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    Lenovo’s Thinkpad Tablet 2 will run on Windows 8, aimed at business users

    Gadgets Team
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    2
    Lenovo’s Thinkpad Tablet 2 will run on Windows 8, aimed at business users

    It’s no secret that a lot of businesses around the world have found ways to integrate tablets into their business, and most of the time, the tablet of choice is Apple’s iPad. Well, it looks like Lenovo is looking to challenge that with their Windows 8 powered Thinkpad Tablet 2. The device was reported on by The Verge and it looks like it has all the right features for a business tablet – it runs on Intel’s a dual-core Clover Trail processor, which allows some backwards compatibility with Windows programs. Other features include  2GB of RAM, 64GB of storage, a stylus of some sort and a 10.1-inch WXGA display.

    Source: The Verge

     

    Prototype Legend of Zelda NES cartridge goes on eBay for $150,000

    Gadgets Team
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    0
    Prototype Legend of Zelda NES cartridge goes on eBay for $150,000

    Legend of Zelda afficionados, Hyrule calls you. An ebay user by the name of tjcurtin1 has put the only known prototype NES cartridge of the Legend of Zelda. Physically, it looks unremarkable – it’s basically a yellow cartridge marked with “HP NOA 2-23-87 Legend of Zelda”. If you want to grab this piece of gaming history, be prepared to pay big bucks – tjcurtin1 is asking a high price for the prototype, and has listed a price of $150,000 for it, which is roughly Php 6.2 million. He’ll also be throwing in a VGA copy of the game, Nintendo graded 85. The price that you will be paying for the cartridge is simply for the collectible value, as the person who listed the item admits that there is no difference to the launch version. Hit this link up for the eBay listing.

    Source: eBay via Joystiq

    Commodore 64 turns 30

    Gadgets Team
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    0
    Commodore 64 turns 30

    Many people our age wouldn’t remember the Commodore 64, but for older people, and for those our age who do remember it, it was the first PC to be popular with the average consumer. Beforehand, computers were only seen as a necessity for business use. Today it turned 30 years old. It was significantly cheaper than similar products from its competitors, such as IBM, Apple and Atari, even though it was US$595 when it came out in 1982, or about US$1,400 today.

    Its specs may be seem laughable for our time, but in 1982, 64 KB of RAM, 16 colors and 1 MHz processor were powerful enough to carry the system for twelve years, eventually ceasing production in 1994 after selling between 12.5 and 17 million units. Its popularity peaked in the late 1980s as computers began to penetrate into the home market.

    Some people argue that its tape storage and 5.25″ floppy disks were the genesis of software piracy, as the large userbase of the Commodore 64 and the rise of BBSes contributed to people acquiring software from one another and copying it onto blank floppy disks, despite the copy protection in place. Many users were able to easily circumvent the copy protection, forcing software companies to develop more sophisticated ways of protecting their software. However, the Commodore 64 had also been the genesis of several aspects of a computer that we now use today, such as the Multi-User Dungeon (the world’s first MMORPG), word processors, spreadsheets, and even the ability to use third party operating systems such as Wheels and GEOS (Commodore 64 came with BASIC 2.0).

    It was also a gadget that had incredible connectivity for its time. It had expansion slots for joysticks, mice, cartridges, printers, cassettes, other floppy drives, Atari 2600 game controllers, modems, and even TVs via its RF modulator.

    Bring back the 80’s with this retro Brick Handset

    Gadgets Team
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    0
    Bring back the 80’s with this retro Brick Handset

    Want to relive the glory days of loud shirts and bad hair? Here’s your chance. This lovely gadget is a nifty bluetooth handset that’s made to look like one of most unmistakable gadgets of the 80’s – a brick cellular phone. At 13-inches tall, this particularly garish reminder of the 80’s has all the functionality that the original had – which isn’t saying much, sadly. There’s an LED display to help you when you make or receive a call..and that’s it. Sure, you can try to navigate your phone’s menu using the one line LED display, but it looks like more trouble than its worth. Still, this particular retro gadget is a great conversation starter, and is sure to make people who grew up with these things nostalg. Hard.

