Improve WiFi Coverage with Better Placement

To get the best internet coverage from your wireless router, place your device in an open position where there’s no obstructing materials like furniture, walls, and other items blocking your router. Another tip is to place your router in an upward position preferably on top and place the antenna/s in a vertical upward position.

Lastly, place your wireless network component far from other devices in the house that can cause interference, like cordless phones, microwave ovens, and other electronic items.

Extend WiFi Signal with a Repeater or use a Bridge

To extend your Wifi signal even further, use a wireless signal repeater. A wireless repeater is a stand-alone unit that is positioned within range of a wireless router (access point). A repeater will serve as a two-way relay station to boost your Wifi signal. Place the wireless repeater halfway between your wireless router and you can get an instant boost to your wireless signal strength.

If your wired device is far from the access point and you need to share your wireles connection over a couple of units, then you need to have a wireless bridge also called an Ethernet converter, which you’ll be using to convert your wireless signal and provide a few plugs for other wired devices.

Replace Your Wireless Router’s Antenna

Default Wifi antennas on most wireless routers can be removed and replaced with high gain antennas. Upgrade to a high-gain antenna that focuses the wireless signals in only one direction. This will be very useful in increasing the coverage strength of your router and aiming the signal in the direction you want.

Update Your Router’s Firmware

Updating the latest firmware of your router is very important to know the improvements and changes made by your Router’s manufacturer. These updates will surely help increase your wireless device’s performance.

Upgrade to Wireless N

A Wireless-G router may be the most common type of wireless device used these days, but upgrading your router to Wireless-N maybe one of the best choices you make in improving the performance of your wireless network. Wireless-N is two times faster than Wireless-G and it provides better range and stability, plus the additional security and easy-to-setup is an advantage. Wireless-N is also backward-compatible with 802.11a, 802.11b, and 802.11g so upgrading wouldn’t be difficult on your part.

Facial Unlock

The feature that raised the biggest question at the début was the facial unlock technology. Google announced that users will be able to unlock their phones with their face, since Ice Cream Sandwich will include facial recognition technology. Many people speculated that having a photograph of the person would mean you could have access to their cell phone, but Google refuted these claims unofficially on Twitter.

New Widgets Tab

Finding widgets on both Gingerbread and Honeycomb is a pain, as you have to long press and then scroll through a list of them. Ice Cream Sandwich does away with this by providing a new tab called Widgets that lets you access these as you would apps. You can scroll and arrange them just as you can your apps in your app drawer to make your most commonly used widgets easier to find.

A Customizable Launcher

One of the unique aspects of Android is that if you don’t like the stock launcher included by Google or the handset manufacturer, you can download a new one from the marketplace. Google has taken a page from the book of many of the launchers available in order to make the stock ICS launcher function differently according to the user’s preferences. This is the first time the launcher has been customizable in the Android operating system history.

Integrated Screenshot Capture

Screenshot capture support has been pretty spotty on most Android handsets. Samsung is the only official manufacturer to add support for the feature outside of rooting, but with the ICS update this will become a stock feature on all future phones. Simply holding the power and volume down buttons at the same time will take a screenshot that you can share.

Tabbed Web Browser

Dolphin HD has been a runaway success on the Android marketplace and Google has taken note and added tabbed support to its stock browser in the new update. While the new browser is still not officially known as Chrome, it adds support for up to 16 tabs open at one time. Speculation as to whether Chrome will ever be made available as a mobile version still surrounds this update as Google made some mention of porting Chrome but has not confirmed it officially in an announcement.

Photo Editor & Gallery

The final changes of note to the ICS update is that it will include a built-in photo editor for touching up photos and removing red eye. The gallery has also changed, as it is no longer arranged by photos found in your Picasa account, but rather by location and person.

This ultra-portable loudspeaker provides powerful dynamic sound and is easy to bring along when you go outdoors. The portable speaker has a built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery and a built-in 3.5mm stereo mini-jack cable for easy connect to your iPod and other mp3 players. The audio device is said to be engineered with the JBL Odyssey® full-range transducer, the stylish loudspeaker pounds out big-system sound that fills any listening space. A single battery charge via USB would last this speaker for about 4-5hrs of playback at minimum volume. One good feature about the JBL micro pocket speaker is it’s compact design and Pokemon like look, which really attracts young consumers looking for the best portable speakers in the market.

Features:

Compact, lightweight and portable
Rechargeable lithium-ion battery
JBL Odyssey® transducers with computer-optimized DSP equalization
Built-in 1/8″ (3.5mm) audio cable
Additional 1/8″ (3.5mm) audio input
Mini USB port with cable
Exclusive JBL Weave design

SRP: Php1,995

We found out that there’s an online store here in the country that sells the iPad 2 at a cheaper price and offers free shipping. The 2nd generation tablet, which is said to be thinner, lighter, and faster than its predecessor is being sold at EbuyStore at a very competitive price.

