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    There’s a new Nexus tab in the works, and it’s coming this July

    Google’s breakthrough tablet, the Nexus 7, is about to get an update. The original Nexus 7  saw more than decent sales when it came out last year, and for good reason. The Tegra 3-powered device is a solid performer at a very reasonable price. Users snapped them up quickly and are generally quite pleased with what they get. It seems that Google is hoping to continue this success in the Tablet space with a new Nexus 7 this July, again from the same manufacturer, though with a Qualcomm Snapdragon heart instead of the Tegra one. The word online says the device will have a thinner bezel, a higher-resolution screen and since it is coming out in July, probably the next iteration of the Android OS, Key Lime Pie.

    Google is expected to continue with the very aggressive pricing for the Nexus tablet, and though sources are conficted about both the pricing and the fate of the current Nexus tablet, everyone is certain that we can expect an excellent device in a few months’ time. If you’re looking for, but not in desperate need of a tablet, you might want to hang on to your cash for  little while longer.

    All roads lead to the MIAS 2013

    All roads lead to the 9th Manila International Auto Show which opens tomorrow at the World Trade Center in Pasay City. This year’s MIAS promises to be its biggest showing yet, with a bigger floor area, and over 300 cars on display.

    Schedule for opening day is as follows:

    1000h- 1030h- MIAS Opening Ceremony
    1100h-1130h – Ford Car Launch (Wildtrak)
    1130h-1200h – Subaru Car Launch (Forester)
    1200h-1230h – BPI Family Auto Loans
    1300h-1330h – APE launch (Piaggio APE Xtra)
    1330h-1400h – Mazda Car Launch (Mazda6)
    1400h-1430h – Mini Cooper Car Launch (Paceman)
    1430h-1500h – Dong Feng Car Launch
    1500h-1530h – JMC Car Launch
    1530h-1600h – MAN/NEOPLAN-Truck & Bus Launch
    1600h-1630h – Peugeot presentation (RCZ)
    1630h-1700h – BMW/TRS presentation
    1700h-1730h – KIA Motors Car Launch (Carens)
     

    CATS Motors is also set to introduce the new Jeep Wrangler Moab, and for the first time in MIAS, Harley Davidson will also be displaying their wares.

    As tradition, UK precision driver and Guiness record holder Russ Swift returns to the MIAS for his precision driving exhibition behind the wheel of the new Subaru BRZ. Several shows are schedule every afternoon for the duration of the MIAS. Other event highlights include the Petron-MIAS Classic and Custom Car Competition, a photo contest and exhibit, as well as other celebrity driver appearances.

    Also happening tomorrow evening is the much awaited Car of the Year – Philippines awarding ceremony of the Car Awards Group, Inc.(CAGI). Also to be awarded are the category and special award winners. The Automobile Association Philippines will hold their “Driver of the Year” awards on Friday, April 5.

    The Manila International Auto Show is organized by Worldbex Services International, and will be held from April 4 (Thursday) to 7 (Sunday) at the World Trade Center and Philippine Trade Training Center.

    For more details, visit their website at http://www.worldbex.com/Event/Mias. Admission tickets are priced at Php 100.00

    Expand your vocabulary with Word Lab

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    If you like playing word games such as HangmanScrabble and Words with Friends and also want to expand your vocabulary, you’ll enjoy Bearded Man Studios’ first game, Word Lab, for your Android device. You’ll take on the role of assisting the Professor by creating words which are three or more letters in length before time runs out and the evil Killer Cube eats his own master. It is designed to test your word strength and how quickly you can create them under pressure, much like a scientist creates his own concoctions in a science lab. The longer the word you create, the more points are added to your main score.

    You can compete against your friends as well to see who has the bigger vocabulary—there is a leaderboard that tracks you and your friends’ scores so you won’t have to wonder who is losing to who. You can track who is on top for the day, the week, or overall. For each game you complete, you gain coins to give yourself an advantage in creating words. Some of the power-ups include Clue, which highlights possible letters to create a word; the 5x multiplier, which will multiply your score by five; Time Warp, which will add another 15 seconds to your time; Shuffle, which will rearrange the letters on your board; and Energize, which will double the value of each letter on your board. You can also purchase coins via in-app purchase.

