Cloudfone Excite 400d - Cheapest Jelly Bean Smartphone

Introducing the Cloudfone Excite 400d

I thought that Cherry Mobile was the only smartphone company that could dish out affordable yet highly functional Jelly Bean Smartphone devices and yet here I am proven wrong.  Early this year Cloudfone had been quite busy at creating a follow up to their former budget flagship phone called the Cloudfone Thrill 430x, and have now just released its successor the Cloudfone Excite 400d. 

This drop dead priced budget phone is priced at just under Php 4,500 and yet it packs a dual core processor(1Ghz), Stock Android Jelly Bean(version 4.1.2) and is at 4" with a front (.3MP) and back(5MP) camera. 

The Jelly Bean firmware coupled with the dual core processor is the backbone as to how smooth it is to navigate through the Cloudfone Excite 400d. Storage is expandable to 32GB and what I love about it is that you can pick either the microSD card as the primary storage or the internal memory. I am pretty sure you'll be using the external memory as the main storage area as the internal memory would only have about 500Mb left.

Camera-wise, the Cloudfone Excite 400d isn't something to be too excited about but it does the job with well lit situations but once you hit the dark room, even with it's flash be ready to get grainy low quality pictures. Same goes with the front facing camera which works well for skype calling and other video chat apps, but once you get to a dark place all they'll get to see is your silhouette. 

Sound quality is pretty good and is quite pleasant to listen to and you can download almost unlimited media files such as movies to watch on it's 4" TFT screen, which though low compared to the current ppi values being released in the market, is quite pleasant to watch from. 

Another plus factor is the fact that you have interchangeable back covers. You'll get the default black casing and one of three other colors with the packaging. The colors are quite similar to that of the Nokia Lumia series. 

The only down side to the Cloudfone Excite 400d is the battery which is at 1400mAh and would merit that you bring an extra power source of carry around your charger and plug in when you feel that you need the extra juice. 

Cloudfone Excite 400d Spec Sheet

• 1GHz Dual-core Processor, MediaTek MTK6577 chipset
• 512MB RAM
• 4GB internal storage, expandable via microSD up to 32GB
• 4.0-inch 800 x 480 resolution TFT capacitive touchscreen
• 5.0-megapixels rear-facing camera with autofocus and LED flash
• VGA front-facing camera
• WiFi a/b/g/n, WiFi Hotspot, Bluetooth, 3G, GPS with A-GPS
• Back Cover Colors: Blue, Yellow, Pink and Black
• Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean
• 1,400mAh Battery

Overall, the Cloudfone Excite 400d is quite a breakthrough at least in terms of the pricing scheme and could even rival those of the other more popular budget smartphone brands. The overall feel of the phone, the software and hardware, all make it quite an attractive package for just under the Php 4,500 marker. It is something to consider if you want to enjoy the full benefits of an Android Smartphone running on the latest firmware version called Jelly Bean. Its smooth and easy to use and light for anyone's budget. 

I can't wait to get to see what Cloudfone shall be dishing out next. 

Till Next Time...

-Metz

Samsung Galaxy Note N7000 Jelly Bean Review

Time to break from the temporary Hiatus from Sidestrip with a bit of good news. As promised, Samsung has released the latest firmware update for the Samsung Galaxy Note N7000 to the general public here in Asia, specifically the Philippines. They were able to meet the time frame of rolling everything out before the 2nd quarter deadline was over. With that aside, let's take a closer look as to what one will expect to experience and how to troubleshoot some of the little things that I have encountered with the firmware update to Jelly bean 4.1.2.

The software update came just as the Samsung Galaxy S4 started hitting the local market which I believe was done so that people would be able to see the marked difference between the two units even with the upgrade. Though had they rolled this firmware out people would have most likely stuck with the N7000 rather shifting to the Samsung Galaxy Note 2. The logic I believe behind it is due to the fact that now people have something to upgrade to that is more desirable, so to speak.

For those that are still using the Samsung Galaxy Note N7000, there are many things that have been provided for in terms of functionality. If you have had the chance to play around with the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 and had envied the features such as pop up play, multi-window, and smart stay, you are quite in luck as these features are now fully integrated and functional with the latest JB update. The writing accuracy and overall feel of the S-Pen has also been improved. I am also happy to report that the battery life seems to be better managed with the new firmware as compared to the previous ICS.

