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    Pinoy Blogfest 3.0 Update: Sara Black holds a digital photography workshop

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    Want to learn a thing or two about digital photography? Come to Pinoy Blogfest 3.0 and listen to Canon Crusader of Light Sara Black as she gives us some photography tips!

    Sara is one of the country’s leading beauty and fashion photographers. She has photographed models and celebrities for almost all of the country’s fashion and lifestyle magazines. This roster includes Dawn Zulueta, Kristine Hermosa, Maricel Soriano, Anne Curtis, Korina Sanchez, Imelda Marcos, Carmina Villaroel, Ruffa Gutierrez, Willie Revillame, and Former Vice President Noli de Castro. She released a book in 2009 entitled When I Look in the Mirror, which is a series of portraits of women with imperfections meant to expose society’s obsession with perfection.

    Catch Sara this Saturday at Pinoy Blogfest 3.0, where you will not only learn a lot—you’ll have loads of fun, too!

    Pinoy Blogfest 3.0 takes on the Digital Divide

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    Give each side a chance to air their story—that’s one simple solution to settle the feud between pro- and anti-Internet piracy supporters. Pinoy Blogfest 3.0, an annual event staged by Gadgets Magazine, aims to do just that. Everyone—no matter which side of the issue you’re on—is invited to be part of this instructive yet fun event, happening on Saturday, 22 September 2012 at the Alphaland Tents (EDSA cor. Chino Roces, near Magallanes MRT station) in Makati City.

    Pinoy Blogfest 3.0 is themed Caught in the Web: Both Sides of the Digital Movement, and promises a whole afternoon of exciting activities. Whether you’re a tech geek, a music buff, a gamer, a fashionista, or just someone who wants to learn and discover new things, we’ve cooked up something special just for you.

    The afternoon program is free and open to the public. It begins with a digital photography session courtesy of Canon Crusader of Light, Sara Black. Next on the program is a talk about Intellectual Property law by Atty. Ann Edillon of Bengzon Negre Untalan (BNU) Intellectual Property Attorneys. Diego Mapa of OPM bands Pedicab and Tarsius, and Mark Laccay from local creative funding platform Artiste Connect will also share how crowd funding can bridge the gap between consumers and content-makers.

    Color It Red, Downdraft, Taken By Cars, and Ciudad will be there for special guest performances. You can win gifts and prizes from our sponsors when you participate in various activities, including a fun segment by Edifier. You can also pick out awesome finds in our fashion aisle courtesy of Supersale Bazaar, while gaming rigs from Sony will be set up for those who want free gaming action.

    In the evening program, there will be a panel discussion on Internet piracy and digital rights. To give this interactive dialog are Filipino Freethinker Leloy Claudio, former IPOPHL consultant Atty. Mark Dy, and Engr. Jason Conanan from local band Hidden Nikki. Legal luminary Adel Tamano, Director for Public Affairs and Communication of Coca-Cola will be the evening’s Keynote Speaker. Concluding the program will be the announcement of the winners of the GoodBlog Awards, music from local bands Runmanila and Black Summer, and the raffle draws.

    The evening program, which starts at 6:30 pm, is a BIO (By Invitation Only) event. If you wish to attend, please visit www.facebook.com/GadgetsMagazine and send a private message with your name and contact details so the organizers can put you on the guest list.

    Pinoy Blogfest 3.0 is brought you by Gadgets Magazine and Coca-Cola, in cooperation with Edifier, NEO Laptops and AOC Monitors, and support from Canon Philippines, HP, Sony, Mili and Divoom, Ginebra San Miguel Premium Gin, Reebok, Supersale Bazaar, Artiste Connect, The Ateneo Musicians’ Pool, and official media partner Manila Bulletin. For more information, please visit www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph/pinoy_blogfest3.

     

    Pinoy Blogfest 3.0 Update: Artiste Connect talks about “crowd funding”

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    If you’ve been visiting torrent sites, you’d know that some of the most common types of content that are being pirated online include music and movies. Albums, films, books, and other kinds of art are made widely available online. But there are times that the manner in which these items are made available is against the law. When music and movies are shared through illegal channels, there are risks that the artists won’t get their proper compensation.

    There are, however, certain movements online that attempt to bridge the gap between consumers and producers of content. Online funding (“crowd funding”) platforms for creative projects have begun to sprout on the web, giving the consumers a chance to actually become engaged in the artists’ production of content. An example of such a platform is Kickstarter.


    In line with the theme of this year’s Pinoy Blogfest, we’ve lined up two resource speakers—Mark Laccay and Diego Mapa—from local artist funding site, Artiste Connect, to share with us how crowd funding works and how it benefits both the artist and the consumer.

    Mark is an is an Audio Engineer, Music Producer, Artist, Entrepreneur, Educator, and Art Advocate. He owns a audio post company called Click Multimedia Inc. and has won various awards for Best Sound in Cinemalaya 2007-2010. As an educator, he is the Curriculum Consultant for Audio Department of Myanmar Media Development Center and the Head Audio Consultant for MRTV4 and Forever Group Corporation Limited in Myanmar. Mark is also an Audio Consultant of yearly lectures on the correct audio practices for TV Broadcast Media and Cinema for ABS-CBN and GMA7.

    Diego is Artiste Connect’s Web Manager and the company’s Music Advocate.  He has been active in the country’s music scene since 1997 as a recording artist and live musician for local bands Pedicab, Cambio, Monsterbot and Tarsius. His band Tarsius is the first local band to press a Colored Vinyl Record in the country without a Vinyl release after 20 years, with the help of Artiste Connect. He is also a gig promoter and owns a private audio post studio.

    Catch Mark and Diego at Pinoy Blogfest 3.0 on Saturday, 4PM! If you’re into music, here’s a treat: three bands affiliated with Artiste Connect will be playing live at the event! These are: Color It RedTaken By Cars, and Ciudad. See you on Saturday, folks! Don’t forget to bring some friends.

    What you should know about iOS 6

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    The new operating system for the iPhone (3GS, 4, 4S and 5), iPad (iPad 2 and iPad 3), and iPod Touch (4th and 5th generations), iOS 6, is now rolling out worldwide and should be available if you update your software simply by going to Settings, then to General, and hitting Software Update, just as you would for any new updates to the iOS platform. However, Apple says that there are over 200 new features to iOS 6, and here are some of them.

    Siri returns in iOS 6, with a lot of new features. Did you miss a game and want to know the score? Want to know the reviews of a certain movie or restaurant? Open your apps via voice command? Just ask Siri, and it will tell you, and open the apps for you. For example, you can say “Launch Angry Birds” and it will immediately open Angry Birds. You can even integrate it with Twitter and Facebook, and speak your tweets and status updates into your phone.

    The Maps application has been completely redesigned, and will now include 3D imagery, navigation by TomTom, and will be integrated with Siri. The app is also integrated with Yelp, so you can see not only where a place is, but its reviews as well, so if you’re in a new city, you can find out not only where to go, but where to stay, where to eat, and interesting landmarks in the city.

    Facebook is also fully integrated into iOS 6. “Now it’s easier than ever to interact with the world’s largest social network. And there’s no need to leave your app to do it. Share a photo to Facebook right from Camera or Photos. Post your location right from Maps. Brag about a high score right from Game Center. If you have your hands full, just ask Siri to post for you. You need to sign in to Facebook only once, and you’ll be off and sharing. Never miss another birthday or get-together, since Facebook events are integrated into Calendar. And your Facebook friends’ profile information is integrated into Contacts, so when they update an email address or phone number you automatically stay up to date. Now that’s something to post about,” Apple says on its official website.

    On the new Photos app, you can stream your photos on Apple TV, and even share them with people who aren’t using Apple devices through the web. People can like individual photos and make comments on them as well. One of the big pluses to the new Photos app? Your shared photo streams don’t count against your iCloud storage, and they work over Wi-Fi and cellular networks.

