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    Review: Acer Iconia Tab A500

    Gadgets Team
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    3
    Review: Acer Iconia Tab A500

    The tablets just keep on coming. Not to be outdone by their Taiwanese competitor, Acer has released their take on the Google’s tablet OS – the Iconia Tab A500. Hardware-wise, it’s near identical to the Asus Eee Pad Transformer TF101 in the bits that count – namely the dual-core NVIDIA Tegra processor that powers everything – so it’ll be interesting to see what the A500 brings to the table.

    First impressions are everything, and boy does the A500 bring out the big guns immediately. The A500’s back is treated with a nice, brushed aluminum finish, and the overall design evokes images of sleek, solid machines.

    The left side of the device houses the power button, headphone jack and a mini HDMI port, while the right side contains the charging, micro USB and USB port. The top of the device contains the volume rocker and orientation lock and a small flap that protects a microSD slot. There’s a docking connector on the bottom of the device, so it’s not hard to picture the A500 having a keyboard dock in the near future. The screen is 10.1-inch, 1280 x 800 TFT LCD deal. On paper the display seems inferior to similarly sized IPS displays, but in practice that wasn’t the case.

    The A500 has a 5-megapixel camera at the back and a smaller front facing camera on the front. Unlike other tablets, the A500 has very nice speakers on the back that actually belt out sharable sound. The whole thing weighs in at about 730g, which is a bit on the heavy side, considering the iPad 2 only weighs in at 601g.

    Like its contemporaries, the A500 is powered by Android Honeycomb, Google’s tablet OS. The device we got for review had the newer, 3.1 update which meant that it could take some USB devices without issues, like USB controllers. Providing all the number crunching muscle is a dual-core NVIDIA Tegra 1Ghz processor.

    There’s not a lot about Honeycomb that we haven’t covered in our previous review, so we’re not going to delve on it too much. Suffice to say that using the A500’s doesn’t veer too far off of the stock Honeycomb experience. Acer’s included an app that takes advantage of their clear.fi experience, which is basically a fancy way of sharing digital content through similarly enabled devices.

    Battery life was good – the A500 managed to survive a weekend with occasional trips to Google and YouTube without much trouble. Heavier use (longer browsing, videos, music and gaming) made the A500 tap out from a full charge in about 7 hours.

    The biggest weakness of the A500 is something that Acer has no control of – software. A few months ago when we reviewed its competitor, the Asus Transformer, we said that one of our main concerns were the scarcity of apps in the Android Market specifically made for Honeycomb. A few months on and that particular complaint is still valid – I mean, there isn’t even a native Honeycomb app for Facebook. If you want to use this device to access Facebook, you’d have to go through the browser first.

    As nice as the A500 is, there are chinks in the design – a firm squeeze reveals some slight creaks, and its weight makes it uncomfortable to use when lying down, as it constantly threatens to fall on your face lest you drop your guard. The display, as good as it is, is a natural magnet for greasy fingerprints, so you may want to keep a handkerchief in the A500’s carrying case.

    So is the Iconia Tab A500 worth it? Yes – as long as you’re willing to accept some of the relatively minor faults in the product, and Honeycomb’s underwhelming app selection. At Php 21,900, its price definitely makes it a solid contender in the fast growing local tablet market.

     

    What’s Hot:

    Orientation switch

    Very competitively priced

    Good screen

    clear.fi makes sharing between Acer products easier

     

    What’s Not:

    Some slight creaks

    Heavy

    Screen is prone to glare

     

    Bottomline:

    Yes it does have some flaws, but at the price Acer is asking for it, it’s definitely a tablet that you should seriously consider.

     

    Buymeter: 8.6

     

    Tech Specs:

    • Display
    • 10.1-inch, 1280 x 800 TFT LCD
    • Operating System
    • Android Honeycomb, 3.1
    • Processor
    • 1GHz NVIDIA Tegra 2 Dual Core processor, Tegra 2 chipset
    • Physical Dimensions
    • 260 x 177 x 13.3 mm
    • Weight
    • 730 g

     

     

    Want to see what your baby sees? Check out this app.

    Gadgets Team
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    0
    Want to see what your baby sees? Check out this app.

    Ever wonder what your baby is thinking about when they’re off spacing out? I remember I used to think my baby was talking to a ghost whenever she’d laugh and coo at some random point on the wall. Of course, most parents are worrywarts and want to immediately identify their babies wants and needs (and oftentimes, we just guess.) But that’s because there wasn’t an app that could help.

