More
    Home Blog Page 1299

    Globe and Proudcloud brings innovation via Startup Weekends

    Gadgets Team
    -
    0
    Globe and Proudcloud brings innovation via Startup Weekends

     

    Globe and ProudCloud, a Philippine-based web engineering firm is infusing innovation to the local tech scene via Startup Weekend Manila, a 54-hour event where developers, designers, marketers, technopreneurs, and venture capitalists come together to share ideas, form teams, build products, and launch startup businesses. The event aims to bring together the right people together, be it entrepreneurs interested in receiving feedback for an idea, developers looking for backers or even company heads looking to pick up a new skill.

    Over 100 participants are expected to join Startup Weekend Manila which will be held on October 21-23, 2011 at the Mint College, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City. Participants will have the opportunity to be acquainted with one another, pitch startup concepts they are passionate about, and form teams around the most popular ideas. They then refine the ideas and start building product prototypes with the help of their respective mentors, and then present what they have accomplished in the form of a short pitch and demo.

    “Globe is once again pioneering innovation by bringing the Startup Weekend to the Philippines. This global innovation exercise seeks to showcase the best ideas, talents, and resources for future businesses,” said Minette Navarrete, Head of Globe New Business Group. “We encourage individuals who have the passion for innovation to take this opportunity to be part of a global movement towards ideation and technological excellence.”

     

    Detect hazardous chemicals via armband

    Gadgets Team
    -
    0
    Detect hazardous chemicals via armband

    Maybe it’s all the Fringe TV episodes I’ve been watching that’s got me all paranoid but here’s a neat little gadget that may just save you from being poisoned by odorless gas lest some biochemical warfare take place (ok maybe it really is just the paranoia talking).

    What was once designed for military use can now be utilized by regular albeit paranoid civilians (like myself). The Morphix Chameleon is an armband designed to detect poisonous gases in the air and requires no power or calibration. It can withstand a variety of environments like heat, cold, and tropical conditions.  It can detect several types of gases: Ammonia, Sulfur Dioxide, Phosphine, Phosgene, Iodine, Hydrogen Sulfide, Hydrazine, Dioborane, Chlorine/Fluorine, and a variety of high pH and low pH gases.

     

    Source: Morphtec

     

    Android Police: HTC Android phones have a “massive security vulnerability”

    Gadgets Team
    -
    2
    Android Police: HTC Android phones have a “massive security vulnerability”

    The Android Police claims that owners of HTC’s EVO 3D, EVO 4G, Thunderbolt, etc. running the latest version of HTC software should be concerned of a security vulnerability that grants any application with Internet access entry to users’ valuable private information.

    The threat was found by Justin Case, Trevor Eckhart and artem Russakovskii of the Android Police. They claim that a set of logging tools included by HTC collects info from users phones, but also opens a a backdoor for hackers, thereby allowing them to access data such as email addresses, user accounts, GPS location, text message data and phone numbers.

    Additionally, the trio also discovered a “suspicious” app named androidserver.apk, which they say essentially allows third parties remote access to the phone. While they cannot confirm its real significance, the app’s mysterious nature is still on their watchlist.

    After discovering this vulnerability, the Android Police contacted HTC on September 24, and after five business days of no reply, they promptly decided to publicly release their findings, as per the RFPolicy. Since this potential vulnerability has reached the public sphere, HTC has yet to release an official statement or promptly address the issue with a critical update.

    According to the Android Police, the list of compromised data includes but is not limited to:

    • List of user accounts, including email addresses
    • Last known GPS location and history of previous locations
    • Phone numbers from the phone log
    • SMS data, including phone numbers and encoded text
    • System logs, which track everything your running apps do
    • System information, including build number, bootloader version, CPU info, running processes, list of installed apps, battery info and status, and network info, including IP addresses.

    To view the complete findings, go HERE

    (Update: HTC has released a statement saying: “HTC takes our customers’ security very seriously, and we are working to investigate this claim as quickly as possible. We will provide an update as soon as we’re able to determine the accuracy of the claim and what steps, if any, need to be taken.”)

    The Kindle Fire costs $209.63 to make, Amazon taking a loss for every device sold

    Gadgets Team
    -
    0
    The Kindle Fire costs $209.63 to make, Amazon taking a loss for every device sold

    We’ll be honest, we’re extremely curious how Amazon’s able to offer their 7-inch tablet, the Kindle Fire at such a rock-bottom price. It seems that the answer is pretty simple: Amazon is taking a slight financial hit with every device sold. IHS iSuppli estimated that the Kindle Fire cost $209.63 to make. Couple that with the associated shipping and handling cost to get the device to the hands of consumers, then it’s clear that the company is taking a big gamble with the Kindle Fire. To be fair, this is a common strategy for manufacturers to make – when the XBOX 360 and the PS3 came out, both Microsoft and Sony were also took hits, and sold their consoles at a loss, making up for it with licenses from developers to make games for their platforms. It’ll be interesting to see if Amazon’s device is able to stimulate sales of its digital content and physical goods in its store in the next few months.

