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    Soundfreaq and AIAIAI team up for club nights at Seventh High

    Headphones and speaker brands AIAIAI and Soundfreaq join forces to give you awesome weekend dance parties this Christmas season!

    Every Friday and Saturday night for the month of December is Soundfreaq and AIAIAI Club Night at Seventh High, Bonifacio Global City, where you can enjoy the mixes of DJ Marlon, DJ Toby, DJ Ron, DJ Buzz and DJ Steal in an all-night dance party. You can even get the chance to bring home your very own Soundfreaq speaker!

    For more information, you can refer to AIAIAI and Soundfreaq’s official distributor, Digits Trading Corporation, at www.facebook.com/digitstrading.

    RIM extends BlackBerry Academic Program to the Philippines

     

    Research in Motion (RIM) has extended the BlackBerry Academic Program (BAP) to the Philippines, providing selected universities with a curriculum that trains students in the development of apps on the BlackBerry platform.

    The program is now available for free in tertiary institutions across the Philippines. It gives educators access to some of the latest teaching resources and BlackBerry technologies, thereby arming students with knowledge and experience pertaining to the BlackBerry OS. This is done to further enhance their app development skills for the said platform.

    “Filipinos are a very important part of our global developer community so we are very excited to extend the BlackBerry Academic Program to the Philippines,” says RIM Managing Director of South Asia, Hastings Singh.  “Today, staff and students in institutions across the Philippines are using BlackBerry academic resources to prepare students embarking on careers and starting businesses in the fast growing mobile computing sector. We want to support the future generation of mobile software developers in this country and we invite more universities in the Philippines to become part of this global network.”

    Apart from app development, the program also educates students and institutions on the support of BlackBerry devices in the enterprise environment.

    De La Salle University, Gordon College, University of Santo Tomas and several other universities in the country join nearly 700 institutions in more than 113 countries in conducting the BlackBerry Academic Program.

    For more information on how students and institutions can enroll in the program, you can visit www.blackberry.com/academic.

    Brazilian manufacturer IGB Eletronica SA start selling IPHONE branded Android devices, ain’t afraid of no litigation

    It’s not a joke – Brazilian manufacturer IGB Eletronica SA has launched their Gradiente iphone Neo One in their home turf. The Brazilian company has registered the trademark IPHONE back in 2000 which legally means that they can sell their device under the iphone name in their home country legally. To be honest, the device doesn’t have a lot going for it – dual-SIM, Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread, 3.7-inch, 320 x 480 display, 700MHz CPU, 2GB of expandable storage, Bluetooth, 3G and WiFi. Not entirely earth shattering, but we think that there’s more to this than just device sales. Maybe the company is baiting Apple into litigation and possible settlement? Who knows.

    Source: Reuters

    Get a 20% discount on Urbanears headphones in the colors Rust, Forest, Cream and True White!

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    Looking for a nice Christmas present for your audiophile buddy? Here’s a treat from Swedish headphones/earphones brand, Urbanears.

    For every purchase of the Plattan, Medis, Bagis, Zinken, or Tanto in the colors Rust, Forest, Cream, and True White, you’ll get a 20% discount under the Urbanears Colors of Christmas promo.

    Although Urbanears products are available in several outlets of authorized resellers nationwide, the discount can only be availed if you purchase from the Urbanears concept store at the Podium from December 8 to 31, 2012.

    For more information on the products, you can head on over to their official website at www.urbanears.com. For details on the Colors of Christmas promo, please check out their official distributor, Digits Trading Corporation, at www.facebook.com/digitstrading.

    Images leak of an Android-powered interchangeable lens camera made by Polaroid

    The virtues of the Android operating system has not escaped the eye of camera manufacturers, as evidenced by the Nikon Coolpix S800c and the Samsung Galaxy Camera. Polaroid is supposedly taking things a bit further however, as evidenced by the leaks of a supposed Android-powered  interchangeable lens camera. Aside from the picture, there isn’t a lot of other specs on hand, although the upcoming camera is rumored to sport an 8-megapixel sensor, a 3.5-inch touchscreen, 10-30mm lens, a pop-up flash, HDMI output and built-in WiFi when it makes it debut in the future, most probably at CES.