    Now, there is. The What Do You See? App allows you to first set your child’s age then simulate what your child sees during its first year of life. Save your child’s name and birthdate and get a live preview of your child’s vision. You can also capture the images of what your baby is seeing and share them perhaps with other mommies and daddies who are also just as curious.

    The What Do You See? App is compatible with iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPod touch (4th generation), iPad 2 Wi-Fi, and iPad 2 Wi-Fi + 3G. Requires iOS 4.0 or later.and costs $ 1.99 on iTunes.

     

    Source: Trendhunter

    Toshiba releases TECRA R840 series, promises mobility without compromise

    Gadgets Team
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    1
    Toshiba releases TECRA R840 series, promises mobility without compromise

    If there’s one thing that Toshiba notebooks are known for, it’s reliability. We’ve heard (and seen) Toshiba notebooks made in the 90’s that are still kicking around today, and their passion for making solid, reliable notebooks continues today. At an event in the Palladium, New World Hotel yesterday, the company unveiled their newest notebook aimed at the corporate market. The TECRA R840 series aims to deliver both performance and mobility without sacrificing the brand’s legendary reliability.

    The new range of notebooks is powered by Intel’s second generation Core processors (Sandybridge), can have up to 8GB of DDR3 memory and has discrete graphics by way of ATI Radeon HD6450M (1GB of dedicated VRAM).

    The R840 series is able to take a lot of abuse, thanks to extensive HALT (Highly Accelerated Life Test) testing. They were able to withstand drops from a 76cm height, sustained loads of 100KG on the LCD lid and resistant to spills up to a volume of 30ml on the keyboard without compromising the data stored on the device.

    Prices will depend on configuration, it’s best to contact Tricom Dynamics at 8906525 to know more.

     

    Product Highlight: Western Digital My Book Studio Edition II

    Gadgets Team
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    1
    Product Highlight: Western Digital My Book Studio Edition II

    If there’s one thing that techies will always need, its storage. That goes double for professional photographers and video editors. That’s the reason why they’ll probably be picking up the WD My Book Studio Edition II. Its massive 6TB capacity means that you can keep working on projects without worrying about how much space you have left. Its Mac ready, has lightning fast FireWire 800, and RAID 0 (Striped) – essential qualities for a lighting fast storage system. You want one? It’ll set you back Php 20,753.

     

    Apple NEWs: OSX Lion available, MacBook Air updates and more

    Gadgets Team
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    1
    Apple NEWs: OSX Lion available, MacBook Air updates and more

    OS X LION

    Apple has released MAC OSX Lion 10.7 and is available for download only at the Mac App Store for $29.99 (approx. Php 1,290) at a size of 3.49GB.

    It showcases over 250 brand new features, which include multi-touch gesture support and the ability to run apps in full-screen mode (which recent Windows-to-Mac converts will appreciate). Furthermore, it has the App Store already built-in, and introduces Mission Control (give users a bird’s-eye view of all processes for easier management) and Launchpad (provides shortcuts to apps like iPad’s interface).

    More info on OS X LION

     

    MACBOOK AIR AND MAC MINI

    Apple has also released the all-new Macbook Air (which will come with OSX Lion), and now features Intel’s Sandy Bridge processors, Thunderbolt i/o’s , all-flash storage and the return of the backlit keyboard. The Mac Mini has also been updated with improved processors and Thunderbolt as well, although the optical drive has been removed.

    The MacBook Air will start retailing at $999 (approx. Php 42,590)

    More info here

     

    THUNDERBOLT DISPLAY


    The world’s first Thunderbolt Display has also been announced, which allows Mac notebook users to connect to a larger display. With a daisy-chain capacity of up to five devices, using the display will also grant additional ports: 3 USB 2.0 ports, Firewire 800 and Gigabit Ethernet. It is reported to be officially released soon and will retail at $999 (approx. Php 42,590).

    More info

    And we have a winner!

    Gadgets Team
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    0
    And we have a winner!

    Alright, so we gathered up the email addresses of the people who joined the contest, and through the power of random numbers (Random.org) picked a winner. And guess what Ms. Marie Mangaliman, you’re the new owner of a brand spanking new Vivatar 12-megapixel camera. Congratulations!

    And for those people who didn’t win, don’t feel bad. The prizes are just starting to get interesting, and who knows, you may be the next winner of our giveaway soon. Stay tuned folks!

