Phone and Specs

How much are we will to pay for devices? I remember when I bought laptop. The cheapest laptop you could find would set you back about Php90,000. That was the price of portability over a decade ago. Back than, we were talking north of five pounds and two hours of battery life. 

But prices started to drop. Three years ago, I would have been willing to spend Php70,000 to get something with a longer battery life and less weight. Today I could spend less than Php30,000 and meet approximate what would have cost me more than twice that much just a short three years ago. That is one steep drop.

While Intel cranks out faster chips for more powerful hardware, they have gotten to the point that they far exceed most peoples requirements. Thin and light is no longer such a premium item too. So from 90K, to 70K and a quick drop down to 30K. I think I am not the only person who feels that a laptop is something that we would not to spend to much on. 

On other devices, the trend is the same. Just a few weeks ago, I got a SLT (a new twist on the DSLR), for twenty percent less than what a ProSumer camera cost me six years ago. A massive upgrade in specifications, for less money.  

With smartphones, the trend has been different. I was pretty happy with whatever phone my carrier gave me. If I did not like the phones available, I would gave my handset to my wife, and got myself something I did like. If it had a physical QWERTY keyboard, it was good enough. Still, I never spent more than Php14,000 on a smartphone. With the advent of the iPhone and Android, things changed. In early 2011, I gave my carrier issued device to my wife, and got myself a new shiny Android phone for Php26,000. In a few months when my carrier issues me a new device, if it is not the one I like I can still see myself picking up something in about the same price range, though a lot of the options at less than 20K look interesting, and really, the phones priced at less than Php10,000 fit my needs. Smartphones are still the new cool "status symbol" thing to have, hence I think many of us are willing to spend more than we have to, 

So what does all this have to do with Apple? Basically, when it comes to electronics, the trend seems to be, things get cheaper over time. Lower end models become more and more acceptable, so that we do need to spend more. But as prices go down, a larger market it reached, and what you cannot make up in term of large profit margins, you can try to approximate by selling in volume.   

Bucking this trend is Apple. Still Apple is conceding little by little. MacBooks and iPods are cheaper than ever. 

Apple revenues, almost 70% come from iOS. The iPhone and the iPad.The iPhone really wont survive without carrier subsidies. The iPad which looked like a bargain when it came out in 2010, is looking more and more expensive with each passing year. 

This year, 2013 is a year I feel relevant innovation will stop on the mobile. More and more power will start to become superfluous, and is there really a need to go beyond 1080 x 1920 pixels on a smartphone and 2560 x 1600 on a tablet.  The smartphone and tablet will go the way of the laptop and the digital camera. And in every analyst mind, is how does Apple deal with this with its iPhone and iPad lines. The answer, the "mini". A "mini" would be a stop gap at best. Reviewers comment at how expensive the iPad mini is.

Apple really does not need a iPhone mini. It wont win a race to the bottom. What Apple needs is something new and innovative. The iPod was released in 2001, the iPhone in 2007 and the iPad in 2010. March marks the third year since the iPad release. Apple needs something new and innovative, in the next two or three years, and I am not talking about a better iPhone or iPad. It needs something "magical" if it is to continue its incredible run.

Even before 2012 ends the next generation of Androids are already hitting the shelves. With Samsung having dominated the Android world since Q4 2011 and Samsung Galaxy S III wiping out its competitors, other Android manufacturers only have one choice. Push the envelope, and push there faster. HTC One X, the companies 2012 flagship has already been replaced by another HTC flagship phone in Japan and the US. The HTC Bufferfly J designed for the Japan market, with a revised model being released as the Droid DNA in the US,  has set the standard for what the next generation Android flagship will be like. HTC has already announced the international version of the HTC Butterfly J/Droid DNA, the HTC Butterfly.

The HTC Butterfly sets that bar with the following features:

Little know Oppo, has released it own Oppo Find 5, which actually, has higher specifications that the HTC Butterfly (13 MP camera v. 8 MP camera; 2500 mAh battery v. 2020 mAh battery).

Than we have the Sony Xperia Yuga which is rumored to be coming with a 5-inch display, a Samsung Exynos 5 chipset (quad core ARM Cortex A-15) and monster 16 MP camera and a 3000 mAh battery,  

The HTC Butterfly is actually 0.1 mm narrower than the Samsung Galaxy S III, and weighs just 7 grams more. The new large screens wont make the less handy than todays 4.7 to 4.8-inch Android monster phones.

The battery life tests on the Droid DNA indicate that the next generation 1080p Droids wont be as power hungry as one may think.

LG has announced their latest android phone, namely the LG Phoenix. LG Phoenix has the same like LG Thrive is postpaid runs Android 2. Froyo OS, 600MHz ARM 11 Processor, Adreno 200 GPU and Qualcomm MSM7227 Chipset. The LG Phoenix, a slim and is very much distinguishable among other upcoming LG smartphones. The LG Phoenix features the latest WIFI technology which can be said the most highlighting feature of the mobile.

Pros:
First prominent feature of LG Phoenix is WIFI with hotspot feature (you can use WIFI hotspot after paying charges to your service provides company). Upgraded version of Android OS Froyo is another major plus point of LG Phoenix. LG is planning to release this handset soon in mobile phone market and expected release date of LG Phoenix is 17 April 2011. Large amazing TFT capacitive touch screen not only ensure brilliant display but also power of touch.

Cons:
I was expecting a camera with flash light feature but LG Phoenix has 3.15 MP camera without flash light feature. Battery timing of LG Phoenix is not known yet hence we cannot say anything about it right now so keep in touch with us for latest updates on LG Phoenix. Overall

The LG Phoenix will be available in Violet Blue color from 17 April 2011 and price is $49.99 for a two-year postpaid contract.
LG Phoenix Price in India is Rs.12,000.

LG Phoenix Specifications and Features
• 2G Network GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
• 3G Network HSDPA
• TFT Capacitive Touchscreen, 256K Colors
• 320 x 480 pixels, 3.2 Inches
• Accelerometer sensor for UI Auto-Rotate
• Alert types Vibration, MP3 Ringtones
• Loudspeaker,3.5mm Jack
• Phonebook Practically Unlimited Entries and Fields, Photocall
• Call records Practically Unlimited
• Internal 160 MB
• Card slot MicroSD, up to 32GB, 2GB Included
• GPRS,EDGE
• 3G HSDPA 7.2 Mbps
• Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g, Wi-Fi hotspot
• Bluetooth Yes, v2.1 with A2DP
• USB Yes, microUSB v2.0
• Camera 3.15 MP, 2048×1536 Pixels, Autofocus
• Video Yes
• Secondary No
• OS Android OS, v2.2 (Froyo)
• 600 MHz ARM 11 processor, Adreno 200 GPU, Qualcomm MSM7227 Chipset
• SMS (threaded view), MMS, Email, Push Email, IM
• FM Radio
• GPS Yes, With A-GPS Support
• Social Networking Integration
• MP4/H.264/H.263/WMV player
• Document Viewer
• Standard Battery, Li-Ion 1500 MAh