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    Sony Ericsson officially kaput, reborn as Sony Mobile Communications AB

    Gadgets Team
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    Sony Ericsson officially kaput, reborn as Sony Mobile Communications AB

    At long last, it’s finally over. After buying out partner Ericsson in the 50/50 joint venture that resulted in Sony Ericsson brand, Sony is now reporting that their acquisition is finally complete. In line with the acquisition, Sony is renaming the company to Sony Mobile Communications AB later this month, and we’re pretty sure we’ll be seeing a lot of product launches in line with the company’s new strategy with the new moniker. Question is, what’ll happen to the Sony Ericsson employees here in the Philippines? Will they get merged with Sony Philippines? We’ll get back to you as soon as we get more details.

    Source: Mainichi Daily News

    BlackBerry’s rewarding your creativity by giving away smartphones

    Gadgets Team
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    BlackBerry’s rewarding your creativity by giving away smartphones

    Want a BlackBerry but don’t have the monies for it? Well, you’ll be happy to know that BlackBerry is conducting two promotions where you have the chance to win your very own BlackBerry smartphone. The first one is through the BBMPhotoMe event that’s happening over their Facebook fan page (www.facebook.com/BlackBerryPH) running from February 15 – 28, 2012. Here’s what you have to do:

    • Visit the contest tab and upload an original photo of yourself with the BBM speech bubble, demonstrating the contest theme “Show How BBM Lets You Express Yourself.”
    • Rally your friends and make them like your photo during the two week voting period from February 29 to March 11, 2012.
    Each photo will be judged according to following four criteria: Online Votes 20%, Creativity: 30%; Originality: 30% and Relevancy to the Theme 20%. The prizes are:

    • 1st Place Prize (1 winner).  A BlackBerry Bold 9900 smartphone
    • 2nd Place Prize (3 winners).   A BlackBerry Curve 9300 smartphone
    • 3rd Place Prize (2 winners).   A BlackBerry Curve 8520 smartphone
    The second contest is the Dare To Do More: The Ultimate BBM Challenge happening at Trinoma this coming February 18 at the Activity center. There will be a BBM tournament from 1-4pm. Prove you’re good enough, and you’ll be able to advance to the finals from 6-8pm, which will pit your BBM skills with trailblazers and a mystery celebrity BBM user.

    NComputing brings simple, powerful virtualization tools to Philippine public schools

    Gadgets Team
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    NComputing brings simple, powerful virtualization tools to Philippine public schools

    Computer literacy is sadly one thing that our country is struggling at. Deploying and maintaining PC’s across thousands of public schools gets costly, and the money simply isn’t there. Enter NComputing, a company that’s making it possible for schools on tight budgets to be able to have PCs for each child without breaking the bank. They’re able to do this via the magic of virtualization. The premise is that a normal PC has vast number-crunching abilities that a typical user doesn’t utilize all the time. By sharing the computer’s resources via their NComputing access device, NComputing allows multiple students to be able to learn and use a PC while only needing 1 powerful PC to power it all. Each access device has their own connection for a monitor, keyboard and mouse, and since these devices rely on a central PC to work, upgrade costs are largely minimized as schools only need to upgrade one device. NComputing’s device is so affordable that the company has announced that 3,077 Philippine schools have adopted the solution, which allows anyone to learn computer skills necessary to function in society today.

    [album: https://gadgetsmagazine.com.ph/wp-content/plugins/dm-albums/dm-albums.php?currdir=/wp-content/uploads/dm-albums/[email protected]/NComputing/]

     

    Give your kids their daily dose of exercise with the iBounce Kids Trampoline

    Gadgets Team
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    Give your kids their daily dose of exercise with the iBounce Kids Trampoline

    Afraid your kids aren’t getting enough exercise as they sit glued to your tablet playing all the pre-loaded games you put to keep them preoccupied? Now you can give them something a little healthier that’ll exercise more than just their fingers. With the JumpSport iBounce Kids Trampoline,  iBounce Tablet Mount , and the RompyRoo DVD, kids can move with the story and jump along with RompyRoo. This allows kids an interface to play along with as they engage in physical activity. It’s fun, safe, and will give your young-uns all the energy and exercise they need to get them through the day (and hopefully wear them out for that good night’s sleep).

