PH Gadgets: The Android Searcher

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Last January 21, I, The Android Searcher, had the privilege of being invited to the monthly meeting of the Philippine Android Community or PHAC at The Coffee Beanery in EDSA Shangri-la Mall. PHAC meetings are scheduled every third Saturday of the month and I decided to attend their first one for 2012. I met the convenor, Ms. Charo Nuguid, last year in a coffee meeting with the Android Pub at a Starbucks branch in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. Ms. Charo, other than being an avid Android user, is also an Android App Developer and has been to several crucial industry events featuring Android products. PHAC is her initiative, and the group has been meeting monthly for quite some time now. Joining them last month was a privilege.

The meeting started quite late since a lot of those who attended had come from their workplaces. Most had to put in overtime, thus the arrivals were later than scheduled. We completly understood, though, after all, work is a higher priority. We were treated to unlimited coffee and cake courtesy of a PHAC member. Most of those who came are Android App Developers and the conversations were really for techies. I didn't mind the geek talk, because I actually liked it. I had the impression that PHAC was a time for Android enthusiasts to update each other with the latest of Android technology. One even brought a test product of PLDT's TelPad made by Huawei while another one brought the Chinese-made Ainol Novo 7 Paladin which happens to be an Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich Tablet! This one comes at a very affordable price of less than P6,000 but it is not out yet for retail.

The PLDT TelPad, Live

If you expect PHAC to be a formal group of boring geeky people, you are blatantly wrong! The meeting had the flavor of random talks with friends or, in my case, random geek chit-chat with new friends. Folks I met from the Alcatel OneTouch Press Launch like Alexei Rivera and Ragde Falcis also arrived to heat up the conversation. Topics even reached my dreaded Android feature – the GPS.

A tidbit about GPS: more than something that must be dreaded, this GPS feature by Android is now being utilized by trucking and bus companies to track their buses passing by rebel-infested areas. Good to know that something awesome can actually come from a feature I (and even The Scribbler) dreaded!

There were just so many things an Android aficionado can learn from the PHAC meetings. The next scheduled one would be on Feb. 18 at the same venue so if you are an Android enthusiast, hop on along and join the club!

“Shake Raffle Roll,” this is not a mistyped name of a movie here, neither is it a comedy sequel of the said movie. Rather, what I have here is a new Android app. Last January 10, 2012 at the Alcatel OneTouch launch, I met Ragde Falcis, an Android app developer from Juandroid.org. Knowing that I write for Android Alliance Philippines, he had me interested with Shake Raffle Roll, the first app he made with Juandroid.org. What is Shake Raffle Roll by the way? Shake Raffle Roll is an Android randomizer application, explains why the “raffle” in the name. Now that we know what it is for, you may ask, "Why should we use that app anyway?" Radge then explained to me that we are always faced with confusing choices daily:

the clothes to wear
the restaurants to choose
the food to eat.

Out of a myriad of choices, a creative solution could be to pick from our options, fishbowl raffle-style. But instead of going through the hoops of cutting pieces of paper then picking one of these to determine your choice for your dilemma at hand, you just have to download this app and it does magic better than your old paper, pen and fish bow. Radge then took out his phone and showed me how it works. Pretty easy to use and is available in the Android App Market, perfectly free. Here are the steps of how you can use this app:

1. Download and install the app from the Android Market.

2. Open the app from your app gallery.

3. Choose from "name mode", "face mode", "number mode" and "csv mode". With name mode, you can enter the names of your choices while with face mode, you can choose from the pictures of your choices. Number mode allows you to randomize numbers while csv mode randomizes entries in a .csv file. I decided to choose name mode.

4. I decided to choose from three fast foods chains from where I should buy a burger. I entered "KFC", "Burger King" and "Wendy's".

5. Shake your phone as many times as you want. After you stop, the app will instruct you to tap for the answer.

6. The app will post a short announcement that there's already a "winner," or, actually, a choice.

7. First letter of the choice is revealed.

8. "B" is the first letter.

9. Last letter of the choice is announced.

10. "G" is the last letter.