    Man creates Iron Man repulsor beam, might be Tony Stark

    Gadgets Team
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    1
    Man creates Iron Man repulsor beam, might be Tony Stark

    Impressive acts of nerdery like these give us hope that superheroes might be real – a German lab technician Patrick Priebe has managed to create a palm mounted laser that’s as strong as the S3 Spyder III Arctic laser that routinely burns holes in things. To put things in perspective,the maximum strength for consumer laser pointers is typically five milliwatts – Patrick’s palm-mounted beam of death is about 1000 milliwatts. While it’s based on a completely different technology than what Iron Man uses (repulsors vs lasers), the build is wicked cool enough to make us question this man’s identity. We’re just going to assume that he’s possibly Tony Stark until proven otherwise.

    Source: Hack a Day

    The biggest fake of all – counterfeit Apple store in Kunming, China

    Gadgets Team
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    3
    The biggest fake of all – counterfeit Apple store in Kunming, China

    There have been a fair amount of counterfeit products that have come out of China in the past few years – fake iPhones, iPads, tablets and what have you are pretty much par for the course over there – but this one has got to take the cake. A blogger by the name of BirdAbroad happened to come across a counterfeit Apple store. You read that right – a counterfeit Apple store.

    At first glance, the store looks legit – it has the same styling cues as Apple stores in the US, same store layout, same shirts that Apple store employees wear. But upon closer inspection, BirdAbroad found a few things amiss that raised red flags. “This was a total Apple store rip-off. A beautiful rip-off – a brilliant one – the best rip-off store we had ever seen (and we see them every day). But some things were just not right: the stairs were poorly made. The walls hadn’t been painted properly. Apple never writes “Apple Store” on its signs – it just puts up the glowing, iconic fruit.”

    Okay, so some of you are probably saying that although this particular store might have copied the whole look of an Apple store, and the fact that they’re selling genuine Apple products mean that they’re a real store, right? Well, not exactly. Take the Power Mac Center. While they look like an Apple store, they’re a premium reseller, not an Apple owned store. You can clearly see the store’s logo from the outside. The store that BirdAbroad found was selling products as if the store was owned by Apple, and therein lies the rub. Since the owner of the store apparently doesn’t care about respecting the very IP of the brand he’s supposed to be selling, what are the odds that some of the stock in his inventory are genuine Apple products, or that the people doing repairs and whatnot are actually certified by Apple?

    The saddest part of all of this is that the employees that are working in the store genuinely think that they’re working for Apple, which really kind of bums us out.

    Source: BirdAbroad

    HP joins hands with BSP to stop counterfeits

    Gadgets Team
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    1
    HP joins hands with BSP to stop counterfeits

    Let’s not beat around the bush here – counterfeit products are bad. Counterfeiters take away money from people who poured time and effort into creating a product, effectively robbing the people behind great products. It’s a huge problem in our country, and because of it we’ve been placed in United States’ blacklist of countries tolerating intellectual piracy and counterfeits. That’s the reason why HP Philippines and Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), the nation’s monetary authority, join hands to launch a phenomenal advocacy against the production and proliferation of fakes and counterfeits. Dubbed as NO to Fakes, KNOW the Original!, the campaign seeks to raise public awareness and commitment to stop the proliferation of counterfeits, including frequently counterfeited items such as banknotes (Peso bills) and Original HP Ink cartridges and toners.

    “Both HP and BSP are targets of counterfeiters. We are very happy to take this first step to make people aware and to educate them on what’s real and not. We look forward to more partners to join this advocacy campaign,” said Armando Pascual, Country General Manager, imaging and Printing Group, HP Philippines.

    The campaign kicked off today at the Activity Center in Trinoma where HP and the BSP had setup to educate consumers of the dangers of counterfeit products and bank notes. Here, consumers can trade-in their old HP printers for discounts on new HP printers. Consumers who want to get their hands on the new, better and more colorful currency that’s set to roll out soon can get their old bills replaced with new ones. The exhibit will run until tomorrow, July 21.

     

     

     

     

    Get eye surgery without going “under the knife”

    Gadgets Team
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    3
    Get eye surgery without going “under the knife”

    For someone who’s been wearing glasses since she was in 4th grade, I’ve always been interested in what the LASIK procedure could do to cure my worsening near-sightedness. Of course, after watching a demonstration on youtube where a blade scrapes off a bit of cornea, I became discouraged and just downright scared. But as I witnessed earlier today, any anxiety with blades going anywhere near your eye will soon vanish once you see the latest technology offered by AEC.

    American Eye Center unveiled the most advanced technology for the treatment of nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism―all Laser or bladeless LASIK surgery via the WaveLight Refractive Suite.

    The first of its kind in the Philippines, this new equipment is very much in demand in all premier eye centers around the world. Its acquisition by American Eye Center reinforces the latter’s commitment to be at par with global standards of quality and excellence in ophthalmic laser treatment.

