TrubeBytes: More for Broke

Local and international brands continue to showcase their own sleuth of engaging mobile devices that cater well to the more competitive smartphone market in the Philippines. With that along with the support from the local telecoms industry, the showcase could not stop. And here are some of them in the latest edition of TrubeBytes.

Let's start with Cherry Mobile. Following the successful release of the Philippines' first hexa core Android smartphone and its ongoing conquest in Southeast Asia and European countries, Cherry Mobile kicked off the second half of 2016 with two new affordable but intriguing mobile devices, namely the Cherry Mobile Flash and the Cherry Mobile Fusion Aura Play.

Here is the Cherry Mobile Flash!!

The Cherry Mobile Flash is an affordable mid-range smartphone with modest specs that includes an octa core processor from Mediatek, 5.5-inch full HD IPS display, 16 megapixel rear camera, 8 megapixel front camera, 2 GB of RAM, 4G LTE connectivity, a fingerprint sensor, and Android 6.0 Marshmallow out of the box. Meanwhile, the Fusion Aura Play is a 7-inch quad core Android Lollipop tablet with a built-in digital TV tuner - a feature that is rarely imminent since the Starmobile Engage 7 TV+. Anyway, the Cherry Mobile Flash is available in Cherry Mobile stores and kiosks for only Php5,999 while the Fusion Aura Play has a price tag of Php2,499.

Lenovo Mobile Philippines, on the other hand, recently announced that the Lenovo Vibe K5 is already available in concept stores and kiosks in different parts of the country. I can say that its specs and an affordable price tag of Php5,999 can rival that of the Cherry Mobile Flash with the exception of the fact that the Vibe K5 runs on Android Lollipop operating system. Besides, the Vibe K5 has a metal body and includes a Qualcomm Snapdragon 415 octa core processor, 5-inch HD IPS display, 13 megapixel rear and 5 megapixel front cameras, 4G LTE connectivity and Dolby Atmos surround sound technology.

Lastly, Kata Philippines has quietly introduced the Kata Drive, a 3G-enabled 7-inch Android Lollipop tablet computer that is designed for car drivers considering that it can be a driver's own personal assistant and has a friendly user interface. It is available in two variants, the 1 GB RAM/8 GB internal storage variant for only Php3,999 and the 2 GB RAM/16 GB internal storage one for just Php4,699, and it comes with a car dash mount.

I will end this edition of TrubeBytes with a sneak peek at No Man Sky for the PlayStation 4 which is slated for release next month and Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare which will be out on November for next-gen consoles and PC.