    Source: Tech Radar

    Instagram backs down; Users still a bit miffed.

    This is an important heads-up for Instagram users. Just a few hours after a huge controversy caused by the photo sharing site’s new terms of agreement that said they would have perpetual rights to sell Instagram images without compensating the user that uploaded the shot, Instagram has relented and have said they will be removing the language that caused an uproar in the internet community this week. For those who haven’t been following this story, the now Facebook-owned Instagram put up a clause that said all photos on the site could be licensed by the site without paying or even notifying users. This clause would have taken effect starting the 16th of January, so the only way to opt-out would have been to deactivate your account. (Read the original CNET report HERE.) This could mean that an Instagram show of your kids at their favorite regular hangout spot could come out as an ad in some website or ad without your knowledge, making security a concern.
    As of yesterday, Instagram has issued an apology for their “confusing” language that caused that is apparently a misunderstanding. They are now working on clearer language that removes that little intellectual property problem and hopefully soothe any hurt feelings. Facebook’s purchase of the site was known to people as a move to increase revenue, and one is left to wonder whether or not they really meant to do this in the first place. It seems like it would be a really bold, sneaky move to try something like that but then again, revenue is revenue. The real repercussions or this massive blow to privacy and security will be seen over the coming days as we wait and see how many Instagram users start to march over to competitors such as Google’s Snapseed or Flickr. Read more HERE.

    The final Gadgets Giveaway for this year! And we’re giving away an awesome Sony Xperia Go! CLICK HERE!

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    This is our final giveaway for this year, and it’s a doozy folks. We are giving away an awesome Xperia Go, the latest Android smartphone from Sony. This water and scratch resistant Android smartphone is made to withstand active lifestyles yet still be fashionable enough to use everyday. Want to win this smartphone? Of course you do. Here are the rules:

    Like and share the photo above from our Facebook page.
    Like Gadgets Magazine (facebook.com/gadgetsmagazine) and Sony Philippines (facebook.com/SonyPhilippines). 
    Comment on the picture thread on Facebook on why you deserve this smartphone, and tag us (facebook.com/gadgetsmagazine) and Sony Philippines (facebook.com/SonyPhilippines).
    ex: @gadgetsmagazine @SonyPhilippines I want to win the Sony Xperia Go because __________________.
    Contest is open till 11:59 AM, December 25. Winners will be chosen later that day.
    Please leave your profile public so we can check if you followed the rules.
    This contest is only open to Philippine residents.

    Petron offers “Libreng Kape’t Balita”

    Early birds get to catch free coffee and news at participating Petron stations until January 8, 2013.

    From 6 AM to 9 AM everyday during the promo period, motorists who fuel up with at least P300-worth of Petron Diesel Max, Pinoy Gasoline and Regular Gasoline can avail of one sachet of San Mig Coffeemix and one copy of Bandera. Fueling up with at least P600-worth of Petron Blaze 100, XCS, Xtra Unleaded, and Turbo Diesel will give the motorist one free sachet of San Mig Coffeemix and one copy of the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

    To avail of the “Libreng Kape’t Balita” promo, the fuel purchase must be made between 6AM to 9AM. The free coffee and newspaper can be availed of only on the prescribed time, at the current day, and on-site at the participating Petron station.

    Only cash and credit card transactions are qualified for the promo. Bulk, PO and wholesale transactions are not eligible to redeem the free items. The San Mig Coffeemix sachet will be provided as a dry sample; cup and hot water are not included.

    Look for the promo signages at participating Petron stations nationwide and get your early morning treat of “Libreng Kape’t Balita” with Petron!

    Pinoys compete and win at 20th DEFCON in Las Vegas


    DEFCON in Las Vegas is a yearly gathering of hackers of all types, out to prove who is the best when it comes to defeating security systems and the like. This year, a Filipino team composed of Paul and Mon, two specialists from Chikka’s IT and Network Security Departments, participated and won in the Network Forensics Contest and Capture-the-packet challenges, where they analyzed a live network traffic environment and answered questions under a time limit.

    Hacking isn’t as dastardly as it sounds in mainstream media. Much like most things in this world, there are two sides to hacking – you have your black hat hackers who generally wreak havoc on systems on a whole and then you have your white hat hackers, who hack for the greater good. White hat hackers used by tech specialists to identify problematic areas in the system in order to solve them. In fact, the networks supporting IT services and apps that the public enjoy are maintained by IT experts and hackers like them.

    As for the duo, their personal message is this: “Hacking is not always a bad thing,” shares Mon. “We hope to organize more of these conferences and hackathons in the Philippines so we can help encourage the Filipino youth to develop and use their skills for the better,” he adds.

    BlackBerry 10 UI images show off Facebook and other apps

    BlackBerry 10’s January launch date is coming ever closer, and as is the custom with new OS launches like these, the company is looking to create as much buzz as humanly possible to generate interest. Vietnamese site Tinhte has managed to get their hands on an L-Series device before the launch and has posted an ungodly amount of pictures of the new OS in action, which include shots from popular apps like Facebook and FourSquare. From the looks of things, it really looks like RIM might just pull it off, although we’ll reserve final judgement when we finally get our hands on an actual L-Series device.

    Source: Tinhte

    New YouTube app allows iPhone and iPod users to capture and upload videos instantly

    If you’re a fan of instant gratification, YouTube’s latest app should be right up your alley, provided you’re someone who owns either an iPhone or iPod Touch. Thanks to the YouTube Capture app, you can now take video and share it straight to your YouTube account without going through the messy process of transferring it to a Mac or a PC. The app is small and unobtrusive, and Google says that even if you minimize the app in the background, it’ll still continue uploading your video. Android users should not feel left out, as Google has said that it will be bringing an Android version in the future, though it kind of baffles us why Google would release an iOS version first before releasing one for their own OS.

    Source: YouTube

    Final Fantasy series celebrates its 25th birthday

    Many gamers are familiar with the names Mario and Sonic, but let us not forget the birthday of the Final Fantasy series, the brainchild of game publisher SquareSoft (now Square ENIX). Final Fantasy celebrates its birthday today, December 18, and has spawned numerous sequels, spinoffs, and put the role-playing game genre on equal footing with the more popular side-scrolling fare that was dominant in the 80s and the 90s.

    Final Fantasy also made video game music popular through the efforts of Nobuo Uematsu, who composed many of the games’ soundtracks and also helped compose music for other SquareSoft games such as Chrono Trigger and has even ventured outside of video game music, composing music for the anime Ah! My Goddess.

    The concept of “Final Fantasy” came about when Hironobu Sakaguchi, the series creator, said, “After switching over to the Famicom, there was a time when I wasn’t happy with anything I was creating. I thought of retiring from the game industry and I created Final Fantasy as my final project. That’s why the title includes the word ‘final’ but for me, the title ‘Final Fantasy’ reflects my emotional state at the time and the feeling that time had stopped. They say that technologically, it’s good to keep going, and each time, we give it our all and expend our skills and energy until we can go no further; this is what I consider to be the ‘final fantasy.'”

    The series had a meager start on the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), but started gaining steam when SquareSoft started producing games for the Super Nintendo, and eventually cemented itself in the minds of gamers everywhere when Final Fantasy VII came out for the PlayStation in 1997. To this date, VII is still the top selling game in the series, with over 10 million copies, and has not lost its place as one of the premier role-playing genre series, although an ill-fated massively multiplayer online (MMO) excursion has left some fans doubting whether it will return to its glory days, although the series still remains strong in terms of commercial success.

