Editor's Notes: Love It, Hate It -- There's No Perfect Gadget In This World; Not Yet, Anyway
Everyone's a critic, so to speak.
Just about anything is debatable, simply because everyone has their own personal preferences, not to mention opinions on whatever matters to them. The same thing goes for gadgets. Mobile phones, which have graduated from mere means of communication to extensions of oneself, are targets of differing opinion, even overly high expectations. And overly high expectations, once unmet, tend to graduate into criticism and downright hatred.
Recently, we've been checked by a reader by our note on LG phones not having good enough specs to make it to our lists. In fact, the word used in the article was "dismal." We apologized, and moving forward, we will choose to use more neutral language. If we slip, do feel free to leave a comment and let us know.
We do have to admit that we are partial to Cherry Mobile for now, because of the fact that it's quite admirable for a Philippine brand to be able to consolidate a great lineup and market it aggressively (even virally). Also, we note that Cherry Mobile updates its lineup several times a year. Plus, price-wise, Cherry Mobile specs are pretty remarkable: Only Cherry Mobile powers its Androids with Qualcomm processors so far (Torque's comparable model is powered by MediaTek).
Thus, in terms of bang for the buck, we admire Cherry Mobile for stepping up to the plate.
In terms of other, established phone brands, we do have higher expectations. These established phone brands include Acer, Lenovo Mobile, LG, Sony Ericsson, Samsung, HTC, and even Motorola. We have higher expectations because these are international players. Not only that, with the exception of newer players like Acer, Lenovo Mobile and LG, these phone brands have been in mobile telephony for at least 5 years. Thus, they are expected to work seamlessly out of the box.
Unlike Cherry Mobile and Torque, which are not only newbies in the mobile telephony arena, these are also Philippine brands. Also, the models that these two companies carry are whitebox machines: meaning, these are manufactured in China, then repackaged and rebranded for local distribution. The major difference that they have from your run-of-the-mill China phones and tablets are the consistency in branding, and the local aftersales support.
That being said, these companies will not be able to please everybody. Understand that in order to keep the market price at affordable rates, there will be some concessions made. Quality may be compromised, or, if they choose to go the other way, specs may be lowered.
In the case of LG, it is then understandable why they may have kept their specs at, as we quipped, "dismal" minimum. However, it is very disappointing to note that their offerings are launched at prices upwards of 20K pesos. The same specs or even better can be had in Motorola, HTC and Samsung models for much less than their prices. And these said brands are the Android pillars in mobile telephony at that.
It is also disappointing that some models like the LG Optimus Pro C660 have a premium-leaning (though still mid-range) price tag, but the specs are trounced by cheaper models like the Samsung Galaxy Y or the Cherry Mobile Stellar.
Worse, comments like these show up on their page:
Comments like those would be understandable, even expected for Cherry Mobile models, but definitely shocking for LG products.
Let me make this clear, however: We at Android Alliance Philippines are definitely NOT against LG. I, as a writer and gadget pundit, just have different expectations based on a set of mental categories in my head. LG is a premium brand, therefore I expect more from it. Cherry Mobile is an awesome new entrant, so I expect less, and thus am easier impressed by it. In terms of the rest of the Android Alliance Team's views on the matter, we may differ in our opinions on tech. But one thing is for sure: we love the Android as an OS, an ecosystem, and as something that kicks iPhone (not to mention Nokia) butt.
We industry pundits, observers and online blabbermouths have this as one of the purposes why we blog and express ourselves: we serve to give checks and balances to companies that otherwise won't improve. More so if all they receive are empty praise. As regards pointed comments from our readers, they also serve the exact same purpose.
Moving forward, I have one last thing to say: Cherry Mobile has so much room to grow. Being an avid Cherry Mobile user and one who has witnessed how it is to be in their main support center branch, they really do have more to improve on. But we know and trust that they are stepping up to the plate. On the other hand, LG has matured. They can definitely do better than offer just that.
On a brighter note for LG, however, we discovered that the LG Optimus ME retails for only Php 6,500 in Kimstore, while the LG Optimus One P500 retails for Php 7,850. For specs, clicking the brand names/product models will lead you to the GSMArena specs sheets of these.On this link is a comparison of the LG Optimus ME and the LG Optimus One P500. On this other link is a comparison between the LG Optimus ME and the Samsung Galaxy Y.
Again, our apologies for the sharp words we used to use. We look forward to taking a more objective tone, and thank you for sending us your feedback. We look forward to getting more of these in the days to come!
To the courageous reader who dared to let us know your no-holds-barred thoughts, thank you. It is on criticism that improvements are born. We owe this one to you. :) And THAT is the reason why we publish comments, even if they are critical.
From the bottom of our hearts here in Android Alliance Philippines, thank you, and have a happy Thursday!
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Photo Credits: Droid Cell Phone
Appreciate the explanation and perspectives.
ReplyDeleteI understand why this blog has a good appreciation for Cherry Mobile, and I wanted to make clear that my original comments were made using the mindset of someone who would be looking to make his or her first Android smartphone purchase and would have been delighted at seeing a wholly complete list of budget options regardless of brand or model.
Perhaps that's an option this blog can take in the future - give a rundown of all under 10k options for Christmas shoppers, including some items that most people may not be aware of. The two Cloudfone handsets being sold by Globe both retail for under 7k I believe. Alcatel and Acer (sorry!) have also released some budget handsets here.
Another article that may appeal to Pinoy readers would be a rundown or reviews of some dual-sim Android handsets available here, such as the Lenovo A60 or the Torque phones. Perhaps you can prevail on Cherry Mobile to lend a review model of their new dual-sim handset, the Stellar?