Check out their iPad 2 Wifi + 3G pricelist after the jump.

iPad 2 16GB WiFi (1 year official warranty) – php21,700

iPad 2 32GB WiFi (1 year official warranty) -php25,700

iPad 2 64GB WiFi (1 year official warranty) – php29,600.00

iPad 2 16GB WiFi + 3G (1 year official warranty) – php27,100.00

iPad 2 32GB WiFi + 3G (1 year official warranty) – php31,400.00

iPad 2 64GB WiFi + 3G (1 year official warranty) – php35,400.00

The CloudFone Ice sells for a prepaid price of P4,990 and free for Globe’s Plan 490. So if you’re looking for a cheap smartphone that’s running on Android, then I suggest you get to the nearest Globe center and grab a CloudFone Ice. Android phones are becoming cheaper and cheaper these days, which consumers nowadays are looking forward.

CloudFone Ice Specifications:

GENERAL 2G Network GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
3G Network HSDPA 900 / 2100
DISPLAY Type TFT capacitive touchscreen, 256K colors
Size 320 x 480 pixels, 3.2 inches (~180 ppi pixel density)
DATA GPRS Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 – 48 kbps
EDGE Class 10, 236.8 kbps
3G HSDPA, 7.2 Mbps
WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth Yes v2.1 with A2DP
CAMERA Primary 3.15 MP, 2048×1536 pixels
Video Yes, 352×288@15fps
GPS Yes, with A-GPS support
SNS integration
Google Search, Maps, Gmail, Talk
MP3/WMA/eAAC+ player
MP4/H.263/H.264 player
Organizer
Photo viewer/editor
Voice memo
Predictive text input
BATTERY Standard battery, Li-Ion
Stand-by Up to 300 h (2G) / Up to 350 h (3G)
Talk time Up to 5 h (2G) / Up to 4 h 10 min (3G)

Globe Cloudfone Price:
Cloudfone Ice SRP (Globe): P4,990.00 or free with Plan P499

Motorola Atrix 4G
The Atrix 4G was a bit of a gamble for Motorola. Instead of merely opting for one key piece of new technology, Motorola decided to take a handful of concepts and place them all on the same phone. This included their lapdock accessory, 4G speeds, and even a dual core processor. While it may just sound like a marketing ploy, the Atrix’sTegra 2-powered processor has been deemed the most powerful smartphone setups available and made the Atrix one of the top selling phones.
LG Optimus 2X
Just as the Atrix is Motorola’s premier smartphone, the Optimus 2X is the lead contender in the entire line of LG phones. The specs between these two phones are nearly identical and operate quite similarly. The Optimus operates on aNvidia’sTegra 2 (AP20H) processor. Each core runs at 1 GHz allowing for the seamless use of multiple programs at once as the Optimus was created to allow for a primary app or program to operate on one of the cores while all backup functions utilize the second core.
HTC Sensation 4G
The Sensation is one of the most advanced phones available in terms of Ghz, camera specs, operating system, and more. It operates on a dual core, 1.2 GHz processor and the Android 2.3 Gingerbread operating system. As for the icing on the cake, the Sensation 4G also boasts 768MB RAM and 4GB internal storage. The 1080p HD camera may be the selling point of most phones, but compared to the other hardware on the Sensation it is more of a sidenote.
Motorola Droid Bionic 4G
The Bionic 4G was made to look, feel, and operate exactly like the iPhone 4. This includes everything from the size and weight to the front-facing camera. The key feature that sets the Droid Bionic apart is the 1 Ghz dual core processor that runs the Android operating system. The Bionic also has 512MB of DDR2 RAM if the dual core processor was not enough. All of these specs are necessary to make this phone ready for HTML 5 and Adobe Flash.
Samsung Galaxy S II
The original Samsung Galaxy S was one of the top selling phones around the world. It broke the mold of traditional apps and features, instead opting to rethink the smartphone from the ground up. The Galaxy S II carries on this traditional as one of the most advanced phones that has ever reached the market. The 4G mobile broadband, 1080p camera, and stunning super AMOLED touchscreen could not run better with the jaw dropping 1.2GHz ARM Cortex-A9 dual core processor. The Atrix may be called the most powerful phone ever made, but the Galaxy S II might have something to say about that.

The HP Veer is said to run on webOS, the mobile platform developed by Palm, will be a sure hit on the market as more and more consumers prefer portability when it comes to mobile phones.  The handset has a 2.6-inch display with 320 x 400 resolution, runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7230 800MHz processor, supports Adobe Flash 10.1, and is capable of WiFi tethering so you can use it as a mobile hotspot anywhere you go. It would be awesome if the phone had preset Manny Pacquiao voicemail greetings.

Check out Manny Pacquiao’s HP Veer commercial and HP veer mobile phone specifications after the jump.