With all the buttery smooth functionality that Jelly Bean has promised, you might get a little dismayed upon the first installation of the JB Device. The reason for this is that in order for you to have a smooth transition from ICS to Jelly Bean, you'd have to wipe clean your Samsung Galaxy Note N7000 prior to the update. This is avoid any low memory issues that may occur as you install the new firmware. You also wont be allowed to install Apps to an external SD with Jelly Bean 4.1.2 thus any application that have been working to and from the internal and external SD could cause an issue. So to avoid having to go through the trouble of hard booting your system and wiping it from the start like I did, it would be best to back up your applications and data, then do a full reset of your phone's data and information prior to proceeding with the installation of the Jelly Bean.

If you had unfortunately already done what I have and installed the Jelly Bean Firmware without doing what I mentioned above, you would most likely encounter a glitchy and an extremely lagging UI, that would probably make you want to through the poor thing out the window. Good news is that you don't have to do that, all you have to do is simply do a full reset and just reinstall your applications one by one. I would also recommend to test each app for any compatibility issues with the new firmware. Applications such as Addons Detector and Google Play Music would prove to be quite glitchy. I would also disable Talk Back in the Applications Manager as this too doesn't seem to function well with the new firmware.

Once you have updated it and have cleared past those little bumps, you'll find a rather smooth operating system, giving your unit a brand new feel to it. The Nature UX is pretty impressive and can seemingly perform almost as well as the Samsung Galaxy Note 2, which is again most likely why they delayed the release of the update to the Samsung Galaxy Note N7000. With both of the units at hand, I still have to attest to the difference in terms of speed and overall performance of the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 over Samsung Galaxy Note. But with this new update, the difference isn't so bad so those that own a Samsung Galaxy Note may opt out of upgrading to the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 and simply wait for the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 which should be out sometime by the last quarter of this year.

Till Next Time...

-Metz

Budget Tablet: Full Review of Kata T2 8" Tablet

With the success of their last year's model, Kata T1 7" Tablet, Kata has now released a worthy budget tablet successor called the Kata T2 which sports an 8" Full touch display and an upgraded cpu and gpu chip that makes gaming and browsing fast and easy. They also used Google Android's latest mobile OS the Android Jelly Bean 4.1.1, which makes Kata T2 quite a power house.

Here is the summary of it's specs:

Platform:	Android v4.1.1 (Jelly Bean)
Dimension (H x W x D):	203 x 153 x 9.9mm
Weight:	445g
Display:	8" Full-Touch Display (1024 x 768 pixels)
Processor:	1.6GHz Dual Core Quad Core GPU
Memory:	Internal: 8GB (RAM: 1GB DDR3) External: Support microSD card, up to 32GB
Color:	Black
Camera:	5.0 Mega-pixel Camera 2.0 Mega-pixel Front Camera
Support Format:	Audio: MP3 / AAC / OGG / FLAC Video: MKV / MPG / MP4 / AVI
Battery:	Playback time: 10 hours Standby time: 336 hours Capacity: 4100mAh
Connectivity:	Wi-Fi: 802.11 b/g/n Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR GPS
HDMI:	Mini HDMI

The Kata T2 is quite a sturdy and well built device that one would most likely not think it cost roughly about $200. The Kata T1 was something that I would recommend as a buy for those wanting to give something special for their kids but now with the Kata T2 it is not hard to recommend even the power users to take a shot at this device and see how it performs.

In terms of display it pretty much rivals the display quality of that of Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 which makes it quite pleasant to look at though not as good as the screen quality as that of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7. In terms of performance and speed, the Kata T2 really holds its own against the top brands and can play many of the high end games without a glitch and with Jelly Bean backing up its hardware, everything is as what Google promised of a machine that is fine tuned with their software, the Kata T2 is quite buttery smooth and pleasant to use.

The Kata T2 uses a roughly uses the stock Jelly Bean android so you'll be enjoying the full unadulterated experience of the the latest Android Software without much of the common bloatware you'd find on other tablets. Battery life it pretty much average lasting pretty much well over a day of moderate to heavy usage with its 4100mAh battery. It also has support for GPS making applications like MapFactor Navigation work extremely well.

In terms of camera, though it now supports 5MP which is quite an upgrade to the previous KATA T1's 2MP rear camera, the picture quality isn't something to be too ecstatic about, though with good lighting does dish out pretty decent shots and videos. The front facing camera though is quite a pleasant surprise with 2MP for video calling and those self-portrait shots most people love to take of themselves from time to time.

WiFi connection is also much better compared to the previous Kata T1, which I have to say isn't bad at all, just now this one is at par with most mid-range to high end branded tablet models out there.

