More
    Home Blog Page 1244

    Asus Ultra-light HD P1 Portable LED Projector now available in the Philippines

    The award-winning P1 Portable LED Projector easily fits in the palm of your hand and delivers an accurate, clear, and brightly colorful image. Whether your job entails a lot of presentation or you want to watch movies on a bigger scale at home, the P1 fits the bill perfectly.

    It’s rated at 200 ANSI lumens and projects visuals in HD 1280 x 800, meaning that whatever is seen on the projection will precisely match the original content from your computer. It sports a mercury-free Eco-LED light source with a lifespan of up to 30,000 hours (about 20 years if used 4-hours daily), and it does away with long warm-up times as it can be set up in as little as 5 seconds from power-up. At 125.5 x 33.5 x 130mm in size and 415g in weight, the P1 also sports an adjustable flip-down stand for quick height adjustments. At one meter away from the screen, users can enjoy HD projections the size of a 40-inch display, while its Auto Keystone Correction feature can detect the P1’s orientation and automatically correct distorted trapezoid images resulting from an angled projection. Its projection distance reaches as far as 3-meters, creating a display size of about 120-inches, and the device also comes with 7 different video modes: standard mode, black board, white board, dynamic mode, game mode, scenery mode, and theater mode.

    Compatible with most Asus notebook AC power adapters, it can be had at an estimated price of USD $499 (approximately Php 21,000)

     

    First Impressions: HP Folio 13

    2

    Ultrabooks just keep on coming to our Gadgetslab, and today we’re taking a quick peek at HP’s offering, the HP Folio 13. While somewhat late to the local ultrabook party, HP’s making a splash with their gorgeous 13-inch offering that has a quoted battery life of 9 hours.

    Like other ultrabooks currently out in the market, the HP Folio 13 promises excellent battery endurance and no-compromised performance in a body that’s only 18mm thin.

    As you can see, the Folio 13 is nice to look at and sports an aluminum lid that gives it that premium feel. This 13-inch ultrabook uses a 13.3-inch diagonal HD BrightView display that has a resolution of 1366 x 768. The Folio 13 uses an Intel Core i5-2467M processor, much like other mid-tier ultrabooks currently floating around in the market.

    The aluminum treatment extends to the palm rest and other select parts of the device, and while it uses a mainly plastic chassis, build quality is fantastic – no creaks anywhere in the unit. The keyboard is a backlit, island-type affair, which is surprisingly fantastic to type on.

    We’ve griped about trackpads without visible separators before, but thankfully the Folio 13 doesn’t fall in that particular category. Our initial tests with the Clickpad was very promising, to say the least.

    Like most ultrabooks, the device doesn’t have a whole lot of ports to use, but it does have most of the important ports on hand – Ethernet, 2 USB ports (one on each side) and a full sized HDMI port.

    The device is equipped with a 128GB SSD drive that ensures relatively quick boot-up times – our unit booted up in less than 20 seconds.

    That’s it for now. Check back in about a week or so to read our full review on this beautiful ultrabook.

    Garmin releases GPS-enabled gadgets in the Philippines for fitness and travel

    Garmin, a trusted provider of fitness watches and global positioning systems (GPS), has launched a range of GPS-equipped products in the country. The collection of new gadgets suits the lifestyles of those who jog regularly, those who want one in their car, and those who love to travel and go on out-of-town trips.

    The Nuvi 1360 is a GPS device that is preloaded with a road guide Philippine map and features turn-by-turn direction, text-to-speech technology and pedestrian navigation.

    The Nuvi 3760 is also a GPS device, but with an award-winning slim design that also includes pedestrian navigation options, photo navigation, a junction view for lane assistance, and the ability to speak street names. These devices will make sure that you never got lost again.

    The Forerunner 310XT is a GPS-enabled sports watch that monitors weight, body fat, body water, and six other measurements, making it ideal for tri-athletes as it comes with running, biking, cross-country, and swimming modes.

    Another GPS-equipped sports watch, the Forerunner 910XT, includes detailed swim metrics, a heart rate based calorie consumption monitor, and a waterproof design up to 50 meters to name a few.

    The Forerunner 610 sports a touch screen interface and allows users to monitor their time, distance, pace, calories, and heart rate, all while keeping track of their training through GPS.

