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    Nokia’s new ringtone embraces the new, annoys the old

    Gadgets Team
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    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:

    Nokia_Tune_Dubstep_Edition

    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

    Gadgets Team
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    1
    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

    Gadgets Team
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    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

    Gadgets Team
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    2
    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

    Gadgets Team
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    0
    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.

    Space Lab challenges youth: create an experiment to be conducted in space

    Gadgets Team
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    Space Lab challenges youth: create an experiment to be conducted in space

    Do you have a great idea for a science experiment and would like to see it conducted live on YouTube by scientists on board the International Space Station? Well, here’s your chance to showcase that Filipino ingenuity that we are well-known for.

    Google, in tandem with Lenovo, has officially launched YouTube Space Lab in cooperation with Space Adventures, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).

    Space Lab is essentially a place where you can view videos and further your knowledge and interest about space. Right now, they are launching a worldwide competition that “challenges 14-18 year-old students to design a science experiment that can be performed in space”. The judging panel will consist of respected individuals in the fields of science and education, and will even include the legendary Stephen Hawking.

    Additionally, two international winners will be able to choose a prize between ‘a trip to Tanegashima Island, Japan, to watch their experiment blast off in a rocket bound for the ISS, or once they are 18 years old, a one-of-a-kind astronaut training experience in Star City, Russia, the training center for Russian cosmonauts”.

    To view the complete mechanics, as well as the FAQs, view the link below:

    Space Lab Resources

     


     

    Genius outs affordable writing tablet for artistic types, talent not included

    Gadgets Team
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    Genius outs affordable writing tablet for artistic types, talent not included

    Been hankering to unleash your drawings onto the web but are balking at the price of traditional tablets (no, not those tablets)? Well, you might want to take a look at the Genius EasyPen M506, an affordable writing tablet that’s sure to hit the right spot. This large 5”x 6” tablet has enough space for you to work comfortably and is reversible for lefties. Additionally, the EasyPen M506 sporst a high 4000 LPI and 1024 pressure sensitivity which means you’ll be able to enjoy smooth sketching and design work. The EasyPen M506 will retail for Php 5,895.

    New paper says DRM doesn’t work, hurts only legitimate customers

    Gadgets Team
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    New paper says DRM doesn’t work, hurts only legitimate customers

    We’ve said before that draconian DRM measures don’t work, but we’ve never had scientific proof to back it up. Until now that is. A paper written by Duke and Rice University says that ditching DRM actually lead to a decrease of piracy, which, you know, is the complete opposite of what companies that use DRM tell us. In the paper, titled “Music Downloads and the Flip Side of Digital Rights Management Protection”, the researchers used an analytical model which examined how piracy is influenced by the presence or absence of DRM restrictionsm and found that while these restrictions make piracy more costly and difficult, the restrictions also have a negative impact on legal users who have no intention of doing anything illegal.

    “Only the legal users pay the price and suffer from the restrictions,” the study said. “Illegal users are not affected because the pirated product does not have DRM restrictions.”

    “In many cases, DRM restrictions prevent legal users from doing something as normal as making backup copies of their music,” said Dinah Vernik, assistant professor of marketing at Rice’s Jones Graduate School of Business. “Because of these inconveniences, some consumers choose to pirate.”

    Source: Rice University

    Boracay forms 7-km human chain for environment protection

    Press Release
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    Boracay forms 7-km human chain for environment protection

    Boracay residents and tourists joined hands to form a seven-kilometer human chain along its world-renowned white sand beach to celebrate the first anniversary of the Boracay Beach Management Program (BBMP) last 23 September 2011. BBMP is a multi-sectoral initiative for the protection, sustainability and enhancement of the island’s coastal and marine resources.

    The anniversary program, led by Malay Mayor John P. Yap, was attended by Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Ramon Paje, Presidential Adviser on Environmental Protection Nereus Acosta, and Department of Interior and Local Government Undersecretary Rico Puno.

