Thursday, March 31, 2016

TRANSCEND DRIVEPRO BODY 10 BODY CAMERA REVIEW

Transcend was kind enough to lend me its new body camera calledDrivePro Body 10. It’s a compact video camera with infrared for night visionwater resistanceshock resistance and a clip for your front pocket or belt.

I tested its video quality, battery life and durability. It looks perfect for security personnel and can even be used as a GoPro alternative to capture your adventures.

Unboxing

Transcend DrivePro Body 10 unboxing
Unboxing the Transcend DrivePro Body 10.
The Transcend DrivePro Body 10 comes in a standard package with its charger and microUSB data and charging cable. A quickstart guide, warranty card and a couple of promotional brochures are also in the box.
There’s a a free 32GB microSD card which is already pre-installed in the body camera so you’ll be ready to shoot videos out of the box.

Design

Transcend DrivePro Body 10 Body Camera
The blinking front LED means the device is recording video.
The first thing you’ll notice with the Transcend DrivePro Body 10 is the camera module which is surrounded by four Infrared LEDs in each corner. Below that is the Power Button which is used to take videos and Snapshot Button which, as the name suggests, takes snapshots.
At the back of the device is a big clip that can be rotated in increments. This allows it to be attached to your front pocket or a policeman’s belt. Meanwhile, the bottom part houses the microUSB card slot and microUSB port which are covered by a single flap for protection.
Transcend DrivePro Body 10 clip
This is a strong clip.
There are two LED notification lights – one for charging and battery status while the other is for recording status
Transcend says the DrivePro Body 10 records videos at full HD resolution or 1080p. However, the above video looks like a scaled up HD or  720p. The colors are a bit washed out too.
Nevertheless, it’s still presentable and you can clearly see the distorted edges of the video since this is wide angle. This is perfect for capturing not just you but the background landscape too!
When the Transcend DrivePro Body 10 is in a low light environment, its infrared LEDs automatically light up. This illuminates the surroundings in infrared light which we cannot see but the camera can. The result is black and white night vision!
Yup, this is perfect for security personnel who want to have a record of their interactions with other people – whatever its nature may be.

Video Files

Transcend DrivePro Body 10 files
The video files on a Windows 10 PC.
The videos are saved in the microSD card and are separated into 3-minute clips with file sizes of around 300MB. A timestamp is also etched into the bottom of each video.
It might be annoying to have a lot of short videos rather than a single long video but there are several reasons for this. First, it’s easier for the camera’s processor to save the videos in separate clips. This prevents overheating or lagging. You will notice this effect when recording videos using your smartphone for a long time.
Another reason is for easier sorting and searching. Looking for the correct video is easier than having to scrub a long video.
Lastly, uploading short videos to YouTube is easier than a long one.

Picture Quality

Transcend DrivePro Body 10 sample picture
Transcend DrivePro Body 10 sample picture. Click for a larger version.
The Transcend DrivePro Body 10 can also take pictures while recording videos. However, it looks merely like a screenshot of the video.
Photo are saved in a separate folder in the microSD card and have a resolution of 1080 x 1920 pixels. File sizes barely exceeds 300KB.

Battery Life

Transcend DrivePro Body 10
Transcend DrivePro Body 10 microUSB port and microUSB card slot.
The Transcend DrivePro Body 10 is equipped with a 1500mAh battery which isn’t removable. It allows the device to capture videos for a little over 3 hours on a single full charge.
Re-charging the device using the included charger takes about an hour and a half.

Verdict

Transcend DrivePro Body 10 Body Camera Review
Transcend DrivePro Body 10 Body Camera
The Transcend DrivePro Body 10 is a good companion for policemen, security personnel and other professionals. It can even be used as an alternative to a GoPro camera since it’s considerably cheaper.
However, the video and photo quality are not as good as the advertised 1080p quality. It makes up for this deficiency by having infrared night vision and a water resistant body.
Looking for a site to shop or sell your smartphone? Just visit www.magandaphone.com

Wednesday, March 30, 2016

COMELEC WEBSITE HACKED – DATABASE DUMPED, HOME PAGE DEFACED

Hacked Twice!