    Source: Reuters

    Nokia hands over Symbian and 2,800 employees to Accenture, goes all in with Phone 7?

    Gadgets Team
    -
    0
    Nokia hands over Symbian and 2,800 employees to Accenture, goes all in with Phone 7?

    While we knew that Nokia would be slowly decommissioning Symbian after placing their bets with Phone 7, it’s still a bit heartbreaking to see it happen. The Finnish company will be handing off all Symbian related matters over to Accenture, along with 2,800 employees in China, Finland, India, United Kingdom and the United States.  Accenture, for the most part, is thrilled, with Marty Cole, chief executive, Accenture Communications and High Tech group saying “We look forward to partnering with Nokia as they continue to support Symbian and transition to the Windows Phone ecosystem. The highly skilled group of technologists and engineers transferring to Accenture will complement our current mobility skills and enhance the breadth, depth and scale of our capabilities, allowing us to meet the growing global demand for mobility services across many industries.”

    Source: Nokia

    Trend Micro’s Weekly Giveaway: A Voucher Worth Php 1,500

    Gadgets Team
    -
    0
    Trend Micro’s Weekly Giveaway: A Voucher Worth Php 1,500

     

    Trend Micro is offering a voucher worth Php 1,500 from Ayala, Power Mac Center or Pizza Hut from Sept 30 to October 5.

    Joining the Weekly Giveaway  is simple. All you need to do is “like” the Trend Micro Pilipinas Facebook page, click on “Enter Now”, fill up the form, and then refer your friends to increase your chances of winning.

    Once again, this weekly giveaway only lasts until October 5, so enter now to get a chance to win.

    New Asus N series notebooks cranks up the volume

    Gadgets Team
    -
    0
    New Asus N series notebooks cranks up the volume

    Aside from officially launching the Eee Pad Slider SL101 at yesterday’s event in Makati, Asus also took the opportunity to add new models to their prodigious N series line of notebooks. The new models N45SF and the N55SF strengthens their 14-inch and 15-inch offerings respectively and offers a mix of good performance with awesome audio, thanks to the Bang and Olufsen IcePower speakers that’s in the notebooks.

    To further enhance the audio that these notebooks put out, Asus is also bundling a subwoofer when you buy one. Other specs include an Intel 2nd generation i5 Core (Sandy Bridge) processor (Intel Mobile HM65 chipset), NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M with 2GB VRAM with NVIDIA Optimus switching technology and a 750GB HDD for storage. The N45SF retails for about Php 42,995 while the N55SF will go for Php 44,995.

    Asus finally launches Eee Pad Slider SL101 locally, retails at Php 26,995

    Gadgets Team
    -
    12
    Asus finally launches Eee Pad Slider SL101 locally, retails at Php 26,995

    First the good news: Asus has finally launched the Eee Pad Slider SL101 locally, and it seems that the device has not changed at all since we last saw it in their local office back in August. It still has the same processor as the Transformer had, and still sports a fantastically solid sliding keyboard underneath for those times you need a keyboard (but aren’t in the mood to buy/bring a keyboard dock). Some software updates have managed to up the functionality of the device a bit though, like support for external HDDs (for streaming video and the like) to USB devices like wireless keyboards and mice. Now the bad news: the device will hit the streets about a month from now, in November, so you folks will have about a month to save up for the Php 26,995 sticker price for the 16GB version.

    [album: https://gadgetsmagazine.com.ph/wp-content/plugins/dm-albums/dm-albums.php?currdir=/wp-content/uploads/dm-albums/[email protected]/Asus SL101/]

     

    Asus unveils Essentio CM Series desktop, looks to move into the local desktop market

    Gadgets Team
    -
    0
    Asus unveils Essentio CM Series desktop, looks to move into the local desktop market

    Asus’ main business has always been shilling motherboards, videocards and other PC implements so it kind of makes sense that the Taiwanese manufacturer has chosen to move on to selling a wholly branded PC built with their parts. That’s what their Essentio CM Series desktop bring essentially, is – a collection of Asus branded products that’s crammed into a nice, pre-built PC that aimed at casual PC users who don’t have the time or the expertise to build their own rig. The Essentio CM sports a second generation Intel Core i3 2100 on a H61 Express chipset, 2 GB of DDR3 memory, 500GB SATAIII, optical disk drive, 20-inch LED monitor and topped off with Windows 7 Home Basic. If you’re in the mood for something with a bit more oomph, there’s a Core i5 2300 model available. If you do suddenly find the urge to upgrade the Essentio, keep in mind that you run the risk of voiding the 1-year warranty that Asus is offering with the device, basically messing with the essential parts voids it, but adding simple stuff like videocards and whatnot won’t be a problem. The i3 variant will retail for Php 31,095 while the i5 variant will carry a Php 32,995 sticker.