    You can also use the coins to purchase different skins for the game if you want to change the appearance of your game as well. There will be more skins and powers as time goes along. It is currently available for Android devices, although iOS and Windows Phone versions are also in the works. For more information on Word Lab and the developer, you can visit their page on the Google Play store.

    Microsoft Windows Blue is officially Windows 8.1

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    Windows 8, which has been around for all of half an hour it seems, is getting an incremental update in a few months. Initially known by its internal name Windows Blue, its official name has been revealed. It will apparently be called Windows 8.1.

    While it initially seems a bit prosaic, this gives us a few clues. Firstly, that it will indeed be a small update to the OS, so don’t expect anything earth-shattering. It will have a few nifty features,  but it will basically be the same Windows 8 we have come to love (or hate). This also means that the guys over at Redmond have a few more updates to the OS as time goes by. It seems they are going roughly the same route as the Windows Phone OS and will be building the operating system over a series of updates rather than one big drop.

    The computing public should see 8.1 hit the usual channels late this year, while the developer release should be available at Microsoft’s BUILD Conference in June this year. Just between us though, we kinda liked “Windows Blue,” but as long as we get more of the same experience we have been seeing with the current iteration of Windows, we won’t much mind.

     

    Photo via ZDNet.com

    Could you have caused a DDoS attack?

    Orchestrating a denial of service (DoS) attack isn’t a simple task for an average user. There are multiple methods of carrying out a DoS attack. Anyone can be targeted—from your average individual user to the big names in the tech industry, such as Google. One of the most common methods is a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack, which floods a targeted server or servers with so much traffic that the servers will exceed the bandwidth allotted to them by their web host and thus become unusable because they can no longer accept new connections. The majority of tech-savvy individuals have (or should have) installed anti-virus software and secured their networks to stop that kind of activity. However, DDoS attacks still happen despite the presence of anti-virus software and secured networks—and you might have inadvertently caused one.

    How, you might ask? Your computer might be infected with malware. This opens up the probability of you and your computer being unwilling participants in a DDoS attack. You could have come across some links that you may think are legit—think you’ve won a free iPhone 5? That could be malware. Of course, it’s not completely your fault—malware takes on many shapes and forms, and companies who make anti-virus software also have the additional challenge of keeping up with the malware creators to counter their next move, which can be extremely difficult.

    The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) suggests that ISPs watch the point of entry into their networks, and even collaborate with third parties and even competitors to analyze where the malicious data is coming from. According to the IETF, their suggestions come down to the following: “Educate end-users of the threat posed by bots and of actions end-users can take to help prevent bot infections; detect bot activities or obtain information, including from credible third parties, on bot infections among their end-user base; notify end-users of suspected bot infections or help enable end-users to determine if they are potentially infected by bots; and provide information and resources, directly or by reference to other sources, to end-users to assist them in remediating bot infections.”

    Of course, you should also watch your own computer—keep it up to date with the latest and greatest in anti-virus software as well as regularly installing updates as they become available.

    Source: CNET

    Isuzu nationwide mall tour sets out to beat the summer heat

    Summer is here, and beating the heat is a priority for Filipinos around the country. Some may choose to spend time at the many beaches throughout the country or go to the highlands of Tagaytay or Baguio, but one of the best ways to beat the heat is by going to the malls, which is a tradition of Filipino culture.

    Isuzu Philippines Corporation (IPC) has launched the 2013 Isuzu Nationwide Mall Tour, which started on March 4 and will end on May 29. IPC is bringing its range of family-friendly vehicles to shopping malls across the country so that more Filipinos can check out the latest that Isuzu has to offer.

    “The mall tour makes Isuzu vehicles more accessible to Filipino consumers,” said IPC President Ryoji Yamazaki. “This series of activities should allow the motoring public to experience our bestselling models like the Isuzu Crosswind AUV, D-MAX pickup, Alterra SUV and others, and to let them realize what makes Isuzu vehicles popular among families of Overseas Filipino Workers, people engaged in small to midsize businesses, and even to those who use our models for personal and recreational pursuits.”