    The project is currently in Kickstarter and needs your help (the group has a long way to go till their goal) so you can go here to back this project. A pledge of $85 bucks guarantees you a Brick handset of your very own if the project goes through.

    Source: Kickstarter

    Microsoft reinvents email service with Outlook.com

    Gadgets Team
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    0
    Microsoft reinvents email service with Outlook.com

    Microsoft has just launched its new and improved email service which was designed from scratch to suit modern email usage—Outlook.com.

    According to the Microsoft Office blog, Outlook was designed “cloud first.” This means all your mail is always available no matter where you are. Its features a cleaner interface, doing away with annoying display ads and large search boxes that cramp up extra space.

    The inbox has virtually unlimited storage and enables the user to create categories, folders, and rules to tailor-fit his or her personal email. It also incorporates SkyDrive so that users can send all types of files, such as photos and documents, without worrying about attachment limits.

    Outlook.com merges personal email with social networking as it is the first email service that is connected to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google. But don’t worry— if you don’t feel comfortable seeing photos, status updates and Tweets of your social network contacts, Outlook.com gives you the option not to connect your account to your social networks. You can also select whom to follow and add as a friend. Microsoft reports that Outlook.com will soon be linked to Skype, thereby enhancing the ability to chat and make video calls.

    Outlook.com enables you to work on documents with your friends (like Google Docs) with free Office Web Apps, namely: Word, PowerPoint, Excel and OneNote. It also lets you view and edit your attachments directly on your inbox.

    If you’re excited about this new email experience, you can already start by getting your own @Outlook.com email address. You can also start using Outlook.com with your current email just by taking a few easy steps. Those with a Microsoft account just have to log in to get their new Outlook experience started. Hotmail users should just click “Upgrade” in the options menu, and all their contacts, emails, and information will be retained.  You can still send and/or receive email from your Hotmail, MSN and Live addresses, but you can add an @Outlook.com address to your account if you want.

    Gmail and Yahoo users can get a preview of Outlook.com at www.outlook.com. You can set up your email service to import your contacts and forward your mail to Outlook.com. You can learn more about that here.

    Once you’ve started using Outlook.com, you can set it up on your phone or tablet. It’s available on iOS, Android, Windows 8 and Windows Phone, and Blackberry, among others. Click here to learn how to setup Outlook on your mobile device.

    Still curious? Here’s a walkthrough video of Outlook.com from the Microsoft team.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnCu72G52bY&feature=youtu.be

     

     

    Expanded Petron Lakbay Alalay takes on environmental and health projects

    Press Release
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    Expanded Petron Lakbay Alalay takes on environmental and health projects

    In line with Petron Corporation’s mission to be the leading provider of total customer solutions in the energy sector, the company is expanding its trademark Lakbay Alalay program into a full-blown, year-round campaign.

    Now billed as Lakbay Alalay, Kasama Mo Sa Biyahe, the expanded program includes a slate of activities reaching far beyond the traditional motorist assistance services. Through this program, Petron hopes to strengthen the bond of companionship and unity with Filipinos everywhere, in all aspects of their daily lives.

    Petron Lakbay Alalay Biyahe Para Sa Kalikasan. Gassing up at a Petron station gives you the privilege of having a tree planted in your name.  Under the Petron Lakbay Alalay Para Sa Kalikasan, motorists who fuel up at any Petron station can join the “Stick it Free, Plant-a-tree” activity, wherein you can avail of a single sticker, equivalent to one tree seedling named after you during Petron’s tree-planting activities. In partnership with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Philippine Army, volunteers from Petron and other groups joined together to plant trees in Cebu, Davao and Metro Manila.  Some of the tree seedlings planted were hardwood (molave and narra) and fruit trees (langka and mango). In Cebu, 3,000 trees were planted last 01 June 2012 at Barangay Busay, Cebu City. This was followed on 02 June 2012 at the Davao International Airport, where 700 seedlings were planted. Finally, at the Kaliwa Watershed Forest Reserve in Sto. Niño, Tanay, Rizal, two thousand seedlings were planted last 22 June 2012.