    New technology to reduce garbage

    Gadgets Team
    -
    0
    New technology to reduce garbage

    Taguig Mayor Lani Cayetano with Australian Ambassador Rod Smith during the cleanup drive at Hagonoy Creek.

     

    Getting rid of garbage can now be done in a resourceful way through vermicomposting, a process which turns biodegradable wastes into an eco-friendly fertilizer. This eco-friendly technology was developed by the Philippine Business for Social Progress – Center for Rural Technology Development (PBSP-CRTD). This process was introduced to the Waste Management Unit of Taguig during the Clean-up Drive led by the Australian Embassy in partnership with the City Government of Taguig and Clean Up the Philippines Movement.

    Vermicomposting is the process of making texturized, sanitized, and deodorized form of castings made up of organic matters excreted by earthworms.

    Prior to putting the worms, the biodegradable trash is crushed and left to decompose for about two weeks. The earthworms then feed on the decomposed materials and its excreted substance called vermicast is eventually mixed with the fertilized soil as organic fertilizer and soil conditioner.

    Vermicompost provides plants with the complete and essential nutrition and hastens seed germination, plant growth, flowering, and fruiting. It contains beneficial microorganisms and is proven to be an effective solution to waste management problem, like the case in Taguig.

    Vermicomposting is just one of the ways to reduce the garbage in the Hagonoy Creek. Waste management is a shared responsibility, as pointed out by Taguig Mayor Lani Cayetano during the Clean Up Drive.

    Mayor Cayetano reminded the residents to check their waste disposal habits. “Mas gagaan po kung tulong-tulong. Huwag natin ipasa lahat sa gobyerno ang problema. Hindi naman sila ang nagtatapon ng basura (It would be lighter if everyone?s participating. Let’s not pass all the problems to the government. After all, it’s not the government that dumps the garbage).”

    The Clean Up Drive is an activity to promote environmental awareness and community action to reduce vulnerability to natural disaster.

    DPWH posts photoshopped inspection picture on Facebook page, goes as well as you’d expect

    Gadgets Team
    -
    2
    DPWH posts photoshopped inspection picture on Facebook page, goes as well as you’d expect

    After tropical storm Pedring left last Wednesday, the government went to task assessing the damage that the storm brought to our shores. It would make sense that different government agencies would take the opportunity to document the whole thing, but the DPWH took things a bit too far. A blogger by the name of Pierre Albert San Diego noticed something a bit off from one of the photos that was posted on the official DPWH Facebook page, namely, the one where Undersecretary Romeo Momo, Director Rey Tagudando and District Engineer Mikunug Macud was inspecting the damage wrought by Pedring on Roxas Boulevard. The photo in question was a horrible Photoshop job of the three, which immediately drew the ire of Pierre, him being an Engineer himself.

    “I’m a civil engineer by profession and I love my job and if there’s one thing I hate it’s people that fabricate their inspection reports. Why? Inspection reports are very important in our field, if the inspection report is erroneous, this might lead to a wrong and/or costly design. Aside from that, it might lead to a very difficult project implementation, and worse, not prepare others from potential safety risks of the site,” Pierre writes in his blog. He adds, “Some say this is a very minor issue, but I see this as a nice sample of DPWH’s lack of integrity. If they can fabricate simple things like this, just imagine what these guys can do to progress billings and acceptance of projects. Also, while relatively mild, isn’t this a classic example of “Utak Wangwang?” While unethical and unnecessary, they thought they could get away with fabricating photos so they tried to.”

    The offending pictures have since been pulled by the admins of the DPWH page, and they have issued an apology saying,”said enhanced photo was not the official photo release of the Department. But we would like to inform the public that the three officials were actually on site as part of the Department’s Post Disaster Assessment activities.” Hey DPWH, next time you need a good photo-op, it doesn’t hurt to ask your subjects to pose, instead of posting a shopped’ picture that looks like it was made by a drunk monkey with flipper hands that just learned how to use Photoshop. Just sayin’.