The Commission on Election’s official websitehas been hacked twice this week – itshomepage was defaced and then its entire database was made available for anyone to download.

Hacktivist group Anonymous Philippinesclaimed responsibility for the first attack on the night of March 27, 2016. It replaced the website’s home page with the group’s logo and a warning message to implement the security features of the PCOS machines.COMELEC-hack-anonymous-2016COMELEC website defaced by Anonymous Philippines.

Database Dump

The second attack was a database dump claimed by Lulzsec Pilipinas. The hacker essentially transferred around 340GB of data from the COMELEC website to his/her own website.
I examined some of the files and they seem legit. It includes simple information such as forms and memos to sensitive ones like cases, login credentials and BEI and voter details. Most are encryptedthough which means they are not readable without further processes.
COMELEC-hack-database-2016 (1)
Database dumps from COMELEC’s website now on hacker’s website.

COMELEC’s Response

The COMELEC’s website was successfully brought back up at 3:15 am of March 28. Comelec spokesman James Arthur Jimenez assured that the hack won’t affect the upcoming elections since the websitehttp://www.comelec.gov.ph is different than what will be used by the Vote Counting Machines.
He also said that the databases are “actually available for public use.”Anyone can go to the website and check their precinct number or view the different candidates.
Looking for a site to shop or sell your smartphone? Just visit www.magandaphone.com

Tuesday, March 29, 2016

OPPO SELLS MORE THAN 180,000 R9 AND R9 PLUS UNITS DURING THEIR FIRST DAY OF AVAILABILITY

Oppo has released both the R9 and the R9 Plus in China, and sales during their first day of availability have reportedly gone very well for the company.
It turns out that Oppo was able to sell more than 180,000 R9 and R9 Plus smartphones in just one day, making their debut on the Chinese market quite a success.
gsmarena_001 (1).jpg
This number has been achieved by having both online and offline sales channels, but Oppo’s big marketing campaign surrounding the two devices has clearly helped too. It has used big Chinese celebrities to promote the R9 duo, making a big fuss about the handsets for weeks.
People have probably liked their design and specs too, of course. Now all that’s left for Oppo to do is finally launch the R9 and R9 Plus outside of China. Hopefully that will happen soon.
Looking for a site to shop or sell your smartphone? Just visit www.magandaphone.com

Monday, March 28, 2016

PHILIPPINES’ FIRST MICROSATELLITE DIWATA-1 LIFTS OFF TO SPACE

It’s a lift off!

Diwata-1, the country’s first microsatellite has successfully lifted off to space aboard the Cygnus spacecraft from Cape Canaveral, Florida at 11:05 AM of March 23, 2016.

It will reach the International Space Station(ISS) on March 26 where it will be released into a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) 400 km above the Earth’s surface. It will pass over the Philippines twice a day to take photos and measurements.
Cygnus-Launch-with-Diwata-1-Microsatellite-of-Philippines
An Atlas V rocket blasts off to space with the Cygnus cargo spacecraft carrying the Diwata-1 Microsatellite of the Philippines.
Diwata-1 is a joint project of the Philippine Scientific Earth Observation Micro-Satellite (PHL-MICROSAT) Program and Japan’s Tohoku and Hokkaido Universities.
Its functions include taking photos of disaster hit areas for assessment; monitoring bodies of water and vegetation such as rivers, lakes, seas and forests throughout the country; andobserving weather patterns of the archipelago.
Diwata-Microsatellite-engineers
Diwata-1 with its Filipino researchers and engineers.
The PHL-MICROSAT program is headed by Joel Joseph Marciano Jr., PhD and includes Filipino researchers and engineers from the University of the Philippines and DOST’s Advanced Science and Technology Institute (DOST-ASTI).
Another microsatellite called Diwata-2 will be launched next year while a ground station for the satellites will operate in the Subic Freeport.
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Looking for a site to shop or sell your smartphone? Just visit www.magandaphone.com

Friday, March 25, 2016

APPLE LAUNCHES ‘AFFORDABLE’ 4-INCH IPHONE SE WITH A9 PROCESSOR AND 12MP CAMERA

Apple Inc. has officially launched a new smartphone with a rathersmall 4-inch screenbut powerful specs and named it the iPhone SE.

