Semi-Auto Pistol shooters take great care in selecting high-speed, low-drag gear to make transitions, reloads and access to the ammo fast and hassle free. Revolver shooters have it a little harder, but here’s a little piece of kit by Kydex Manila that keeps your speed loaders right within reach. That’s a .357 Magnum, with speedloaders in a kydex ammo pouch. I’m not really a fan of wheel guns, but I have to admit that that’s pretty sexy.
Lenovo has unveiled their Windows 8, hybrid notebook offering for the consumer by way of the IdeaPad YOGA 13. The IdeaPad YOGA 13 isn’t new to us – it was first unveiled during this year’s CES, and now it’s finally here in our shores. With the lid closed, the IdeaPad YOGA 13 looks like a regular 13-inch ultrabook.
The display on YOGA 13 is a touchscreen deal, and has a native resolution of 1600 x 900. What’s different with the IdeaPad YOGA 13 is that you can flip the display all the way to the back, which makes it into a sort of tablet. A large one yes, but a tablet nonetheless.
Further specifications of the YOGA 13 includes a Core i7 processor, up to 8GB of DDR3 memory and up to 256GB of SSD storage, though all those nice specs come at a steep price.
For the Core i5, 4GB, 128GB SSD version, you’re looking at dropping Php 60,995. Lenovo Philippines says that the higher spec, Core i7 version will be coming in the coming weeks, although they have not said how much the Core i7 version will cost as of yet.
With the imminent launch of BlackBerry 10 and its associated devices next year, RIM is shoring up its app arsenal by enticing developers to create apps for the next generation OS. BlackBerry has already given developers a bunch of incentives already, and this new batch of goodies is aimed at sweetening the pot further. The most notable of the new incentives is the BlackBerry Dev Alpha C test device for developers who want to test applications on a BlackBerry 10 device with a physical keyboard and the Quality Apps and the BlackBerry 10,000 USD Commitment, which basically means that RIM would top up the amount an eligible developer earns on a BlackBerry 10 app to $10,000, if the app has been approved through the Built for BlackBerry program, and has earned a minimum of $1,000 over 12 months.
We’ve included the entire list of benefits below:
1. BlackBerry Dev Alpha C – developers can now avail of the BlackBerry Dev Alpha C test device for developers who want to test applications on a BlackBerry 10 device with a physical keyboard.
2. Quality Apps and the BlackBerry 10,000 USD Commitment – the Built for BlackBerry certification lab is now open. Developers can submit their apps for testing to earn the Built for BlackBerry designation, which will signify a high-level of quality for customers. RIM has also previously announced that it would top up the amount an eligible developer earns on a BlackBerry 10 app to $10,000, if the app has been approved through the Built for BlackBerry program, and has earned a minimum of $1,000 over 12 months.
3. BlackBerry 10 SDK Update – the BlackBerry 10 SDKs get their latest update today. The developer community has been providing feedback on the tools and this update will add support for installing the BlackBerry 10 IDE on Mac OS X, an update to the Visual Studio Plug-In beta, forward compatibility for BlackBerry WebWorks HTML5 apps, sensor and orientation APIs for BlackBerry WebWorks, and more.
4. The BlackBerry App Generator, powered by Mippin, can turn online content (RSS, Facebook brand/fan pages, blogs, online galleries, etc.) into a great looking native BlackBerry app within minutes. Apps built with the BlackBerry App Generator for BlackBerry OS 5, OS 6, OS 7 and the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet include social sharing organically, including BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) integration.
5. BlackBerry and Appcelerator Offer – RIM and Appcelerator are working together to offer developers a unique opportunity to port their apps with Appcelerator’s Titanium platform and be rewarded for their efforts.
Vitec Group—in partnership with Columbia Digital—showcased their various brands of camera accessories last night in a mini-fashion show at Republiq Club, Resorts World Manila.
Among the products that were modeled were tripods, monopods, camera bags and camera straps from National Geographic, Gitzo, Kata and Manfrotto.
Apart from the executives of the Vitec Group and media partners, noted professional photographers were also there to support the event, including Canon Crusader of Light and Manfrotto endorser Pilar Tuason, concert photographer Mark Terrence Sy and Nikon ambassador Ricky Ladia.
Products from the four brands were raffled off to media partners at the end of the event.
Yesterday TNS revealed the results of its study called TNS Mobile Life 2012, which were culled through face-to-face interviews with 500 mobile users in Metro Manila.