    The WaveLight Refractive Suite is known as the world’s fastest refractive platform. It combines two of the most advanced lasers currently available for performing LASIK surgery—the  WaveLight EX500, a 500 Hz repetition excimer laser; and the WaveLight FS200, a 200 kHz Femtosecond laser.

    The FS200 femtosecond laser is impressive because of its speed and ability to make the flap that is needed for LASIK surgery. There is no need for blades. The surgeon is given the freedom of choice with regard to diameter, shape, thickness, depth, angle and location of the flap according to the individual needs of the patient. Integrating seamlessly with the FS200 is the EX500, the fastest excimer laser in the market operating at 1.4 seconds per diopter of treatment. It can perform a wide range of customized treatments.

    A very distinct advantage of this system over other available systems is that the Excimer laser is networked with the Femtosecond laser. With this system, All Laser LASIK becomes very convenient for the patient. The entire procedure is done in less than 20 minutes and costs about Php 77,000 for both eyes.

    The WaveLight Refractive Suite brings an unprecedented level of safety and precision, allowing surgeons to provide consistently excellent refractive and visual results when performing laser vision correction.

    Sony Launches 1st Walkman Android phone with GLEE promo

    Gadgets Team
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    4
    Sony Launches 1st Walkman Android phone with GLEE promo

    QUEZON CITY  – Sony Ericsson today launched the first Walkman Android phone, the Sony Ericsson W8 Walkman, at Johnny Rockets’  Tomas Morato branch.

    The W8 Walkman is a gorgeous mobile phone, featuring a brilliant 3-inch full touch screen (320×420 resolution). It runs on Android Gingerbread 2.1 2.3,  has a 600GHz Snapdragon processor and utilizes Sony Ericsson’s Timescape user interface.

    One of it’s unique features is the 4 customizable homescreen corners, which provide quick access to your preferred applications, which you can see on the photo above. The phone is also equipped with 3G and WiFi, allowing you to access the multitude of apps that can be availed of in the Android Market.

    It has a 3.2 megapixel camera and comes with a 4GB microSD card (expandable). It also features a 3.5mm jack which guarantees premium audio output that Sony Walkman’s are known for.

    Furthermore, if you’re an avid GLEE fan and are interested in grabbing the sleek and feature rich Sony Ericsson W8 Walkman, it will come with a featured song from the hit TV series.

    In addition to the W8 promo, Sony Ericsson is also holding an online GLEE music video contest on Facebook, spanning from July 26 until September 30, 2011. All you have to do is take a video of yourself covering any song from the GLEE: The Music soundtrack albums, and submit it for entry. The winners will have an opportunity to win the W8 Walman, GLEE t-shirts and a Boracay package for two from South East Asian Airlines (SEAIR) and Boracay Garden Resort.

    For more details on the contest, visit Sony Ericsson PH on Facebook.

     

    Sony Ericsson W8 Walkman SRP: Php 7,990.00

    08/25/2011:
    Correction/Update:
    The Sony Ericsson W8 Walkman is running Android Gingerbread 2.3 and not 2.1 as previously stated on this blog post, and in our August print issue . We would like to offer our sincere apology to Sony-Ericsson for the mistake, and we have now updated the information accordingly.

     

    Event outtakes:

     

     

    4ThirdsImages.com – a site for the MFT fanatic

    Gadgets Team
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    0
    4ThirdsImages.com – a site for the MFT fanatic

    If you’re an avid micro four-thirds fan, then you might want to register at 4THIRDSIMAGES.com

    Signing up is free to this online database, which caters exclusively to photos that have been shot with 4/3, Micro 4/3 or APSC cameras. What makes this site unique is the ability to search for images captured with a certain lens and those who register can also indicate this specific info when uploading their photos for sharing.

    As you can see in the screenshot below, there are various search options.

     

    Once registered, users have a number of features they can avail of at 4THIRDSIMAGES.com, such as being able to keep track of photos, searching by EXIF data, creating lists of personally owned lenses, etc. When browsing the photo database, users also have the option of changing the site’s color theme.

    It’s still a relatively new site, so expect the database to be somewhat limited for now. However, as time wanes on, it will be an extremely useful site for those that  are looking to purchase a new lens and want to view sample images of MFT systems.

    http://4thirdsimages.com

     

    Source: PhotoRumors

    Daily Log books for the runner and triathlete

    Gadgets Team
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    0
    Daily Log books for the runner and triathlete

    With new studies showing that sitting at your desk all day (and probably in front of the computer) may cause heart problems in the future, getting up and out your seat is starting to look more and more inviting (and necessary). But don’t just take that 50-meter walk to go on that cigarette break. Give that old heart a workout with the help of these two books that will not only get you moving, but motivate you to go further and farther.