It runs on the same A9 processor as the iPhone 6S and even boasts the same 12 Megapixel camera. Best of all, it’s relatively affordable for an iPhone at $399 or a little under ₱20,000.00 only!

This is the iPhone SE:

iPhone-SE
Like it?
While the iPhone SE seems to be an iPhone 6S on an iPhone 5 body, it lacks one particular feature – the pressure sensitive display technology called 3D Touch. Sadly, you can’t 3D Touch your way around this new phone.
Nevertheless, it’s still a Retina display with a pixel density of 326 ppi. Retina requires at least 300 ppi.
iPhone-SE-colorsiPhone SE color options…
Its 12MP camera supports moving Live Photos and can shoot 4K videos. Meanwhile, a 1.2 Megapixel camera takes care of selfies and video calls.
There are only two storage options – 16GB and 64GB. You have four options for the color though including the classic space gray, silver, gold and relatively new rose gold.
iPhone-SE-2
The iPhone SE has 4G LTE connectivity, dual band Wi-Fi, NFC for the use of Apple Pay and a TouchID finger print sensor embedded in its home button.
Its official price in the Philippines hasn’t been revealed yet but as mentioned above, it’ll be available for $399. That’s roughly ₱18,500 but taxes are expected to push that to 20k.

Apple iPhone SE Specs

  • 4.0-Inch IPS Display (640 x 1136 Pixels, 326 ppi)
  • Apple iOS 9
  • Apple A9 Chipset
  • 12.0 Megapixel Autofocus Main Camera with Dual Tone LED Flash
  • 1.2 Megapixel Front Camera
  • 16GB/64GB Internal Storage
  • Single SIM (Nano)
  • 4G LTE, 3G HSPA+, 2G EDGE and GPRS Networks
  • Dual band Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi Hotspot
  • NFC
  • Bluetooth 4.2
  • GPS with GLONASS
  • Lightning Port
  • Gyroscope
  • Accelerometer
  • Proximity Sensor
  • Ambient Light Sensor
Looking for a site to shop or sell your smartphone? Just visit www.magandaphone.com

NO ISP REACHED 100% OF ADVERTISED SPEED ACCORDING TO NTC SPEED TESTS

Just promises…

From February 15 to March 10, 2016, the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) conducted speed tests for the different Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in NCR.

Sadly, not one of the four ISPs reached 100% of their promised speed. Globe leads with an average of 82.44%, PLDT comes in second with 74.73%, Sky Broadband has 63.60% and Bayan Tel gets the last place with only 59.17%.
NTC-ISP-Test-Results.jpg
Average actual speed vs advertised speed ratio as measured by NTC.
A test of PLDT’s 2Mbps DSL line in Makati showed the highest score of 97.35% with a measured throughput of 1.947Mbps. However, its 30Mbps Fiber line in Quezon City only registered 1.782Mbps in NTC’s test – that’s 5.94% only!
Globe is more consistent with its scores. The lowest was measured in its 7Mbps DSL line in Marikina. The measured throughput was merely 4.121Mbps or 58.87%.

No sanctions

Despite these disappointing results, the NTC has no plans to sanction the ISPs. Among the reasons cited were the lack of an Internet Speed Standard here in the Philippines and inconclusive tests.
If it’s up to you, what sanctions do you want for these ISPs?
Looking for a site to shop or sell your smartphone? Just visit www.magandaphone.com

Tuesday, March 22, 2016

NEW SMARTPHONE BRAND ELEPHONE IS OFFICIALLY COMING TO THE PHILIPPINES

In partnership with online shopping siteLazada Philippines,Elephone from Shenzhen, China is joining the country’s smartphone market.

Their first offering includes three models – theP9000P8000 andS1. All are equipped withfinger print sensors while the P9000 leads the pack with its MediaTek Helio P10 processor.