    DENR Sec. Paje noted that with proper planning and development, Boracay could further evolve to accommodate more tourists while maintaining environmental sustainability. He also lauded the initiative of Mayor Yap in leading the dynamic private-public partnership that has successfully achieved significant improvements in coastal resources management, water and waste water management, solid waste management, watershed protection, hazard prevention, local governance, and information, education and communication.

    Aside from the human chain, the anniversary program also included the launch of the Adopt-a-Tree program in Boracay, which aims to plant 30,000 seedlings in the island within one year. To jumpstart it, nearly 2,000 seedlings were distributed to Boracay high school students and foresters who pledeged to plant these trees in their backyards and school grounds. This was followed by a clean-up drive to highlight Boracay’s anti-smoking and anti-littering campaign.

    One of BBMP’s convenors, Petron Corporation, contributed to the environmental protection drive by providing free emission testing for public utility vehicles at the Petron service station. As witnessed by DENR Secretary Ramon Paje and Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) Director Juan Miguel Cuna, Petron’s Carbon Flush product demonstration resulted in a dramatic reduction in smoke emission values from 3.753 to 0.399, or an improvement of almost 90%. Key members of the champion Petron Blaze Booster team, including most valuable player Arwind Santos, were on hand to add star power to this activity and the rest of the anniversary festivities.

    Malu Erni, general manager of Petron Foundation, which introduced the globally-recognized Integrated Coastal Management to the BBMP, reaffirmed their organization’s commitment to provide resources and expertise for long-term sustainability.

    To encourage the youth sector to strengthen its support for BBMP, San Miguel Corporation (SMC), another staunch supporter, introduced a star-shaped mascot to embody the slogan “Sali Ako Dyan!”, paving the way for the next stage of BBMP’s advocacy.

    Petron and SMC, in partnership with the Province of Aklan, the Municipality of Malay, and the Boracay Foundation Inc. (BFI) launched the BBMP and the “Para Sa Boracay Ako! For Boracay I Will” advocacy in 2010 to engage the island’s various stakeholders in an integrated program that would ensure the island’s environmental sustainability.

    Like their Facebook page here.

    Review: Samsung ST700 digital camera

    Gadgets Team
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    Review: Samsung ST700 digital camera

     

    A few months ago, my purse was stolen while I was at an anniversary party for one popular semi-underground indie bar. Now I didn’t mind that my wallet or even my banged up 3-year old phone with all of my contacts was in that purse. What hurt the most was to lose the camera my husband had given me two Christmases ago: a Samsung IT100. He’d gotten it for me after he learned that it was a camera I really enjoyed using (after having reviewed it earlier that year). Not only did I love that camera, my own sisters loved it too that they decided to make me the “official photographer” of all our nights-out. My one sister was so envious; she went off and bought herself a Samsung TL205.

    So when I was given the chance to review the Samsung ST700, I was absolutely excited to see what it could do. Being pleased with the results and performance of my last camera, I immediately (and perhaps, haphazardly) had high hopes for this model.

    Now you couldn’t exactly hold that against me especially once you open the box and see this incredibly chic and shiny camera sitting in it. As it is a DualView camera, the camera face is a mirror—one clear enough for you to check your own makeup with—and where you can find a 1.8-inch front LCD screen and comes with a 5x optical zoom lens starting at 26mm equivalent and a 16-megapixel sensor. At the back is a 3-inch LCD touchscreen with one home button at the bottom right-hand corner. On top is your Playback button, Power button, shutter with zoom, and F.LCD button to activate the front LCD for more accurate self-portraits. Hidden behind a right-hand side compartment is a USB slot for the charger and the AV as well as a slot for an HDMI cable. The bottom latch is for the lithium-ion battery and the 4GB microSD card (which the camera already comes with).