Not surprisingly, the study shows that the most owned and most likely to be bought device is the mobile phone. Although basic mobile phones and feature phones are still very present in the Philippine market, smartphone penetration in the country, according to the study, is high, at 34% in 2012. It’s interesting to note that the smartphone penetration rate in the Philippines is even higher than the total global penetration rate (30%) and that of fellow emerging markets in Asia (20%). According to the study, purchase appears to be driven by males and younger consumers (ages 16-40).
The study shows that the primary triggers of smartphone purchase and/or usage are access to MMS and Wi-Fi connectivity. Smartphone users also connect to the web in order to check their email and keep themselves updated in their social network. In fact, it has been reported in another TNS study that approximately four hours are spent accessing social networks through mobile phones.
Cost is revealed to be a key consideration, and thus presses the need for telecommunications companies to produce more affordable smartphones and data plans.
Additionally, the findings show that the mobile lifecycle in Metro Manila has decreased from 48% to 37% as compared to last year. This, according to TNS, sets the stage for increased smartphone penetration.
According to a study by market research firm TNS on the preferences and behavior of 1000 online users in the urban areas of the Philippines called TNS Digital Life 2012, Filipino netizens have an average of 440 friends on Facebook.
The rate has significantly increased compared to last year’s result, which is a smaller total of 171 friends. The study shows that teens (ages 16-20) are at the forefront of social networking sites, being the age group with the most number of Facebook friends. On average, Filipinos in this age group have more or less 613 friends on Facebook.
TNS claims that the average number of hours that Filipinos spend online is 11 hours, with 3.8 hours spent accessing social networking sites. Approximately four hours are spent accessing social networking sites through the mobile phone.
The study also showed significant findings on how Filipinos perceive and interact with brands online. TNS Managing Director Gary de Ocampo reports that on Facebook, 2.5 million of the respondents have “brand friends”, referring to the Facebook pages of brands which users “Like”. Four fifths (2 million) of these Filipino users claim that they actively talk about these brands online.
TNS Digital Life 2012 also revealed that Filipino social networkers believe that their voices are heard online. 70% of the respondents feel that posting comments online is an effective way to influence companies. 33% of the respondents are even scared of the thought that companies will be able to track what are being said about them online. 52% expect companies to contact them when they write something about these entities.
Results pertaining to brand criticism were also presented. 51% of Filipino social networkers believe that a single negative review could possibly impact consumers’ purchasing decisions. 68% of them praise brands, while 28% criticize them. Meanwhile, 48% of them merely share opinions on brands on social networking sites.
And just like that, both telcos now have their pre-order pages up and running. Smart has their registration page up and running, unfortunately unlike their telco rival, the company isn’t giving us clues of what it’s packaging the iPhone 5 with. This may be because they’re still trying to come up with enticing freebies to throw to prospective customers, or are just waiting to see how low they can go with their plans compared to their rival to ruthlessly compete with them. Whatever the case, mum’s the word for now – you can register your interest to find out what Smart is planning when it comes to subscription plans as December 14 nears.
Source: Smart
Lenovo, now the number 1 PC manufacturer in the world, has just let us take a look at their latest ultrabook, the Thinkpad Twist. It’s a sexy little ultrabook that runs up to an Intel Core i7 processor, has a HDD/SDD hybrid drive that gives you huge storage without compromising boot times, and comes with a large 12.5-in screen. On top of all of these features, it’s a fully-certified Intel ultrabook, so all the weight, thickness and power requirements for being called a full ultrabook are met. It’s 1.58 kilograms light, and 20mm thin. It’ll give you 7 hours of usable power, too. It runs Windows 8 out of the box, and as such, gives you 10 fingers of full touch action.
Lenovo also bundles their Solutions for small business that takes care of most of the tasks a whole IT department would normally have to take care of. USB port lockers, recovery solutions, warranty reminders are all handled automatically. This runs in line with the company’s goal of catering to their SMB clients, as well as thouse who aren’t quite so hardcore.
We got a little time to handle the Twist, and we have to say that Lenovo’s third entry into their 2012 ultrabook portfolio is a stunner. The Gorilla Glass screen is built to take the extra abuse the Windows 8 interface is going to bring. It might not be the thinnest ultrabook in the market at the moment but it’s certainly one of the more functional. The fact that you can switch from content creation, to media consumption and sharing is great if you don’t want to carry multiple devices to handle work and play separately.
The outside of the device is covered in a smooth but grippy matte finish that makes holding the device in tablet mode a very pleasant experience. It’s not as chunky as one might think, particularly when carrying it around in tablet mode, if this is a concern for those people who intend to have the Twist take the place of their daily tablet.
