News

Awesome Camera! Samsung Galaxy A71 launches

With 64MP main camera

Published

January 14, 2020

Rodneil Quiteles

Samsung hit the jackpot with their Galaxy A series in 2019. They want to continue to grab more of the midrange market by introducing the next batch of the A series starting with the Samsung Galaxy A71.

In case the intense social media push hasn’t caught you yet, the Galaxy A71 along with the Galaxy A51, are two phones that are heavily promoted by Samsung’s endorsers — K-Pop girl group BLACKPINK.

The campaign has so far been pushing the phones’ display, cameras, and battery. The tune that BLACKPINK members dance too is catchy without being annoying but I can’t say the same for the song’s lyrics that just keeps saying “Awesome screen, awesome camera, long lasting battery life.”

So let’s dive into the Galaxy A71 with all of that in mind.

Awesome screen

The Samsung Galaxy A71 sports a 6.7-inch FHD Super Amoled display. It’s also sporting the Infinity-O display — the same one found on the Galaxy Note 10+ and Galaxy Note 10 lite. In fact, design-wise, the new A series looks a lot like both Galaxy Lite phones. Inside that O is a 32MP front-facing camera.

Elsewhere in the phone is either a 6GB or 8GB of RAM with 128GB of internal storage that’s expandable up through a microSD card slot.

Awesome camera

Samsung’s finally using its ISOCELL Bright sensor with the Galaxy A71’s main camera sporting a 64MP main shooter. It’s flanked by three other cameras: a 5MP depth sensor, another 5MP macro camera, and a 12MP ultra-wide angle lens.

Long lasting battery life

The phone has a 4500mAh battery with support for 25W fast charging. Helping manage all that power is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 730 SoC.

If its predecessor is any indication, the Galaxy A71 should be another promising option in the higher midrange category. On top of all that, you also get Samsung staples like Bixby, Samsung Health, and Samsung Knox.

Pricing and availability

The Samsung Galaxy A71 will come in three colors: Prism Crush Black, Silver, and Blue. Pricing and availability to follow.

News

Galaxy S21 series performing poorer than S20

Compared to S20 and S10

Published

August 5, 2021

Luigi Leonardo

When a new flagship series comes out, the company involved usually has high expectations for it. However, there are some launches when a new smartphone ends up failing expectations. For example, because of poor sales, Apple is reportedly ending the iPhone mini model. On the flip side of things, Samsung is similarly experiencing poorer sales for the Galaxy S21.

According to a South Korean analyst firm Kiwoom Securities, this year’s Galaxy S21 series isn’t doing as well as last year’s Galaxy S20 series. Six months after it launched, the former sold only 13.5 million units. The figure is 20 percent less than the Galaxy S20 and 47 percent less than the Galaxy S10 series.

Alleviating this a bit, the Galaxy S21 did do well in its home turf. In the series’ first month, the flagship series sold around 590,000 units in South Korea. It’s only second to the Galaxy S8 which sold 620,000 units in its first month.

Currently — at least according to a recent ranking — Samsung is still the top smartphone seller in the world with Xiaomi trailing a bit behind in second place. The South Korean company might not be intimidated, though. Samsung is hosting its annual Galaxy Unpacked later this month, potentially boosting the company’s performance afterwards.

News

Number portability is here, how will it work?

Easily switch among 3 telco providers!

Published

August 4, 2021

Mark Manera

IMAGE/GadgetMatch

Number portability or the ability to move your mobile number under any carrier you want seemed like a pipe dream. Not anymore thanks to the combined efforts of the Avengers. No, just kidding. They’re called the Telecommunications Connectivity Inc. made up of DITO Telecommunity, Globe Inc., and Smart Communications. So, kind of like the Avengers, but of Telecom companies in the Philippines.

This was made possible thanks to teh passing of the Mobile Number Portability Act. Republic Act No. 11202, also known as the Mobile Number Portability Act, ensures that mobile phone users can keep their numbers even when they transfer to another service provider, or when they switch their subscription from postpaid to prepaid, or vice-versa.

How to avail Number Portability

How to port within networks, you need to meet the following requirements:
An active SIM and the requestor is the assignee of the mobile number to be ported
Zero remaining balance from your previous bill (for postpaid)
Non-existent court prohibitions
No pending transfer of ownership

Number porting makes it possible to also keep your number when switching from prepaid to postpaid plans. Syniverse will be the provider of number portability services in the Philippines.

“Mobile Number Portability is a complex process not only do we need to adopt it into our system but we need to integrate it with the networks of our competitors,” said Atty. Froilan Castelo who sits as the Chairman of the Telecommunications Connectivity Inc. General Counsel, Globe Group of Companies.

“It took us 22 months to build MNP, upgrade the system, integrate with the MNP service provider, and do testing with the other telcos,” he added.

Price and availability

As discussed earlier, number porting is free of charge. You can try out number porting on September 30, 2021.

Gaming

Ubisoft offers Far Cry 5 for free this weekend

Experience the violence in Hope County for a limited time only

Published

August 4, 2021

Gab Orlina

Ubisoft has another weekend offering for everyone, focusing more on their popular franchises. In previous offerings, they gave players one whole weekend to play games such as Assassin’s Creed Origins for free. As such, any progress accumulated will carry over when you purchase the game. This time around, they’re offering the same mechanics to those who wish to play Far Cry 5 this weekend.

For those who are still unaware, Far Cry 5 is the fifth installment in one of Ubisoft’s most popular first-person shooter franchise. The game tackles socio-political and religious topics as you play a Deputy in Hope County, Montana attempting to detain Joseph Seed. Throughout the game, you will encounter members of Seed’s congregation, the Eden’s Gate, who will stop at nothing to see a prophecy fulfilled.

From August 5-9, 2021, Ubisoft is offering players for the PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S access to Far Cry 5 for free. For each platform, here are the timings: