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    Arnova releases 4 G3 Android tablets that meet all your needs

    Ren Alcantara
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    Arnova releases 4 G3 Android tablets that meet all your needs

     

     


    Tablets are slowly becoming a way of life for the digital consumer. This is great for Joe Public, as he has more access to more and more devices, and that device that is exactly what you are looking for is more likely to hit the shelves. Arnova is another manufacturer that hopes to provide just the tablet you need, whether you are looking for an entry-level device, or a top-tier tablet for content creation and media consumption.

    For the people looking for a simple, easy-to-use tablet, Arnova has the 7d G3. It’s a 7″ tablet that runs Android 4.0, a 1GHz processor and 1GB of memory. It comes with 4GB of internal storage, and is expandable to 32GB through a microSD slot.

    One step up from the basic model is the Arnova 8 G3. It’s aimed at ebook consumers and sports a 8″ screen with a resolution of 800×600. It has the same processor and RAM as the 7d, but comes with 8GB of internal memory, also expandable to 32GB via a microSD card.

    If you’re the kind who wants a tablet that lets you consume even more media on the go, Arnova has the 9 G3 that has a very generous 9.7″ LCD and resolution at a sharp 1024×768. It also has a 1GHz procesor, 1GB of RAM and 4GB of internal memory, that you can increase to 32GB thanks to an internal microSD slot.

    Arnova’s flagship is the 10b G3 that has a 10.1″ screen, the same zippy 1GHz processor and 1GB of RAM, and a screen resolution of 1024×600. it also has a 720p camera so you can make HD videos, even when you’re on the move.

    All 3G models have WiFi connectivity, front-facong cameras and microphones, as well as internal speakers and accelerometers, so you can use the devices in either landscape of portrait mode. the G3 family also runs on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, which ensures compatibility with a great spread of apps on Google Play.

    To know more about the devices, head over to the Arnova Facebook page at www.facebook.com/theelectronicsboutique.ph 

     

    Internetfreedom.ph seeks to pressure Senators to amending the Anti-Cybercrime Act, needs your help to succeed

    Gadgets Team
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    Internetfreedom.ph seeks to pressure Senators to amending the Anti-Cybercrime Act, needs your help to succeed

    The recently enacted Anti-Cybercrime Act has Filipino netizens up in arms, and for good reason: the libel clause included in the law is archaic, irresponsible and infringes on free speech. We feel strongly against this particular law, and we’re not alone. A group of netizens has created internetfreedom.ph, a portal that shows exactly where each senator who voted for the controversial law stands. There are two columns in the site: one for it and the other one for the senators who want it amended, and as of press time, there’s now three senators who want to amend the law: TG Guingona, Chiz Escudero and Pia Cayetano. Clicking on the pictures of the Senators takes you their relevant social media presence (either Facebook or Twitter) so you can message them directly to tell them your displeasure on the new law. This is important guys: the more people we have telling them that the law is terribad, the bigger chances we have in convincing them to amend the law. So, click on that link and share it everywhere – on Twitter and on Facebook. This is how the Filipino netizens fight back.

    Source: internetfreedom.ph

    Runners and cyclists flock Run, Ride & Roll for the Pasig River

    Gadgets Team
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    Runners and cyclists flock Run, Ride & Roll for the Pasig River

    Kapit Bisig Para sa Ilog Pasig’s “09.30. 2012 Run, Ride & Roll for the Pasig River” pushed through with around 70,000 runners and cyclists despite the heavy rain this past Saturday, 30 September 2012.

    “There were still a lot of people despite the rain. They ran in the rain, they biked in the rain. It shows conviction. If people want it bad enough, we’re going to clean the Pasig River,” says Gina Lopez, managing director of ABS-CBN Foundation that operates Kapit Bisig Para sa Ilog Pasig (KBPIP).

    The objective of the advocacy event was to raise PHP 14 million to start the clean-up in the esteros of Quezon City as part of the KBPIP’s seven-year rehabilitation program for the Pasig River.