The screen is has nice viewing angles, and is great for sharing, and will avoid all the elbow-bumping that can sometimes accompany watching videos or sharing pictures with seatmates. Tent mode (imagine an upside-down “V,” and Presentation mode (with the keyboard oriented in a normal fashion, but the screen spun around so the lid faces the keyboard) are great ways to share media, and are the main feature of this new ultrabook. It’s a simple solution to a common problem. It’s so very elegant, and I love it. The execution is solid, and the device feels like it would last through some pretty rough handling.
The 3317u i5 will be available for about PHP 57,000.
Still looking for a gift for friends and/or family? You can visit select Globe stores from November 16 to December 16 to find a smartphone or any other gadget that comes bundled with any of Globe’s subscription offerings such as My Super Plan, Unli Surf Combo, as well as Tattoo Postpaid and Prepaid offerings at a discount.
Apply for a Globe postpaid plan that fits, and you can easily get a FREE smartphone like the iPhone 4S 16 GB (Plan 1799) and 32 GB (Plan 2499); Blackberry Curve 9220 (Plan 499), or a Samsung Galaxy Pocket (Plan 349).
Tattoo, the broadband brand of Globe, is also presenting offers that include huge discounts on your favorite tablets like the Tattoo Mediapad that you can get for only Php 7,800 when you enroll for a Tattoo Unlimited Plan 999!
Tattoo Prepaid Superstick is also available for only Php 2,495 with guaranteed savings of Php 1,000 while you can get the Tattoo Sonic Sticks for only P795. They can also avail of as much as Php 1,500 worth of shopping vouchers when you avail of a Tattoo Nomadic or Tattoo@Home plan.
For our Gadgets readers in Mindanao and the Visayas, you can now be up to date on information through Google Maps about Typhoon Pablo (Bopha) as it makes its way through the Philippines.
Google shows the typhoon strength or signal in different parts of the country. Moreover, the map shows the location of the eye of the typhoon, its track, and the location of the shelters all over the country. The map also shows the emergency hotlines and other useful information that Filipinos can use in helping residents in disaster-prone areas. Globe users can access information about the typhoon for free using Free Zone in their mobile browsers.
Pablo is the 15th typhoon to hit the country this year. Ten areas in Mindanao are already under signal number 3. It is projected to move west at 26 kph, according to PAGASA. For data on typhoons and other crises, you can visit Google’s Crisis Response page here.
Christmas is the time of joy and giving. It’s also a time when the most kickass games are released by publishers overseas! We’re giving away two(!) awesome videocards that’ll allow you to play all the latest games on your rig – and the rules are dead simple:
Only a few hours have passed since Apple’s announcement of the official availability of the iPhone 5 here in the Philippines and as expected, Globe has put up their pre-order page in anticipation for the oncoming horde of Apple faithful. Globe is also throwing in a couple of freebies for people who wants in, including 4 months of insurance, free underGlobe Gadget Care worth P1,596, free 1 year subscription to GCASH American Express Virtual Card, 0% interest up to 24 months installment with major credit cards, free and exclusive downloads of new Globe Mobile Apps, $5 shipping coupon (or Php 150 GCash for iTunes purchase) and up to 50% off on iPhone 5 accessory vouchers.
Source: Globe
Some of you might remember going online to talk to millions of people online on Yahoo! Chat on practically every topic you could imagine, or you probably went there to meet new people. Whether you made this a weekly (or even a daily) thing, it’s now gone—Yahoo! has decided to axe their public chat feature.
“Sometimes, this means we have to make tough decisions—like closing down features that we feel aren’t adding enough value for you. This helps us spend more energy on creating experiences that make Yahoo! the most fun way to spend your time,” Yahoo! said in a blog post. “With this in mind, we have decided to discontinue several Yahoo product features. This will enable us to refocus our efforts on modernizing our core Yahoo products experiences and of course, create new ones.”
Yahoo! Chat has come under fire as a place for pedophiles to meet underage children in the 2000s through user-created chat rooms. In 2005, users could no longer create their own chat rooms, and Yahoo! Chat was eventually restricted to 18 and older users. Along with public chat rooms, Pingbox and Windows Live Messenger interoperability are all scheduled to be removed on December 14, and some other features will disappear on January 30.
