawei Ascend W1 (Php8,990)

huawei-ascendw1

Pros:

  • Solid construction
  • Attractive design
  • Good battery life
  • Decent performance

Cons:

  • 512MB RAM
  • Limited internal storage
  • Average camera performance

Huawei Ascend W1 specs:
4.0-inch IPS OGS display @ 480×800 pixels, 233ppi
Qualcomm MSM8230 Snapdragon 1.2GHz dual-core Krait
Adreno 305
512MB RAM
4GB internal storage (up to 32GB via microSD)
3G/HSDPA 21Mbps
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth 2.1 w/ A2DP
5MP rear camera @ 720p
VGA front-facing camera
GPS w/ aGPS, GLONASS
Li-Ion 1950mAh battery
124.5 x 63.7 x 10.5 mm
130 g
Windows Phone 8

4. Nokia Lumia 620 (Php8,600 – Php11,600)

Nokia_Lumia_620_03

Pros:

  • Solid construction
  • Good design
  • Decent performance
  • Great display

Cons:

  • 512MB RAM
  • Limited internal storage

Nokia Lumia 620 specs:
3.8-inch TFT WVGA (800×480), ClearBlack
1 GHz Dual Core Snapdragon (TM) S4
512MB RAM
8GB internal memory, up to 64GB via microSD
5MP autofocus w/ LED flash; Video capture: HD 720p@30fps
VGA front camera
NFC
WLAN 802.11 a/b/g/n
Bluetooth 3.0
GPS/A-GPS, Glonass
1,300mAh battery
115.4 x 61.1 x 11.02 mm
127g
Windows Phone 8

5. Nokia Lumia 520 (Php7,400 – Php7,990)

lumia520

Pros:

  • Solidly and beautifully built
  • Amazing display

Cons:

  • 512MB RAM
  • Limited internal storage

Nokia Lumia 520 specs:
4-inch WVGA (480 x 800) IPS LCD, 233ppi
Qualcomm MSM8227 Dual-core 1 GHz
Adreno 305
512MB RAM
8GB internal storage
microSD up to 64GB
5MP AF camera
720p video recording at 30fps
HSDPA, 21.1 Mbps; HSUPA, 5.76 Mbps
WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n, dual band
Bluetooth 3.0
GPS with A-GPS support and GLONASS
Li-Ion 1,430mAh battery
119.9 x 64 x 9.9 mm
124g
Windows Phone 8

Special Mention: We’d like to add though; if you are good in seeking for better deals – we have to tell you that we did see HTC 8Xs being sold for a cheaper Php10k recently.

That’s about it folks. Fancy anything on the list? Or rather, maybe you have one of them already? Feel free to give us all your says on the space down below.

The post Top 5 Most Affordable Windows Phone 8 Devices in PH appeared first on YugaTech | Philippines, Tech News & Reviews.

Early build of Windows Blue leaks, updates previewed

Windows 8 hasn’t completely replaced Windows 7 yet, and Microsoft is already prepping up a big update to the operating system –  the long rumored Windows Blue, which is said to bring a lot of improvements and unification throughout MS’ ecosystem. The OS update leaks in the internet to give us a preview of what to expect.

WBLUE

The leak goes by the name of Windows Blue Build 9364. It’s not meant to be the complete version or anything, but it surely does present improvement. The notable ones are:

  • Internet Explorer 11
  • Smaller tiles for the Start screen
  • Calculator & Movie Moments app
  • Side-by-side multitasking
  • Improved PC Settings, added Search
  • Better SkyDrive integration
  • Accent color selection

WBLUE 2

Folks over at WindowsMania.pl has a video on it. It demonstrates all these new features well, although it’s in Polish.

The rumors about Windows Blue unifying Phone, RT & 8 is not yet evident here. Maybe we’ll get to see that sooner or later with another leak.

{source} {images via 1, 2}

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The race to break the OS duopoly

During the course of the past six months, several companies have announced their new mobile platform hoping to break the Apple-Google duopoly. Today we’ll take a closer look at 5 of those operating systems and see which one has what it takes to be the next big thing in the OS wars.


yugatech1

Two of the candidates in this list (BlackBerry OS 10 and Windows Phone 8) are already out in the market, while three are still in the last phase of development and is scheduled to make its debut in the latter part of this year. Furthermore, the two OS out in the market are both closed source and the 3 upcoming platforms are all open source.