11. The app announces the "winner"/choice.

12. To excite you a bit, the phone will randomize all the letters of the chosen item.

13. Letters are randomized again.

14. The winning choice is revealed and in this case, "Burger King".

That is how simple the app works though I did not get why it has to take more steps to reveal the answer. If you are impatient, just tap through the works to reveal the answer immediately. Nevertheless, it does work well especially if you are the type who is always undecided. What are you waiting for? Download this app and cut through a few mundane decisions today!

Android Alliance Philippines has seen many Android Searchers like me help in their decisions on the best Android phones and tablets for them. Twenty-twelve (2012) holds much promise for the Android as an ecosystem. Ever since its boom in the Americas in 2010, and its rise in Asia in 2011, there seems to be no stopping the Android's growth.

Last January 10, the Android Alliance Ph Team was invited for the press launch of Alcatel's latest line of OneTouch phones at Relik Tapas and Bar in Bonifacio Global City. Android Pub and I were there to check out this proud new product of Alcatel. On the event, I was able to meet some Android App developers who were just happy to introduce to me their new app, which I will write about soon on a separate article.

The event was graced by none other than former Ateneo Blue Eagles top player and Smart Gilas shooting guard Chris Tiu, a proud user of the Alcatel Blaze Glory 918N, one of OneTouch's Android phones. The phone runs on Android 2.3 Gingerbread and has a good set of useful default apps like a podcast app and app killers to save on battery life and resources. Apart from the tons of apps that one may get, the phone is Dual SIM and will help with people who are always on call from different network services. With two colors to choose from, white and black, one can follow in his own style and preference. For yfrog ethusiasts and with Instagram now available for Android users, photosharing is easy with the 3.0 megapixel camera.
This phone line aims to attract working class people who want premium-quality phones, yet with affordable prices. Indeed, for Php 5,999, it is an awesome buy for a phone with full features, directly competing with Samsung's Galaxy Y.

The question, though, is not the price but the phone's performance. Good thing that the event organizers got us to try out the phone, for the duration of the event at least. For a phone that is relatively cheap in price, I expected to see lags like that of Cherry Mobile Orbit but I was proven wrong. Alcatel's Blaze Glory 918N has a smooth touch and none of that dreaded signature lags I have noticed with Android phones which gives the product some plus points.

Alcatel Blaze Glory 918N is now available on the market for my fellow Android searchers to try out. Aside from this one, the Asia Pacific General Manager for Alcatel, Harry Au, promised that more of these cheap but quality phones will be available on the market, and soon. They are working on their tablet line, as well, though there is no timetable yet for a launch.

With Alcatel stores spread all over the country, it will be hard to miss the Alcatel OneTouch line of mobile phones. If you ask me the usual question if I will get this phone to replace my current Android phone, that is one big possibility, though I'll always be on the lookout for awesome Android phones, tablets, and possibly other devices that may be invented. If you want a phone that is budget-friendly yet is worth more than the price, I'd recommend this one.

I'm back! This Android Searcher went on a two week vacation in my hometown, Bacólod City, to clear my thoughts and write better articles for Android and your convenience. Just as when I thought I would not be seeing Androids for a couple of weeks, I was wrong. I went to Comer.cio Food Market to check out the food, when I was introduced by some friends to their relatives who also went to the event. When I mentioned I was on the lookout for anything Android-related as The Android Searcher for AndroidAlliance.ph, a friend's relative immediately quipped that he has an Android phone. In a city where iPhones and Blackberries dominate, there are actually some people who took up the Android challenge and, soon enough, turned into a Android-loyalist.

His phone? An LG P500 Optimus One. Bought just months ago, he has been a contented Android user since. Asked with what he liked with Android, he immediately mentioned the free apps. In his work as a telemarketer, he was able to download apps for his day to day chores. Apps like online organizers for jotting down little notes, mention it and there is an app out there for it. The greatest advantage of Androids for him is its affordability and the system is pretty much upgradeable to the latest version of Android. His contentment with Android encouraged his cousin to also buy the same phone. Pressed for comments regarding my usual observation of Android phones having the signature lag, he said that, on his end, he did not experience any annoying lags in his Android for months of use.