Here are Elephone’s first three smartphones in the Philippines:

Elephone-Philippines.jpg
From the left: Elephone P9000, Elephone P8000 and Elephone S1.
Just like other smartphone brands that hailed from China, Elephone proudly offers feature-packed products at lower price tags than contemporary brands.
For example, the P8000 has an official price of $210. That’s around ₱10,000 for a 5.5-inch full HD smartphone with an octa core processor, 3GB of RAM, finger print sensor, 13MP camera from Samsung, metal frame and 4,165mAh battery!
Elephone-Logo.jpg
Elephone logo.
Its tagline is “Keep expecting and be surprised.” Hopefully, the company can truly surprise the picky and demanding Filipino smartphone consumers.
We’ll post an update once the official prices of Elephone smartphones are revealed. For now, you can check them out onLazada.
Looking for a site to shop or sell your smartphone? Just visit www.magandaphone.com

Monday, March 21, 2016

TELSTRA AND SAN MIGUEL PARTNERSHIP TALKS ENDS IN FAILURE

No more third telco?

The negotiation between San Miguel Corporation and Telstra to put up a third telco in the Philippines has ended in failure.

According to Telstra’s CEO Andrew Penn, the companies did not agree on ‘commercial arrangements of equity’. On the other hand, SMC President Ramon S. Ang said that despite both companies working hard to solve the issues, they can no longer continue with the talks.
Telstra-San-Miguel-Talks-Failed.jpgNo deal.

There’s still hope…

Even without Telstra, San Miguel Corporation will still push through with putting up a new telco. Ang ensured that it will offer high speed 4G LTE connectivity at lower costs than both Smart and Globe.
“We are not rushing. What’s important is that we give Filipinos a third and better choice that they have been deprived of for the longest time,”Ang added.
What we can do now is wait and hope that San Miguel can realize its promises.
Looking for a site to shop or sell your smartphone? Just visit www.magandaphone.com

Sunday, March 20, 2016

TRANSCEND INTRODUCES 1TB M.2 SOLID STATE DRIVE FOR ULTRA-THIN COMPUTING SYSTEMS

Transcend Information, Inc. is proud to announce the availability of 1 Terabyte M.2 Solid State Drive coming with 2280 form factor for ultra-thin computing devices, such as Ultrabook, tablet computers and laptops.

Transcend’s MTS800 M.2 SSD is equipped with high-quality MLC NAND flash to remain its excellent stability, and is exclusively built in protective technologies, such as Global Wear-leveling, Advanced Garbage Collection, and Device Sleep mode.
Transcend-1TB-M.2-Solid-State-Drive.gif

Spacious Capacity and Super Speed

By utilizing the next-generation SATA III 6Gb/s interface, Transcend’s MTS800 is capable of delivering sequential read/write performance of up to 560MB/s and 460MB/s respectively. The newly released spacious 1TB supplies the MTS800’s capacity to its full scale ranging from 32GB to 1TB, which is determined to satisfy the needs of various market fields and individual consumer with personal budget plans.

Protective Technology Leads to High Performance

Transcend’s MTS800 features multiple built-in technologies for optimum protection, including Error Correction Code (ECC) that helps detect and correct potential transfer errors, Device Sleep mode to reduce power consumption and shorten the response time upon wake-up from Sleep or Hibernate, and the S.M.A.R.T. function to efficiently monitor SSD health conditions. More standard mechanisms include Intelligent Block Management and Wear-leveling algorithm to protect data integrity and prolong SSD lifespan.

Intel Smart Response Technology (ISRT) Supported

Transcend’s MTS series supports Intel® Smart Response Technology (ISRT) in which an SSD is used as a cache between the hard disk drive and the computer system to memorize the applications and files that are most frequently accessed. This allows the hard disk more storage capacity to process and store other programs and files so as to improve the overall efficiency.
Apart from MTS800 available in 32GB~1TB capacities, two other Transcend’s MTS400 and MTS600 M.2 SSD models are also available in 32GB~512GB. All the MTS series are backed by Transcend’s Three-year Limited Warranty.
Looking for a site to shop or sell your smartphone? Just visit www.magandaphone.com

Friday, March 18, 2016

LAZADA CELEBRATES 4TH BIRTHDAY WITH ₱4 DEALS, FLASH SALES, EXCLUSIVE PRODUCTS, GAMES AND FREEBIES

₱4 Deals!