    But that’s as far as it goes when it comes to anything external. Everything else you can find inside the 3-inch LCD touchscreen. Press the Home button and you’ll find an array of features and functions, separated into four pages, if you will, which you slide to the left. The first page includes: Smart Auto, Program, Smart Movie, Self Shot, Children, Pose Guide, Album and Settings. The second page: Jump Shot, Movie, Scene, Vignetting, Beauty Shot, Magic Frame, Photo Editor, Photo Filter. The third: Movie Filter, Night, Palette Effect, Close Up, Simple Shot, DUAL IS, Slide Show, Voice Recorder. On the fourth is Magazine View.

    All these can be activated with just one touch. And with all of these intuitive features to fiddle with, you’re sure to be entertained and amused with all the kinds of shots you can take and how you want to present them. Of course, I went straight for the Beauty Shot function to see how Samsung could’ve possibly improved this God-send of a technology. Now if my old camera just had one setting for the Beauty Shot, this model allows you to adjust the Face Tone (brightness) and the Face Retouch (blur and “smoothness”), though I suggest you just keep both settings on high for quick and painless photo-editing results.

    Now I do have to admit that despite the intuitive interface and the pictures that came with each function (so you know what does what), I did have trouble getting around the camera via the touchscreen. I guess you can say that I’m not used to having to press and drag a screen using a significant amount of pressure. So maneuvering isn’t as quick as I’d like. But nevertheless, the Samsung ST700 can be an awesome digital camera to own, if you don’t mind man-handling it a little.

     

    Specifications:

    Megapixel count: 16-megapixels

    Zoom and optics: 5x zoom; optical x digital: 25x

    Physical Dimension: 99 x 55 x 20 mm

    Weight: 121g (without battery and memory card)

    Estimated battery life: Approx. 180 shots

    Memory used/internal capacity: External memory: Micro SD Card (up to 4GB) Micro SDHC (up to 8GB)

     

    What’s Hot:

    • DualView camera

    • Chic design

     

    What’s Not:

    • Touchscreen not as tactile

    • Lackluster functions and results

     

    Buy Meter: 7.9

     

    Bottomline:

    For those who want amazing and accurate self-portraits as well as a break from your run-of-the-mill photo, the Samsung ST700 is your camera of choice.

    Survey says: people prefer a Windows tablet

    Gadgets Team
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    1
    Survey says: people prefer a Windows tablet

    A survey conducted by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) has revealed that a majority of consumers would surprisingly prefer to purchase a Windows tablet, despite Apple’s apparent domination in the market.

    It’s not just BCG that reports this surprising result. Sarah Rotman Epps, a researcher for the independent research company Forrester, says that “Only 9% of consumers considering buying a tablet actively prefer an Android tablet — compared with 16% who prefer iOS and 46% who prefer Windows.”

    However, we must consider that these surveys were conducted before the untimely demise of Steve Jobs. What is apparent is that Apple will be in a delicate push-and-pull stage, and it will be interesting to see how things unfold, especially with Google’s Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0) gearing up for release.

    Moreover, while the survey above only reflects the wants of consumers in the US and China, do you think a majority of Filipinos would also prefer a tablet running Windows? I don’t know about you, but I’m eagerly awaiting the release of Windows 8 on tablets, which is slated to come soon. In the meantime, you can check out John’s hands on preview of the dev’s build.

    Show your evil side with PowerColor’s Devil 13 6970 videocard, tail and horns not included

    Gadgets Team
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    Show your evil side with PowerColor’s Devil 13 6970 videocard, tail and horns not included

    Any PC gamer worth his salt knows that October signifies the start of the flood of AAA titles for the holiday season. Instead of wondering if your aged rig can handle all the sweet, sweet games coming (Battlefield 3, Batman Arkham City, Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim) you can, you know, make sure. And what better way to make sure that you’ll be ready for the glut of games that are rampaging your way than scoring yourself PowerColor’s Devil 13 branded 6970. With a default clock speed of 880MHz and 1375MHz memory speed means that it’s ready and able to tackle your games right out of the box. Need more performance quick? No problem – a quick flick of the OC switch cranks up the performance by 10%. If you’re the type of person that still needs more performance, you can easily and safely overclock this bad boy via voltage measurement points to monitor the GPU voltage by using multimeters. There’s no word on how much this bad boy will be and when it’ll be available, but you can be sure the answers for both will be “expensive” and “soon”.