HP Veer Specifications:
Full QWERTY keyboard
Multi-touch screen
8GB internal storage
512 MB RAM
HSDPA 7.2Mbps, HSUPA 5.76Mbps & EV-DO
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth 2.1
GPS w/ aGPS support
5MP autofocus camera w/ LED flash
720p video recording
1.3MP front-facing camera for video calls
HP webOS 2.2
Li-Ion 1230mAh

The HP Veer smartphone is said to be out in the market sometime 3rd quarter of this year. So watch out for it!

The much awaited fight of the year Manny ‘Pacman’ Pacquiao vs. Sugar Shane Mosley will battle it out for boxing supremacy at the at the MGM Grand in Nevada Las Vegas. Watch Pacquiao vs. Mosley live stream via PLDT Watchpad on May 7 2011 at 9:00 a.m. Philippine time. Who do you think will win this bout between two tough fighters, who have  history of great knockouts in their careers? Will it be the challenger and underdog Sugar Shane Mosley, a former champion in 3 divisions or our very own Manny Pacquiao, who have defeated a lot of famous boxers and is now one of the toughest and highest paid boxers in history?

According to reports, The 39-year-old Mosley, a Californian, is 46-6-1 with 39 knockouts but has a loss and a draw in his last two fights. He dropped a unanimous decision to Mayweather in May and had a draw with Sergio Mora in September. Manny Pacquiao, who is yet undefeated during his fights between Dela Hoya, Clottey, Cotto, Margarito is the reigning pound for pound boxer and will soon become a legend in boxing history. Let’s watch Pacquiao vs Mosley live stream and see who among the two will reign as the ultimate boxing champion.

Watch Pacquiao vs. Mosley live stream after the jump.

Apple’s second generation tablet is now up for grabs at the Philippine Apple online store. The iPad 2 went on sale last week here in the country and now Apple is giving consumers another alternative on where to buy the iPad 2 tablet. Although orders bought at the online store will take 1-2 weeks of shipping time. Apple Premium resellers are also open to sell limited units starting today according to reports. You can purchase the iPad 2 at Power Mac Center stores in Greenbelt 3, SM Mall of Asia (MOA), SM Megamall, The Annex at SM City North EDSA and TriNoma.

Check out the iPad 2 Philippines suggested retail price below.

iPad 2 suggested retail price in the Philippines:
iPad 2 Wifi

• 16GB WiFi – Php23,990
• 32GB WiFi – Php28,990
• 64GB WiFi – Php33,990

iPad 2 Wifi+3G

• 16GB 3G+WiFi – Php30,990
• 32GB 3G+WiFi – Php35,990
• 64GB 3G+WiFi – Php40,990

Get the Black or White version with WiFi-only and 3G+WiFi models, with 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB capacities.

iPad 2 Features

The iPad 2 boasts an entirely new design that is 33 percent thinner and up to 15 percent lighter than the original iPad, while maintaining the same stunning 9.7-inch LED-backlit LCD screen. iPad 2 features Apple’s new dual-core A5 processor for blazing fast performance and stunning graphics and now includes two cameras, a front-facing VGA camera for FaceTime and Photo Booth, and a rear-facing camera that captures 720p HD video, bringing the innovative FaceTime feature to iPad users for the first time. Though it is thinner, lighter, faster and packed with new features, iPad 2 still delivers up to 10 hours of battery life that users have come to expect.

For those who are interested and planning to buy Apple’s second generation tablet, you may proceed to these select Apple retail stores:

Metro Manila Apple Authorized Premium Resellers:
Digital Hub Robinsons Galleria
Digital Hub Robinsons Place Manila
Digital Hub Market Market
Power Mac Center Greenbelt 3
Power Mac Center Trinoma
Power Mac Center Megamall
Power Mac Center SM North Edsa
Power Mac Center Mall of Asia
A Shop Podium
A Shop Eastwood Mall
iStudio Shangrila Mall
iStudio Bonifacio High Street
iStudio ADMU Campus Store
Switch Alabang Town Center
Switch Marquee Mall
Switch Ayala TechnoHub

Provincial Apple Resellers:
PowerHub Chimes Mall Davao
iStore Ayala Cebu
iStore SM Cebu
iStore SM Bacolod
iStore SM Dumaguete
iStore SM Bacolod

General Electronics Retail Outlets:
Accent Micro Festival Mall
Accent Micro Alabang Town Center
Electroworld Park Square
Silicon Valley SM Megamall
Silicon Valley SM North Edsa

Apple iPad 2 Pricing:

• iPad 16 GB WiFi = Php 23,990
• iPad 32 GB WiFi = Php 28,990
• iPad 64 GB WiFi = Php 33,990
• iPad 16 GB WiFi 3G = Php 30,990
• iPad 32 GB WiFi 3G = Php 35,990
• iPad 64 GB WiFi 3G = Php 40,990

iPad 2 Accessories:
iPad Smart Cover (Polyurethane) = Php 2,290
iPad Smart Cover (Leather) = Php 3,990
Digital AV Adapter = Php 1,890

If you’ve bought your new iPad, you might want to check out this iPad Video Tutorials.