In the course of our conversation, I mentioned to him my recent discovery of the Sky Vega Racer with the inbuilt Skype function. He told me that that was the kind of phone he was looking for; I immediately told him, however, that it is not yet available in the Philippines. His apparent enthusiasm gave him the idea of actually buying one in a planned trip to South Korea in the middle of this year. I guess we might be seeing a first Filipino user of the Vega Racer here. After a few pleasantries and some cold drinks, he thanked me for my valuable input about Android phones. Bacólod City may not have the epiphany of how awesome Androids are, just yet, but with people like him, we just might get there soon enough.

Hello, Moto?

Who'd be able to forget that tagline of Motorola? Back in the day when Nokia ruled the mobile phone market, having a Motorola phone is some sort of an achievement. Their signature sleek and stylish phones no doubt caught the attention of the people who wanted to stand out from among their peers.

I remember in high school when a classmate of mine got a Motorola phone, all eyes were on her. When I reached college though, that was when things started to spiral down for Motorola. So much so, that I thought the company had gone down the drain forever. However, as of late, I heard how Android Pub bought a Motorola Android Phone in Singapore and The Scribbler was telling me to check out the Motorola tab in Megamall so I got a bit excited. I was wrong, after all: Motorola was alive and kicking, realizing more so when I saw The Scribbler's article.

Finding the Motorola booth in Megamall was a piece of cake since it is just a jump away from the Canon booth. The booth was unassuming but was good enough of a shoutout to be noticed that Motorola still does exist after all. They are actually having a major Christmas sale, with phones display for one's perusal. What caught my attention was not the phones but their Android tablet, the Motorola Xoom.

The Motorola Xoom is "everything a tablet should be" and "it's what you've been waiting for" as they say. That is one daring move of Motorola to be the new benchmark of tablets. This tablet runs on Android 3.0 Honeycomb, with a 1GHz Dual-Core processor, and is relatively lightweight at 730g with 249.1 by 167.8 by 12.8mm dimensions, staying true to Motorola's signature sleekness.

The lady at the Motorola counter was kind enough to let me try the Motorola Xoom. Just as their brochure claimed, Xoom has less lags than most Android tabs, though I find that the Huawei MediaPad can actually compare.

Touchscreen speed for games was pretty seamless. The user also gets to enjoy a high-definition screen experience. Not only that, you can actually shoot a video using this tablet and take note, in high definition. This is especially great with another feature, the video call. What is good with the Xoom is that it does not have issues with battery life, as it can reportedly last up to 10 hours even with full usage of apps. Like an iPad, this tablet also has tailor-made accessories like a gel case, a speaker dock and a bluetooth keyboard for those who may not be comfortable with typing on touch screens for longer periods of time.

And did I mention that this too was on sale? The standard SRP is PhP34,000 with a full features but for Christmas, they are slashing the prices down to PhP28,600 for credit cards and an even lower price of PhP25,900 for cash.

Impressive features with that impressive price makes me go "Wow!" on this one. The Motorola Xoom has definitely found itself in my picks of Android tabs. Which begs me to ask, when will I have my first Android tab? That one will be definitely answered along the way.

An ordinary week it was, or so I thought, until Android Pub got me interested with something. Seems like your Android Searcher stumbles upon a pot of Android gold ever so often, doesn't he? This time, it was not a mobile phone stall or a chance encounter with a new Android store.

Rather, this recent "pot of Android gold" was...

My first-ever Android phone!

Yes, my very own Android phone. Android Pub just bought his new Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc from Macau, and since two phones suffice for what he needs, he interested me in starting out on Android with the Cherry Mobile Orbit.

Cherry Mobile Orbit had been a pretty memorable model, since this is the phone that Mom proposed as the replacement to her "ancient of days" touch screen phone. On the technical side, the Cherry Mobile Orbit is a Dual-SIM Android that runs on Froyo 2.2, and powered by 528 MHz of a Qualcomm MSM7225 Processor, as well as 512MB ROM and 256MB of RAM.

Android Pub introduced me to a lot of Android features that definitely caught my interest. One feature he particularly liked and is the Phonebook sync with Gmail and social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and Google+, which, after discovering the potentials of this function, I also instantly liked. True enough, when I added contacts on the phone and tried the sync features, it did sync with my Gmail and Facebook contacts. It means that if I chance upon another good Android phone and will replace this one, I need not move my contacts manually but just have to open Gmail and sync in.

