News

General Mobile GM 5 keeps Android One alive

Published

November 7, 2016

Marvin Velasco

Remember how we questioned Android One’s existence a while back? Well, the series seems to have been reinvigorated, and it’s coming from an unexpected source: smartphone manufacturer General Mobile.

The newly launched GM 5 is the first Android One handset to come with Android 7.0 Nougat straight out of the box. It’s not a big deal, really, because Nougat has been steadily rolling out to Google-backed devices since its public release, and the non-Google-assisted LG V20 already has it, too.

What’s truly worth noting is Google’s continued interest in its budget-friendly smartphone program. After the cancellation of the flagship Nexus series and redirected focus on the even higher-end Pixel phones, any mention of Android One is a surprise.

General Mobile GM 5 in black

If you’ve been following Android One’s progress, finding out which brand pulled the trigger isn’t much of a shocker. The most well-equipped One phone to ever launch was General Mobile’s midrange GM 5 Plus back in February. As you can tell by the extended model name, it’s better than the GM 5 we’re talking about now despite being older.

The newer GM smartphone has a low-end Qualcomm Snapdragon processor (the exact chipset is unspecified), a bland 5-inch HD display, only 2GB of memory, and a non-removable 2500mAh battery. Image outputs are handled by a pair of 13-megapixel rear and 5-megapixel front cameras; files are saved in 16GB of storage that’s expandable using a microSD card.

There’s no pricing information yet, but let’s hope this costs around $100; any higher, and it’ll compete with far better phones priced slightly higher, such as the Vivo Y55 we recently reviewed.

[irp posts=”7340″ name=”Vivo Y55 unboxing and review”]

The GM 5 will be available this month in 20 countries: Azerbaijan, Albania, Afghanistan, Belgium, Bosnia, Croatia, Cyprus, Georgia, Ghana, Greece, Iraq, Kenya, Luxembourg, Moldova, Netherlands, Pakistan, Serbia, Tunisia, Turkey, and Uzbekistan.

Not bad for an initiative considered to be on its last legs, but where are the Asian countries? Let’s not forget Android One began shipping in Asia a couple of years ago.

Does this mean we’ll be seeing more One devices down the line? Probably, although we believe any further announcements will be overshadowed by phones with a Pixel in their names.

[irp posts=”6825″ name=”Forget about Pixel and Nexus, where’s Android One?”]

Source: General Mobile

Automotive

Mercedes-Benz holds a Welcome Home campaign to celebrate 140 years

Get freebies and discounts from now until the end of July.

Published

June 22, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Mercedes-Benz has been an important part of Filipino car culture. Stylized as the “Chedeng,” the brand’s cars are still worthy choices today. Now, to celebrate their 140^th anniversary, Mercedes-Benz is launching the Welcome Home Campaign, offering treats and discounts for Filipino drivers.

From now until the end of June, new Mercedes-Benz owners can get an exclusive 1886 Benz Patent Motorwagen Replica. The limited-edition replica represents the history of brand’s innovations in the motoring space.

Similarly, until the end of the month, interested customers can start their Benz journey for downpayments as low as PhP 140,000. Discounted prices, however, will go on until the end of July:

MODEL	*Original Price*	*Discounted Price*
CLA 200 Progressive	PhP 3,990,000	PhP 3,490,000
C 180 Avantgarde	PhP 3,990,000	PhP 2,990,000
GLB 200 AMG Line	PhP 4,590,000	PhP 4,090,000
GLC 200 4MATIC	PhP 5,190,000	PhP 4,690,000
EQB 250+ Electric Art	PhP 4,290,000	PhP 4,090,000
EQE 300 Electric Art Sedan	PhP 5,590,000	PhP 3,990,000
EQE 350+ AMG Line Sedan	PhP 6,290,000	PhP 4,690,000
EQS 450 4MATIC AMG Line Sedan	PhP 9,990,000	PhP 7,490,000
Mercedes-AMG CLA 35 4MATIC	PhP 5,719,000	PhP 5,519,000
Mercedes-AMG GLB 35 4MATIC	PhP 5,719,000	PhP 5,219,000

If you already own a Chedeng, Mercedes-Benz will show some love by offering special aftersales initiatives throughout the campaign period. Additionally, there will be more roadshow activations happening the entire year to showcase the latest in the Benz lineup.

Finally, if you have a Chedeng story of your own, Mercedes-Benz is inviting long-time fans to share their stories on social media by tagging the official Mercedes-Benz Philippines account and using the hashtags #Chedeng and #140YearsofInnovation. Featured users can win exclusive Benz merchandise.

Gaming

Ubisoft co-founder dies in plane crash

Claude Guillemot was one of five brothers that founded Ubisoft.

Published

June 22, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Claude Guillemot, one of the four co-founders of Ubisoft, has died last week in a plane crash. He was 69 years old.

As reported via Bloomberg, Guillemot died alongside the plane’s other passenger. They both died in La Baule in France.

Regardless of how you feel about the company today, Ubisoft is still an undeniable reason why RPGs are so popular. In 1984, Guillemot started the company with his four brothers. Since then, it’s become a household name for gaming. Its portfolio includes Assassin’s Creed, Prince of Persia, Splinter Cell, Anno, and Far Cry. Despite the prolific resume, the company is currently struggling to recreate the magic that made it so popular over a decade ago. Its current efforts include remaking Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag, which launches next month.

Though Claude might not be your first thought when thinking of Ubisoft, the company is still owned by the family, headed by his brother Yves. Claude, however, was the chairman of Guillemot Corp.

“Ubisoft was deeply saddened to learn of the death of Claude Guillemot, co-founder of the group and chairman of Guillemot Corp., in an accident. Our thoughts are with his family and loved ones during this difficult time. No further statements will be made at this time,” Ubisoft said about his passing.

News

No new CMF phones this year, Nothing confirms

But Nothing still has a phone scheduled later this year.

Published

June 22, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

For the past few years, Nothing kept launching smartphone after smartphone. Further, every new iteration felt like a reinvention, rather than just a modest upgrade. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, including Nothing’s streak. This year, after announcing that we won’t get a Phone (4), Nothing has announced that CMF is also skipping 2026 for a hopefully better 2027.

Now, whenever there’s bad news about delayed phone launches, there’s only one culprit. The ongoing RAM crisis is wreaking havoc across the entire industry. Because of the AI industry’s desperate need to stockpile chips, consumer-friendly devices find themselves with a scarcity of components, leading to delays or price increases.

Recently, in a moment of transparency, Nothing’s Akis Evangelidis confirms that CMF will not launch a new phone this year. Citing more of the same, he says that “with memory prices where they are right now, we can’t build a phone that feels like a genuine step forward at a price that makes sense for CMF.”

As a tease, Evangelidis did say that the brand is currently working on a sequel to the CMF Phone 2 Pro. Unfortunately, it’s going to take longer for the phone to come out.

All that said, there is a silver lining. Evangelidis concludes the announcement by also confirming that Nothing still has something up its sleeve. “The smartphone launch season at Nothing isn’t over yet,” he said.

This is a huge deal. Previously, Nothing’s Carl Pei said that the Phone (4) isn’t coming out this year. Even with the Phone (4a)’s launch already done and dusted, the brand still has something left in the tank.