More
    Home Blog Page 1161

    We’re giving away two awesome video cards! Click on this link to find out how you can win!

    Gadgets Team
    -
    45
    We’re giving away two awesome video cards! Click on this link to find out how you can win!

     

    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:

    Like and share the photo on our Facebook page.
    Give Manli some love by liking their page at https://www.facebook.com/ManliTechnologyGroupLtdPhilippines and https://www.facebook.com/pages/Manli-Technology-Group-Ltd/160255003986384
    Comment below on what game you are looking forward to playing if you win either of these videocards.
    That’s it! We’ll be giving away 1 Manli GeForce GT 630 and 1 Manli GeForce GT620 to two lucky people. The contest will run until December 9, and we will announce the winners on December 10. You must leave your profile public so we can check if you did what we requested above, otherwise we will pick another person.

    Globe’s iPhone 5 pre-order page is now live

    Gadgets Team
    -
    0
    Globe’s iPhone 5 pre-order page is now live

    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

    Yahoo! axes public chat feature

    Gadgets Team
    -
    0
    Yahoo! axes public chat feature

    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.

    Want to keep the ‘Net Free and Open? Do your part.

    Ren Alcantara
    -
    0
    Want to keep the ‘Net Free and Open? Do your part.

    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]

    Gadgets Team
    -
    0
    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

    The Pope joins Twitter

    Gadgets Team
    -
    0
    The Pope joins Twitter

    Pope Benedict XVI has signed up for Twitter and is expected to post his first tweet December 12th. Tweets in English will be sent from @pontifex and will be mirrored in separate accounts using other languages, namely: Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, German, Polish, Arabic and French.

    “The Pope’s presence on Twitter is a concrete expression of his conviction that the Church must be present in the digital arena,” reads the Vatican’s official announcement of the matter (translation only; text is originally in Italian). “This initiative is best understood in the context of his reflections on the Importance of the cultural space that has been Brought into being by the new technologies.”

    According to a report by The Verge, the subsequent tweets are most likely to be sent by his advisors, but the first tweet from @pontifex and all the other accounts will be from the Pope himself.

     

    Possible ASUS ME172V Jelly Bean tablet surfaces on benchmarks, cheaper tablet option?

    Gadgets Team
    -
    0
    Possible ASUS ME172V Jelly Bean tablet surfaces on benchmarks, cheaper tablet option?

    The success of the Asus made, Google Nexus 7 might have encouraged the Taiwan company to come out with another, cheaper tablet as evidenced by all the rumors created by its entry in GLBenchmarks. The benchmark listing for the mysterious device lists a display with a resolution of 1,024 x 552 (possibly 1,024 x 600) with a Mali 400 GPU and 1GHz chip powering everything. The entire thing will be powered by Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, and though there’s still hard evidence for it, we assume that this will slot in nicely into the company’s entry level offerings if it turns out to be true.

    Source: GLBenchmark

    You like things that go “Bang?” Here’s the new KRISS K10

    Ren Alcantara
    -
    0
    You like things that go “Bang?” Here’s the new KRISS K10

    Some years ago, a company called Transformational Defense Industries (TDI) released a revolutionary new firearm called the KRISS. It was intended to be a showcase of new recoil-mitigation technology and was received more or less favorably by the shooting public. Just recently, TDI, now known as KRISS Arms, has just released the updated model of the firearm, the KRISS K10. It comes with the same vector recoil system, an improved stock, a railed front and simpler takedown thanks to a single disassembly pin. The Firearm Blog got the scoop on the new weapon at the FDS Nordic Stockholm defense expo in Stockholm. The gun will be available in 9mm Para and .45ACP. head over to The Firearm Blog HERE to get the scoop!

    Taiwanese engineers defeat limitations of flash memory

    Gadgets Team
    -
    0
    Taiwanese engineers defeat limitations of flash memory

    Here’s something you might not know about the memory in the USB flash drives you use every day to transfer files and programs from computer to computer—the number of times you can write and erase files and programs to the flash drive has a limit before it becomes unusable. “Flash wears out after being programmed and erased about 10,000 times,” said an article in the magazine IEEE Spectrum, although some drives are capable of reaching 100,000 and even 1 million write-erase cycles. The write-erase cycles degrade insulation and essentially make your USB flash drives into paperweights.

    Taiwanese engineering firm Macronix has proposed a “self-healing” NAND flash memory solution that can survive over 100 million cycles of writing and erasing files and programs, so you probably won’t have to worry about ever needing to find a new flash drive, ever. The workaround that the firm found was heat, although they admitted it was impractical at the moment despite its ability to heal damaged sectors. “The long baking time is impractical for real time operation,” they said, further stating they would need to heat the entire memory chip for a few hours at 250 degrees Celsius.

    They redesigned a flash memory chip to include onboard heaters to anneal, or alter the properties of a metal via heat treatment, small groups of memory cells. Applying a brief jolt of heat to a very restricted area within the chip at 800 degrees Celsius returns the cell to a useable, or “good” state. “The annealing can be done infrequently and on one sector at a time while the device is inactive but still connected to the power source. It would not drain a cellphone battery,” said project member Hang‑Ting Lue.