    The event kicked off with 1,000 participants composed of runners, cyclists, and skateboarders who left the Quezon Memorial Circle (QMC) at 4 a.m., took a 15-kilometer route to Commonwealth Elementary School, and raced back to the QMC for the finish line. Then, there was the 5-kilometer race at 6 a.m., where the runners took on the route that started at the QMC going to the Tandang Sora Flyover and Luzon Avenue, then back to QMC.

    Among the runners were Senator Pia Cayetano, ABS-CBN chairman and CEO Eugenio ‘Gabby’ Lopez III, Gina Lopez, ABS-CBN Cable Channels and Print Media Group Ernie Lopez, and Kapamilya stars Kuya Kim Atienza, Matteo Guidicelli, Kim Chiu, Maja Salvador, and Xian Lim.

    The crowd was entertained by other Kapamilya stars, including Sam Milby, Venus Raj, Robi Domingo, Jovit Baldivino, and Marcelito Pomoy, at the the post-race program. The Quezon City Orchestra also provided musical entertainment to all the participants.

    Samsung Galaxy Note II hands-on, first impressions

    Gadgets Team
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    Samsung Galaxy Note II hands-on, first impressions

    We’ve been salivating at the chance to fondle the Galaxy Note II ever since it was announced in IFA a few weeks back, and now we’re happy to report that we’ve finally got a unit at our office. This is Samsung’s latest offering in the phablet domain, and to tell you guys the truth we’re really liking it a lot. This 5.5-inch smartphone is definitely one of the finest ‘droids we’ve handled so far this year.

    The externals of the Galaxy Note II is eerily similar to the Galaxy S III – putting the two devices side by side reveals just how much loved the original design of the S III. The Galaxy Note II has the same soft curves of the S III, and has the same button layout as the S III. The most obvious difference of course, is size – the Galaxy S III looks diminutive when placed beside the Galaxy Note II. The Galaxy Note II uses a 5.5-inch Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen that has a display resolution of 720 x 1280, a .2 inch size difference from the 5.3-inch display of the original Note. Despite having a bigger screen, the Galaxy Note II has a slimmer 0.3mm thinner profile.

    Externally, the Galaxy Note II doesn’t have a whole lot of ports – there’s a volume rocker on the left side with the power button on the right. On the bottom lies the ok key, which is flanked by two capacitive keys. On the back lies the 8-megapixel auto-focus camera with backlit sensor. Like the original, the Galaxy Note II houses the extremely useful S Pen on the back near the bottom right of the device.

    The Galaxy Note II is armed with a couple of proprietary technologies by way of the TouchWiz UI placed on top of Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. It has the same Smart Stay technology that was on the Galaxy S III which basically watches your eyes to determine if the device needs to dim the display or not, as well as the S Pen functionality that worked well with the original device. Samsung has done a good job in integrating Android 4.1 Jelly Bean with their TouchWiz UI, which is an improvement over the Galaxy S III. A particularly nice feature that we liked is that you now get more detail with them – mail for example, now has sender information and the subject line, not just a generic alert that you have x amount of unanswered email in your inbox.

    Specs-wise, the Galaxy Note II hits all the right spots – Exynos 4412 Quadcore processor running at 1.6 GHz with a Mali-400MP GPU, paired with 2GB of RAM. This means that the Galaxy Note II has enough processing power to get it through the most demanding of Android apps, whether it be games or productivity software.

    The thing that really made the original Note shine was the included stylus that did more than just aid people in writing. That particular feature is back, and Samsung has improved the S Pen in a number of ways. It’s now a bit longer – 11.3cm in length – and thicker – 7mm in thickness – which means users will now have a more solid purchase when writing on the 5.5-inch display. The Galaxy Note II also knows when the S Pen isn’t in its tray, and will notify users of this fact when you start walking away without the pen tucked in its tray. Smart.

    We’re sure we really haven’t covered everything that the Galaxy Note II has to offer, but remember we just got this unit today, so we’ll be doing a more in-depth review of the device soon.