    Petron Lakbay Alalay Para Sa Kalusugan. Petron also hosted a fun run last 17 June 2012, as part of its health-oriented activities, with 1,812  running enthusiasts competing in the 3k, 5k and 10k categories.  Winners in the 3k category were Vernon Jude and Perlita Ruben, who each took home P5,000 Petron e-Fuel Card; in the 5k category, Richard Solano and Cindy Lorenzo were each awarded P7,000 Petron eFuel Card; while Willy Rotich and Jackine Nzivo earned P10,000 Petron e-Fuel Card for winning the 10k category.  All winners also received P3,000 Suriya Spa gift certificates, and gift packs from Magnolia Ice Cream and San Miguel Properties.

    The Petron Lakbay Alalay Fun Run was held for the benefit of the Tulong Aral ng Petron project, a long-term and strategic initiative that helps send poor children to school. Tulong Aral scholars are enrolled from Grades 1 to 6 in partner schools in the National Capitol Region (Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas, Valenzuela, Manila, Pasay, Mandaluyong, Quezon City, Parañaque, Taguig, Pateros, Pasig and Las Piñas) and in the Mindanao region (Davao, South Cotabato, Sarangani, Iligan, Misamis Oriental and Zamboanga).

    Partners in the Petron Lakbay Alalay Fun Run included ROX, Travel Club, Chris Sports, Magnolia Water, Zen Health, Business Mirror, Net 25, TxtFire, San Mig Coffee Pro Health, Magnolia Ice Cream, Fitness First, Multi-Sport Magazine, Hungry Juan, Smokey’s, Dole, Wi-Tribe, Bank of Commerce, Pinoy Fitness, Suriya Spa, San Mig Strong Ice, San Miguel Properties, and San Miguel Purefoods.

    Dropbox implementing new features in wake of security breach

    Gadgets Team
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    0
    Dropbox implementing new features in wake of security breach

    Dropbox is a major player in cloud storage, which is a low-cost option for those who need large amounts of storage and don’t want to haul around multiple external drives to do so. It is becoming preferred largely amongst small businesses and even big ones as well.

    Recently, Dropbox announced on its blog that it has had a security leak, and although it only affected a few users, the data is out of the users’ hands as it is not stored locally. “A stolen password was also used to access an employee Dropbox account containing a project document with user email addresses. We believe this improper access is what led to the spam. We’re sorry about this, and have put additional controls in place to help make sure it doesn’t happen again,” Dropbox engineer Aditya Agarwal said on its blog.

    Some of the new features Dropbox is implementing to prevent security leaks in the future include:

    1. Two-factor authentication, a way to optionally require two proofs of identity (such as your password and a temporary code sent to your phone) when signing in. (Coming in a few weeks)

    2. New automated mechanisms to help identify suspicious activity. They’ll continue to add more of these over time.

    3. A new page that lets you examine all active logins to your account.

    4. In some cases, they may require you to change your password. (For example, if it’s commonly used or hasn’t been changed in a long time)

    “At the same time, we strongly recommend you improve your online safety by setting a unique password for each website you use. Though it’s easy to reuse the same password on different websites, this means if any one site is compromised, all your accounts are at risk,” Agarwal added, stressing the need for security not only on Dropbox, but on all websites that require a username and a password.

    Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 and 7 hands-on

    Gadgets Team
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    1
    Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 and 7 hands-on

    After being available in the market for roughly a month, we finally got some quality time with the 3G 10.1-inch version and both 3G and WiFi versions of the 7-inch model. Read on for our first impressions.

    First off, the build quality for both devices is fantastic. The overall construction is pretty sturdy, and although made primarily out of plastic both devices had this premium feel to them when we handled them.

    On the 10.1-inch model, the front of the screen is flanked by two small speakers.

    Volume controls are on the top of the unit, along with the microSD port for additional memory and the SIM slot for 3G connectivity.