    The Isuzu mall tour schedule is as follows: SM City Dasmarinas (Cavite, March 4-10), Limketekai Mall (Cagayan de Oro, March 6-12), SM City Southmall (Metro Manila, March 13-19), Robinson’s Place Bacolod (Bacolod, March 18-24), Robinson’s Place Manila (Metro Manila, April 3-9), SM City General Santos (General Santos, April 4-10), SM City Marikina (Metro Manila, April 11-17), BrickStone Mall (Tuguegarao, April 13-19), SM City Pampanga (Pampanga, April 17-23), SM City Lipa (Batangas, April 23-29), SM Mall of Asia (Metro Manila, April 25-May 1), SM City Fairview (Metro Manila, May 4-10), Waltermart Gapan (Nueva Ecija, May 6-12), SM City Sta. Rosa (Laguna, May 8-14), SM City Marilao (Bulacan, May 14-20), SM City Lanang (Davao, May 14-20), SM City Baguio (Baguio, May 17-23), SM City Cebu (Cebu, May 22-28), and SM City North EDSA (Metro Manila, May 23-29).

    For more information, contact any IPC authorized dealership nationwide. In Metro Manila, Isuzu dealerships can be found in EDSA Balintawak, Quezon Avenue, Commonwealth, Pasig, Manila, Makati and Alabang. In the provinces, Isuzu dealerships are located in Isabela, Pangasinan, Cabanatuan, Pampanga, Bulacan, Cavite, Batangas, San Pablo, Bacolod, Iloilo, Mandaue, Cagayan de Oro, Davao and General Santos. You may also check out www.isuzuphil.com for other updates.

    Kaspersky Lab teams up with INTERPOL to fight cybercrime

    Kaspersky Lab, one of the world’s leaders in threat management solutions and developer of anti-virus software, has agreed to work closely with the INTERPOL Global Complex for Innovation (IGCI). The partnership was announced after a meeting between Kaspersky Lab CEO and co-founder Eugene Kaspersky, INTERPOL Secretary General Ronald Noble, and IGCI Executive Director Noboru Nakatani.

    The meeting covered cybercrime and emerging cyber threats, and also stressed collective efforts in the fight against cybercriminals to make the Internet a more secure place. Kaspersky Lab has agreed to send its top experts to the IGCI, and have also agreed to help with the IGCI’s capacity building efforts to increase the ability of law enforcement agencies worldwide to deal with cyberthreats in general.

    The IGCI will help international cyber police forces by providing them with the tools and knowledge needed to tackle the cybercrime threats of the 21st century. It will help identify criminals and provide innovative training and operational support for law enforcement across the globe. The Philippines is also a member of INTERPOL, and the Philippine Center on Transnational Crime (PCTC) houses Manila INTERPOL.

    “I am most pleased with the outcome of this meeting. I have been pushing for the creation of what I used to call an ‘Internet-INTERPOL’ for over a decade now, and at last it has finally come to pass,” Kaspersky said. “It should come as no surprise that we wholeheartedly support this initiative, testified to by our plans to second some of our top analysts over to the IGCI in Singapore. Soon cybercriminals will have nowhere to hide—not able to hole up in this or that country, as they have been able to up to now. The net is closing in on cybercriminals—both the proverbial one and the Internet.”

    “The strong support for the INTERPOL Global Complex for Innovation expressed by Eugene Kaspersky, the founder and CEO of Kaspersky Lab, will provide law enforcement in our 190 member countries with the expertise to generate actionable intelligence to protect cyberspace and to bring cybercriminals to justice,” noted IGCI Executive Director Mr. Nakatani.

    “Transnational crime cannot be fought in isolation, and drawing on private sector expertise and support against cybercrime is essential. Fighting cybercrime requires that law enforcement at both the national and international levels works with the private sector, particularly its forward-thinking technological leaders such as Kaspersky Lab, in order to keep pace with today’s cybercriminals,” said INTERPOL Secretary General Noble.

