A view of the Galaxy

After fiddling with the Samsung Galaxy S II for quite some time, here are some pictures of the phone itself, along with some information regarding the phone.

Basically, the phone has the latest Super AMOLED Plus capacitive touch screen (4.3 inch diagonal, 400x800 pixels) which is more vivid and more crisp in terms of image presentation as compared to the previous AMOLED screens. By the way, the screen is made out of Gorilla glass which is known to be the world's toughest glass specifically made for mobile devices, which means getting more protection from scratches on the display.

On top of the phone, you can see the 2.0 megapixel front-facing camera for video-calling and video-chatting. The images and videos taken from the camera are obviously clearer than those ones taken from a VGA camera which is the usual for front-facing cameras. Unfortunately, there are no mirror app installed on the phone so you can use it only after launching the camera app and selecting the front camera from the side menu. Here you can also find the proximity and light sensors.

The bottom has only one clickable button (which is common to the Samsung Galaxy line-up) which serves as the home button, which when held could also bring up the task manager. Unfortunately though, even if this phone already has the 2.3 Gingerbread platform, you can only see at most six (6) of your most recently used apps (as compared to the regular 8 apps). I hope this would be fixed when an update to the platform becomes available. Anyway, you also have two touch-sensitive buttons on the side of the physical home button, which serves as the menu (left side) and back (right side) buttons. The search function had been removed, instead can be activated by pressing and holding the menu button.

As you can see, the phone is very slim, only 8.5mm thick, and the plasticky exterior of the phone makes the whole package very light, only 116g. Although most people would probably raise an eyebrow on the plastic makeup of the phone, I don't find it any less cheap than those phones with metallic/aluminum build (i.e. HTC Sensation and iPhone 4). Although of course, that depends on the individual's preference. Anyway. the right side of the phone has the volume rocker button along with the eyelet for lanyards, etc.

On the right, you have the power/lock button and nothing else. From this video, you can see a small chin on the bottom back portion of the phone where the speaker could be found.

On the top, you have the usual 3.5mm earphone jack which is the standard for most earphones and headphones in the market. What's also unique about this phone is that it has a dual-mic feature which enhances call performance of the phone. Here on top is the first mic, which is the noise-cancelling  one, and as the name implies, it mutes environmental noise making your voice clearer and louder when taking a call. The regular mic can be found at the bottom of the phone (as usual), and that is the only thing you can find there.

At the back, you have the 8 megapixel auto-focus camera with LED flash that can also capture Full HD 1080p videos in .mp4 format (which is currently the better video format envelope for videos taken from a mobile phone, as compared to the regular 3gp). Unfortunately though, the phone's package doesn't include the HDTV adapter unlike the one found in the LG Optimus 2X. And given that, obviously, the phone doesn't have a direct port for an HD cable since you still need to buy a separate adapter for that. But still, video capture of the phone is very satisfying and videos taken from the phone are less jumpy than those captured from other regular phones. This is thanks to the Dual-core 1.2 Ghz ARM Cortex-A9 processor with the Exynos chipset. This makes the phone blazing fast and so far, I haven't experienced any major lags from the phone; even the transitions are quick and smooth.

So far, these are just some of the things you would want to know first hand regarding the dual-core flagship phone of Samsung, the Galaxy S II. A more detailed video walkthrough of the phone will be uploaded soon so I hope you can check it out.

A Walk with the Optimus (Part 2)

Here is the 2nd part of a 2-part video walkthrough of the LG Optimus 2X (LG-P990)

A Walk with the Optimus (Part 1)

As promised, here is the first part of the video walkthrough of the LG Optimus 2X (LG-P990).

The Beast Within

A few days ago, I was able to get the new Samsung Galaxy S II which a lot of people had been waiting for. To be honest, I'm of those people who kept on surfing the net for news scoops regarding the launching and arrival of this phone here in the country.

The tiny black box of Samsung Galaxy S II

I had been eyeing different prospects of suppliers and connections who will probably have the phone earlier than most retailers and sellers, and I was able to get lucky that one midnight, while I was so bored, I decided to check an online mobile phone seller and luckily, they already have ready stock of the new 1.2 GHz Dual-core flagship mobile device of Samsung which is the Samsung Galaxy S II.

Due to anticipation and unbounded excitement, I immediately contacted the supplier even if it was already very late, and luckily, I was able to reserve a unit for myself.

To be honest, the phone had not been officially launched here in the Phils. when I got the phone, which is probably a day or two earlier than the official launched which was held in Power Plant Rockwell.

I was just too eager to get the phone, and the owner of the shop (which I had been already doing transactions with in the past) agreed to give the phone to me (even if they are instructed to sell the device only after the launch) at a very reasonable price, much much lower than the SRP.