    As most of you know, both devices in the Galaxy Tab 2 range use a 1GHz dual-core  processor paired with 1GB of RAM. Both devices are identical performance-wise, the only obvious difference is the size and resolution of the screen: the 10.1-inch version has a 1280×800 resolution PLS TFT display, while the 7-inch version has a 1024×600 PLS TFT display.

    Both devices run on Google’s latest Android OS, ICS. From what we could see, both tablets were responsive enough, and had enough juice to run the apps on hand. Nevertheless, it’s still unknown if the somewhat dated hardware on both tablets will be able to handle all the newer apps that are coming out of the Google Play store. Once we get the units, we’ll give you guys a more thorough review.

    Sony backtracks, might give users Jelly Bean after all

    Ren Alcantara
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    As some of you may remember, Sony recently announced that they would probably not be giving certain 2011 Xperia devices an upgrade to 4.1 Jelly Bean. Third-party manufacturers have historically given spotty upgrade support for their devices, and this news, while sad, was not a real surprise to many. Sony, however, brought some very welcome news by going back on the earlier announcement, saying it was a mistake, and caused by a little internal corporate miscommunication. They did say in a very carefully-worded statement that they are currently considering upgrades to all their devices, which means we’ll all just have to wait and see what the deal really is, but at least they are keeping hope alive. Then again, that could all just be part of their plan… Stay posted and see if this news sticks. The new statement can be found HERE.

    Monthly plan from Vonage and Globe allows unlimited calls from US to PH

    Gadgets Team
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    Monthly plan from Vonage and Globe allows unlimited calls from US to PH

    Vonage and Globe recently launched a plan called Vonage Unlimited to Globe Philippines as a result of the partnership of the two companies. This plan gives your friends and family abroad unlimited calls to all Globe numbers, provides a low rate on calls to all other numbers in the Philippines, and unlimited calls to the U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico, and 60 other countries across the globe. It also gives you, the Globe subscriber, free 160 minutes worth of IDD calls to any US number for every friend who subscribes to and stays on the Vonage Unlimited to Globe Philippines plan for no less than 31 days.

    It’s available at a monthly rate of US$ 29.99, excluding taxes and fees. The Vonage Extensions service, which extends your Vonage calling plan to your mobile phone, is also included in the package for no additional charge.

    “With our new plan, the Filipino community can affordably stay connected with friends and family abroad without the worry of counting calling card minutes or managing expensive long distance costs.  We are exploring additional alliances and plan to announce at least one additional partnership this year,” shares Kimberly O’Loughlin, Managing Director for International Markets for Vonage.

    You can avail of this new plan online, via telesales, and at select Seafood City locations in California. Additionally, Vonage will participate in several upcoming Filipino fiestas in the U.S. to introduce the new calling plan to Filipinos who are living there and would want to connect with their loved ones back home.

    If you want to know more about this awesome new plan, you can check out www.ph.vonage.com.

    Android: Open or Pirate-friendy?

    Ren Alcantara
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    2
    Android: Open or Pirate-friendy?

    Let’s take a little moment now to discuss a sensitive issue. Piracy happens everywhere. it isn’t limited to the DVDs sold on the streets or files on torrent sites. For those of us who like to get deeply involved in modding our devices, pirating software can be a very tempting prospect. As with everything tempting, the easier it is go get your hands dirty, the more likely you are to do it. While there are ways to get pirated software into any mobile OS, THIS DEVELOPER claims that it’s the very design of Android that makes piracy such so easy. Those who have tried know just how easy it can be, and it seems the elephant in the room is that it is easy to sideload apps into Android because of its open nature. It’s a pretty interesting read, and something everyone should be aware of. Remember though, piracy is bad. People work hard for the apps they create, and we all owe them a little in return for their efforts.

    A little teaser for the upcoming issue

    Ren Alcantara
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    0
    A little teaser for the upcoming issue

    Gadgets come in all shapes and sizes, and admittedly, some are more useful than others. Few, however, are quite as fun as the gadgets we’ll be focusing on in a new column in the upcoming August issue. HERE’S a video of Gadgets Magazine’s  Associate Editor, Ren Alcantara to give you an idea of what it’ll be about. Get your eyes and ears on, you’re going to be in for a fun ride.

