racoma.com.phJ. Angelo Racoma on technology, economics, writing, problogging, and getting things done

I recently got a review unit of SonyEricsson’s latest Xperia X1 smartphone, and I plan to review the gadget one day at a time. In the meantime, here are a few unboxing photos. Please feel free to click and view the larger images.

The Xperia X1 will be launched locally on November 28th. Pricing is yet to be announced, but tentatively, it could be anywhere from PhP 40,000 to PhP 45,000, based on the current exchange rates. Retail price elsewhere is about $900.

Smartphones are not exactly alien to me. My main mobile phone is my Nokia E51, which runs the Symbian Series 60 v3 operating system. The X1 is my first ever touchscreen and QWERTY phone, though, so it does come with a learning curve. Also, the X1 runs Windows Mobile 6.1. The latest Windows-powered Smartphone I used was the “Tanager” by HTC, or which was more commonly known in the Philippines as the “Smart Amazing Phone” running Smartphone 2002.

I’ll be writing about my experiences and observations in a series of posts through the next couple of weeks.

Some impressions of the Xperia at Jayvee‘s and Abe‘s blogs.

I’ve been on the lookout for a contingency connection for those times that my main Bayan DSL account lets me down (which is oftentimes these days). I do have a 3.5G (HSDPA) enabled mobile phone, which I can use as a modem via BlueTooth, but somehow I have found that option to be cumbersome. First, it causes my mobile phone battery to drain quickly, and so it’s not exactly an elegant solution as I would have to worry about notebook/netbook batteries _and_ mobile phone batteries discharging. Also, it’s a bit expensive when used heavily, at PhP 5 per 15 minutes on the Globe network. Sure that’s cheap enough for on the go browsing, but when you’re using your internet connection the whole day, you end up spending more.

Smart recently announced the availability of an unlimited plan that comes with a USB HSDPA modem for PhP 1,500 per month (about $30 per month) and so I decided to visit a nearby Smart Wireless center to inquire and possibly apply. As I submitted my application form I was told that the modem that came with postpaid plans was still the old white Huawei-supplied one, and this reportedly had many connectivity, compatibility and reliability issues. And I was told approval would take two to three days.

I decided to pick up a prepaid kit for the meantime, to evaluate Smart’s service. I’m primarily a Globe user, and so my 3.5G-enabled mobile phone runs on the Globe network. Best try out Smart’s service this time.

Great things about the prepaid kit are:

* It came with the newer, black USB modem that looks just like a pen drive. This means no dongles to mess up your otherwise wireless set-up.
* It’s cheap at PhP 2,800 net (you have to pay PhP 2,500 for the modem, which includes the SIM card and PhP 100 prepaid load, then you have to purchase a PhP 300 prepaid card).
* It’s prepaid, so there is no need for contracts, lock-ins, or proof of identity/income, as is usual with postpaid plans.
* If you have an existing Smart prepaid or postpaid SIM, you can also use these to connect. Standard rates apply.

So far, so good. It’s been a reliable mobile connection for me, for those times I need to connect while out of the office, or when my home-office connection is simply too slow.

I do get slow speeds when the cell site I’m connected to has non-existent or weak HSDPA signals. With this, it tops at 300+ Kbps. Where there are no 3G signals, it tops at 200+ Kbps (EDGE) or 56 Kbps (GPRS). It sucks, but when it’s your only option you will take it. So far I’m able to access most services and ports I need, including instant messengers, FTP, cPanel and the like, where previously these wireless networks imposed some prohibitions with non-HTTP ports.

The provided software was a breeze to install. The USB modem itself has read-only storage, so the drivers for Windows and OS X (Tiger and Leopard) are included. You may have to download drivers and do some tweaks for Linux, though.

You can always just dialup using your OS’s dialer, but the bundled software gives you more options, like the ability to detect what kind of signal you are currently getting, and the ability to lock connection to certain types only (the connection moves across HSDPA, 3G, GPRS, and EDGE depending on signal strength and availability).

Speedtest results

168 Kbps down on EDGE.

1.2 Mbps on HSDPA

Some photos

The retail kit:

Contents:

With the SIM card:

With a USB pen drive (to compare and illustrate size):

With the SIM card just peeking out:

Attached to an HP mini note netbook:

The main advantage, as I see it, is that this takes out the necessity to bring an extra phone or to use your extra phone just to connect. The main disadvantage is that you do have to shell out some money for the unit itself. But at PhP 2,800, that’s already a steal. A couple of weeks ago, this was still retailing at PhP 3,800 (PhP 4,500 farther back).

I do hope my unlimited plan gets approved soon. When that time comes I’ll really get to put the system to an abuse test–whether it can take sustained speeds, and whether it can serve as a reliable connectivity option full-time. Of course I cannot share it among my various computers simultaneously, but again my purpose is for backup connectivity that I can also use while mobile.

When I get that plan approved, I would use it instead with this black modem and I would probably sell the white one (along with the prepaid SIM) or keep it as backup.

Updates: From research, I discovered that the black USB dongle sold with this prepaid pack is the LongCheer WM66. I believe that’s a relative newcomer, compared to Huawei and ZTE, which supplies most other dongles out there. Huawei is usually un-lockable, while ZTE dongles are more difficult (if possible at all) to unlock. But at PhP 2,500 for a prepaid kit, these things are cheap already!

Also, I have a Globe Visibility prepaid kit review upcoming!

Some words of advice

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From the Apple website, something new for Apple fanboys and gadget geeks to drool about.

The new MacBook features a glass screen, a glass multi-touch trackpad and a discrete NVIDIA graphics adaptor, and LED backlighting among other new features. And its shell is now aluminum, much like the MacBook Pro!

The new MacBook Pro, meanwhile, has similar upgrades, and is, of course more powerful. And Apple has highlighted that their new design, packaging, and production and shipping processes are more environmentally-friendly.

I was hoping they’d come up with ultraportables, or at least something in the leagues of the old 12″ PowerBooks. but sadly I don’t think that’s the case, at least anytime soon.

You can check out the video of their new releases.

Above: laptops and netbooks stacked for size reference. Asus EeePC 900 12G, HP 2133 Mini Note, HP Compaq Presario B1256TU, Compaq Presario V2617TS

Above: laptops and netbooks rounded up for size reference. Clockwise from left: HP Compaq Presario B1256TU, Compaq Presario V2617TS, Asus EeePC 900 12G, HP 2133 Mini Note

Send me more review units, guys!

(These are for my reviews over at koobten.com and myasuseee.com.)

Just when you thought the ultraportable market is already saturated with the entry of the HP Mini Note and the MSI Wind, here comes Acer with its Aspire One. This had been announced earlier this year, but it has come as a pleasant (or not) surprise to me that Acer has launched it locally at a starting price of PhP 18,800.

Correction: I had earlier written “Asus” instead of “Acer. Sorry for the confusion.

Inquirer has a feature.

The new Acer notebook is positioned to attract users wanting a portable and light notebook that is also Internet ready. It runs on the Linpus Linux Lite operating system.

The new Aspire One notebook, which was launched with a host of the company’s latest products in Manila, will cost P18,800.

Jayvee posts some pictures on abuggedlife.com.

Believing in numerology, Acer folks reportedly wanted to launch the Aspire One at July 8th, 2008 at 8 p.m. (8, 8, 8).

That’s an attractive price for an Intel Atom powered machine! To me, the Asus Eee (900) had set the standard for what an ultraportable should be. I’m wondering with the low price if the Acer Aspire One would come out the winner!