    The I’m a Runner Daily Log and iTRI Triathlon Daily Log books are 16-week daily logbooks for runners and triathletes (respectively) that do more than just let you write down what you’re feeling or how your session went. Aside from having “goal notes,” the books provide pages complete with daily charts from the workout title to daily nutrition to the number of glasses of water you drank within the day. It also has motivational quotes, a directory of coaches, and exercise instructions. The author, Andrea P. Lagman, is an active runner and multi-sport so you’re sure the logbook has all that a runner and triathlete might need to accomplish his/her goals, be it a beginner or a pro.

    It comes in 6 amazing colors: Black,blue,red,purple,fuchsia and apple green and costs Php 380.

     

    Available at:

    FULLY BOOKED

    BHS Fort, Rockwell, Greenbelt 5, MOA, Promenade Greenhills,

    Eastwood mall and The Block SM North Edsa.

    RUNNR Store – BHS & Trinoma

    RUNNR Store – Cebu & Davao in June 2011

    The Brick Multisport Store, McKinley

    The Secondwind Running Store –  Ortigas & QC Branch

    Bike King – BHS Fort

    The Starting line – Westgate Alabang

    Velo City – Cartimar

    Cycling Zone – Shell Pacific Gas Station Alabang-Zapote Rd.

     

    Now if only someone would come up with the “I’m a Power Walker Daily Log” then I’d have something to log.

    Internet Explorer 9 is the best browser for blocking socially engineered malware

    Gadgets Team
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    4
    Internet Explorer 9 is the best browser for blocking socially engineered malware

    Well, seems like Microsoft should be pretty proud of itself – NSS Labs, a security research and testing firm has proclaimed Internet Explorer 9 as the best browser for blocking socially engineered malware. Traditionally, malware writers were able to rely on users’ lax browser security and exploits to execute drive-by attacks to infect computers. With browsers now actively pestering users into updating possible security holes in their browsers, ne’er-do-wells have resorted into crafting socially engineered malware which trick you into downloading them into your PC. Internet Explorer 9 blocks these kinds of attacks by utilizing URL Reputation feature and the App Rep service. The other browsers didn’t fare so well though, and looking at the scores in the image above paints a pretty clear picture that the other browsers have some catching up to do.

    Via: Geek

    Source: NSS Labs (PDF)

    Globe powers 2011 SME Summit

    Press Release
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    0
    Globe powers 2011 SME Summit

    Globe Telecom partnered with the Department of Trade and Industry to help promote growth and development for Small and Medium-scale Enterprises (SMEs). Initially, Globe, through Globe Business, the company’s enterprise, corporate and SME unit, joined forces with the DTI’s Bureau of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Development (DTI-BSMED) for the 2011 SME Summit.

    The 2011 SME Summit was the highlight of 2011 SME Week, spearheaded by the DTI and the MSMED Council, which ran until July 9, 2011. Through the partnership between Globe Business and the DTI-BMSMED, DTI regional and field offices, local government units, entrepreneurs and the general public across the country were able to watch the summit live via the web (http://justin.tv/smesummit) with the use of Globe broadband. Participants at the summit were also able to interact via web conference with entrepreneurs who attended the Globe Negostar forum in Cauayan City, Isabela, held simultaneously with the 2011 SME Summit.

    During the summit, government presented the 2011-2016 Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Development Plan, which contains action plans that foster a more enabling business environment, give increased access to affordable financing as well as expanded markets, and improves productivity and efficiency.

    “We at Globe Business are one with the DTI in our desire to help entrepreneurs grow by helping make their businesses more efficient. The SME sector is the workhorse of our country’s economy, hence it augurs well for everyone to support the growth of small and medium-scale enterprises,” said Manny Aligada, Head of the Corporate and SME Segments at Globe Business.

    Only Globe Negostar is the one-stop shop for all communication needs of an entrepreneur. Globe Negostar has packages bring down the price of mobile service and introduce affordable mobile and broadband solutions for entrepreneurs. These services can be customized to suit each entrepreneur’s unique needs and requirements.

    Experience the benefits of having customized solutions to support your business. Consult our Globe Business Account Managers, visit the Globe Stores, call the Globe Business Hotline +632 730-1288 or log on to www.globe.com.ph/negostar today to find out more.

     

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