Ahh yes, there IS a Lenovo A60 vs Cherry Mobile Stellar review in the works. :) And yes, we may release budget options series this December, ramping up for Christmas. So watch out for that! :D
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for taking time to help us improve our web mag, dear reader (We never caught wind of your name). :)
Please do keep coming back for more, and we'll do our best to churn out content that'll hopefully satisfy your Android information needs. :)
Have a great weekend! :)
nothing about the torque line-up? :(
ReplyDeletei ditched cherry mobile as a brand a year back because of the shabby customer service (read: dismissive and unhelpful, "bili ka na lang kasi ng bago") and the rather limited knowledge yet arrogant attitude their "technicians" at their booths bring to the desk. pity -- cherry mobilehas potential as a local brand that can make it big.
i ditched cherry mobile for torque because the customer service is *slightly* better, the tech skillz are *slightly* more reliable, and because my current qwerty tv tri-sim lasted nine months longer than my former qwerty tv tri-sim of comparable specs (torque tq800 vs. cherry mobile trident Q300 -- the cause of my customer service travails).
long intro, i know, but like your earlier reader i was hoping to read reviews of the torque line-up, to better compare options, against the big three of htc, samsung, and sony. i'm a multi-sim user (as it helps my work), and as such the big brands aren't doing it for me.
maybe later i'll pop by again and read up on you guys again. i'm hoping you have more good stuff on -- on my reading wishlist (*hint hint*) would be your rooting experience on local multi sim droids. i'm planning to root my first personal droid (probably the torque droidz match, but who knows) and replace the OS with cyanogenmod 7.1, and getting rid of the bloatware the china boys love to put in. :)
will visit you guys again again. :)
Hi, thank you for your comment, Jester-in-Exile. :)
ReplyDeleteYes, we are planning an article or two about Torque's offerings. However, these may be mere gadget *overviews* as opposed to full reviews, due to resource constraints.
However, if, in the future we will have the opportunity to have a Torque unit to review in full depth, we'll gladly let you know. :) Do LIKE our FB Page to keep tabs with us, if you haven't bookmarked us yet. (Sorry if that sounded like a shameless plug.)
Regarding rooting and modding: I'm afraid that the policy of the Android Alliance as a web publication is to be centrist. We do not want to take the risk of having users attempt risky moves, only to hit upon the slim chance of bricking their phones. If you want to catch my personal misadventures in attempting to mod my Android (a Cherry Mobile Nova), there's a feed on the lower left corner leading to my personal Android blog, http://android.whats-hot.org. I plan to root it when I have time if I get bored, or when I get my next Droid, most likely a Samsung Galaxy Y, just in case things go wrong. (I believe in taking calculated risks with a good backup plan.)
On the other hand, there is a gal who's into rooting and modding her Cherry Mobile Nova, and she's gotten really good at it: http://geekierchick.wordpress.com
I agree that some of the customer service reps of Cherry Mobile seriously need an attitude check, but thankfully, those who rise up the ranks have better attitude and can cover for them. However, just like in CDR-King, it's really the price the consumer will be after. As for me, it will have to be the price and design that kept me a rabid fan of Cherry Mobile. While Torque may be more durable, the design just doesn't cut it for me. Also, note that Torque's Androids are all on Mediatek processors. Contrast that to Cherry Mobiles, which are on Qualcomm.
In my experience, while the Cherry Mobile Trident gave an upsetting experience for my significant other, after its second trip to the service center, his Cherry Mobile Trident (now mine) fared better in my hands. It's now about to hit 1 year after purchase, and we'll see how much longer it'll stay in my hands. Today, the Cherry Mobile Trident only costs Php 1,999.99. A far cry from its launch price of Php 6,000+ (I forgot if it was Php 6,499 or Php 6,999).
HOWEVER, my experience (and the Android Alliance Publisher's experience as well) with the Cherry Mobile Androids has been completely different: His Cherry Mobile Nova (which has now changed hands) has passed the 6-month mark and has survived falls that caused its back cover to get loose. After his Cherry Mobile Nova, he switched to the Cherry Mobile Orbit around June or July this year, and it's still standing. Since he since switched Androids, his Cherry Mobile Orbit may well switch hands again, fully intact, still standing, and most likely working like a charm, after all these months.
We are not Cherry Mobile endorsers, take note. But Qualcomm vs. Mediatek, guess which wins hands down?
Geekier Chick and a couple of other users have actually rooted and temporarily bricked their Cherry Mobile Novas a couple of times and resurrected them right after. A testament to the model's durability.
ReplyDeleteAs for multi-SIM, the big brands are actually catching on, now. Lenovo Mobile has released the A60, which is a dual SIM Android. The Cherry Mobile Stellar has better specs, however. The "showdown" will be published this weekend.
LG also has multi-SIM phones, but I'm not sure if they have multi-SIM Androids as well. Same with Samsung: http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_schw999_is_a_2x_cores_sims_screens_modes_droid-news-3470.php
I think Alcatel also has dual SIM Android models, but I will have to confirm.
ZTE and Huawei are good options, as well. Good enough to be rebranded by Smart and Globe. :D
And as for rooting, I actually have a good mind to just take my Android to one of these guys: http://www.tipidcp.com/viewitem.php?iid=3384841.
Though that will surely take the fun (not to mention the delicious anxiety and resulting exhilaration if it works) out of the whole process.
At the end of the day, I stay with Cherry because I get seduced by the specs and the design. I believe that as a brand they WILL evolve. And while Torque's durability may be noteworthy, personally, I would have to say that Cherry just produces racier models. This is me; this isn't the opinion of this publication.
We'll see how the plot thickens. As the Android trends are going, new things are happening every single day. :)
Please keep watching this space, as we're endeavoring to get to bleeding-edge levels in Android news, developments and gadget reviews and overviews. :D
Thanks again for dropping by and more so, for dropping a note! :D -Ed