     

    Nansulate Energy Protect insulation coating safeguards building surfaces and windows

    Gadgets Team
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    Nansulate Energy Protect insulation coating safeguards building surfaces and windows

    U.S.-based company Industrial Nanotech has announced their new clear thermal insulation and mold resistance coating, dubbed as the Nansulate Energy Protect. It insulates surfaces while protecting them from mold growth, moisture, and UV light, and is designed to increase thermal resistance of windows, walls, ceilings, and skylights.

    This eco-friendly and easy-to-use liquid coating can be used over surfaces without changing their look and can also be painted over with another layer of paint, as long as it’s water-based. The coating also frosts windows for security and lets through approximately 92% of visible light.

    According to Industrial Nanotech, you can simply apply it on any surface—including as brick, drywall, finished walls, wood, stucco and concrete, among others—with rollers, brushes or spray cans.

    For more information, you can head on over to the Nansulate website.

    PNP drops ominous statement on their FB page, is this the future of the Cybercrim Prevention act? [UPDATE]

    Gadgets Team
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    PNP drops ominous statement on their FB page, is this the future of the Cybercrim Prevention act? [UPDATE]

    There’s a big stink about the recently passed Anti-Cybercrime law, mostly about how it’s infringing on free speech and it’s the equivalent of declaring martial law online. While the law officially takes effect on Oct. 3, some government agencies have taken it upon themselves to remind people about the what the consequences of the new law would be. An unfortunate commenter on the Philippine National Police’s Facebook page found this out the hard way when the admin of the site took issue with one of his comments. Archie Arevalo negatively commented in one of the stories posted on the FB page and the admin of the page dropped a veiled threat referring to the recently enacted law, and we quote: “Archie Arevalo watch your word. Foul word against our police can now be use as evidence now to file a case against you in a court of law.” The post have since been deleted on the PNP FB page, but screenshots of it is now doing the rounds in Facebook.

    Now, if that’s not an ominous threat, we don’t know what is. The PNP’s FB admin also took it upon themselves to take a screenshot of the exchange and post it on their page for all to see, perhaps to serve as an example to others. There’s also a shared photo now making the rounds in FB wherein the PNP’s FB admin boasts that they now have the capability to track an owner of a Facebook account, courtesy of the PNP Anti-Transnational and Cyber Crime Division (ATCCD) of the CIDG and equipment provided by the US Dept. of State’s Anti-Terrorism Assistance Program. If this is true, this means that the PNP is using equipment, knowledge and expertise provided by the US for anti-terrorist duties to enforce the controversial Cybercrime Prevention Act.

    [UPDATE] This PNP FB account claims that the PNP FB page where the original post came from is not connected with them in any way. The original PNP FB account where the screenshots above were taken has mysteriously vanished, though several FB users are saying that until today, that particular account was posting updates about the PNP and other information about the law enforcement agency, which, to us, means that it’s a legit account used by the PNP to share information. You draw your own conclusions. We’ve attached the picture of the screenshot of the original page before it was taken down.

    Terra Motors brings top-notch Electric Scooters to PH

    Ren Alcantara
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    1
    Terra Motors brings top-notch Electric Scooters to PH

    Terra Motors, the leading electric scooter manufacturer in Japan, is taking the Bizmo electric scooter to Philippine shores.

    The industry giant offers electric bikes and mobility scooters that are, to date, top of its class and also provides repairs services of such vehicles. Only two years after its establishment, Terra Motors Corporation rose to number one with some 3,000 units sold in 2011. They have since moved their focus to the Asia-Pacific region, which is a rich market that, globally, has 80% of the world’s scooter and motorcycle market. 

    Terra Motors hopes to break into the Tricycle market by replacing traditional, noisy, smoke-belching motorcycles with clean, quiet, efficient electric models. The Bizmo, a 50cc electric motorcycle, which runs on a lithium battery that can be charged at any electrical outlet, will be first on the market. The Bizmo has a maximum speed of 60 kilometers per hour and a range of 70–100km kilometers on ECO mode, with a charge time of 6 hours from a conventional outlet. 