    You can visit www.garmincenter.com for more information on the company’s products and where they can be purchased.

    Globe and JobStreet helps job hunters out with new Tattoo stick

    Globe and JobStreet has partnered together to give graduating students and job hunters a way to find their dream jobs. The Tattoo-JobStreet prepaid kit allows jobhunters to access the JobStreet website (www.JobStreet.comand search for their dream job even if they have zero-prepaid balance. Free access to JobStreet’s website is guaranteed for 1 year, so graduates and job hunters won’t have to worry about spending large amounts of cash to load-up their sticks to see if they’ve been accepted to the job(s) they applied for. The new stick is exclusively available through Globe’s online shop (http://tattoo.globe.com.ph/promos). 

    Smart holds piso sale for mid-end smartphones with Unli Postpaid Plan 599

    Here’s your chance to grab an Android smartphone for cheap – Smart is holding a limited piso sale for a bunch of their mid-end smartphones bundled with their Unli Postpaid Plan 599. You’ll be able to take home the Smart Netphone 701 and the Huawei IDEOS for just Php 1, with the Unli Postpaid Plan 599. The plan comes with unlimited SMS and calls to any Smart or Talk ‘N Text number, with the appropriate 24-month lock-in period. If you don’t fancy either of units mentioned, you can try to grab the other phones that’s included in the sale which include the Alcatel OT-506D, Cherry Mobile D13, Nokia 2730c, Nokia C2-01, Nokia X2-01, and the touchscreen Samsung Champ (C3303). You gotta hurry though, the new plan will only last until March 23, and the units are on a first come, first serve basis.

    Nike reveals digitally enabled footwear

    0

    NIKE, Inc.  recently unveiled Nike+ Basketball and Nike+ Training, two new experiences connecting digitally enabled footwear with interactive mobile applications that together deliver a revolutionary sport experience. First unveiled for running products in 2006, NIKE+ has grown into a community of six million digitally connected athletes and is set to expand with the recent launch of the NIKE+ FuelBand, a wrist-based device designed to track everyday activity.

    The new Nike+ Basketball experience breaks down the user’s game to deliver information and measurement, which in turn provides motivation. Nike+ Basketball measures how high, how hard and how quick players play each game.

    Nike+ Training transforms a daily workout from a necessity to something fun. The experience fuses the appeal of gaming with high-intensity fitness to create the perfect training companion to a 24/7/365 lifestyle.

    The technology in both experiences utilizes a new Nike+ Pressure Sensor built into each shoe that collects information about the user’s movement and then wirelessly transmits data to their phone. It is then translated into different metrics delivering previously unknown information about either their workout or their game.

    NIKE, Inc. President & CEO Mark Parker unveiled the new NIKE+ technology at an event in New York attended by U.S. sprinter Allyson Felix, Super Bowl Champion Victor Cruz, and boxing world champion Manny Pacquiao.

    “NIKE+ allows us to connect the physical world of sport with the social elements of digital to create a better sport experience for every athlete,” said Parker.  “It’s about much more than a shoe.  It represents a shift for NIKE from product, to product + experiences.”

    All styles of the NIKE+ enabled footwear will be available and at retail June 29, 2012, in the US, UK, France, Germany and Mainland China.

     

    Awesome Steampunk machine uncorks and pours wine for you with style

    0

    There’s just something awe-inspiring in complicated, mechanical gadgets. The winding gears and whirring cranks of old-timey devices strike a nostalgic chord in our hearts. That’s why we were smitten when we saw the Robb Higg’s needlessly complicated yet awesome Steampunk wine-uncorking-and-pouring machine. Seriously, this 1000 pound amalgamation of metal, springs and awesome takes way to long to uncork and pour wine but heck, it does it in absolute style. Short version is we want the damn thing, even if it takes almost a minute to pour us wine.

    Source: Automata Blog

    Microsoft demos 1ms touchscreen

    As good as current touchscreen technology is, there’s still quite a bit of lag between your actual finger swipes and the time that it takes for the screen to show what you’ve written. Latency is the enemy here – the lower the latency, the more responsive the screen becomes. Microsoft wants that particular issue to be a thing of the past, and has demoed an ultra-high performance touchscreen with an extremely low latency of 1ms, which compared to typical 100ms touchscreens, is a huge leap forward. Unfortunately it’s not known if Microsoft made the touchscreen as a mere proof of concept device or their actually pushing to get this kind of tech into our tablets and smartphones soon. Until then you can view the astounding performance of the tech in the video linked below.