    Passbook is brand new to iOS 6, and basically you won’t have to fish for things like boarding passes, movie tickets, coupons, or loyalty cards in your purse or wallet ever again, as they are all now in the Passbook app. You can scan your iPhone or iPod touch to check in for a flight, get into a movie, and redeem a coupon. You can also see when your coupons expire, where your concert seats are, and the balance left on that all-important coffee bar card. Wake your iPhone or iPod touch, and passes appear on your Lock screen at the appropriate time and place—like when you reach the airport or walk into the store to redeem your gift card or coupon. And if your gate changes after you’ve checked in for your flight, Passbook will even alert you to make sure you’re not relaxing in the wrong terminal.

    FaceTime also received its own facelift, as you now can use it over cellular networks as well as WiFi. Now that you can use FaceTime with iPad, you can use it any time, on any device. The new Phone includes the ability to decline an incoming call and instantly reply with a text message or set a callback reminder. You can even turn on Do Not Disturb mode and only let certain contacts contact you at any given time.

    Lost your iPhone? You can still find it via Lost Mode, making it even easier to use Find My iPhone to locate and protect a missing device. Immediately lock your missing iPhone with a four-digit passcode and send it a message displaying a contact number. That way a good Samaritan can call you from your Lock screen without accessing the rest of the information on your iPhone. And while in Lost Mode, your device will keep track of where it’s been and report back to you anytime you check in with the Find My iPhone app.

    Want to find your friends or keep track of your kids? Those who share their locations with you appear on a map so you can quickly see where they are and what they’re up to. And with iOS 6, you can get location-based alerts—like when your kids leave school or arrive home. Find My Friends can also notify others about your location, so you can stay connected or keep track of the ones you love.

    Smart fires back against Globe’s statement, says Globe performed “selective reading of the test results”

    Smart has officially sent out their reply to Globe’s statement, hot in the heels of Globe’s presscon earlier today. In their press release, Smart calls Globe’s interpretation of the NTC benchmarks as “a selective reading of the test results defies arithmetic, and, more importantly, flies in the face of consumer experience.” Smart says that according to the same benchmark, they managed to rate higher in four of the five parameters, which include  1) Drop Call Rate; 2) Call Set Up Time; 3) Average Signal Quality; and 4) Average Receive Signal Level.

    Smart also accuses Globe of manipulating the test results, which concerns the Average Receive Signal Level. Basically Smart is saying that Globe mentioned in their statement that “the final metric is the Average Receive Signal Level with a minimum acceptable range of -85 dBm,” and that both telcos did not make it to the standard.

    This isn’t true, says Smart as both telcos actually passed the standard, with Globe registering a score of -69.83 dBm, while Smart had decisively better results, at -62.63 dBm. This particular parameter deals directly with signal strength, and Smart stresses that their signal level is five times stronger than Globe’s.

     

     

    Globe says their legacy network better than Smart’s upgraded network

    The network wars is heating up. Globe has given us a heads up yesterday that a recent NTC benchmark has said that Globe’s legacy network is better than Smart’s upgraded network when it comes to the Grade of Service. Grade of Service or Call Setup Failure Rate is touted as the most important metric in the telco industry, as this particular metric determines if you will be able to call whoever you want. Globe has managed to nab 4.45% (lower is better) while Smart got 9.95%.  Globe says that this score was achieved  using Globe’s legacy network, while Smart’s score was achieved using their upgraded network. By the way, both networks have failed that particular metric – NTC’s standard is 4%, so it’s fair to say that both have failed on that particular metric, it’s just that Globe failed closer to the passing grade than Smart.

    Understandably, Ernest Cu, President CEO has lashed out against the negative ads that Smart has been running lately, saying that there’s a bigger chance of you not being able to call on the other network than on theirs. He adds “We know our network isn’t perfect, but that’s the reason why we’re spending 700 million dollars to improve our network.” The NTC benchmark was made during the second quarter of the year, in 16 cities in Metro Manila using network drive tests with a sample size of 1,506 on-net calls. Cu adds that it’s important to note that even though Globe only managed to get one metric up on Smart, they’re pretty much on parity with Smart on 3 of the other metrics (there are five including the CSFR).