    Canon To Include Aperture Rings in Future EF Lenses?

    Gadgets Team
    -
    0
    Canon To Include Aperture Rings in Future EF Lenses?

    Canon may be working on adding an aperture ring on future EF lenses, which the patent dubs as a “diaphragm driving unit”, for more fluid control of the iris while recording video. Currently, any on-the-fly changes to the aperture cannot be made smoothly, because adjusting it is done on the camera body.

    In a move that is essentially a throwback to Canon’s earlier FD and FL lenses, the new design however will use electronic control as opposed to a mechanical approach. Moreover, according to the patent, it seems as if aperture adjustment on the lens is only available during video recording, as still images will still require changes to be made on the camera body, as is the current method.

    To view the complete published patent, go HERE.

    Never judge a book by its cover, urges Carlsberg

    Gadgets Team
    -
    0
    Never judge a book by its cover, urges Carlsberg

    What would it take for you to go on a movie date with your significant other to watch a movie you both know can only be seen on the big screen (like Lion King 3D)? Usually all it takes is a trip to the mall, a couple of movie tickets and if you’re lucky, some nice seats front row and center. But what do you do when you realize your fellow movie-goers are a bunch of rough-looking, Harley-Davidson driving, tattoo-sporting, leather-clad bikers straight out of that show Sons of Anarchy, but 148x worse?

    Danish beer company Carlsberg decided to find out by creating a campaign called ‘That Calls for a Carlsberg’ where unsuspecting couples had a choice to take the only two available seats left amidst a sea of some pretty intimidating and mean-looking bikers. While some felt the crowd “wasn’t what they paid for” and immediately left the theater, a few brave souls decided that perhaps not even 148 ways to potentially get into some serious injury can stop them from enjoying a lovely movie date. And for these brave and open-minded individuals, a roaring applause and a couple of beers was there reward.

    And character like that ALWAYS deserves an applause (and a beer).

    BlackBerry Bold 9900 coming to Globe “soon”

    Gadgets Team
    -
    0
    BlackBerry Bold 9900 coming to Globe “soon”

    Just like clockwork, telcos are now starting to roll out plans for the newest BlackBerries in town. First off is Globe with the Bold 9900, which will be offered by the telecom giant under a variety of plans for post-paid customers. If you missed our coverage of the product unveil last Monday, here’s a quick spec re-cap:

    • Stunning 2.8″ high resolution capacitive touch screen display
    • Best ever BlackBerry QWERTY keyboard
    • Super fast 1.2 GHz Processor
    • New BlackBerry 7 OS
    • 8 GB on-board memory, expandable up to 40GB
    • 5.0 MP camera, supports HD video recording
    • Comes with premium Docs To Go productivity suite
    • NFC technology
    • Accelerometer, Digital Compass and Proximity Sensor allowing for Augmented Reality
    • Built-in GPS / aGPS
    • Dual-Band Wi-Fi – 802.11 2.4 GHz b/g/n, 5 GHz a/n
    • Bluetooth 2.1+EDR support
    • Wireless Network support: Tri-Band HSPA+, Quad-Band GSM/EDGE
    • 1230 mAh removable, rechargeable battery

    Interested subscribers can go to Globe’s page here to find out more.

    Samsung settles licensing dispute with Microsoft, a closer partnership in the works?

    Gadgets Team
    -
    0
    Samsung settles licensing dispute with Microsoft, a closer partnership in the works?

    Electronics giant Samsung has recently settled a licensing dispute with Microsoft over its Android smartphones and tablets. Samsung will now have to pay a small licensing fee to Microsoft (which is rumored to be $10 to $15) each time it sells an Android powered smartphone or tablet, though it’s not clear at this point if the payments include past Android devices that they’ve already sold. This particular move sends a clear signal to Google about how Samsung feels about their acquisition of Motorola Mobility. There’s also a clear signal that Samsung is now working closely with the firm from Redmond – “Through the cross-licensing of our respective patent portfolios, Samsung and Microsoft can continue to bring the latest innovations to the mobile industry,” said Dr. Won-Pyo Hong, executive vice president of global product strategy at Samsung’s mobile communication division. “We are pleased to build upon our long history of working together to open a new chapter of collaboration beginning with our Windows Phone “Mango” launch this fall.”

    Does this mean that Google’s Android family isn’t as hunky-dory as we thought it was? One thing is for sure – Microsoft has managed to infuse its Phone 7 eco-system with a hardware partner that has the means to make their mobile OS a star.

    Source: The Guardian

     

    1...1,2981,2991,300...1,364Page 1,299 of 1,364
    LOG-IN

    © 2020 - Great Minds Media Inc.