The Internet is a great place where a person has the freedom to take his or her opinion and have it heard by anyone with access. This freedom is something many of take for granted. We idly check our email, update our Facebook accounts, and tweet about the latest developments around us, but if we aren’t careful, all of this could change. The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) is an agency of the United Nations. It is an organization that has existed for a long time, and is responsible for coordinating global use of telecommunications technologies, and keeping a global standard in place so everything goes smoothly. There is, however, trouble on the horizon. This group is now meeting behind closed doors to basically determine the future of the Internet. The regulatory body on its own is a necessary agency, but the major problem here is that only governments are allowed to vote on the regulations that the ITU instates. This opens a route for countries to enact binding rules that can put an end to the Internet as we know it. The ITU is coming together to renegotiate a treaty that has stood for a long time, and while updating things is great, this treaty was created to regulate traditional forms of telecomunication, not something as new and complex as the Internet. Since only the governments have a say, censorship, tolls, removal of anonymity and many other chains that bind basic freedoms can be applied, snuffing out the very core of the Internet, which is the open sharing of information. Leaving out the people who can be most affected by these changes is a clear problem, as governments can effectively shield themselves from being critisized at the least, and at worst, muzzle the only voice some people have against an oppressive regime. As Google has put it, “Internet policy should work like the Internet– open and inclusive. Governments alone should not determine the future of the Internet. The billions of people around the globe that use the Internet, and the experts that build and maintain it, should be included.” We here in the Philippines Dodged a bullet with the whole Cybercrime bill (for now), but there is a new boss fight to win.
What can we do? Admittedly, we don’t have very much power over their decisions, but we can let our voices be heard. Do some research. (Here’s a quick LINK to the Cliffnotes version of the problem, thanks to a man touted as one of the “fathers of the Internet,” Vinton Cerf, via CNN.) A quick search will let you know what the whole thing is about, and if you feel this is something to which you want to add your voice, head over to THIS LINK, learn more about it, and speak out. We might not be heard on our own, but all together, we may be able to make a difference.
![iPhone 5 landing in the Philippines this December 14 [UPDATE: Smart and Globe says they’ll both be launching on the 14 as well]](https://gadgetsmagazine.com.ph/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/iPhone_5-768x768.jpg "iPhone 5 landing in the Philippines this December 14 [UPDATE: Smart and Globe says they’ll both be launching on the 14 as well]")
After a long, long wait, Apple has finally announced that the iPhone 5 will be landing in more than 50 additional countries come December, which fortunately includes the good ol’ Philippine Islands. The firm from Cupertino has confirmed that their newest smartphone will be landing in the country (and a multitude of other territories) on December 14, which means that you’ll still be able to grab one before the year ends. While both Globe and Smart has been mum about their plans to officially launch the device till now, we’re pretty sure that’s going to change sooner rather than later since Apple has officially given the launch date for our country – expect both carriers to announce the availability of the device on their networks soon. Check out the official presser below.
[UPDATE] We just confirmed from a Smart representative that the local Telco will also be launching their iPhone 5 on the 14th. We’ve been trying to confirm with Globe but as of writing they haven’t gotten back to us.
[UPDATE 2] And Globe has also confirmed that they will also be launching on the 14th as well, though both telcos has declined to comment on pricing.
iPhone 5 Arrives in South Korea & More Than 50 Additional Countries in December
CUPERTINO, California—December 3, 2012—Apple® today announced iPhone® 5 will be available in South Korea on Friday, December 7, with more than 50 additional countries being added in December, including Brazil, Russia and Taiwan. iPhone 5 is the thinnest and lightest iPhone ever, completely redesigned to feature a stunning new 4-inch Retina™ display; an Apple-designed A6 chip for blazing fast performance; and ultrafast wireless*—all while delivering even better battery life.**
iPhone 5 is currently available in 47 countries around the world including the US, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan and the UK. iPhone 5 comes with iOS 6, the world’s most advanced mobile operating system with over 200 new features including: Shared Photo Streams, Facebook integration, all-new Maps app, Passbook® organization and even more Siri® features and languages.
iPhone 5 comes in either black & slate or white & silver for a suggested retail price of $199 (US) for the 16GB model, $299 (US) for the 32GB model and $399 (US) for the 64GB model. iPhone 5 will be available through the Apple Online Store (www.apple.com), Apple’s retail stores and select Apple Authorized Resellers.
iPhone 4S is available for just $99 (US) and iPhone 4 is available for free with a two-year contract from participating carriers.
iPhone 5 will be available in South Korea on Friday, December 7 and on Friday, December 14 in Albania, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, China, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Ecuador, Grenada, Indonesia, Israel, Jamaica, Jordan, Kuwait, Macedonia, Malaysia, Moldova, Montenegro, Panama, Paraguay, Philippines, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Taiwan, Turkey, United Arab Emirates and Venezuela. iPhone 5 will also be available on Friday, December 21 in Barbados, Botswana, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Egypt, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritius, Morocco, Niger, Senegal, St. Kitts, St. Lucia, St.Vincent & the Grenadines, Tunisia, Uganda and Vietnam.
*Network speeds are dependent on carrier networks. Check with your carrier for details.
**Battery life depends on device settings, usage and other factors. Actual results vary.Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices with iPad.
Source: Apple