    Terra Motors CEO Toru Tokoshige said they wished to help “transform mobility and drive change by providing solutions to sustainable urban and metropolitan transport.” 

    Smart says “joint use” of Bayantel frequencies by Globe is ‘illegal’ [UPDATE: Globe issues official statement]

    Gadgets Team
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    Smart says “joint use” of Bayantel frequencies by Globe is ‘illegal’ [UPDATE: Globe issues official statement]

    Smart Telecommunications has sent out a press release today strongly opposing the “joint use” agreement entered into by Globe Telecom and Bayan Telecommunications. If you don’t know about the issue, here’s the quick recap – Bayan Telecommunications has had the rights to use the 1800 MHz Band which were assigned to them by the NTC for the provision of mobile phone services. But since Bayan Telecommunications doesn’t have an active mobile service, Smart says that under NTC Memorandum Circular No. 3-3-96 that states “an assigned frequency which remains unused for one year from date of issuance of permits and license may thus be recalled or withdrawn consistent with national and public service” that particular band needs to be reassigned or auctioned off to all interested and qualified applicants in an open and competitive bidding process.

    Enrico L. Espanol, head of Smart’s Legal and Regulatory Department said in a letter that “it is undeniable that Bayantel has not been using these frequencies for at least one year considering that it has not been providing any CMTS service to thegeneral public.  Consequently, these unused frequencies assigned to Bayantel should be recalled by the HonorableCommission upon service of notice and hearing.” He also said that under the law and jurisprudence the assignment of a frequency to a telecommunications operator by the government does not confer on the operator a vested property right over the frequency.  He quoted a Supreme Court ruling that states telcos “are merely given the temporary privilege of using them.”  He also said that the joint use deal of Bayan Tel and Globe Telecommunications would be an “enormous loss of government revenues as the latter would be deprived of income resulting from a competitive auction among interested bidders.”

    [UPDATE] Globe has just sent us their official stance on the position, which unsurprisingly, states that they are happy with the decision of the NTC. Atty. Froilan M. Castelo, Head of Globe Corporate and Legal Services Group said, “We are pleased with the decision of the NTC and rely on the validity and legality of the NTC order with regard to the joint use agreement with Bayantel.” He also said that Smart should have opposed the move of Bayantel of an extension of their license to provide CMTS services last year if they they had an issue with it, adding “the NTC decision granting the motion of Bayantel was also issued last year and has become final, executory and unappealable.  Bayantel is currently under rehabilitation and the rehabilitation court has ordered the preservation of all assets and privileges of Bayantel including its spectrum.  This is the reason why the NTC cannot validly recall their spectrum assets.”

     

    Nintendo Wii U will be region locked

    Gadgets Team
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    Nintendo Wii U will be region locked

    The words “region locked” are often bad for game collectors or people who import games not available in their area. As someone who has imported games since childhood, seeing those words meant that I could not sample the wide array of games available for my consoles. A fair number of games were region-specific, mostly confined to the following regions: NTSC-U/C (USA and Canada), NTSC-J (Japan/Korea, rest of Asia), or PAL (Europe/Australia). The “region locked” thing also applies to movies as well. To solve the region lockout issue, one often had to use workarounds that involved either software, hardware (adding a special chip or removing the region lockout chip from your console’s hardware) or even both. I chose to add the special chip, and although it was expensive, it was well worth it, as you could now access the full library of games available for your console.

    Nintendo announced that its upcoming system, the Wii U, will be region locked. Although this is no surprise as Nintendo has region locked all of its consoles dating back to the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), software and hardware workarounds have always been available to bypass Nintendo’s region lockout technology. “What can be played on the Wii U is restricted by a region-lock feature; software not sold in the same region cannot be played,” Nintendo confirmed to Japanese gaming publication Famitsu.