    Meet Kuratas, a 12-foot tall mech that shoots BBs when you smile

    Gadgets Team
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    Meet Kuratas, a 12-foot tall mech that shoots BBs when you smile

    Meet Kuratas, a 12-foot, fully pilotable mech that’s built by a couple of hobbyists. Japanese hobbyists, to be more precise. A group of Tokyo mecha enthusiasts, dubbed Suidobashi Heavy Industry, have taken the task of building this monster, and as you can see, it’s pretty damn impressive. The whole thing can be piloted in three ways – using the controls in the cockpit, a puppet-like device that’s slaved to the mech and via an app in your smartphone. The mech is also armed with CO2 powered water rockets and two gatling guns that fire BBs when the mech detects you smiling inside the cockpit. The group has helpfully included a guide (that we’ve linked below) on how to ride their mech if you decide to buy it. Speaking of,  the mech collective is offering Kuratas to anyone with deep pockets – the price tag is currently set at $1.3 million – and a penchant for destruction. Any takers?

    Source: suidobashijuko

    Modding video games is good for both original developers and future ones

    Gadgets Team
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    0
    Modding video games is good for both original developers and future ones

    As a kid, I not only played video games, but I often wondered what was going on behind the scenes of the video games and what made up the final product. To further explore this curiosity, I took programming classes, and by my adolescence I was introduced into the world of altering these games, or modding. This is true especially for games on PC—many people create third-party mods, from changing the appearance of items, to re-organizing the user interface of a game, to even game cheats. One of the most famous and controversial mods was the “Hot Coffee” mod of the PC version of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, where they altered the game to include nudity, prompting reactions from parents, politicians and the game world alike.

    So why is modding so good for the original game developers and future ones? According to modder Dean Hall, who created a mod for ARMA 2, a 2010 military simulation game, “I think modding is really good because you go along someone else’s footsteps and you can learn a lot about how someone else has done something. It’s kind of like reverse engineering things. You figure out what they’ve done, how their data structure works, how their engine works and all these other things.” Hall even said the developers were happy with the fact that their game was being modded. “They’re very happy. The sales have been huge, just massive…so they’re obviously very happy about that and it’s a validation for their strategy and focus with modding.”

    One of the most popular games that currently makes heavy use of third-party mods is World of Warcraft via their Curse client, and mods are essentially a huge part of the game, although some players prefer not to use mods.

    Some developers are firmly opposed to the idea of anyone modding their games, but if it isn’t already a reality, it slowly is becoming one, especially for people who want to become game developers themselves. “I think it is a really good place to start because you’re using someone else’s framework. If you want to cut your teeth straight in there with C++, I think that’s a lot to chew off and you can end up not getting exposure to all those issues that if you knew them would make a lot more sense when building your engine from scratch or using someone’s toolkit engine from scratch,” Hall adds.

    Samsung Galaxy S Duos revealed, aims to infuse style into the dual-sim world

    Gadgets Team
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    0
    Samsung Galaxy S Duos revealed, aims to infuse style into the dual-sim world

    If you’re a kind of guy that likes dual-sim phones because of their convenience, there’s not a lot of stylish choices to be had. Truth be told, style and dual-sim capability doesn’t really jive well together, and there’s really few choices out in the market right now for the discerning dual-sim user. Samsung’s Galaxy S Duos is one of the few stylish choices in the market, and brings the unique design cues of the of the Galaxy S III to dual-sim wannabees. You’re looking at a 1GHz Qualcomm MSM7227A Snapdragon processor, 4-inch screen and Android 4.0 ICS right out of the box. No word on eventual pricing or when it’ll get to the Philippines, but we’ll try to wrangle some information from the local Samsung reps if we can.

    UPDATE: We’ve confirmed from local Samsung reps that this will eventually get to us, but it seems that we’ll have to wait a bit as it’s scheduled to hit in Q4, and will arrive in European markets first before hitting stores here.

    Source: GSM Arena

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