Applications-wise, I did not have a hard time finding games and other app necessities on the Android Market. Sure enough, all those apps I am interested in come for free in the Android Market. From FourSquare, Food Spotting, to Angry Birds and Fruit Ninja, I had was like a child in a candy store, downloading everything I wanted -- and needed -- immediately. A little bit of a damper, however: while playing some game apps, it didn't take long before I encountered the same problem the befalls almost every Android phone (except for the Sky Vega Racer, so far): The Lag.

Angry Birds did not have that problem but when it came to some games that required a lot of touch screen moves, that's where the problem came in. Nevertheless, I love how it has GPS features which interested my Mom very much and scared me a bit. Will it be possible for me to be tracked wherever I go? Not really; it turns out that the GPS is just for you (and me) to find your way back when you're lost.

How was my first Android phone experience? Not bad at all! Apart from my issues with lag and occasional mysterious exits while I am surfing through Facebook, it's a good entry level phone. How will I fare with this Cherry Mobile Orbit? My Mom got interested with the phone and gave me a juicy offer I could not resist.

So for now I'll take my sweet time while on the road to finding the best Android phone that I would surely love. I have my sights on the Sky Vega Racer, but since it is not yet available in the Philippines, I'll bring you the latest releases of Android phones from your most trusted brands soon.

My daily routine takes me to Ortigas and back to Quezon City, often passing by SM Megamall. One afternoon, I was in a hurry for a chore when I spotted an HTC booth on the entrance hallway of Megamall B. The booth said "savings," and a bell started ringing in my head, as I knew then and there that I hit another Android jackpot. Not minding delaying my chore, I decided to check the booth out.

HTC is one of the hottest smartphone brands in the market. A quick check in the corporate background tells us that HTC came from the land of Acer and Asus: Taiwan. I first came across HTC when I spotted a billboard advertisement by Smart beside the MRT Ortigas Station. If Smart Communications is marketing HTC itself, then it goes to say that HTC is a quality brand with a touch of class. Friends had a good review of this phone before and have been contented users ever since. These same friends are also iPhone or Blackberry users, and quipped that HTC Android phones are comparable to these Big Two smartphone pillars. Some may even say that the HTC is more user-friendly than the other smartphone counterparts.

The phone that caught my attention first is the HTC Desire S. Since there was an existing promo, this PhP25,000+ phone now runs between PhP19,000 to PhP20,000. Even at that price, it costs PhP5,000 less than the most popular smartphone brands in the market (i.e. the iPhone, the top-of-the-line Blackberry Bold Touch/9900, the Samsung Galaxy S-II, etc.).

HTC Desire S runs on Android Gingerbread 2.3. The display available was a weight-filled model casing, but I was given a chance to see an actual working phone. With the dimensions of 115 x 59.8 x 11.63mm, this is one sleek phone. The screen resolution is good enough for my eyes and fares well to touch, especially that I love playing games using my phone. Definitely a big advantage over the Cherry Mobile Candy I also reviewed previously. Equipped with a 5 megapixel camera and various sensors, this competes well with other popular smartphone brands with less the price. Like any other Android-operated phone, there is still a problem with touch screen drag of a split second but less than the lag that I noted with Candy.

HTC Desire S fares well for those who want a cheaper, sleeker yet comparably classly alternative to the usual expensive smartphone brands like iPhone and Blackberry. Will this finally be my Android phone? Not yet; but with the good impression and initial review, this will fare high in my options.

On my way to a coffee shop in Ortigas Park, I met a Korean friend who was also on his way to the same coffee shop. After a few pleasantries of "Annyeong haseyo" and "How are you?", we got into a talk of what we're currently doing. When I mentioned that I was working as a writer for Android phones in this online magazine, he began talking about how much he loves Android phones. Since he is Korean, of course his staple should expectedly be that of LG and Samsung. Great brands, indeed and two of the first mobile phone companies to utilize Android as their OS. He showed me his LG phone which was very cool: With an in-built Facebook Chat system, he can go Facebook chatting anytime, anywhere either with Wi-Fi or a mobile internet plan. If you think my feature is on an LG or Samsung phone...