    By comparison, one of Nintendo’s competitors, Sony, has generally made their games region-free, which means you can play any game on any console. Microsoft has a similar policy to Nintendo’s when it comes to region lockout, but it is not as rigorous.

    Jaguar XKR-S launched

    Press Release
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    Jaguar XKR-S launched

    Gadgets was invited to the exclusive launch of the Jaguar XKR-S at Resorts World last September 27, and it proved to be one sexy car. Present at the launch were Jaguar Cars Philippines’ President Wellington Soong, his son Mark who is also Jaguar’s Executive Director, car enthusiasts and other media personalities.

    Said to be the most powerful and fastest series production sports car Jaguar has ever built, the XKR-S is fitted with an uprated supercharged AJ-V8 Gen III direct-injection engine that produces 550PS and 680Nm of torque and has a top speed of 300km/h. The XKR-S can go from Zero-to-sixty miles per hour just 4.2 seconds, while only emitting less than 300c/km of CO2.

    For more information about the vehicle, please visit the Jaguar Lifestyle Centre at the G/F ENZO Building, Sen. Gil Puyat Avenue.

    Cubify lets you customize your own 3D Android figure

    Gadgets Team
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    Cubify lets you customize your own 3D Android figure

    Want to express your undying love for Google’s ‘droid mascot but don’t want the same old boring green colorscheme? Well, fret not – Cubify has got your back. Cubify is a service that allows you to customize your own 3D Android figure, then print it out, confident in the knowledge that no one has the same ‘droid as yours. You can add a multitude of hats, accessories and even change the default color scheme to something else if you wish, then for a fee (depends on the size of the figure, biggest one is 3.5-inches and cost $39.99) your dream ‘droid becomes a reality and gets shipped to your door. Hey, now one said being different was cheap, right?

    Source: Cubify

    Hard drive difficulties over, shipments rebound to record level in 2012

    Gadgets Team
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    Seems like the storage sector has managed to overcome the difficulties that they encountered a year after devastating floods hit their manufacturing facilities in Thailand. IHS iSuppli is saying that global hard disk drive (HDD) industry has fully recovered, with shipments to the computer market expected to hit a record level this year, driven by consumer demand by the upcoming Windows 8 OS launch and the enterprise market. Just how much HDDs are the manufacturers looking to sell? Well, IHS iSupply predicts that they will be shipping 524.0 million units at the close of 2012, which is up 4.3 percent from 502.5 million units last year. “HDD shipments for computers will overcome a sluggish third quarter to reach record levels in 2012,” said Fang Zhang, analyst for storage systems at IHS. “The yearly rise in HDD shipments is the result of greater demand from the consumer and enterprise PC segments, both of which continue to clamor for disk space in order to hold storage-intensive media like music, videos and other forms of social media content. As downloadable media content becomes more readily accessible and affordable, so will the quest for storage space continue in order to satisfy unremitting demand. Meanwhile, the HDD industry has completely resolved disruptions to its HDD manufacturing and component supply caused by the Thailand disaster that struck one year ago.”

    Source: IHS iSuppli 

    HTC One X+ leaked again, minor spec bump, same overall look

    Gadgets Team
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    HTC One X+ leaked again, minor spec bump, same overall look

    Looks like the initial leak of the HTC One X+ was spot on, as the device was leaked again earlier this week. There’s more information available this time, as well as a photo of the new device and an official looking handout that contains the complete spec sheet of the One X+. The One X+ will use a Tegra 3+ AP36 with a 1.6GHz clock speed (or, in single-core mode, up to 1.7GHz) processor, paired with 1GB of RAM and 32GB of ROM. As expected, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean will be onboard when the One X+ launches though users who were expecting a battery bump will be bummed to know that the One X+ will still have the same 1800mAh battery as the original.