    Hyundai Accent CRDi VGT arrives in the Philippines

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    Hyundai Asia Resources, Inc. recently displayed the new Accent CRDi VGT hatchback to their media guests during the “Sharing the Filipino Brilliance” event at Sofitel Philippine Plaza last December 12.

    Hyundai’s landmark design philosophy, “Fluidic Sculpture,” is evident in the new hatchback’s design.  Its 16” alloy wheels and a rear spoiler with a high mount stop lamp, the dynamic looking style of the hatch, not only creates a sporty profile from the outside, but also increases the life space inside, making it one of the largest in its class. The Accent also has 60:40 folding rear seats, increasing space for anything you may need to transport.

    The Accent’s Motor Driven Power Steering (MDPS) relies on an electric motor for accurate handling, reducing the car’s dependence on the engine to supply steering power, lessening engine load and contributing to better fuel economy. The steering wheel is also wrapped in leather, giving the driver a firm grip and control while driving, and you can even adjust the audio from the driving wheel, and tilt the steering wheel based on your preferences.

    The Accent is also the only hatchback in its class to be power-driven by a 1.6 CRDi diesel-fed engine, which has a maximum torque output of 26.5 kg/m at 1900-2750 rpm, powerful for a subcompact. It also delivers impressive maximum power output of 128 ps at 4000 rpm, all made possible through the Variable Geometry Turbocharger (VGT), which uses variable vanes that enable optimum air flow to the engine for optimized combustion.

    The new Accent CRDi VGT hatchback is equipped with safety features such as its rigid structure and high-tensile steel strength. This increases stiffness of the structure while allowing flexibility in terms of suspension tuning. This results in better balance between precision and ride comfort of the Accent hatchback while giving occupants extra protection on the road. Its braking system consists of ventilated front disc brakes and solid rear disc brakes with an anti-lock braking system. It also comes with dual airbags and electric heated side mirrors so you can clearly see cars approaching from behind.

    The Hyundai Accent CRDi VGT hatchback will be available in the first quarter of 2013 at Hyundai dealers nationwide, giving fans of subcompact cars what they need without compromising what they want.

    Apple sells more than two million iPhone 5’s in China in first weekend

    Tim Cook has got to be smiling today, as Apple has managed to sell more than two million iPhone 5’s in China in the first weekend that the device went on sale. It seems like China is going to be a huge market for Apple, and if you don’t believe that, you just need to compare the performance of the iPhone 5 in 9 countries when it was first offered, where it topped to five million sales. No doubt Apple will try to increase this sales milestone before the year ends – regardless, Tim Cook is going to bed smiling this week.

    BEIJING—December 17, 2012—Apple® today announced it has sold over two million of its new iPhone® 5 in China, just three days after its launch on December 14. iPhone 5 will be available in more than 100 countries by the end of December, making it the fastest iPhone rollout ever.

    “Customer response to iPhone 5 in China has been incredible, setting a new record with the best first weekend sales ever in China,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “China is a very important market for us and customers there cannot wait to get their hands on Apple products.”

    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 technology*—all while delivering even better battery life.** iPhone 5 comes with iOS 6, the world’s most advanced mobile operating system with over 200 new features including: Shared Photo Streams, all-new Maps app, Passbook® organization and even more Siri® features and languages including Mandarin.

    *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

    XL3gi0n Hackers bring down Justin Bieber’s webpage

    Seems like there’s a lot of people that’s not happy with the Biebs, and some of them have decided to show it. A group of hackers named XL3gi0n has brought down the Bieb’s webpage at http://justin-bieber.com/, and as of writing the site only shows a white page with default. It’s not entirely clear who XL3gi0n is and why the Biebs has attracted their ire (his music?) but some people over at their official Facebook page has made the tenuous link between the page going down and Bieber’s somewhat insensitive Instagram joke against Manny Pacquiao.

    Source: XL3gi0n Hackers (Facebook)