    The B&O Beolit 12 is the portable audio system to have

    Gadgets Team
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    The B&O Beolit 12 is the portable audio system to have

    Bang & Olufsen has been around since 1925 making TV sets, audio products, and telephones, so it’s surely a company that knows what it’s doing when it comes to designing those type of gadgets. One of their recent releases is the Beolit 12 audio system, the design of which is reminiscent of B&O’s early radio days. The device is beautifully crafted and compact, featuring a simple set of touch controls on the top. Users can plug in their iPods, iPads, mp3 players, laptops, or other music devices all via USB and instantly enjoy stunning sound playback.

    Measuring 9.1 inches wide, 7.4 inches tall, and 5.2 inches deep, don’t let its size fool you because this thing is very powerful and capable of filling up a living room half the size of a basketball court with well-defined bass and musical clarity loud enough for house parties. It’s shaped like a lunchbox or a small picnic basket, and rightly so because this audio system is also perfect for outdoor get-togethers with friends due to its portability and built-in WiFi. This allows the use of Apple’s AirPlay technology, which lets users take turns in streaming music wirelessly from their respective music players. Weighing about 6 pounds, the unit provides 8-hours of battery life (or 4-hours if you’re using Airplay) and will cost you around USD $799 (approximately Php 33,500).

    Watch out for our full review on the Beolit 12 in our upcoming issues this year, or visit http://www.bang-olufsen.com/beolit-press for more information.

     

    PlayBook 2.0 update sneak peek

    Gadgets Team
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    PlayBook 2.0 update sneak peek

    RIM’s BlackBerry PlayBook hasn’t had an easy life. Even though it had impressive hardware for its time, it’s always been hobbled by the incomplete features of the PlayBook OS. RIM has been promising to deliver the PlayBook 2.0 update later this month, and invited us to a media briefing of what we could expect when it finally lands before the end of February. Let’s dive in, shall we?

    The first and most important change that’s coming for the PlayBook is the addition of a native email client for the device. Previously, the only way you could get email off of the PlayBook was if you a) went through the web client of the email service of your choice (Gmail, Yahoo, etc.) or if you sync the device using BlackBerry bridge to a BlackBerry phone. With the PlayBook 2.0 update, users will be able to finally use a native email client that syncs with not only your email but also other services like LinkedIn, Twitter and the like.

    Another feature that was missing from the initial release of the PlayBook was a native calendar and contacts app. That’s also coming with PlayBook 2.0, which now allows you to use the device as a proper productivity tool. Another nice touch feature with the new update is the ability to control the PlayBook via a BlackBerry phone running BlackBerry OS 6 above. Users will now be able to use their phones to open pages, type text and even click through presentations when their BlackBerry phone is connected to the PlayBook via BlackBerry Bridge.

    The most important news during the event was the fact that developers will now be able to port their Android applications to thePlayBook via BlackBerry App World. Before everyone starts celebrating, it’s important to note that the job of porting apps to the PlayBook is up to the developer, not BlackBerry. So if the developer of your favorite game/app isn’t interested in porting their game to App World, tough cookies.

    The biggest question now is, can the PlayBook stand toe to toe with the other tablets in the market now? Sure, as long as RIM prices it correctly. While it has solid hardware specs, the device is getting pretty long in the tooth. Should you buy it now, even though there’s a large number of devices floating around the market? Maybe. We’ll give you a solid answer once we get the update for our own PlayBook, which is scheduled to hit sometime this month – sadly, we weren’t able to get a specific date, aside from a cryptic “soon” from the RIM folks.

    GoPad: for people in motion

    Gadgets Team
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    GoPad: for people in motion

    They say it’s better (and healthier) to stand rather than to sit when you’re working at your desk. That’s why there are many “elevated” desks that solve the problems that occur after sitting hunched over ogling at your computer for way too long. And in this age of tablets, it’s no different. But if standing is a better way to stay fit, then walking around will give you double the benefit.

    In comes the GoPad, an iPad accessory designed for tablet users. It’s a two-piece kit that has a harness and a stand allowing you take your pad comfortably wherever you go. Just strap it around your neck and adjust your tablet down to where your waist is. It will keep your pad safe and secure, better than those slippery digits. And though it won’t block your view, just make sure you look up every once in awhile so you don’t bump into anything when you’re walking WHILE using your tablet.