    As for the attack ads against Globe, Cu shrugged it off and said “when you spend 250 million pesos for those ads about this issue, you’ll end up sensitizing the public.”

     

     

    Smiley emoticon celebrates its 30th birthday

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    You see it almost everywhere on the Internet and text messaging. You put it in your texts, Facebook messages, and tweets to your friends or followers for sometimes no particular reason at all. However, the smiley emoticon has been around a lot longer than the commercial Internet.

    In 1982, Carnegie Mellon’s Computer Science department were using Internet bulletin boards, the precursor to today’s Internet forum, where faculty, staff, and students could hold discussions. Many of the posts were serious: talk announcements, requests for information, and things like “I’ve just found a ring in the fifth-floor men’s room. Who does it belong to?” Everything you see today on Internet forums, such as flame wars, off-topic comments and controversial opinions, were all part of the bulletin board society back in the early 1980s.

    However, the bulletin board also had humorous material as well, despite the fact that the Internet was just restricted to a few industries back then. The problem was that if someone made a sarcastic remark, a few readers would fail to get the joke, and seriously respond to the remark. That would stir up more people with more responses, and soon the original thread of the discussion was buried. In at least one case, a humorous remark was interpreted by someone as a serious safety warning.

    Then came the smiley emoticon, and emoticons in general, and Scott Fahlman and his colleagues are generally thought to have invented the smiley emoticon. Once the smiley emoticon started gaining common use in Carnegie Mellon, other universities caught on as well because universities were one of the few places to have Internet access in the 1980s. “I do remember writing a longer message in which I explained the need for a humor-marker in more detail, and suggested the :-) symbol, along with :-( to indicate anger or real unhappiness. But this longer message must have come later–perhaps a later bboard post or an E-mail message that I sent to someone. In any case, that more detailed post did not turn up in our search,” Fahlman said. “Within a few months, we started seeing the lists with dozens of ‘smilies’: open-mouthed surprise, person wearing glasses, Abraham Lincoln, Santa Claus, the pope, and so on. Producing such clever compilations has become a serious hobby for some people. But only my two original smilies, plus the ‘winky’ ;-) and the ‘noseless’ variants seem to be in common use for actual communication. It’s interesting to note that Microsoft and AOL now intercept these character strings and turn them into little pictures.”

    “Some people have told me that the :-) or :) convention was used by teletype operators in the old days. Maybe so. I haven’t seen any examples of this, but it’s plausible, given the limitations of the character set in that medium. So, the smiley idea may have appeared and disappeared a few times before my 1982 post, but it is pretty clear from the timing that my suggestion was the one that finally took hold, spread around the world, and spawned thousands of variations,” Fahlman also said, noting that even though he didn’t necessarily “invent” the smiley emoticon, but at least he made it popular.

    HTC announces Windows Phone 8S – 1GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4, 4-inch WVGA display

    Along with the top-tier Windows Phone 8X, HTC also announced the lower specc’d Windows Phone 8S today. This particular smartphone will have a 4-inch, WVGA display, and will be powered by a 1GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor with 512 of RAM. Storage-wise, you’re looking at a measly 4GB, but you’ll be able to increase that by stuffing in a microSD card.

    There’s a 1,700mAh battery inside the WP 8S, which should keep everything running for a good long while considering the hardware isn’t exactly power hungry. Imaging-wise, you’re looking at a 5-megapixel camera, and there’s an obvious omission of a front-facing camera, so if you’re looking for a smartphone to do video chat with, this ain’t it. Still, the WP 8S looks pretty ace, and we wouldn’t mind owning one of these when it drops later on in November. No price has been set yet.

