Hello everyone! Sorry if I missed out on last week’s episode
of Tech Tuesdays on TFL. I was kind of busy with all the Christmas party
preparations, exchange gifts and the likes. But now that I’m back, we’ll be talking about a very timely topic
that most of you might have already done with your Christmas bonuses and your
13th month pay – SHOPPING.
According to a survey done by Google Philippines, a lot of
Filipinos are now searching more for information about gadgets especially
during the start of the holiday season. I believe it is primarily because the
gadgets that we use today have come to a state so advance compared to previous
decades that they are more intricately intertwined with our lives making them
more and more of a necessity rather than a luxury.
Moreover, our gadgets have
evolved so far that they can now perform multiple functions in one package.
So if you’re planning to get yourself or get a loved one a
new gadget this Christmas, it can easily become a pain when choosing which
gadget would you buy and which would you likely to avoid. Well, despair no
more, as today we will be talking about which gizmos are a match to your
lifestyle and personality. If you’re all set, shall we begin?
Netbooks vs.
Ultrabooks – the portable computer system is taking a major turn these past
few years. As power and flexibility is crossing over into the mobile domain with
the introduction of powerful devices with slim form factors, a trend is slowly
becoming visible in terms of what the future of mobile computing will be. And
that future is probably be the one ruled by ultrabooks.
As more and more PC manufacturers are developing machines
that fit the ultrabook or slimbook profile, competition is slowly becoming
stiffer by the minute. Ultrabook prices are slowly going down so if you’re
really that excited to get one, I suggest waiting a bit more to let the prices
stabilize. But if you’re really into saving a lot of money and you’re not that
critical whether or not your laptop has an ivy bridge processor or a super slim
profile, a netbook can be a good option for youl.
Black Berries –
Research in Motions Black Berry smartphones have recently experienced a massive
price drop. But don’t be fooled, because it might be that retailers are just
emptying their BlackBerry shelves in order to give way to the new fleet of RIM
devices coming in January 2013. These new devices will sport updated features
that will most likely make current BB devices look old and out dated.
For hardcore BB enthusiasts, getting an upgrade or an extra
berry today might not be the best idea and you’d be better off waiting for the
L-series next year. But for those who just want a bare bones BlackBerry
experience, getting a RIM device right now seems to be a right choice.
Gaming Consoles – Gaming
consoles have also experienced a huge dip in retail prices this past few
months. The Xbox 360 with Kinect now sells for around P14k which comes bundled
with at least 3 games. The same goes for Sony’s PS3 which retails at almost
identical price point. The Nintendo Wii on the other hand now retails for less
than P10,000 for the base unit which makes it extremely affordable compared
last year.
And with the exception of the Wii U, the Xbox 360 and PS3
are still the flagship gaming consoles for Microsoft and Sony respectively
which ensures that you’ll still be getting the first serving of games from
developers.
iPhone 5 – the
iPhone 5 has made waves this year. It was one of the most anticipated devices
to be announced and released this year just alongside the Google Nexus 4 and
Microsoft’s Surface tablet. However, in my honest opinion, getting an iPhone 5
today may not be a smart move especially for fans of Apple out there.
This is because, in true Apple tradition, the announcement
of a new generation device would mean the coming of a much faster and slightly
improved “S” version the following year, which is what happened with the iPhone
3 and 3GS and the iPhone 4 and 4S. So if you’re really into the Apple iPhone
craze, you might want to hold your horses until next year when Apple would
release an iPhone 5S.
DSLRs and ILCs –
Camera systems have recently enjoyed success and patronage among Filipinos. As
more and more Pinoys are getting hooked to photography, camera manufacturers
are improving their product line by adding more affordable yet equally powerful
DSLR cameras. This, just like what happened with ultrabooks have pushed prices
down and heightened the competition among different brands. That is why getting
a full size DSLR would be a great idea for this holiday season as these camera
systems are slowly becoming mainstream.
ILCs on the other hand are still quite expensive. They are
also quite rare, with manufacturers only producing one to three models of
interchangeable lens cameras in their entire product line. For now, their less
bulky profile doesn’t trump over their high price tag, so it wouldn’t be
advisable to get one now. Instead get a less pricey DSLR with the same specs of
the ILC that you want.
Windows Phones – Another
grey area when shopping for gadgets would be Windows phones. There are
currently two types of Windows phones on sale right now – the legacy devices
powered by Windows Phone 7+ and the newer Windows Phone 8 devices. And just like
its direct competitor, Blackberries, Windows phones have two sides of the
story.
On the one side, WP7 devices are now very affordable
compared 12 months ago. Nokia’s Lumia phones, which include the Lumia 610, 800
and 900 are now all priced below the P20,000 price range, so for those looking
for the Metro UI experience, getting the first generation of WP devices would
be a really good bargain. The only catch is that Microsoft would have very
little support for these devices in the future as they have already planned to
push for WP8.
On the other hand, WP8 devices are still quite expensive and
few. The only manufacturers which have a ready supply of Windows Phone 8
smartphones out in the market would be Nokia with their Lumia 920, 820 and the
budget friend 620; and HTC with their 8X and 8S devices. However, owners of WP8
devices are ensured that they will be getting future updates in contrast to
users of WP7+ platform.
So there you have it. I hope this post was able to help some
of you who are still undecided on getting a new gadget this holiday season. If
you have any comments, suggestions and reactions, please do share them with us
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