    Drive: Nissan Navara TechXtreme

    Gadgets Team
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    Drive: Nissan Navara TechXtreme

    Pickups aren’t the first thing that comes to your mind when people talk about hi-tech vehicles. Why should it? They’re basically beasts of burden, utilitarian vehicles that you pile stuff on when said stuff doesn’t fit the trunk or backseat of your car. It came as a surprise then when I learned that Nissan decided to come out with a new version of the Navara, tricked out with an entertainment system that most tech heads would lust for. And being a self-confessed lover of all things tech (I write for a tech mag after all), it was love at first sight.

    Let’s get this little tidbit out of the way first: aside from the hi-end entertainment system, the Navara TechXtreme is basically the same 2.5L 4-cylinder CRDI six speed manual transmission model that came out last year. There haven’t been a lot of changes externally or internally, save for new carpeting and a host of minor things.

    While the Navara TechXtreme doesn’t have anything new to offer mechanically speaking, the integrated entertainment and information system simply just blew me away. The heart of the system is a 6.5-inch touchscreen display that serves as the information hub.

    Aside from the central screen, there are also 7-inch dual-headrest mounted displays that Nissan says come standard in this particular model, which is a first for vehicles in its class.


    Below the main display sits two USB slots and an iPod cable. The left USB slot (with the power button) is the built-in internal Wi-Fi router for the Navara, while the right USB slot is used to connect USB thumb drives, hard-disks and smartphones to stream content to the entertainment system. Incidentally, the Navara TechXtreme is the first vehicle I’ve come across with that has an internal Wi-Fi router built-in, which came in handy during long trips and in traffic.

    Speaking of traffic, the Navara TechXtreme is completely capable of steering you around the worst of it, thanks to its GPS navigation system. Aside from being extremely easy to use, the navigation system was also remarkably complete, with literally hundreds of POIs (points of interests) visible on screen even in new-ish roads and highways.

    There’s also a multitude of connectivity options to hook up tablets, smartphones and iPhones. There’s a dedicated iPod cable to hook up your iPhone/iPad/iPod to the entertainment system which then transfers control of your device to it, allowing your passengers (and you, if you’re parked somewhere) to enjoy the music and videos in your personal library. If you’re not using an iOS device, you’re not out of luck – you can still enjoy your tunes via Bluetooth, which incidentally also transfers your phone calls directly to the entertainment system – which is handy when you’re absolutely need to talk with clients and whatnot while driving. Finally, a USB slot allows you to plug-in external storage devices (which also work with some smartphones) that let you enjoy your music and videos on the go. Incidentally, if you play a movie file from any device, it gets shared on the two smaller displays mounted on the headrests too.

    I’ve briefly touched on the internal Wi-Fi router before, but it bears going into in detail. Basically, the router allows you to get internet connectivity via a broadband stick connected through the left side USB port. All of the current USB broadband sticks are supported no matter what the plan, whether they come from Smart, Globe or Sun. After plugging in the USB broadband stick, you’ll have to configure the router via its web-based interface. From there you’ll be able to set the APN (which is important if you want your stick to work), SSID, wireless security settings and a bunch of other things. Bottomline here is that the built-in internal router has all the bases covered.

    All of these things would be for naught if the Navara TechXtreme wasn’t pleasurable to drive. Thankfully, the pick-up is just the opposite – driving it down the streets of Makati was a pleasure in itself, and it had enough grunt from its 2.5L CRDI engine to power the vehicle through most driving situations. Add to that the Navara’s unique 6-speed transmission, then you have a pick-up that has plenty of power and is economical to drive.

    The Nissan Navara TechXtreme is priced at Php 1.438 million for the 6-speed manual transmission model and Php 1.498 million for the 5-speed automatic transmission model.

    New app removes random strangers from photos

    Gadgets Team
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    New app removes random strangers from photos

    A Swedish photography company called Scalado has developed an app for mobile devices that effectively removes wandering bystanders from photos. When taking pictures in public places, we often have to worry about waiting until the coast is clear from other passers-by who might be caught in the background. This new app called “Remove”, initially takes a burst of shots in succession to determine which subjects are moving and which ones are stationary. Then immediately after the picture is taken, you can simply select what moving objects (or people for that matter) should be removed from the photo, and the rest of the background is automatically filled out for you.

