NEO, our friendly local notebook brand is having a massive, massive warehouse sale. How massive? Well, how’s a notebook for Php 15,000 sound? You better hurry though – the sale is only up till tomorrow, but then again, it’s payday tomorrow, and what better way to reward yourself after a long week’s grind than with a brand spanking new NEO notebook? If you’re interested in grabbing a new notebook, head on over to King’s Court Building in Chino Roces Makati tomorrow. You can get a biggified version of that banner by going here.
Neo is having a massive clearance sale, up to 50% off on notebooks and netbooks
Soak, Dye in Light: a new way to watercolor
New media brings about a new way to recreate traditional art. “Soak” by creative computing group Everyware has developed a way to simulate watercolor using a blank spandex canvas. Once you touch the material, the canvas immediately begins to fill with color which becomes “soaked” in virtual dyes and patterns. This simulated watercolor uses GPU accelerated cellular automata and is a modern reminiscent way of the art of tie-dye. For many fashion designers, this could prove to be one useful technology when mixing colors in fabrics.
SOAK from everyware.kr on Vimeo.
Dying fabric is a time-honored tradition of humankind. Local materials such as herbs, flowers, rocks, juice of animals or shells have been used through the dying process. Especially in Korea, people have deep affection toward the unique colors and textures of fabric dyed with traditional materials. Now in the age of new media, we tried a whole new way of coloring fabrics with the essential materials of new media, ‘light’ and ‘interactivity’. Also, as a meta-creative interactive installation, ‘Soak’ can be expanded for creating garments with personalized patterns or textile productions using today’s digital fabric printing technologies.
Source: PSFK
Smart outs Tap Share program, country’s first moble NFC service
Got a Nokia C7 smartphone and are a subscriber of Smart? Good news for you then – you’ll now be able to use your C7’s NFC technology via Smart’s Tap Share program. The initiative allows C7 usersto get prepaid updates and download mobile content like news, games and music via tapping their device on specially-marked posters in selected Smart Wireless Centers and Smart Stores nationwide.
“With Tap Share, Smart is once again pioneering innovation in the Philippines,” said Smart Chief Wireless Advisor Orlando B. Vea. This contactless technology offers our users a hassle-free and safe means of availing of products—they no longer need to memorize lengthy keywords, codes, and URLs to enjoy a service,” he said.
To enjoy Tap Share, existing Nokia C7 users can update their phone software by going to their phone’s update menu or by connecting their phone to their PC via Nokia PC Suite (standard data rates apply). They can also visit the nearest Nokia Care Center to have their phone software updated for free.
While the service is just available on the Nokia C7 for now, it paves the way for other NFC equipped devices down the line. Just think about it – you’ll soon be able to pay for groceries and other purchases via tapping your device on the store counter, without bringing out cash or credit cards.
YouTube makes local debut, partners with local content providers
It’s no secret that Filipinos love YouTube – we’re one of the biggest consumers of online video and we upload a fair share of videos for the world to see. That same voraciousness for online video has also helped a couple of our own to be discovered, with folks like Arnel Pineda and Charise Pempengco. So it’s no surprise then that Google has decided to create a localized YouTube Philippines site that delivers local flavor straight to your PC.
YouTube has forged partnership agreements with top Filipino media companies including ABS-CBN, GMA Network Inc., and TV5 that’ll bring their content to the local YouTube site. Additionally partners such as VIVA Records, PinoyTuner, Vicor Records, Star Records and Oak3 will also bring their content to the YouTube masses.
Probably the biggest news here is that local content providers, from the biggest media companies to the guy in his basement with a guitar and a dream will now be eligible for payment from ad revenue, with the content provider getting the majority of the earnings. Google still gets a piece of the pie however, though the percentage is unknown – they didn’t really give a percentage of the split.
The YouTube partner program will now also be open to local content creators, so people who regularly create original, high-quality content can now monetize their work. Content creators will be able to apply to the program by going to this link.
We spoke with Howie Severino, of GMA Netowrks Inc. about what this means for their content. He was extremely pleased with the partnership, saying that “it gives us new avenues to grow our brand and monetize our content.” He also said that the partnership allows GMA to leverage YouTube’s powerful content identifying algorithims, which gives them a powerful tool to use against people who infringe on their intellectual property. That doesn’t mean that they’ll take the ban hammer to everyone who uploads content from their networks. Howie sees these fans as partners in spreading their brand – the only thing that’ll change is that GMA, not the uploaders of the copyrighted videos, will be earning ad revenue, though the network still has the option of taking down their content from unauthorized users.
Sneak Peek: Insane DeBlurring feature that may appear in the next Photoshop
Adobe seems to have cooked up something big, and may very well change the future of photography and post processing images.