    NVIDIA announces GeForce 700M family of GPUs

    NVIDIA has announced a new series of notebook GPUs in the GeForce 700M series that will seamlessly and automatically maximize notebook performance—without any effort or input from the notebook user. These new cards in the GeForce 700M series are the GeForce GT 720M and GeForce GT 735M for the mainstream segment, and for those who need the extra power for tasks such as gaming, the GeForce GT 740M, GeForce GT 745M and the GeForce GT 750M.

    These technologies work in the background to save battery life, enhance the performance and enrich the visuals on the notebook display no matter what you’re doing—whether it’s work or play related. The new NVIDIA GPU Boost 2.0 technology will intelligently adjust GPU clock speed to maximize graphics performance, so you can go from a low-GPU intensive activity (browsing the web, Skype) to something GPU intensive such as playing games on your notebook.

    Another new feature is the NVIDIA Optimus technology, which will solve the problem of short battery life—it will switch the GPU on and off so it runs only when needed. There will also be dedicated software for the new GPUs, called the GeForce Experience, which adjusts in-game settings for the best performance and visual quality specific to a user’s notebook and will also keep GeForce drivers up to date.

    “There is an elegant simplicity to NVIDIA’s GeForce 700M notebook technologies,” said Rene Haas, vice president and general manager of the notebook business unit at NVIDIA. “You use your notebook how you want, and GeForce makes your experience awesome.”

    Manufacturers that will introduce GPU Boost 2.0 technology include (but are not limited to) Acer, Asus, Dell, HP, Lenovo, MSI, Samsung, Sony, and Toshiba. You can learn more about the GeForce 700M family of notebook GPUs at www.GeForce.com.

    Windows Blue has leaked online.

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    Windows 8 has been around for a little while now, and while most have made the transition with ease, there are some who feel that there is a little missing with Redmond’s new OS. Windows believes this most of all, and has apparently been working on an update to their Windows 8 operating system. While this isn’t meant to be a stand-alone OS (sorry, Windows 9 doomsayers), it brings a lot of updates to the current Windows environment. An early version of the update has leaked on file-sharing sites all over the Internet, so users have gotten a chance to take a look at what it is all about. Apparently, it will contain updates that allow it to have additional snap views instead of the normal small vertical bar on the side with a main one taking up most of the screen. Users will now be able to snap their apps into a new 50-50 view, sharing the screen between two apps down the middle, as well as four snapped apps alongside each other. A few default Windows apps will support this feature, but it seems like application developers will have to update their apps in order to support the feature. Other options seem to be geared more towards tablet users, including better SkyDrive integration for documents and photo uploads, as well as easier access to settings. There are also new gestures for the update, such as a swipe up to access all the installed apps, and a quick swipe gesture that brings up extra menu settings from the desktop.

    Windows Blue is expected to hit public beta in the next few months, with a release date sometime within the year.

    Parade: Tommy Hilfiger Summer Fragrances

    Tommy Hilfiger

     

    Invigorate your scent amidst the sizzling summer heat with Tommy Hilfiger’s
    newest line of fragrances, made to keep you cool, and fresh this season. For
    men, there’s Tommy Summer Eau de Toilette-a scent that is reminiscent of
    sun-soaked days and warm nights. With a quick spritz, you’ll get a whiff of pink
    Peppercorn, grapefruit, and ginger that blend to encapsulate the essence of the
    rolling waves and dazzling sunsets. Layers of red cedar and amber enrich the
    fragrance and induce a balmy scent that will linger amid the warmth of summer
    nights. Tommy Girl Summer Eau de Toilette, meanwhile, features a refreshing
    scent with a hint of waterlily, melon and starfruit. The heart of the fragrance is a
    blooming bed of gardenia and jasmine. The scent is made fuller with a touch of
    sandalwood and musk for lasting warmth.

