This Week in Tech

Lenovo PHAB Plus, biggest phablet yet

MANILA, Philippines - Talk about an oversized smartphone! Lenovo is taking the phone + tablet = phablet concept to the extreme with the launch of a supersized smartphone called the PHAB Plus. Primarily a smartphone, the 6.8-inch device is literally large enough to be a tablet, and in many ways too big to be a phone! But Lenovo Philippines general manager Michael Ngan said the PHAB Plus was designed with millennials in mind, and it comes with a price to match – P14,995. If you’re into really big smartphones or want two devices for the price of one, the PHAB Plus is a steal. The phablet comes with 13 and 5-megapixel cameras, a 3500 mAh battery, and is dual-SIM unlocked out of the box.  

OPPO R7 Plus: An affordable premium phablet  

Oppo’s premium phablet, the R7 Plus, also goes on sale in the Philippines this week. The Chinese smartphone company ups its game with a six-inch phablet that is also one of their best-looking smartphones to date. The phone comes packed with a pretty decent spec sheet including an octa-core processor, 3GB of RAM, 32GB of onboard storage, a 4100mAh battery and a 13-megapixel camera from Sony. The very pretty R7 Plus also comes with a fingerprint scanner (albeit oddly placed) on its back, laser autofocus and fast charging. It retails for P21,990.

Periscope now supports landscape

When Periscope launched, it ushered in a new era of landscape video – the same way that SnapChat photos and videos are the same orientation as a smartphone display. And while recent YouTube support for landscape videos made it seem that an apparent shift was about to take place, Periscope recently announced it was also supporting landscape videos saying, with the new update for both iOS and Android, “You’ll never need to tilt your head to watch sideways video.” Make sure you update to the latest version. 

Facebook Dislike Button is coming

It’s long been rumored, and denied. But now it’s officially happening – the Dislike button is coming to Facebook. In a recent Q&A session with fans, CEO Mark Zuckerberg had this to say, “Probably hundreds of people have asked about this, and today is a special day because today is the day that I actually get to say we are working on it, and are very close to shipping a test of it.” Zuckerberg clarified the Dislike button was not going to be used as a mechanism to vote down posts, but more as a way to express empathy, or for cases where a like button would be outright insensitive.  

Sony A7S II, ultimate camera for video makers

Most of our videos on YouTube.com/GadgetMatch are shot using the Sony A7S, a full-frame mirrorless camera that’s made specifically for people who want to shoot great video. It’s a great camera and we couldn’t be happier, except for the fact our camera is now outdated. This week, Sony unveiled the camera’s successor, the A7S II. The update brings higher sensitivity of up to ISO 4096001 with wide dynamic range, 5-Axis image stabilization, and in-camera 4K video recording. The camera will be available later this month in the US and will retail for just under $3,000.

Fujifilm launches XT-10, the ‘ultimate travel companion’

Fujifilms’s retro-styled mirrorless camera, the XT-10, makes its Philippine debut this week. If you’re looking for a sexy camera that’s an “ultimate travel companion”, the XT-10 is one to seriously consider. The XT10 sports an APS-C sized 16MP sensor, has a built-in view finder, and has plenty of manual dials that will satisfy even the most “controlling” of photographers. In the Philippines, the camera can be had for P35,990 (body only), P40,990 with a 16-50mm kit lens or P44,990 with the 27mm kit lens. This special pricing is valid only until November 30.