    However, if a particular person is staying still, then there’s really no way to remove him or her. Still, this app is quite useful in most situations to eliminate those dreaded “photo bombs” than can ruin what would have been a perfect picture. It’s also a fun tool for taking shots in crowded areas and then making it look as if the place was empty. Cars on the road are moving objects too, so it only makes sense that this app would also work in that regard. Still in its prototype stage, the app’s full version should be up for demonstration at the end of the month.

    For more information about this app, or to see it in action for yourself, you can check out this site http://www.scalado.com/display/en/Remove and watch the video.

    Origin PC unleashes the EON17-X gaming laptop

    Gadgets Team
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    Origin PC unleashes the EON17-X gaming laptop

     

    Hardcore PC gamers have generally played games on desktop PCs as opposed to laptops due to the very high system requirements of today’s top video games. While desktop PCs don’t offer the portability that laptops do, they are commonly more powerful and customizable. Featuring a significant upgrade from its EON17, Origin PC has released the EON17-X laptop that’s built especially for gaming, giving avid gamers a portable machine that is even more powerful than most desktop PCs on the market.

    The EON17-X is a certified beast, packing an Intel X79 Chipset with 2nd Generation Intel Hexcore processors and up to 32GB 1333Mhz Corsair Quad Channel memory or up to 16GB 1866MHz Corsair Vengeance Quad Channel memory. The laptop comes with a Dual NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M Graphics Card with ORIGIN Professional Overclocking for the best possible gaming experience. It also sports a customizable backlit keyboard with two lighting zones and seven colors and a 17.3-inch 1080p screen display. 4 hard drives can be added to the unit, allowing up to 3 terabytes of hard disk space. Although it is ideal for gaming, the EON17-X can also be used for other resource-intensive functions such as music production, computer-aided design, and other professional work. Although this all sounds very enticing, its USD$2,800+ (approximately Php 117,000) price tag will surely be discouraging. Plus, the unit weights over 12 pounds and measures over two inches thick, which is still infinitely more portable than a desktop gaming PC, but not something you would want to carry around.

    WSJ confirms iPad 3 will have LTE, scheduled for March 7 unveil

    Gadgets Team
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    WSJ confirms iPad 3 will have LTE, scheduled for March 7 unveil

    Another day, another iPad 3 rumor, and this time it comes from the Wall Street Journal. The paper has said that the iPad 3 will have LTE connectivity right off the bat, with two US carriers offering the device when it launches on March 7. The WSJ also said that the new iteration of the iPad will be able to fall back on slower network technology when LTE is not available, which theoretically means that people who import their iPads will be able to use it with our local GSM networks (provided that they manage to make a local SIM work with it, of course). While this is news that we’ve already gone through before, the fact that a large outfit like the WSJ is reporting it means that there’s a fair chance that this particular spec of the iPad 3 is quickly approaching the line of “rumor” to “reality”. We’ll see soon enough, we wager.

    Source: WSJ, MacRumors

    Gameloft offers .99c iOS and Mac games for Valentines Day

    Gadgets Team
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    Gameloft offers .99c iOS and Mac games for Valentines Day

    Got nothing to do on single awareness day (AKA Valentines Day)? Have an iOS device? Well, you’re in luck. Gameloft is offering a massive 99 cent discount for 14 of their games for iOS and Mac for today. You’ll now be able to grab titles like The Settlers for for the iPhone and iPad, Gangstar Rio: City of Saints for iPhone and iPad and Asphalt 6: Adrenaline for the Mac for just Php 42. Interested? You can find the full list of games that’s included in the sale here.

    Keep safe this Valentine’s Day and all year round

    Gadgets Team
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    Keep safe this Valentine’s Day and all year round

    While lovers prepare their romantic treats for Valentine’s Day, spammers find it perfect timing to get to work, according to a security expert at leading secure content and threat management solutions developer Kaspersky Lab.

    Kaspersky Lab Senior Spam Analyst Maria Namestnikova said in an entry in the official company blog Securelist, that “spammers look for a way to attract the attention of users, for example using in the subject line and in the body of the text of a mail-out message ‘attractive’ words that prompt users to open a message.“

    She said the newest of such “attractors” in the spammer world has become the word “coupon”. She explained that this is often simply substituted for the word “discounts” to attract attention to goods and services.

    Namestnikova revealed that another promotion tactic that companies use is “coupon spam” where companies put their offerings on a coupon service and then via spam advertise them to try and reach a bigger audience.