    PHP 2,700 (1 OOml Tommy Summer Eau de Toilette)
    PHP 3,000 (1 OOml Tommy Girl Summer Eau de Toilette)

    First Published in Gadgets Magazine, April 2013

    Globe launches first online telco community in PH

    Globe recently launched the country’s first online telco community called the Globe Community. Powered by Lithium Technologies, the portal enables both Globe and non-Globe users to explore, answer and learn key facts about its products and services, like account-related concerns and service-usage tips.

    Users must simply log on to the website, click “Register” (or “Connect to Facebook”) and “Join the Conversation” in order to sign in.

    Globe President and Chief Executive Officer Ernest Cu says, “At Globe, providing superior customer experience is at the core of everything we do. Nowadays people turn to online channels to search for help on problems and concerns any time of the day or night. That is why we have come up with a dedicated forum that will be an avenue for Globe customers or potential customers to interact, discuss, and resolve Globe related concerns and topics.”

    Globe has also established a partnership with Lithium Social Web to facilitate quick response to inquiries and posts regarding Globe services on social media channels such as Twitter and Facebook.

    Cu comments, “Our partnership with Lithium, a trusted partner of some of the world’s most iconic brands, is a bold statement of our commitment to innovation in providing the highest quality support and service experience for our customers. What Globe has launched is a pioneer game changing social customer response in the Philippines and Asia Pacific.”

    Man-sized jellyfish robot to explore oceans

    It’s been common knowledge that we know more about outer space than our own planet’s oceans—something scientists seek to amend by sending a man-sized jellyfish robot to explore our oceans. “Cyro” weighs about 170 pounds and stands 5 feet, 7 inches tall—about the size of a regular human being. Cyro was developed by researchers at Virginia Tech using a USD$5 million grant from the US Naval Undersea Warfare Center and the Office of Naval Research.

    “Cryo consists of a central core of components in a waterproof shell connected to eight moving arms. Draped over this is a large and soft piece of white silicone, which comes into contact with each of the arms and remains flexible. Combined, the arms and silicone act as a propulsion system mimicking how real jellyfish move around,” Geek.com reports.

    Researchers at Virginia Tech also discussed options for Cyro other than just mapping our oceans—it could also be used to help clean up oil spills or keep tabs on more ecologically sensitive areas. Another reason that they developed this robot to take on the shape of a jellyfish? Jellyfish are proficient swimmers and don’t need a lot of energy to move around, so a robotic version of one will also use up less energy to move around the oceans, also allowing it to be eco-friendly.

    However, the project is still in the prototype stages—it is unsure when Cyro will hit the market or how much it will cost. But this could be a good step to exploring the deep blue sea and all the unknowns that come with it.

    Source: Christian Science Monitor

    Google Nose Beta out now!

    Google maintains its hold on the bleeding edge of tech with the latest addition to their Google portfolio, Google Nose. Nose is an app that allows users to identify smells through the application of Google’s tried and tested search algorithms, and a database of millions of scentibytes of smell data. They had apparently included olfactory sensors in the same vehicles that they deployed for mapping, and have since built a diverse database of scents and smells through the many miles that the vehicles have combed.

    Google Nose can work in two ways, according to the site HERE. One can either identify smells, the way Soundhound does with music, or sample any of the available sells Google has stored in their databases. The project is still in the Beta stage, so there are some bugs (users have reported wrong scents, but nothing major) and the supported device list is pretty sparse, though it should grow as the devs get hard at work on the technology. It might seems a pretty inane ability, but imagine being able to tell what ingredients went into your food, ebooks that actually smell like hard copies and melanoma diagnosis without the need for an invasive sample-taking. We imagine that this tech will be merged with the upcoming Google Glass project, to bring us digitized versions of the major human senses. The possibilities are endless, and we here can’t wait for it to get out of the Beta testing stage.

    Dutch Engineering student Boyan Slat might just have a plan to clean up the world’s oceans

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    Plastics are amazing products. They are more or less inert, are cheap to produce and last a long time. Sadly, that last characteristic makes them a nuisance to clean up. Sure, a lot of them can be recycled pretty well, but that is assuming they get disposed of properly. Far too much of the plastics we use in our daily lives finds its way into the ocean where they drift for years and years and years, wreaking havoc in the delicate ocean ecosystem.