This sneak peek video was shot during the Adobe Max 2011 held in Los Angeles, and is a demonstration of Adobe’s new DeBlurring capabilities. Whether it is to appear in the next update of Photoshop is still unconfirmed. However, if you imagine that the audience is comprised of both media, photographers, graphic artists etc., their reaction alone to the DeBlurring demonstration speaks volumes. I mean after all, when was the last time you heard a unanimous response of amazement from an audience that is often very critical?
Ironically, the video below of the demonstration could definitely use Adobe’s DeBlurring algorithm. Whatever Adobe’s got under their sleeves, is definitely something to watch out for.
UPDATE 10/19/2011 Adobe’s official video of the demo:
ECS challenges overclockers to strut their stuff
So you’ve been overclocking all your life, have you? Think you got what it takes to smoke the competition, do you? Well, now’s the time to put up or shut up, as ECS has announced that their overclocking competition, aptly named ECS Overclock Shootout, is now open to the public. From now till November 6th, you have a chance to win some hardcore swag from ECS which include an A990 FXM-A, ECS GeForce GTX560 and other goodies. Anyone can join using any kind of hardware, though the stuff you use must be commercially available, with the highest overall 3DMark11 score using the performance preset taking the prize each week of the contest. If you’re up to the challenge, you can go to this link to find out more.
Source: ECS
Asus outs Zenbook Ultrabook, currently the thinnest notebook on the market
Well, it’s official – the UX series of extremely thin notebooks we saw back in June in COMPUTEX (which are now classed as Ultrabooks) are here, under the guise of Zenbooks, Asus’ branding for the recently emerged Ultrabook category. It’s still as beautiful as when we first saw it many moons ago, sporting a nice silver exterior panel (which we’ll guess is aluminum) with a concentric circle design that refracts a halo of light when you look at it.
Asus claims that this is the thinnest Ultrabook currently on the market, being only 9mm at its thickest point (beating Acer’s S3 by 4mm). Internally, these bad boys are packing SATA III SSDs for storage, 4GB of RAM, USB 3.0 and will carry a selection of Intel’s Core i5 and i7 processors.
There will be two variants of the Zenbooks available – a small, 11-inch model and a 13-inch deal, weighing in at 2.4 lbs and 2.9 lbs respectively. Both devices are will be available in the US starting Oct 12 with prices starting at about $999. While there’s no word on local availability yet, we have a good feeling that this little beauty will be heading to our shores real soon. Stay tuned.
FOTON’s Big Show gives you even bigger deals
FOTON Motor Philippines (FMP) is set to stage its biggest celebration to date. Join FOTON’s Big Show: The New Energy of Business, a trade-in and exhibit to be held on October 20 to 23, 2011 at the PICC Forum 2, Pasay City. The event will also host the FOTON Palitan Fest 2―a trade-in event wherein guests can exchange their old vehicles for a brand new FOTON!
Featuring an easy, systematic process, the FOTON Palitan Fest 2 enables participants to complete the trade-in requirements, all in one day! Representatives from major banks and buy-and-sell firms will be present at the event to assist clients with their trade-in and bank financing applications. Within minutes, clients can get their old vehicles appraised, have their papers processed, and then drive home with their new FOTON.
On top of that, guests can also avail of huge discounts offered exclusively at the event! FMP makes this event even bigger with the grand unveiling of the brand’s new heavy equipment and construction machineries. Do not miss this exclusive exhibition featuring FOTON wheel loaders, excavators, backhoe loaders, rollers, and forklifts! Landing the spotlight, too, are FOTON’s well-known pick-ups, vans, and trucks. With this extensive new line-up, small businesses and multinational companies alike are guaranteed to find a perfect FOTON for their business.
Other surprises await everyone at the FOTON’s Big Show, kicking-off with a stunning opening celebration. Share with the excitement as FOTON welcomes this new chapter of growth as it unveils its new brand identity! The event will also be joined in by distinguished guests and the country’s top talents, making it a truly special event.
Log on to www.foton.com.ph or call 459-2121 (Metro Manila) or 1-80010-36FOTON (provincial toll-free) or +63 922 8017217/ +63 949 1622111 to find out more.
iTunes 10.5 update includes iTunes in the Cloud
Apple has released iTunes 10.5, and while it may seem like an ordinary update, the big news is the introduction of iTunes in the Cloud, which automatically downloads your previous purchases across virtually any of your devices.
This is a potential game changer for Apple’s cloud-based service, as it now allows you to access your music library anywhere, providing that the device you’re using has iTunes installed. You can also choose between having Apple update your library automatically, or you can go through it song-by-song if you want. Additional features include WiFi syncing across iOS devices, and a new feature called iTunes Match, which isn’t quite ready yet but should be available soon.
If you already have iTunes, simply go to Apple Software Update and it will take care of the rest. If this is your first time, head on over to the iTunes page.