    Source: GSM Arena, Pocket Lint

    Tim Cook apologizes for buggy iOS 6 maps, asks you to use alternatives while they fix it

    Gadgets Team
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    Tim Cook apologizes for buggy iOS 6 maps, asks you to use alternatives while they fix it

    After all that hullabaloo with the problems of the default maps app on iOS 6, Tim Cook, Apple CEO has come out and apologized for the company’s shortcomings. On a statement released on the official Apple site, the Apple CEO said that they are “extremely sorry” for the frustration and the problems that the maps app caused, and they are doing everything they can to make things better. He then says that while the company is improving the maps app, customers should check out alternatives from the app store like Bing, MapQuest and Waze, or use the browser versions of the navigation offerings from Nokia and Google. This apology is a great step forward for Apple because they’re taking responsibility for the failed app. Hopefully they fix the issue and give iOS 6 users the mapping application that they truly deserve. We’ve included the entire text of the apology below.

    To our customers,
    At Apple, we strive to make world-class products that deliver the best experience possible to our customers. With the launch of our new Maps last week, we fell short on this commitment. We are extremely sorry for the frustration this has caused our customers and we are doing everything we can to make Maps better.

    We launched Maps initially with the first version of iOS. As time progressed, we wanted to provide our customers with even better Maps including features such as turn-by-turn directions, voice integration, Flyover and vector-based maps. In order to do this, we had to create a new version of Maps from the ground up.

    There are already more than 100 million iOS devices using the new Apple Maps, with more and more joining us every day. In just over a week, iOS users with the new Maps have already searched for nearly half a billion locations. The more our customers use our Maps the better it will get and we greatly appreciate all of the feedback we have received from you.

    While we’re improving Maps, you can try alternatives by downloading map apps from the App Store like Bing, MapQuest and Waze, or use Google or Nokia maps by going to their websites and creating an icon on your home screen to their web app.

    Everything we do at Apple is aimed at making our products the best in the world. We know that you expect that from us, and we will keep working non-stop until Maps lives up to the same incredibly high standard.

    Tim Cook
    Apple’s CEO

    Source: Apple

    UAAP leads in viewership, gate attendance, and online engagement

    Gadgets Team
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    UAAP leads in viewership, gate attendance, and online engagement

    According to a nationwide survey by Kantar Media, the UAAP basketball games on Studio 23 enjoy an average viewership of 124,690, which is more than twice the average viewership of NCAA. The survey also shows UAAP’s dominance in ratings when the two leagues had 16 simultaneous telecasts of games.

    The UAAP also enjoys great game-attendance figures in two of the biggest stadiums in Metro Manila—the SMART-Araneta Coliseum and the SM Mall of Asia (MOA) Arena. In fact, one of the most attended games was the second round meeting between the Ateneo Blue Eagles and the UST Growling Tigers, which was attended by nearly 17,000 fans.

    Aside from television ratings and gate attendance, the UAAP also continues to lead in terms of online engagement. UAAP fans everywhere have been very active in posting game updates, promos and conversations on Facebook, Twitter, and message boards like www.pinoyexchange.com. In addition, page views of www.uaapsports.studio23.tv spiked to 461,000 during Jeron Teng, Chris Javier, and RR Garcia’s buzzer beaters in one weekend. Live streaming also spiked to 13,736 online viewers per game during the UAAP Cheerdance Competition last Saturday.

    “The UAAP has the right mix of drama, action, and history that is so appealing to the Filipino audience. But the league will not survive if fans stop going to games to watch their teams live, or if they do not open their televisions to catch the telecast. The success of UAAP is because of them,” says Studio 23 head March Ventosa.

    Ventosa also shares that they expect the ratings to further increase as UAAP’s senior men’s basketball division enters the semifinal round (the “Final Four” round). Currently, the UAAP Final Four consists of the Ateneo Blue Eagles, the UST Growling Tigers, the National University Bulldogs, and the De La Salle University Green Archers.

    You can watch the Final Four games in HD on Balls (SkyCable Channel 167) or at http://uaapsports.studio23.tv. For blow-by-blow game updates, head on over to Twitter and follow @UAAPSportsTV.

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