    Source: Tech Crunch

     

    A single malicious link can take control of your smartphone

    Here’s a tale that’s sure to make you watch what you web links you click on your smartphone: researchers from security firm CrowdStrike has found a way to wrest control of your smartphone away from you via a single bad weblink. Demonstrated at last month’s RSA security conference, George Kurtz demonstrated before a packed audience how he and his colleagues took control of an Android smartphone via one bad link masquerading as a firmware update from a his carrier. Once he clicked on the link, a small program downloaded into his device and rebooted it, and from then on, he and his colleagues had complete control of the device, without the owner being aware.

    The’re able to do this via bugs in the component of Android’s browser that’s present in both the 2.2 and 2.3 version of the mobile OS. If BlackBerry and iOS owners think they’re in clear, think again – WebKit, the the browser component that was exploited, is also at the core of the Web browsers found in Apple’s iPhone and iPad devices, BlackBerry phones, and Google’s TV devices.

    Kurtz said that to prevent attacks like these, mobile providers and OS developers need to make more frequent updates to patch possible security holes. The prevention of a massive data breach like this also falls on the heads of users, which should not click on every link that lands in the mobile device – lest it be the opening that people who want to spy on you are waiting for.

    Source: Technology Review

    Nokia’s giving you a chance to win the new Asha 302 by doing the QWERTY dance

    0

    Nokia’s just busted out their Asha 302, their budget QWERTY device that’s blurring the line between smartphone and featurephone. Now they’re giving it away via their “Do the QWERTY” Facebook promo. The contest is pretty simple really – all you have to do is make a short video of yourself or your friends showing your own Do the QWERTY Dance based on the TVC, which we embedded below. Your video should be 30 to 90 seconds long only and must be in MP4, AVI, MOV, WMV, or 3GP format. After you’ve done your video, you’ll need to hit up Nokia’s Facebook page at https://facebook.com/nokiaphilippines.  Entries will be judged according to: Creativity – 30%; Originality – 40%; and Energy, fun and humor – 30%.  Deadline of submission of entries is on March 30, 2012 at exactly 11:59 p.m. Three entries with the craziest, funniest and most creatively choreographed QWERTY Dance will be picked as winners.  Winners will be announced on the Nokia Philippines Facebook Page on April 4, 2012.

    Smart unveils limited edition Plan 1000, smartphone goodies abound


    Smart has unveiled their limited edition Plan 1000 an event held at their corporate office earlier today. The new plan combines a multitude of goodies which include 500 SMS messages, 500 minutes of voice to any number within the Smart network and 1GB worth of data for a monthly service fee of Php 1,000 with a 24-month contract. To make the pot a little bit sweeter, Smart is also offering a multitude of smartphones to go with the plan, which include the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, Samsung Galaxy Note, HTC Sensation XE with Beats Audio, HTC Evo 3D and the Nokia N9, all for an additional Php 900 per month for 24 months. Other smartphones and a tablet is also being offered by the telco, which include the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7 (Php 800 per month), BlackBerry Curve 9360 (Php 800 per month), BlackBerry Bold 9790 (Php 900 per month), BlackBerry Bold 9900 (Php 1,300 per month) and the Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray (Php 500 per month). Interested in applying? You can head over to www.smart.com.ph/DataPlan1000 to know more. The Plan will only be available till May 15, so get to inquiring, kids. (Site isn’t up yet, Smart may be working on it still. Be patient people!)

    Faith in humanity restored: Judge rules against Apple’s lawsuit versus Kodak

    Beleaguered (and quite bankrupt) company Kodak has finally gotten a break – a US judge has ruled against Apple’s bid to sue the imaging company. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Allan Gropper said that it was an “inappropriate way forward” to allow Apple to continue pursuing claims against Kodak while the company is in bankruptcy. The suit leveraged against Kodak is centered around the ability to preview digital photographs in LCD screens. The judge also denied Apple’s request to file a new patent infringement lawsuit against Kodak over printer and digital camera patents. Maybe now the company can finally find a way complete their restructuring and finally become awesome again.