Here is a short unboxing video of the Samsung Galaxy S II, which is the successor to the popular Samsung Galaxy S.

Later on I'll be posting a walkthrough video of the phone itself. I'll just enjoy it first and try to observe how it operates, but so far, after two days of usage, I am very much satisfied with the phone. Operation is very smooth, and everything is blazing fast (thanks to the 1.2 dual-core CPU). The 8 Megapixel AF camera takes really vivid pictures (given the Super AMOLED Plus LCD) and the LED flash support is good enough for taking pictures in dimly lit environment.

Again, if you have questions, feel free to use the comments box below. :)

Stroke of Luck

Last month, I was still awake during the wee hours and while surfing the net, I was able to encounter a website advertising this essay-writing competition for LG Philippines. Since I was really bored and I've got nothing to do, I decided to join.

The mechanics of the competition was to answer a certain question as briefly but as meaty as possible. The winner will be able to get LG's newest mobile phone, the LG Optimus 2X, dubbed as the world's first dual-core mobile device (as proven by a Guinness World Record).

Aside from the boredom, I decided to take a chance for I got motivated by the fact that I might be able to get the phone as a reward. But due to the hundreds (might even be thousands) of entries that they'll be judging, I really don't expect to win.

After submitting my entry, I decided to finally sleep and just forget about the whole thing. A few weeks after, I received an email saying that I was one of the few selected entries that won the competition. I was euphoric that time because I really didn't expect to win. I was just staring at the email and the thought haven't really sunk in.

When it finally dawned on me, I was so eager to tell my family that I won and they were happy for me. Everyone congratulated me and I can't believe that I really won. Imagine, being selected by LG representatives and DTI representatives as one of the few to have proven their worth to win, it was truly a privilege and an honor.

Anyway, to make the whole story short, just a week ago, I was able to get the phone already from LG's office. The officer who assisted was very nice and accommodating. Anyway, this post is actually a short tour of the phone itself.

An unboxing video has been provided below by yours truly, to know what to expect if you plan to buy the retail package of the LG Optimus 2X (LG-P990) locally.

There's also a walkthrough video of the phone, but I'll be uploading that soon.

Anyway, this is my first video upload, so please bare with me. The video is not that clear since I just used a digicam. :)

Aside from the video, here are some pictures of the LG Optimus 2X.

 This is the sleek black box of the LG Optimus 2X.

The LG Optimus 2X in the flesh!

What's inside the box: Travel Charger, USB data cable, In-Ear Headset, 

and the highly-anticipated HDMI Cable. 

 The Front part of the phone sports a 4.0 inch WVGA IPS LCD (same with iPhone's),

a 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera, four (4) touch-sensitive keys, 

and light and proximity sensors.

The top portion has the HDMI port covered by a plastic flap, 

a 3.5 mm standard headphone jack, and the power/lock button.

The right side is almost bare, if not for the volume keys.

The right side is totally bare.

At the bottom you have the two stereo speaker grills (resembles iPhone 4's design)

and the exposed USB port for the data cable.

The back part sports the 8 megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash

for capturing and playback of 1080P HD videos.

The phone itself is being powered by a 1.0 GHz dual-core processor 

with the Nvidia Tegra 2 chipset.

So basically, the phone is blazing fast given the dual-core CPU, and the IPS LCD offers very clear and crisp images, which is a nice tandem to the 8 megapixel AF camera.

The sound is clear and loud enough in general environments, but if it gets too noisy, you'll probably have a hard time hearing it.

Video capture is a joy to experience, although I don't think the 3gp format gives the Full HD experience justice. IT would've been better if it is rendered in the more standard mp4 format. But still, the video is clear and smooth, with no major bumps during playback.

The web browser is also a plus to the LG Optimus 2X although it still renders some sites in mobile view as default. The flash players works brilliantly although I had a hard time checking out 720p and 1080p HD videos in YouTube. But overall, it was fast in rendering webpages and the scrolling is quite smooth, almost comparable to the the Safari browser of the iPhone.

One noticeable downside of the phone is the battery. Although it can last a whole day after full charge, the usual tweaking and playing with the phone easily drains the battery, probably because of the dual-core processor, although the Nvidia Tegra 2 chipset is designed for lower consumption. A few battery tweaks here and there though could surely increase the life of your battery after a single charge.

So far, here are some of the things I noticed while playing the phone. If you have any questions, you may use the comment button below and I'll try to answer your questions.

As a whole, LG Optimus 2X is one of the phones that I could recommend to people. But as what I always say, if you are after hardcore photography, there is still no replacement for real cameras and SLRs, although this phone could be handy for regular shots and practical picture-taking. If you want a phone that is fast and offers very clear images, this phone is definitely for you.