BlackBerry OS 10

Company: BlackBerry Ltd. (formerly known as Research In Motion)
Source Model: Closed source
OS Architecture: Real-time Microkernel (QNX)
Supported Programming Language: JavaScript, CSS, HTML
Supported App Framework: Qt/QML and HTML5
User Interface: BlackBerry 10 UI
Min. Hardware Requirements: Undisclosed
Announcement Date: January 30, 2013
Status: Available
Devices: Limited to BlackBerry handsets as of the moment

The BlackBerry OS 10, as well as the BlackBerry Tablet OS, is the product of the acquisition of QNX Software Systems, the company behind this Microkernel-based OS. As such, the platform shares some distinct features with its tablet counterpart just like the bezel-to-screen swipe gestures called Blackberry Flow and Peek for navigation and multitasking.

bb os 10

Apart from revamped UI, the BB OS 10 also boasts several new features including BlackBerry Hub, Balance, Time Shift Camera. Being known for providing one of the best keyboard in the industry, the on-screen keyboard of the BlackBerry Z10 has also seen a significantly improvement over the previous builds. The virtual keyboard bears the company’s renowned layout and is now capable of auto-predicting the next word that the user will type. The predicted word/s is displayed on top of a certain key and can be used by flicking upwards.

After a long period of silence, BlackBerry is starting to create a buzz in the mobile industry with the release of the highly anticipated mobile platform, the BlackBerry OS 10. The OS, along with the two new handsets (Z10 and Q10) that features it, has been regarded by many smartphone enthusiasts as the Canadian company’s last ditch effort to regain its place in the consumer and enterprise market. Now that the OS is out in the open, the key is for the company to back up their brainchild with aggressive marketing strategy.

Firefox OS

Company: Mozilla Foundation
Source Model: Open Source
OS Architecture: Monolithic (Linux Kernel)
Supported App Framework: HTML5
User Interface: Gaia
Min. Hardware Requirements:
Processor: 800MHz
RAM: 256MB RAM
Display: QVGA
Announcement Date: July 25, 2010 (Boot to Gecko), July 2012 (Firefox OS)
Status: In development, target launch on Q3 2013
Devices: Alcatel, LG Electronics, ZTE, Huawei, TCL Corporation, Sony

Deeply rooted in Mozilla’s core is the organization’s advocacy to promote openness, innovation and opportunity. This belief is reflected on almost everything that they do, including their latest endeavor the Firefox OS.

The goal is to build “a complete, standalone operating system for the open web.” In order to achieve this, Mozilla uses HTML5 in programming the platform and for developing applications. This allows developers to easily port their apps that are previously written for other platforms to the upcoming OS.

firefox os

In the recently concluded MWC, the organization announced the companies that joined their cause. These companies include several telcos and a handful of device manufacturers. At the convention, Mozilla also showcased a pair of handsets (Alcatel One Touch Fire and ZTE Fire) that sports the OS.

Sailfish OS

Company: Jolla Ltd.
Source Model: Open Source
OS Architecture: Monolithic (Linux Kernel)
Supported App Framework: Qt/QML
User Interface: Jolla UI
Min. Hardware Requirements: TBA
Announcement Date: November 21, 2012
Status: In development, target launch on Q1 2013
Devices: TBA

Equipped with more than enough knowledge and expertise about mobile OS, Jolla Mobile, the team that brought us MeeGo and MaeMo is back with a vengeance and is looking to make another mark in the industry with their upcoming platform dubbed as Sailfish OS.

sailfish os

The concept behind the OS is rather simple; merge Mer (MeeGo Reconstructed) and MeeGo’s architecture and further develop it using Qt Quick, QML and HTML5. The result that the team is hoping for is platform that “brings and fosters innovation to offer unique differentiation and a competitive advantage for OEMs and ODMs, chipset providers, operators, application developers and retailers.”
Jolla Ltd. has yet to officially name a mobile manufacturer that would carry their OS. It’s been said that the design of the phone will come from the organization itself, but because of the platform’s versatility, Jolla is confident that the integration of the OS to other devices should be a breeze.