Overall, the Kata T2 8" Tablet is quite an eye-candy both in and out and at the current price tag of $200  it is pretty tempting. Would I recommend this right off the bat? most likely it would be on the top three of the best budget tablet choices out there for the year. The only issue you might encounter is finding the right casing for it though there are many gadget accessory shops out there that I am sure can produce a pretty good option for the Kata T2, should you ever decide to purchase one. Again, if this is what you choose I would have no doubt that you'd love it from first glance.

Till Next Time...

-Metz-

HTC One X 4.1.1 Official Jelly Bean Update Review

It has been over a month since HTC had announced that they'll be releasing the Jelly Bean Update to HTC One X Users globally and today they have finally delivered on their promise. Below you'll get to see the many new things that has been improved, changed and redesigned software wise by HTC for the the One X users. If you have visited our article on what to expect with the HTC One X Jelly Bean update you'd be pleased to see that they have delivered on those things and have given much more.

Messaging application is now without the arrow keys though that can still be activated in the options setting located beside the side bar. 

The Notification screen is more comprehensive than the old ICS layout. Please take note that the Battery Icon and avast are third party apps that I have installed and have seamlessly integrated with the new software. The power saving options are also ready accessible here with just a click and you can adjust what it shall affect via settings or through this same button.

Power saving settings give you control of the cpu and so much more.

Back to messaging, by pressing and holding the symbols key, gives you access to the most used and fun emoticons for more convenience.

Color layout has also changed and is now less glaring to the eyes.

Power Settings Show a different more modern feel but still pretty much provides the same functionalities plus of course the power saving options that have been upgraded.

This shows the current android version and other software version updates.

The setting menu now resembles that of the HTC One X+'s

There are three new skins that have been added which brings a bit of a refreshing new feel and color combination.

Layout of the application menu has also been changed and improved.

Some of the built in applications such as flashlight have also gotten an upgrade with regards to their look and feel.

Task manager shows the full 1GB ram and what is being utilized. Interface has also been revamped and is a lot more intuitive to use.

Gallery application of HTC One X has had the most in terms of overhaul.  Now you can view photos based on where they are located, where they are stored and what event/day they were taken.

Google Plus interface has also changed just a bit.

Several new widgets have been added to the HTC Collection. Many of which take advantage of the amount of detail the screen can provide.

Google maps are still pretty much the same as with the last upgrade ICS 4.0.4

Music application of HTC One X has also been given a major upgrade and it is now pretty easy to go around your files as they are sorted by album, artist, genre and more. 

Bench mark scores where the most impressive based on the Antutu Scores. Previous score was rounding off to 10.5K and now has gone up to what you can see here now. End user result is also quite obvious

Bench mark results also with Quadrant Standard have shown a massive increase in performance. As you can see here, the previous HTC One X with ICS benchmark results barely hit 5,000 but with the Jelly Bean Update it is now close to 7,000

Screen and picture quality is just as stunning and the menu has been brought back to carousel mode which allows for continuous scrolling at least on the widget screen. 

Camera Layout has also had many upgrades and I personally think that it is a much more in tune with the overall user experience making the keys and menu option more ergonomically correct. 

Additional information such as hours of video taking left as well as photos are a very welcome addition. Front facing camera has also been improved by adding the same features that they have incorporated with the HTC One X+ such as timer for self portraits. 

Additional Camera settings have been incorporated to ensure that the users have full control of how the shots and videos are taken.

The HTC One X Jelly Bean update in my opinion is like a breath of fresh air for me as I can truly see how efficiently its software has merged with the hardware fully utilizing its skills and bringing the HTC One X the amount of seamless power it deserves. For the first time, I have not seen any lag in anything whatsoever. Games, applications and web-browsing have become so smooth and easy. Colors are somehow more vibrant too. This was something that HTC should have done with the HTC One X at the early part of this year right after it launched. Comparing it to the Samsung Galaxy S3 and Samsung Galaxy Note 2, the HTC One X is really still up there giving the top dogs a good run for their money. Of course the HTC One X+ still is the leading contender in terms of processor speed and battery life, but with the HTC One X now just a few points away from its flagship brother's benchmark this phone is definitely worth the cheaper price. ;)

I am sure that there'll be another update soon as Google has launched a new JB update on their phones with the version 4.2 but for now this HTC One X Official JB update is making me love my HTC One X so much more.

Till Next Time...

-Metz-