    A 19-year-old Dutch engineering student, Boyan Slat, has just proposed what could be an answer to all that plastic floating around in our oceans, which he has called the Ocean Cleanup Array. The concept behind it is simple: tether two dozen sifters to the ocean floor, at places where the currents naturally deposit plastic debris, letting the water do the work for you. This will involve miles and miles of interconnected booms that will serve to snag and capture the garbage. It is simple in its execution, and there is a bonus: the plastic gathered by the lines can be taken back to land and sold, making the entire project profitable. By Slat’s estimates, the amount of plastic gathered by the project would make more than the total project’s cost.

    While this is a great plan on paper, there are a few things that need to be looked into, such as the effect of such large collecting stations on plankton, and the chance marine creatures could get snagged along with the debris. Still, if those things are found to not be a problem, this could be a great answer to the massive amounts of floating refuse in the oceans, and could prove a profitable endeavor to boot.

    Source: http://www.boyanslat.com/plastic5/

     

    Pioneer makes your driving experience smarter than ever before

     

    With the number of gadgets any individual has at any given time, keeping everything connected in a meaningful matter becomes more and more difficult. You have a tablet, a smartphone, a music player and audio equipment, all smart enough to get most of your daily tasks done. Pioneer wants to bring all of these devices together and make using them in the car a lot more straightforward with their latest device, the AVH-X8550BT multimedia receiver.

    This device connects to 40 major smartphone models on Android and iOS, and allows users to control compatible applications right on the console. The AVH-X8550BT sports game-changing technologies that build on Pioneer’s expertise in the market for in-car entertainment.

    “At Pioneer, we are constantly breaking new ground with our innovations, and this new product launched takes connectivity yet another step further in the market for in-car entertainment. We have improved on our Advanced App Mode to deliver the new AppRadio Mode, which sports connectivity with the latest iOS and Android-powered smartphones in the market today,” said Mr. Masayoshi Ishikubo, Senior General Manager of Sales & Marketing Group, Pioneer Electronics AsiaCentre. “With a highly convenient and responsive user interface, the AVH-X8550BT presents an ideal in-car entertainment solution for the modern, tech-savvy family with a wide variety of entertainment options.”

    Pioneer has built on their past experience to deliver AppRadio mode; the heart behind the AVH-X8550BT. This allows users to view and control certain compatible applications right from the 7″ WVGA touchscreen display on the car’s dashboard. This allows Android users access to their entire multimedia collection through the CarMediaPlayer application, and even launch certain apps such as Waze and Extra Mile, right out of the box.

    The device is compatible with a whole list of apps, ranging from navigation to internet radio, and even social media, further minimizing the need to interact with your mobile phone while on the road.

    iOS users are not left out of the AVH-X8550BT support list. Apple users will be able to enjoy direct access to more than two dozen smartphone applications optimized for in-vehicle usage, including navigational tools (NavGate Drive South East Asia and Waze), Internet radio streaming (AUPEO! Personal Radio), and direct access to their favourite social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter and YouTube) through the EC Touch application.

    The screen on the device is optimized for viewing, giving users the highest quality, and great clarity, even when away from their home entertainment systems. This technology allows even mobile-optimized video files to be displayed with increased brilliance and visibility on the screen. Movies, TV shows and even cartoons for the children can be played back with ease and clarity.

    The AVH-X8550BT also supports an expanded list of HD video formats, including DivX, h.264, WMV and HD, among others. To cater to different users’ listening and visual needs, the AVH-X8550BT also has dual zone support, where separate media can be played on the in-dash display for the front row, and headrest display(s) for the back row.

    The whole line of these new receivers from Pioneer boasts features that allow them superior ease of use, such as a simple Graphical User Interface, and large, easy to use menus for simple operation without having to spend all day reading through huge chunks of text. Users can even set their desired equalizer settings by simply drawing their desired EQ curve on-screen.

    The Pioneer AVH-X8550BT, along with the AVH-X7550BT and AVH-X6550DVD will be available over the coming months through selected Pioneed authorized dealers.