Canon is #1 for Inkjet printers locally for the first half of 2011
The local Canon team definitely has a bit more swagger in their step as the latest IDC report has declared Canon to be the #1 manufacturer for inkjets sold locally for the first half of 2011. Canon currently has a nice 35% slice of the local market (for inkjets), with HP following close behind at 31% and Epson third at 27%. Canon is also doing a killing with their PIXMA iP2770, which is currently tagged as best selling single function printer for the first half of this year, with 49,871 being sold. Will Canon be able to maintain that lead with the aid of their new PIXMA E500?
Nokia’s new ringtone embraces the new, annoys the old
After collecting hundreds and hundreds of entries, Nokia has finally chosen the next default ringtone that’s going to be put in more than 100 million devices all over the world. Italina DJ Valerio Alessandro Sizzi is responsible for Nokia’s latest jig titled ”Nokia Tune Dubstep Edition”, and gets the $10,000 purse from Nokia. His entry received 1,000 likes on his Facebook page and beat 6,200 entries, though not everyone will like his take on Nokia’s iconic tune. Have a listen:
While the younger generation would probably like the dubstep inspired tune, members of the older generation may not. What do you think? Do you like Nokia’s new tune?
Source: Nokia Conversations
Google internet bus: one bus you don’t want to miss
Whenever I’m asked albeit informally how I feel about the notion of print media dying and everyone simply relying on the net to get information, I always say “Why that’s an awfully elitist assumption considering not EVERYONE has internet or even knows what it is.” But it seems there are ways to introduce the rural and remote areas to the wonderfully wide world of the world wide web via… a bus.
The Google Internet bus has taken route across and around rural India. In association with BSNL, a state-owned internet service provider, the aforementioned bus has covered over 43,000kms since it started on its journey last February 2009 and hopes to arouse, if not stir, people’s need for the internet. Of course, this is all in hopes to increase sales for online setups and contracts though it is also an attempt to “educate the people, especially the younger generation about the worldwide web and how Internet serves as a platform to step into the digital world for information, communication, entertainment and education” as stated by Google India research and development (R&D) head Prasad Ram.
And like the passing gypsies and traveling carnivals of old, this (free) internet café on wheels is sure to get people excited.
I just want to know if anything like that is happening in the Philippines.
Source: Economist
Acer’s Iconia Tab A100 gives you Honeycomb for less
Aside from their ultrabook unveil earlier today, Acer also outed their 7-inch Iconia Tab A100. This little number is Acer’s entry into the 7-inch tablet space, and comes with all the goodies you’ve come to expect from Honeycomb tablets – NVIDIA Tegra 2 Dual Core processor, Honeycomb 3.2, 5-megapixel camera and 8/16GB of internal storage (with 32GB micro SD support). It’ll have full app support just like the A500 before it, and unsurprisingly features Acer’s clear.fi technology and a host of other software enhancements that help you get through your day. The Iconia Tab A100 will retail for Php 17,900 for the 8GB version. Acer says they won’t be bringing the 16GB version locally though they hinted that it would probably make an appearance when the 3G version of the A100 lands.
Acer outs Aspire S3, ultra-mobility at Php 44,900
Seems like Acer’s looking to get a jump at the ultrabook segment early, and has officially launched their entry into the market – the Aspire S3. The S3 weighs in at a measly 1.4 kilos and is extremely thin – just 13mm. Usually those dimensions mean a huge compromise in both performance and functionality is called for – not for the S3 though. The notebook packs an Intel Core i5 processor (i5-2467M), a full array of ports (and none of that port replicator nonsense) a large, 13.3-inch screen and 4GB of DDR3 memory.
Probably the only downside of the Aspire S3 is that it packs a 320GB HDD instead of a SSD drive, though there’s an option for customers to have a 20 GB SSD combined with a HDD for faster performance and longer battery life.
Probably the best part of the S3 is the price – it’s tagged with a Php 44,900 price tag, which makes it a direct competitor to Apple’s Macbook Air – which starts at Php 49,990.
[album: https://gadgetsmagazine.com.ph/wp-content/plugins/dm-albums/dm-albums.php?currdir=/wp-content/uploads/dm-albums/[email protected]/Acer S3/]
Facebook finally gets an iPad app
After a long time of waiting (and curiously being absent from the app scene), Facebook officially launches its iPad app.
It includes the features that you love on Facebook, such as photos and games, but it is reportedly optimized even more for the iPad. Photos are larger and can provide you instant slideshows while on the move. A navigation menu is located on the top left hand side which hosts a search bar, lists, games, apps and groups into one convenient button. Messages and notifications will be located on the top of the display as well. It is compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad and requires iOS 3.0 or later.
Get the “full Facebook experience” here on the App Store.