    However, the security analyst observed that it’s not very effective. “The level of trust in firms which advertise via spam is very low. Plus, users’ annoyance normally only cancels out any advantages from using such methods instead of increasing it,” she said.

    Use of coupon services is a completely legitimate method of advertising. But Namestnikova advised against buying deals through discounted coupon saying “coupon services popularity brings with it potential threats of phishing attacks.”

    “Phishers can be interested in users who have funds in their accounts with a coupon service — funds which they can spend immediately when an offer takes their fancy,” she said.

    Namestnikova shared these three simple rules to avoid falling into the trap of spammers and phishing attacks:

    1. Don’t open e-mails from coupon services to which you aren’t registered in. First, this secures you against phishing attacks or mail-outs of malicious code. Second, if a spammer’s e-mail turns out to be simply a commercial offer, you reduce the number of responses, making the work of the spammers less profitable.

    2.  If in an e-mail from a coupon service to which you are registered asked you to verify your account via a link or to some other way present your login and password – don’t do this under any circumstances. Remember that large organizations never ask you to send your login and password via e-mail. Any such request must be considered as an attempt at stealing your account.

    3. If you get a message from a large service stating that you’ve obtained some coupons, when in fact you never ordered any, don’t open the message, and more importantly, don’t download anything via the e-mail. There is a high probability that what you do will be malicious.

    Apple sues Samsung anew, has a problem with Samsung Galaxy Nexus

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    Apple sues Samsung anew, has a problem with Samsung Galaxy Nexus

    To be honest, the amount of litigation flying around against different tech companies is starting to get passé, but hey, lawyers gotta law, right? A new batch of patent infringement suits has been filed by Apple against their Korean arch-nemesis, Samsung – this time the Cupertino company is taking offense at the recently released Samsung Galaxy Nexus. Apple is saying that the newest flagship Google smartphone infringes on patents underlying features customers expect from Apple, like sliding an image to unlock the phone, and by searching information via voice commands. Now, we’re no experts, but we’re pretty sure that voice commands were in existence before Apple’s “revolutionary” addition of Siri to the iPhone 4s, so honestly we’re kind of a loss there. As always, expect this new bout of lawsuits to intensify in the coming months.

    Source: Reuters

    Introducing Chrome for Android

    Gadgets Team
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    Introducing Chrome for Android

    Google launches the Chrome for Android Beta. As always, it continues to bring many preferred features and apps of Chrome to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich phones or tablets. Like the desktop version, Chrome for Android Beta is focused on speed and simplicity, but it also features seamless sign-in and sync so you can take web experience can be personalize with convenience, mobility and accessibility.
    Speed
    With Chrome for Android, you can search, navigate and browse fast—Chrome fast.  You can scroll through web pages as quickly as you can flick your finger. When searching, your top search results are loaded in the background as you type so pages appear instantly. And of course, both search and navigation can all be done quickly from the Chrome omnibox.

    Simplicity
    Chrome for Android is designed from the ground up for mobile devices. We reimagined tabs so they fit just as naturally on a small-screen phone as they do on a larger screen tablet. You can flip or swipe between an unlimited number of tabs using intuitive gestures, as if you’re holding a deck of cards in the palm of your hands, each one a new window to the web.

    One of the biggest pains of mobile browsing is selecting the correct link out of several on a small-screen device. Link Preview does away with hunting and pecking for links on a web page by automatically zooming in on links to make selecting the precise one easier.

    And as with Chrome on desktop, we built Chrome for Android with privacy in mind from the beginning, including incognito mode for private browsing and fine-grained privacy options (tap menu icon, ‘Settings,’ and then ‘Privacy’).

    Sign in
    You can now bring your personalized Chrome experience with you to your Android phone or tablet. If you sign in to Chrome on your Android device, you can:

    • View open tabs: Access the tabs you left open on your computer (also signed into Chrome)—picking up exactly where you left off.
    • Get smarter suggestions: If you visit a site often on your computer, you’ll also get an autocomplete suggestion for it on your mobile device, so you can spend less time typing.
    • Sync bookmarks: Conveniently access your favorite sites no matter where you are or which device you’re using.

    Chrome is now available in Beta from the Android Market, in select countries for phones and tablets with Android 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich

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