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If you read the news, you know that HTC has its back to the wall. Its flagship HTC One X was the best smartphone in the world for one month, until the Samsung Galaxy S III was released. Its mid-level One V, pummeled by a whole gaggle of dual core Sony Xperia handsets,  did not win hearts and minds in its attempt the resurrect the Glory days of the HTC Hero and Legend. 

HTC has a reworked One X, the One X+ to take the fight to the Galaxy S III. But HTCs most successful phone was the HTC Desire, and HTC plans to use this name to win back the mid-level, with the HTC Desire X. 

The HTC Desire X is an excellent handset and is now available for as low a Php13,750 with an official HTC Warranty. Available at about 1K more than the HTC One V, it really is a replacement of the HTC One V. It comes with a larger 4-inch WVGA (480 x 800 display) which, with 50% more RAM at 768 MB, and comes with dual core power 1 GHz processor with Adreno 203 graphics. The battery has also gotten a boost in size, with a 1650 mAh unit crammed into the thin 9.3 mm frame. Thankfully, the battery is user replaceable. Internal storage is the same 4GB, expandable via a MicroSD card.

It comes out of the box with Android 4.0.4 and all the usually bells in whistles in a mid-level phone. The only thing missing from the package is a front camera and HD video capture. Yep, despite the dual core processor, the HTC Desire X only supports 480p video capture (the HTC One V supports 720p). The 5MP camera also supports less features the one found on the One V. Still, overall I like it more than the HTC One V. It also looks like it is good enough to put the pressure on the mid-level Sony Xperias.

When LG released its original Optimus L3 phone in 2012, I wondered if anyone would buy these Android phones with there small 3.2-inch displays and low 240 x 320 pixel resolution display.  The 240 x 320 display was particularly disappointing, since it is below the original 2009 Android specification of a 320 x 480 resolution. Consequently, a fair number of apps do not display properly on lower resolutions. Still, people must be buying these phones, since LG has launched a second generation of these entry level devices. 

The second generation Optimus L3 phones bump up processor speed to 1 GHz and internal storage up to 4GB.  Two versions have been released, with the one supporting a single SIM priced at Php4,990 and a dual SIM version at Php5,490.

The LG Optimus L3 is a reminder of what entry level Android phones would be like if we did not see the rise of the Philippine branded ODM phones and Chinese manufacturers like Huawei and ZTE. If you are looking for an entry level Android phones, I would start with the Huawei Ascend Y300, and  if you need a dual SIM Android, I would look at one of the newer Alcatel, Cherry Mobile or MyPhone offerings.

With all the emphasis on high resolution displays who though we would ever see this. Three years ago, Dell launched the Streak. It was a well built phone with a large 5-inch screen with a WVGA display (480 x 800). The product developed a small following, but it was for from a success. Fast forward to 2012 and smaller OEM and ODM manufacturers start manufacturing large 5-inch phones with WVGA displays to keep the cost down.  In the local market, we have seen the 5-inch monsters with the Sharp SH530U, Cherry Mobile Titan and MyPhone A919. Following this up last month were the even larger 5.2-inch Cherry Mobile Cruize and Cherry Mobile Omega.

Now Samsung is on board with the Samsung Galaxy Grand. The Galaxy Grand is a mid-priced 5-inch Smartphone with a WVGA display. Some may say that Samsung actually set this trend with its own Galaxy Note series, but in the past two years, Samsung offerings (like most other Android manufacturers) have correlated size with price. Cheap phones came with 2.8-inch displays and as the displays got larger, the prices got higher. The Galaxy Grand is priced at just Php16,840, breaking this trend. 

The Galaxy Grand, has a powerful enough device with a dual core 1.2 GHz ARM Cortex 9 processor and 1 GB of RAM. The phone comes with 8 GB of internal storage expandable via a microSD card, an 8 MP primary camera and a 2 MP front camera. A 2100 mAh battery powers this beast. For an operating system, it has Android 4.1.2 "Jelly Bean" on board.  To keep costs down the chipset has been outsourced to a third party, and graphics are provided via Broadcomm VideoCore IV graphics.

When you buy a low end phone, you really are not expecting any significant software update. Low cost devices rarely received updates. Buyers of the Cherry Mobile Titan will be pleasantly surprised. The Cherry Mobile Titan is going to be updated to Jelly Bean. 

You wont get an over the air update or be able to download one yourself. The update will be available through Cherry Mobile service centers starting April 15, 2013. The Cherry Mobile Titan is still available in the market, with a suggested retail price of Php6,499. 

With hours to go before the official launch of the Samsung Galaxy S IV, a Chinese website has leaked high resolution images of what purports to be the Galaxy S IV.

Apple Philippines is having a one day sale today. The Apple iPad 2 16 GB (WiFi and WiFi + 3G) is being offered at Php1,392 off the suggested retail price. The  MacBook Pro and MacBook Air are being discounted at Php4,892 off the suggested retail price.

The discounted prices being the same across the board, this makes the 11.6-inch MacBook Airs and the 13-inch MacBook Air (128 GB) particularly interesting. 

Apple Philippine is also offering a discount on iPods and accessories. Check out the full list of items on sale at Apple Philippines website. Its a one day sale, so dont think about it too long. 