    Macronix estimates that the flash memory cells could beat the 10,000 cycle limit by lasting for as much as for 100 million cycles but a commercial product is not imminent. Instead, Macronix will present their approach—very high temperature in a very short time— this month at the IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting (IEDM) from December 10 to 12 in San Francisco. This is the forum for presenting breakthroughs in semiconductor and electronic device technology.

    Samsung leads the smartphone pack in the US from June to October, Apple follows in second place

    Gadgets Team
    -
    0
    Samsung leads the smartphone pack in the US from June to October, Apple follows in second place

    It’s been a good few months for Samsung in terms of mobile sales, and the latest comScore ratings prove it. comScore’s MobiLens service surveyed more than 30,000 US mobile subscribers and has found that Samsung is currently the top dog in the mobile world, followed by Apple with LG trailing behind. Samsung’s overall market share grew by .7%, from 25.6% to 26.3%, while Apple managed to grow 1.5% from 16.3% to 17.8%. LG slipped a few notches down, losing .8%, dropping down from 18.4% to 17.6%. Rounding up the list is Motorola in fourth place with 11.2% and HTC with 6%.

    On the OS front, Google’s Android OS still leads the pack with 53.6% with Apple’s iOS following close behind with 34.3%. RIM’s BlackBerry OS still sits pretty far from the pack at 7.8%, followed by Microsoft’s Windows Phone OS with 3.2%.

    OUYA development consoles will start shipping on December 28

    Gadgets Team
    -
    0
    OUYA development consoles will start shipping on December 28

    Remember OUYA, the mythical open source, Android based console that promises to upend the console business? Well, it seems that the company behind it is ready to ship development versions of its consoles to developers who are interested to make games for the new, revolutionary console. The console will start shipping on December 28th for the lucky people who managed to apply to get one, though not all devs will get a unit. Not to worry though – prospective developers can still access the OUYA Development Kit — or ODK, for short through the internet which gives them the tools to create games on the brave new console once it ships in 2013.

    Source: GameFans

    Hate blurred photos? There’s an app for that – free program that takes care of your blurred photos fast

    Gadgets Team
    -
    0
    Hate blurred photos? There’s an app for that – free program that takes care of your blurred photos fast

    Everyone hates blurred photos. Unfortunately, it’s one of the things that most would-be photographers will need to expect – there will definitely be days when the shot you thought was perfect actually came out a blurred mess. Well, Vladimir Yuzhikov would have none of that, and designed a new program that’ll somewhat fix your blurred photos to a certain degree. The program is called SmartDeblur, and it’s a no-nonsense app that’s free to download. Using it is pretty straightforward – you load your blurry photo in the program, use the sliders in it to monkey around the image to find the best result. While the program isn’t perfect (it can only work with whatever is present in the image itself) it’s still a useful tool for would be photographers who just can’t stand blurry photos. You can download the program at the source link below, for free.

    Source: SmartDeblur

    Walther to release a cheap(er) pistol sometime next year.

    Ren Alcantara
    -
    0
    Walther to release a cheap(er) pistol sometime next year.

    Here’s a little bit for the gun nuts out there. Walther is synonymous with quality firearms, from their dead-accurate target firearms, to the iconic PPK and p99 that James bond chooses to carry. The new Walther PPX looks to be a polymer handgun, and reports have mentioned that it will be a hammer-fired, double action only pistol that will be chambered in either 9mm and .40 S&W. It has also been mentioned that the pistol is a simplified version of the Walther PPQ, and does away with the lever-style mag release and replaces it with a standard button release. No exact word on pricing just yet, but it should go for less than USD 500. Watch the video HERE.

    Skype and satellite phones keep Syrian rebels connected

    Ren Alcantara
    -
    0
    Skype and satellite phones keep Syrian rebels connected

    While the Syrian government has pretty much shut the Internet off for the Syrian population, rebels have turned to a program that most of us possible take for granted with our cushy broadband connections and power mains. A New York Times post has reported that the rebels have used satellite phones smuggled in from neighboring countries to stay connected to the Internet and keep activists (and each other) updated on troop movements and other important comms. As any armchair general will attest, communication can be the key to winning or losing a war, and though the government has muzzled the general population, the report said rebels had anticipated this move and had since stockpiled hardware to enable them to stay connected. Though pretty barebones, it goes to show how a little tech can go a long way particularly in unorthodox situations. Read the whole TIMES report HERE.

    Microsoft unveils web-based app creator that makes it easy for newbies to make apps

    Gadgets Team
    -
    0
    Microsoft unveils web-based app creator that makes it easy for newbies to make apps

    There’s a lot of us who come up with great ideas for apps yet never act on it because of our relative lack of knowledge of programming. Well, Microsoft has just made app creation simpler with their new service, the TouchDevelop Web App. Now users can make apps for Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 just by using a web browser. The TouchDevelop Web App is an offshoot of the company’s TouchDevelop App for Windows Phone. Users will be required to log-in via their Windows Live, Facebook, or Google account to access the app on the browser. Once logged in, users can then check out the various tools and tutorials available on hand. And while the TouchDevelop Web App’s interface was optimized for devices with touchscreens, Microsoft has also made the tool available to people who also just use the keyboard and mouse. If you think you have a great idea for an app yet don’t have the programming chops to make it into a reality, you might just want to check this out.

    Source: Microsoft

    1...1,1601,1611,162...1,354Page 1,161 of 1,354
    LOG-IN

    © 2020 - Great Minds Media Inc.