     

    HTC officially announces Windows Phone 8X – 4.3-inch 720 display, dual-core S4 with LTE

    Seems that Microsoft has gone the way of Google when it comes to promoting its next mobile OS, and has partnered with an OEM to produce a Windows branded smartphone. That lucky OEM is HTC, and their collaboration with Windows has produced the Windows Phone 8X. The WP 8X bears a lot of top-tier hardware: a dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor with 1GB of RAM, 16GB of internal memory, NFC capability and a meaty 1,800mAh battery. This particular smartphone will be packing a 4.3-inch 1280×720 Super LCD 2 display with Gorilla Glass 2, and will sport LTE – though it’ll only be for the States for now.

    Looking at the WP 8X, it’s clear it looks familiar to Nokia’s own polycarbonate offerings, and is constructed out of polycarbonate plastic. The WP 8X will also pack Beats Audio with a built-in amplifier, as well as an 8-megapixel camera with continous shooting capability, as well as a 2.1-megapixel front-facing camera. The firm has announced that the device will hit on November for 150 carriers worldwide.

    Lenovo outs ultraportable notebooks IdeaPad S300 and S400, gives portable computing back to the masses

    While Intel’s ultrabook category is fantastic, not a lot of people have enough scratch to buy these impossibly thin and light notebooks. At least, that’s how Lenovo looks at it, and as a result has created the IdeaPad S300 and S400 line of notebooks. While these notebooks aren’t officially classed ultrabooks (they’re not thin enough to go under Intel’s prescribed 22mm limit of thickness, and they both don’t use hybrid storage) these notebooks are still thin and light enough for most people yet still have a price that most people can live with.

    Both devices will have different configurations when it comes the processor inside, and both roughly have the same specs: 4GB DDR3 memory, built-in graphics, 500GB HDD, USB 3.0 ports and HDMI capability. Possibly the only difference between the two are color options and screen size: the IdeaPad S300 is a 13.3-inch deal, while the IdeaPad S400 is a 14-incher. Here’s the best part: the IdeaPad S300 starts at Php 21,995 for the Intel Pentium model, while the IdeaPad S400 starts at Php 24,995 for the Core i3 model.

    Pinoy Blogfest 3.0 Update: IP attorney Ann Edillon gives the lowdown on the legal side

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    Curious to know more about our country’s Intellectual Property Law, copyright, patenting, and the newly-passed Anti-Cybercrime Law? If you want to get to know the legal side of the Internet piracy issue, Atty. Ann Edillon is just the person who can help you out.

    Ann Edillon is an Intellectual Property lawyer with Bengzon Negre Untalan Intellectual Property Attorneys, among other things. As an intellectual property attorney she defends creativity, imagination, expression, and innovativeness. She earned her Juris Doctor degree from the University of the Philippines and is a member of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines. Aside from her passion for law and justice, she is also a licensed medical doctor and helps in fighting for good health and safe medicine. In her free time, she enjoys playing Diablo 2, reading fantasy novels, and watching Star Trek: The Next Generation re-runs.

    Catch Atty. Edillon at Pinoy Blogfest 3.0 on Saturday at 2:30PM! Click on this link to see what other interesting discussions and exciting activities we have in store for you at our event. See you there!

    Humble Indie Bundle 6 has landed, set the price you want for 5 awesome Indie games! (6 if you beat the average)

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    The Humble Indie Bundle is back, and just like before, you’ll be able to set the price that you want for five fantastic indie games. This time ’round, the games on tap are Torchlight, Vessel, S.P.A.Z., Shatter and Rochard. Beat the average price for the bundle (which at writing stands at $5.71, which just barely Php 300) and you’ll also get the amazing side-scroller Dustforce. The inclusion of Dustforce alone makes this particular bundle an amazing value for money – when have you ever had the chance to play a janitor/cleanliness engineer to battle evil? Right? Okay. That’s settled then – this set is awesome, and you should buy it not just because it gives you access to 6 amazing indie games – you’ll also be helping out gamer funded charities and the EFF. You still have 13 days till the sale runs out, and really, what’s a few bucks for great games and a great cause, right? Have a go at it right here: https://www.humblebundle.com/

     

    Why your WiFi connection is slow

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    Have you ever tried to connect to a WiFi network at a coffee shop, mall, or even the confines of your own home, but couldn’t? Even if you did get a connection, was it painstakingly slow? Ever tried watching a YouTube video on your smartphone, tablet or laptop, only to have it buffer every few seconds? Are you a gamer and constantly lag when you’re playing? Want to download files and programs from the Internet, but that green bar denoting your download progress is moving at a snail’s pace? This article from the Wall Street Journal and the above image outlines why.