Samsung has officially announced the first Windows 8 Phone ATIV S. It is essentially a Windows Phone 8 version of Samsungs Android powered Galaxy S III. The ATIV S packs a 4.8-inch Super AMOLED display with a 720 x 1280 HD resolution and has Gorilla Glass 2 for protection. Inside is a 1.5GHz dual-core processor and 1GB of RAM. While not a quad-core, this dual core chipset packs the advance Qualcomm Krait processor which allows it to match and even outrun its quad-core competitors.  This is backed up by 1 GB of RAM. At the back, there’s an 8MP primary camera with 1.9MP secondary camera at the front. This a a big phone at 137.2 mm x 70.5 mm x 8.7 mm but it weighs in at just 135 grams. 

Now this is not just a re-skinned Galaxy S III. Samsung has improved its design and allows for a massive 2,300mAh battery to fit in that slim 8.7 mm frame. Connectivity options include HSDPA, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 3 and NFC. I expect an LTE version will also be released.

Internal storage is either 16 GB or 32 GB, but Windows Phone 8 now supports memory expansion slots and the Samsung ATIV S has a microSD card slot to allow expansion of its 16GB or 32GB built-in storage.

Pricing and availability is yet to be confirmed, but I am pretty sure this smartphone will hit the shelves immediately after Microsoft officially releases the Windows Phone 8 in October this year. Expect a price similar to the Galaxy S III.

When the first Windows Phone 7 device launched, they were competitive in terms of hardware, but the software was a bit behind the curve. By the time Windows Phone 7.5 was out, the supported hardware was outdated due to lack of multi-core processor support. With Windows Phone 8 and phones like the ATIV S, the Windows Phone platform fight Apple and the Android world on equal footing.

Smart is offering two LTE handsets at All-In Plan 800: The ZTE T82 and the Huawei Ascend P1. Neither handset is free, and requires a cash out of Php4,500.

Between the two handsets, the T82 is the far better choice coming with a Qualcomm chipset with a power efficient system-on-chip LTE modem, which is not the industry standard. The Huawei Ascend P1 uses a Texas Instruments chipset, which a separate LTE modem.

The ZTE T82 runs Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) has a 4.3-inch qHD (540 x 960) display wirth a 1.5 GHz dual core Qualcomm Krait processor with 1 GB of RAM powering the phone. All-in-all a very good choice on a Php800 a month plan.

For Globe subscribers, Globe is offering their own ZTE T81 at a similar plan. 

You would pay Php800 less a month, but would get Php400 less consumable. So assuming that I used the Php1,101 consumable a month I would save Php400 a month. This would make Plan 999 at total of Php14,400 cheaper over two years, without a bundled device.

Given that a Samsung Galaxy S4 will cost you twice that much, it is still worthwhile getting a phone with your Globe Plan, comparing these two plans.

The entire point of a data plan is to use less calls and SMS. If you font used the Php1,101 consumable at Plan 1799, the comparison would be different,  This would make Plan 999 at total of Php24,000 cheaper over two years, without a bundled device.

Google in partnership with Philippine mobile phone carrier, Globe Telecom is testing a new service that free to Gmail, Google+ and Google search on mobile phones. The new service, called Google Free Zone, does not require that you have a data plan. Google Free Zone is only available to prepaid Globe and TouchMobile subscribers. Globe Telecom is the first carrier in the world to launch the service.

Globe is classifying the service as a promo and says it will run until March 31, 2013. Google goal would be to have this service provided indefinitely. This service is targeted at developing countries.

To access the service just point your phones web browser to g.co/freezone and from there you will be able to access your gmail and Google+ accounts as well as do Google web searches for free. You can post updates all day and email all day without incurring data charges. If you do click a link on your email, Google+ or one of your search queries, you will be charged carrier data fees. 

TechPinas has an interesting piece of news. The HTC One will be coming to Globe Telecom. No specific information of when this is going to happen, but it was revealed that the HTC One will be available for free at Plan 2499.

It looks like Nokia is serious about taking on Android at every price point. Nokia Lumia 510 is hitting the shelves at just Php6,990. The Nokia Lumia 510 looks impressive enough for the price, coming with a 4-inch WVGA display and a 5 MP camera. 

There are some deal breakers even at this price though. The fist thing you have to consider though is that the Lumia 510 is not a Windows Phone 8 device. It runs Windows Phone 7.8, which means it is not compatible with apps designed for Windows Phone 8. At present though, almost all of the 130,000 apps in the Windows Phone market are compatible with Windows Phone 7.8, but this is likely to change over time.

App compatibility will also be limited is the phones sluggish processor and limited amount of RAM. This phone comes with a single core 800 MHz ARM Cortex A5 processor and just 256 MB of RAM.

The second major deal breaker is the 4 GB internal storage. That is the same as you find on budget phones, but in the case of the Lumia 510, there is no MicroSD card slot to expand storage.

Still it is the cheapest Windows Phone device ever.

Cherry Mobile is launching another 5-inch smartphone, called the Hyper. The announcement was made via Cherry Mobile Facebook page where the company shared the Hypers specifications:

The price is Php4,990 making it the cheapest 5-inch dual core phone that Cherry Mobile ever released, and it will probably replace the slightly lower priced Cruize in Cherry Mobile line-up. 

The most disappointing aspect about the Hyper is that it runs Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich. While app compatibility is maintained between Jelly Bean and Ice Cream Sandwich is maintained, little by little Jelly Bean is getting features not available in Ice Cream Sandwich. The new Gmail update last month includes several features not available on Ice Cream Sandwich. The older operating system is not a deal breaker at Php4,990 though.