Ubuntu Touch

Company: Canonical Ltd.
Source Model: Open source
OS Architecture: Monolithic (Linux Kernel)
Supported App Framework: Qt/QML and HTML5
User Interface: Unity UI based on Ubuntu 10.10
Min. Hardware Requirements: 1GHz Cortex A9 processor, 512MB RAM
Announcement Date: January 2, 2013
Status: Slated for Q4 2013 launch
Devices: TBA

Ubuntu Touch hails from a long line of Open Source operating system developed by Canonical for desktop users. With a slogan of “One Device To Rule Them All”, Canonical is looking to capitalize on their expertise in the desktop ecosystem and apply those in their upcoming mobile platform.

The mobile OS will sport a home grown, gesture-based UI called Unity UI which is inspired by the netbook-optimized version of Ubuntu. Unity UI bears some similarities with Blackberry OS 10’s UI, particularly in the navigation aspect, as both makes use of the every inch of the device’s display for basic operations. This eliminates the need for a physical button and makes it easier for users to navigate through various selections. The downside, however, is that it requires a lot of getting used to in order for the touch-based operation to feel natural.

ubuntu touch

Canonical’s goal is to provide users with the near-desktop experience on their mobile devices by integrating some of key components of the desktop version of the platform to the gesture-based UI. The company has yet to disclose the manufacturers who will use the Ubuntu Touch on their smartphones, but Mark Shuttleworth (Founder and CEO of Canonical, Ltd) mentioned that the first devices running on their Linux-Based OS is slated to debut on October of this year.

Windows Phone 8

Company: Microsoft
Source Model: Closed source
OS Architecture: Hybrid Windows NT Kernel
Supported App Framework: Microsoft XNA
User Interface: Windows 8 (Metro UI)
Min. Hardware Requirements:
Processor: Snapdragon S4 dual-core
RAM: 512MB (WVGA), 1GB for 720p
ROM: 4GB
Announcement Date: October 29 2012
Status: Out in the market
Devices: HTC, Huawei, Nokia and Samsung

For the majority of users, Windows Phone 8 may just seem like a major update to the last version of WP7.8 (Tango). This misconception may have sprung up due to the similarities that this OS and the previous generations share in common, especially in the user interface department. However, truth be told, there are more to Windows Phone 8 than meets the eye.

Probably the most significant improvement that WP8 has over previous builds is at its core. Instead of using a similar kernel as the pre-historic Windows CE, Microsoft utilized a Hybird (Monolithic – Microkernel) Windows NT kernel that is also being used on Windows 8. The use of this kernel has resulted to a significant improvement in the mobile platform’s ability to handle multi-core processors, higher screen resolution and storage expansion via Micro-SD card; three of the many things that users and journalists have been complaining since the debut of Windows Phone7.

windows phone 8

However, one of the major drawbacks that WP8 has is the fact that it cannot be installed on devices running on WP7. Microsoft explains that this is due to the hardware limitations presented by the earlier devices running on an older version of their platform. When this news made the headlines, it sparked an uproar in the WP7 community which also proved crucial to the success of WP7-powered handsets in the market. In the end, users are left with a hard pill to swallow; be content with their current device’s OS or move on to WP8.

As of the time of writing, both BB OS 10 and WP8 have a clear advantage over the other candidates in our list. In the case of BlackBerry, it has already established a following in the past; they just need to get things back on track to reclaim their spot in the upper echelon of the OS wars with BlackBerry OS 10. Windows Phone 8, on the other hand, is still on shaky grounds, but the single major edge it has over its competition is the fact that users can seamlessly transition from one Windows-powered device to the other since it also has a counterpart in the tablet and desktop scene.

yugatech2

As for the three upcoming open source OS, it’s still pretty early to tell whether these platforms will make it to the big leagues, let alone break the two-horse race between Android and iOS. Make no mistake though; each of these platforms presents a very interesting proposition for its potential users. So the effort is definitely there, the question is if it’s gonna be enough to be named as one of the greats in the industry.

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