     

    Smart plans to launch Rocket WiFi Plus, spreads HSPA+ love around

    Gadgets Team
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    1
    Smart plans to launch Rocket WiFi Plus, spreads HSPA+ love around

    Love Smart’s Rocket HSPA+ USB stick but want to spread the high-speed love around? Don’t worry, you’ll be able to do that soon. Smart has announced that it’ll be releasing the Rocket WiFi Plus soon. allowing users to share their speedy connections to different devices like smartphones and tablets. The new entry into Smart’s HSPA+ capable line promises even faster speeds than the initial Rocket USB stick – according to Smart Broadband Internet and Data Services Head Gio Bacareza,“If you thought the 12Mbps Rocket Plug-It was already ahead of its time, the Rocket WiFi Plus will blast you off even farther into the future. The Rocket WiFi Plus can reach a ‘conservative’ 20Mbps on our 42Mbps network.”

    Smart has started to take pre-orders for the Rocket WiFi Plus, with units retailing for P6,495 a pop which comes with 180MB preload. The Rocket WiFi is available exclusively in prepaid and uses the same P200/180 MB pricing scheme as that of the Rocket Plug It. If you want to preorder yours, you can go to www.smart.com.ph/bro.

    Sony looks to take over mobile business, buying out Ericsson?

    Gadgets Team
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    1
    Sony looks to take over mobile business, buying out Ericsson?

    Sony Ericsson isn’t doing well in the smartphone industry globally, and though it’s managed to find a hit once in a while, it seems that’s not enough for Sony. The Wall Street Journal reports that Sony is looking to buy out Ericsson’s part in the partnership. For those who don’t know, the brand is a 50-50 partnership between Sony and Ericsson, and has been so for ten years. The move may have been triggered by the launch of Sony’s Android tablets under the Sony name and not Sony Ericsson. If the deal does go through, Sony will have a better chance of integrating its mobile services for smartphones, tablets and handheld gaming devices, and maybe, just maybe, it’ll have a shot competing with fair footing with the other Android heavyweights.

    Source: WSJ

    Cybercriminals remember Steve Jobs….through scamming in his memory

    Gadgets Team
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    Cybercriminals remember Steve Jobs….through scamming in his memory

    Whenever a big story or scandal hits the front pages of websites everywhere, you can be sure that cybercriminals find a way to use it to their advantage. Case in point: Steve Jobs’ death. Trend Micro has given us a head’s up of a new scam that’s currently hitting Facebook, with the premise of giving participants a free iPad courtesy of Apple in Job’s memory.

    According to Trend Micro, the scam works by asking users to share the page in order to be eligible. After the user follows the instructions, he is directed to an ad site, while in the background, the link is posted on their Facebook wall. A message then appears with the message that the offer is not available in the user’s area, with the user being shown advertisements instead. While the hapless user is trying to figure out what happened, the scammers are now a wee bit richer, thanks to the users who further spread the message through their account, and the ad revenue generated from the ads.

    “ As dubious as the offer sounds, it seems like some users are falling for the scheme. Here in TrendLabs we are seeing increasing number of posts bearing the website’s URL,” Marco deLa Vega, Trend Micro, Threats Researcher.

    “The deaths of known persons have become staple topics of social engineering schemes for the past years. Just a couple of months ago, we saw scams that took advantage of the death of singer Amy Winehouse, as well as rumors about the death of Lady Gaga.  We are strongly advising users not to click on posts like these if they see them on their Facebook newsfeeds. We also suggest users to educate those who have been tricked to stop the spread of such scams,” Dela Vega added.

    The lesson here is this: if it sounds too good to be true, then it’s probably a scam.

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