No!

It's something exclusive; an Android so remarkable, that the market has only caught whispers and glimpses of it prior to this post.

Meet the Sky Vega Racer! Long name isn't it? What brand is it then? Not Samsung, not LG... But Sky.

Sky is a line of mobile phones made by Pantech Curitel, the third largest mobile phone company in South Korea, just behind Samsung and LG. This specific Android phone is the property of a pretty gal pal of the Korean friend I met on our way to the coffee shop. She is also Korean, which explains why she was able to have -- and hold-- the Android beauty that is the Pantech Sky Vega Racer.

On a cursory glance, one could mistake the Sky Vega Racer for an iPhone. Just like the iPhone, the Vega Racer is a touch screen phone, from end to end. An interesting, distinct feature of the Sky Vega Racer, however is its double speaker. On the top part, there is a speaker on both ends of the phone which can also function both as phone receivers. For sound, movie and other media buffs, this feature is truly a must-have. Those double speakers are best used for movies while on long trips.

The Korean girl was kind enough to let me explore the features of the phone. I immediately searched for the phone profile and found out that it runs on Android 2.3.3 (Gingerbread), and the 1.5 GHz processor runs on Qualcomm MSM 8260 v1.444, Snapdragon, the same processor powering the HTC Sensation.

To test the processor, I flipped on the phone several times and played a short game. This made me say "Wow!" Unlike the other Android phones like Samsung and LG, this one is really fast: just like iPhone, this particular model does not have that "trademark Android" split-second drag! Both the home and app screens are fully customizable; what's more, with this phone, you can make calls on Skype hassle-free! The slick Skype call features are both a blessing and a curse for the phone since you can call on your loved ones anywhere with a WiFi connection or a mobile internet plan. The big catch? Overusing Skype may take a toll on your Sky Vega Racer's battery life.

"So what?" I, The Android Searcher may say, since this is THE Android phone I have fallen in love with.

This phone poses as a direct competitor for Samsung S-II phones with a faster processor at a cheaper price (around a few thousands lower than the Samsung S-II). Talk about convenience, affordability and style. The phone can be seen in the Philippines but among the Korean residents only. Will it hit the Philippines soon? Some "whispers" say maybe next year, and by storm. For now, if you have a chance to swing by South Korea and have loads of tourist budget, don't forget to get yourself one. It's worth the cost. Don't worry about the language feature, since Sky Vega Racer has an English language mode.

Have I found the perfect phone for me? Maybe. But I'll still be on the prowl for that perfect first Android Phone, and when that happens, you'll be the first to know!

Some days are just meant to be surprisingly special days especially for The Android Searcher. While planning to pass by Toy Kingdom in Megamall, I chanced upon some beautiful ladies holding what seemed to be a tablet. For the Average Juan, there are only four tabs to choose from: iPad 2, Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, Blackberry Playbook, and Cherry Mobile Superion, so this intrigued me so much. One of the beauties approached me, to pique my interested in this new gadget they're promoting.

I barely listened to the cliche marketing spiel and even forgot the brand until a word made its way to my ears: Android. Yes, its an Android tab and the brand? Huawei. Sounds Chinese, right? Because it's a Chinese brand! True enough, there were Chinese marketing executives around to grace the event.

From a mere stroll through the mall to a moment of being pulled over for a marketing pitch and to attending Huawei's MediaPad Launch, the moment was almost surreal.

Though a lot of those present were Chinese, I was able to have a brief talk with Mr. Emerald M. Dimapilis, a Filipino. Mr. Dimapilis was gracious enough to answer my basic questions about Huawei. While Huawei only launched their tablet line in the Philippines this week, they have been in the Philippines since 2001. If any of you own a mobile router, the brand would most likely be Huawei, regardless whether the broadband service provider is Globe Telecom, Smart Communications or Sun Cellular.