    Let’s say that the subscription to your ISP promises up to 300 mbps Internet speed. But that’s not the speed you’re going to get at any given time (hence the up to), and that signal might even degrade before it hits your home for various reasons—bad wiring, network congestion, server problems—the list of reasons can go on and on. Once it enters your router and starts transmitting a signal, there’s a myriad of other devices that can further degrade that signal—other people’s routers (this can be a pain especially if you live in an apartment like I do), microwaves, walls, and the distance from the router (obviously, the further away you are from a WiFi access point, the weaker the signal).

    Will that finally determine how fast your WiFi will be? Not in the slightest. You then have to account for your router’s internal networking tasks, which may take up around 50% of the available bandwidth after the degradation of your signal from the ISP to the router and from other devices. Then the real fun begins, especially if you’re living with your family, and Mom’s, Dad’s, and your siblings’ devices, which include smartphones, tablets, laptops, desktops, gaming consoles, and smart TVs, will be fighting for that remaining bandwidth. Some people have rectified this situation by either directly plugging into the router, buying a better router, or buying adapters to boost the wireless signal and improve the bandwidth situation.

    It would seem that unless you have adapters that boost the wireless signal, the only solution is to make a sacrifice. If you can plug a device into a router, then do so—but those who can only connect via wireless will most likely lag as a result if multiple devices are competing for that available bandwidth that is coming into your home.

    MMDA launches Metro Solusyon website, allows citizens to file complaints against MMDA personnel

    After creating their Traffic Navigation System (that has saved our asses from traffic countless times), the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority has created another web-based solution to address a very real problem – corruption. To help fight against abusive MMDA traffic enforcers, officials and personnel, the government agency has launched their Metro Solusyon website which allows citizens to officially report complaints against erring members of the government agency. The MMDA says that all the valid complaints and reports shall be processed legally through the site, and encourages citizens to participate not only in reporting abusive members of the agency, but commending deserving individuals as well. So what should you have on hand when you submit a report? Well, here’s the list that’s on their website:

    • Full name of the person being complained about
    • A narration of relevant and material facts which show
    • The act or omission allegedly committed
    • Pictures / MMS / Videos

    Users will also need to create an account on the website, which makes sense, because it’s stated on the Civil Service Commission Rules, Rule XIV Section 3, “No action shall be taken on anonymous complaints unless there is obvious truth or merit to the allegations set forth in the complaint.” Section 5 also requires the full name and address of the complainant. Once the complaint or commendation has been analyzed and vetted, the report will be posted on the report tab on the website where people can read about the what went down. We applaud the MMDA in creating this website and hope that their positive example spreads to other government agencies. Hopefully the Agency also creates a mobile version of this particular website.

    Source: Metro Solusyon 

    HTC’s One X5 is the company’s own fabulous phablet

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    Seems like there’s big money to be had in larger than average phones, as HTC is set to release their own 5-inch device later this month. Details have leaked ahead of the official launch of the One X5, HTC’s own phablet. There’s very little known about the hardware powering it, but if we had to guess, it’d probably have either a dual-core Qualcomm S4 processor inside, or a quad-core Qualcomm S4 Pro. HTC has always been ahead of the pack when it comes to integrating the latest version of Android into their phones, so we’d be very surprised to not see Android 4.1 Jelly Bean when the company launches the device later this week. One of the things that have been confirmed (well, confirmed-ish) is that the One X5 will have a full HD display running at 1920x1080p.

    Source: Android Community