News

4-inch iPhone makes a comeback

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Big things come in small packages.

From its moderately sized Town Hall in Cupertino, Apple unveiled a couple of “small” devices today, including a new 4-inch iPhone.

Dubbed the iPhone SE, the new iPhone looks exactly like the iPhone 5S from 3 years ago, sporting the same 4-inch Retina display, diamond cut chamfered edges, and blasted aluminium finish. 

iphone-se-array

But don’t be deceived by appearances, internally the iPhone SE is as powerful as its top of the line model. Apple is calling it the most powerful 4-inch phone (phone not just smartphone) ever, and that’s great news for users who like phones that are small but powerful.

For years, Android smartphones have led the shift towards larger screen sizes. A hesitant Apple followed suit, growing the original iPhone from 3.5 inches to 4.0 inches in 2012 and again to 4.7 inches in 2014. But many still preferred the smaller form factor, so Apple wisely kept older models around and ended up selling 30 million 4-inch iPhones last year.

The introduction of the iPhone SE may spark a renaissance for small smartphones, not that you can’t buy a sub 5-inch smartphone today. But usually, size comes at the cost of power, battery life, and camera performance. Not anymore.

iphone-se-power

The iPhone SE has the same A9 processor as the iPhone 6S with promised performance improvements of up to 2x (vs the 5S); the same 12 megapixel iSight camera, regarded as one of the best in the biz; longer battery life; Touch ID fingerprint scanner; and faster LTE and WiFi. The only thing missing is the iPhone 6S’ pressure sensitive 3D touch display.

Pre-orders for the iPhone SE begin on Thursday, March 24 and will be available as early as March 31 in Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Singapore, the UK, US Virgin Islands and the US.

Apart from the usual colors – space gray, silver, and gold, the iPhone SE will also be available in rose gold (or pink as we prefer to call it). The phone comes in 16GB and 64GB models, and will retail for $399 and $499 respectively.

Priced competitively at $250 less the iPhone 6S, the iPhone SE is Apple’s answer to mid-range Android smartphones that are hugely popular in developing markets like India and Southeast Asia. Apple says the phone is a response to what its users want, but we think, a cheaper iPhone is exactly what Apple needs

[irp posts=”11425″ name=”Tiny iPhone SE gets twice the storage”]

News

Xiaomi introduces Redmi 12 to the Philippines

Starts at PhP 6,999

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Redmi 12

Xiaomi has officially unveiled the Redmi 12, its latest entry-level smartphone, to the Philippine market.

The sleek budget phone features a 6.79-inch FHD+ 90Hz DotDisplay as part of its 8.17mm thick body which also sports a premium glass back and an infinite camera design.

The screen has Adaptive Sync, and is able to display a 2460 x 1080 resolution — the largest in the Redmi series so far. Moreover, the display is SGS Low Blue Light certified and has a Reading mode 3.0 feature to avoid eye strains.

The device is powered by a MediaTek Helio G88 processor and has up to 8GB RAM and up to 256GB storage. It also houses a 5,000mAh battery that supports 18W of fast-charging.

For its camera package, the Redmi 12 has a 50MP main camera, joined by an 8MP ultra-wide lens and a 2MP macro lens. In front is an 8MP selfie camera.

Price and availability

The Redmi 12 can be snagged for the low early bird price of only PhP 6,999 for the 8GB+128GB model, PhP 1,000 off its original SRP, from September 20 to 29 via Xiaomi’s Lazada store.

The 8GB+256GB variant, on the other hand, is priced at PhP 8,999 and is available on both Lazada and Shopee, on and TikTok starting September 30th.

From September 29 onwards, customers may opt for a 0% interest, 6-month installment plan via Home Credit.

 

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Enterprise

China accuses the United States of hacking into Huawei

Since 2009

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For years, the American government hounded Chinese companies for allegedly giving China an easy backdoor into the United States. The allegations don’t normally happen from the other way around, though. Today is different. The Chinese government has accused the United States of hacking into Huawei servers since 2009.

It’s an uncommon turn of events. In a Weibo post (via Nikkei Asia), China’s Ministry of State Security claimed that it discovered evidence of American hackers breaking into Chinese servers.

According to the post, the U.S. government’s Office of Tailored Access Operations used spyware to access Huawei’s servers since 2009. The spyware involved was called Second Date, a piece of spyware that was, according to the Chinese post, “developed by the U.S. National Security Agency.”

The spyware was partially discovered by Qihoo 360, an agency investigating American-led hacking attacks against China. The mere discovery, however, does not include explicit references to Huawei as a target.

China’s retaliation against the United States is slowly ramping up. Recently, the Chinese government started banning its officials from using iPhones for work. A wider ban might even be in the works.

For the United States, the American government is also investigating Huawei once again. After the surprising launch of the Mate 60 series, the government is interested to see how the Chinese company can still make smartphones without American technology.

SEE ALSO: Analyst: Qualcomm will fall as Huawei rises again

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Gaming

Ghostbusters: Rise of the Ghost Lord now available for pre-order

To release on October 26

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Ghostbusters

Ghostbusters: Rise of the Ghost Lord will launch on October 26 with pre-orders now available on the PlayStation and Meta Quest stores, as revealed during the PlayStation State of Play.

Players may get a first look at the title’s PlayStation VR2 gameplay and features through its newly-released trailer:

The game lets players team up with up to three more allies as they take on a variety of missions, solving puzzles and trapping ghosts to stop the March of the Malevolent.

Under solo mode, players can also take on the Ghost Lord with the help of a ghostly companion.

Thanks to PlayStation VR2’s capabilities, fans can step into the role of a ghostbuster while enjoying 4K HDR graphics, eye tracking for accurate navigation and interaction, both headset and haptic feedback, and adaptive triggers.

Price, availability

Ghostbusters: Rise of the Ghost Lord is available for pre-order via the PlayStation Store with a limited-time 10% discount at just US$ 31.49 for the base game and US$ 49.49 for the Full Containment Edition.

The Full Containment Edition is also available for pre-order on the Meta Quest Store for a limited time at US$ 49.99.

 

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