While Huawei is a leading global ICT solutions company, it is relatively new in the consumer computing niche, most especially in the Philippine market. The launch of the Huawei MediaPad in the Philippines is a huge milestone for the company, along with cellphone lines that are also Android-powered. Huawei MediaPad boasts of being a 7-inch tab running the Android 3.2 Honeycomb platform. With a 10.5mm thickness and weighing only 390g, it is sleek and lightweight. Driven by Qualcomm's dual-core 1.2GHz processor, it fares well with those who are touch screen game fanatics. Not only that, Huawei MediaPad supports a 1080P Full HD playback with a 1.3 megapixel front camera. 1.3 megapixels only? Not to worry, the back camera features a 5 megapixel capability, perfect for documenting your special moments.

Huawei MediaPad's design was purposely built to attract what they call the YSN's or Young Social Networkers. In a statement, Mr. Dimapilis said that anywhere you go, you will find them on the beach at Palawan, on a busy coffee shop in Makati or even in New York and the busy shopping districts of London. Belonging to that same target group, I cannot help but agree that the YSN's are one of the most dynamic people today. Perfect for being the target demographic for the Huawei MediaPad.

Huawei products are available on ePhone, an official distributor of the Huawei MediaPad with branches at SM North EDSA, SM Megamall and SM Sta. Mesa, to name a few. For the curious ones, you can find out more from Huawei on Facebook and Twitter.

My phone has been with me for almost two years now. As technology advances, it seems that my current phone is getting outmoded as smartphones are invading the local market. I decided, that's it! I need to replace my phone, and soon. While people are mostly attracted to smartphone platforms like the iPhone and Blackberry, a freeware innovation attracted my attention: the Android. Just to backtrack a little, the Android was released in 2005, derived from the Linux kernel. For those who are most familiar with Linux, it is a free operating system. Even though Google bought the development rights and absorbed the Android Dev team as a sub-unit of Google, the Android continues to be a free operating system for mobile smartphones and tablets. Since the Android is a free operating system, a number of companies, most notably Motorola, Samsung, HTC and LG to name a few, adopted the mobile OS.

In the Philippines, a mobile phone company called Cherry Mobile took the chains in providing cheap but quality mobile phones. And in its moves to expand and grow its market, it also released a good selection of Android phones. The mobile phone brand has been popularized by variety show host Willie Revillame in his show at the local television network, TV5.

On my way to church, I passed by a Cherry Mobile booth in the lower ground floor of Robinson's Galleria. Having Android in mind, I decided to check it out. What caught my attention is the Cherry Mobile Candy and its QWERTY version, Candy Chat. At less than PhP4,000, Cherry Mobile Candy is the cheapest in the market and comes in different colors: even purple, my favorite.

The phone boasts of being powered by Android Froyo 2.2 Froyo, the Android Kernel version before Android Gingerbread 2.3. Froyo is also the second most utilized Android platform in the market, second only to Gingerbread.

I got to hold an actual phone which is actually lightweight and easy to carry around. The saleslady mentioned that the Cherry Mobile Candy and Candy Chat boasts of a wide variety of apps which one can get for free! Yes, for free, the advantage of Android phones.

I got to check how the touch screen works but the resistive screen does not go well with my touch; which falls short for me, as I'm pretty fond of mobile games. The resistive touchscreen creates a gaming handicap, as mobile games require a lot of pressing. If you are not a game freak though, the touch resistance may be just fine. For a phone that costs less than PhP4,000, its a good deal with wi-fi capabilities and a 16gB capable SD Card memory slot. Stylish and reliable at a cheap price: not bad at all.

Will this finally be my new Android phone? Maybe or maybe not. I need to soul-search more for Android phones in the market to find "the one" for me. Follow me as I search for more of Android, its market perks and features that would be worth my pocket's spend.

***

-The Android Searcher

The Android Searcher Attends The PHAC Monthly Meeting

The Android Searcher Reviews Apps: Shake Raffle Roll

The Android Searcher: Alcatel OneTouch Press Launch

The Android Searcher: LG P500 Optimus One

The Android Searcher Reviews The Motorola Xoom

The Android Searcher: Cherry Mobile Orbit (The Android Searcher's First Android)

The Android Searcher: HTC Desire S

The Android Searcher: Sky Vega Racer

The Android Searcher: Huawei MediaPad Philippine Launch

The Android Searcher: Cherry Mobile Candy

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