Lazada Philippines celebrates its fourth anniversary from March 15-18, 2016. As usual, it’s going to be an ‘online shopping party’.

Perhaps the most interesting part of the birthday sale is the ₱4 deals. This includes abackpack from High Sierra (₱2,707), women’s watch from Casio (₱1,299) and Bluetooth speaker from Pyxis(₱1,325) – each for ₱4 only.
Lazada-4-Peso-Deals
Are you excited too?

Flash Sales

Here are some tech products that will be on hourly flash sales:
1. Cherry Mobile Flare S3 Octa
Original Price: ₱4,499.00
Discounted Price: ₱2,999.00
Flash Sale: March 15 at 12:00 AM – that’s midnight between Monday and Tuesday ;)
2. Alcatel Flash 2
Original Price: ₱6,890.00
Discounted Price: ₱5,990.00
Flash Sale: March 15 at 12:00 PM – yup, that’s noon
3. Ace 43-inch LED TV
Original Price: ₱19,999.00
Discounted Price: ₱11,999.00
Flash Sale: March 15 at 12:00 PM
4. Transcend DrivePro 220 Dash Car Camera
Original Price: ₱9,500.00
Discounted Price: ₱5,999.00
Flash Sale: March 15 at 4:00 PM
5. O+ Duo 2-in-1 Tablet/Laptop
Original Price: ₱7,995.00
Discounted Price: ₱5,990.00
Flash Sale: March 15 at 8:00 AM

Looking for a site to shop or sell your smartphone? Just visit www.magandaphone.com

Thursday, March 17, 2016

LG K10 LTE FULL SPECS, FEATURES AND OFFICIAL PRICE IN THE PHILIPPINES

LG-K10-LTE

KEY FEATURES

  • 5.3″DISPLAY
  • 1.14GHzOCTA CORE
  • 13.0MPCAMERA
  • 4GLTENETWORKS
  • 2GBRAM
  • 2300mAhBATTERY

DISPLAY

SIZE:5.3 Inches
TECHNOLOGY:IPS LCD with 2.D Curved Glass
RESOLUTION:HD 720 x 1280 Pixels, 277 ppi
PROTECTION:Corning Gorilla Glass 3

PLATFORM

OS:Android 6.0 Marshmallow
CHIPSET:Mediatek MT6753
CPU:1.14GHz Octa Core Cortex-A53
GPU:Mali-T720 MP3
RAM:2GB

CAMERA

MAIN:13.0 Megapixels with Autofocus & LED Flash
FRONT:5.0 Megapixels with Screen Flash

STORAGE

INTERNAL:16GB
EXPANSION:Up to 32GB via MicroSD

CELLULAR

SIM:Dual SIM(Nano)
NETWORKS:4G LTE, 3G HSPA+, 2G EDGE and GPRS Networks

CONNECTIVITY

WI-FI:Yes, Dual Band
BLUETOOTH:Yes, v4.1
GPS:Yes with A-GPS
FM RADIO:Yes with RDS
USB:microUSB 2.0
USB OTG:Yes

AUDIO

AUDIO JACK:3.5 mm

SENSORS

BIOMETRIC:None
ENVIRONMENT:Compass & Ambient Light
DEVICE:Accelerometer & Proximity

BATTERY

CAPACITY:2300mAh
TYPE:Li-ion
REMOVABLE:Yes

DESIGN

MATERIAL:Polycarbonate Plastic
DIMENSIONS:146×74.8×8.8 mm
WEIGHT:142 g

PRICE AND AVAILABILITY

LAUNCH DATE:March 2016
PRICE:₱8,990.00
Looking for a site to shop or sell your smartphone? Just visit www.magandaphone.com