    Source: Reuters

    Intel and PLDT team-up to unleash Intel Ultrabook and WiFi Zone

    Intel has partnered up with PLDT to deliver a brand new campaign to consumers. The new campaign by both companies aim to deliver Intel’s message of the ultrabook’s importance and utility while giving them maximum connectivity to the web, anytime, anywhere.

    “Internet growth is driven largely by content, now more so by consumers who exchange photos, videos and tweets wherever they may be,” said Intel Philippines country manager Ricky Banaag. “In this day and age, there is a noticeable increase in the demand for internet access anytime, anywhere. People are now able to access the internet simultaneously across multiple devices, empowering them not just to download data, but to upload and share content as well. Intel’s partnership with PLDT addresses a new era of computing experience that is underway, and ensures that the consumer’s expectations for a secure, mobile and powerful device are met through the Ultrabook.”

    PLDT’s WiFi Zone project is basically paid WiFi that’s scattered all around the metro (the company says it has 2500 WiFi Zones all over manila, with more going up in Cebu and Baguio. The company says that users will be able to connect and surf the web using a premium dedicated internet line exclusive for WiFi use, with up to 1mbps speed per user. The service is Php 150 per month for existing myDSL subscribers, while PLDT landline subscribers can avail of the service for around Php 300 per month. Non-PLDT customers can still avail of the service via pre-paid cards.

    The question is though, is the service worth it, especially since there’s a lot of establishments already have free WiFi zones (SM and Ayala malls come to mind) around the metro. Another point of contention here is that the service supposedly has a fair-use policy, unfortunately PLDT execs present during the event were tight lipped to what exactly that entailed, data cap or otherwise. If you’re interested to find out for yourself, you can hop onto www.pldtwifizone.com to find out more.

    PLDT launches the SME TechMobile, the first mobile business-tech lab

    PLDT, a leading telecommunications company in the Philippines, has recently unveiled the first mobile business-tech lab called the TechMobile. Through its business enterprise division PLDT SME Nation, it has presented this innovation in order to reach SME (small-and-medium-entrepreneurs) communities in a number of regions in the country.

    The TechMobile was built to be the mobile business lab for PLDT’s business solutions and products and functions with a mobile internet connection from the company’s Internet Anywhere bundle using the nationwide broadband network. Through this, the business solutions within the hub can then be demonstrated to SMEs.

    The transparent business-tech lab carries different product lines including bundles of hardware and software solutions from myDSL Biz, Watcher, Negosyo Boost, EcoFax, and PLDT FASTrack. It also features software business solutions such as CheckOut, which is the company’s affordable point-of-sale system for SMEs; the Audio Conference; and DigiVault, which is a cost-effective cloud-based storage answer for business. The display area of the hub is air-conditioned and spacious enough to fit 10 guests at a time as they go hands-on with the product displays.

    The TechMobile was launched in Binondo, which is one of the oldest financial districts of the Philippines, and introduced to the business owners of that region. Its next stop was at the PLDT office in Makati, the country’s current city of commerce, after which it travelled to Ortigas, the country’s emerging business district. The route of the SME TechMobile was meant to symbolize the progress of business and entrepreneurship in the Philippines, and it is scheduled to hit other SME communities within the year such as Baguio, Palawan, Cebu, and Davao.

     

    Toni Gonzaga is Samsung’s newest ambassador for the Samsung Champ Deluxe Duos

    Samsung has officially launched their dual-sim featurephone, the Samsung Champ Deluxe Duos at an event earlier this week at the Fort. The Champ Deluxe Duos is aimed at people who want a touchscreen feature phone that have dual-sim capabilities without breaking the bank. This touchscreen device has a 2.8-inch screen, and has enough basic features for most people at the lower end of the market segment. To help market the device, Samsung has tapped actress/model Toni Gonzaga as the newest brand ambassador for the device. For her part, Toni is excited with the partnership, and told the members of the press that she’s thrilled to be working with a brand that she’s has been using for a long time. The actress says that the “first Samsung phone I had was the D300,” and that she “likes how Samsung knows what consumers need.” The Samsung Champ Deluxe Duos will retail for Php 4,190.