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    Palit Video Card Giveaway

    Gadgets Team
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    Palit Video Card Giveaway

    Palit is giving away a whole bunch of video cards this month, including GTX 460, GTS 450, and the brand new GT 430. Starting today, October 11th, you can enter to win on Facebook and/or by submitting a photo via email. To clarify, you can enter both the Facebook giveaway and the photo contest and double your chances to win (you could even win both)! Winners will be announced on December 3rd.

    This is what you can win (identical set of prizes for each contest):

    • 1st Prize: Two (2) Palit GTX 460 Sonic Platinum GPUs
    • 2nd Prize: One (1) Palit GTS 450 Sonic Platinum GPU
    • 3rd Prize: One (1) Palit GT 430 GPU (new release!)

    Here’s how to enter:

    Facebook (US/Canada only, all ages)

    • “Like” Palit USA (i.e. become a fan)
    • Navigate to the “Sonic Platinum Contest” image in the “Contest” photo album
    • Comment on the picture with the phrase “Palit Give Back”

    3 winners will be randomly chosen from those who followed the above instructions before November 26th. Newly-opened or fake Facebook accounts will be ineligible.

    Palit pictures (World-wide, all ages)

    E-mail a Palit-themed picture to [email protected]. It must be no larger than 800×600 resolution and 2MB in file size. Allowed extensions are .jpg, .gif, .tif, and .png.

    • You can take a picture or create one from scratch, but it must be original (not copyrighted, duplicated, altered, etc.)
    • Funny, unique, and/or interesting pictures have the best chance of winning.
    • Ex.: A picture of a Palit jack-o-lantern, a street named Palit, a Palit video card in a tricked out rig.

    The last day to send pictures is November 11th. Ten (10) images will be selected from the entries and posted on the Palit USA Facebook fan page. It will be narrowed down to three (3) winners, perhaps influenced some by public opinion.

    See the official contest page for more details and pictures of the prizes.

    Acer’s Liquid Ferrari smartphone caught in the wild, gets our hearts revving fast

    Gadgets Team
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    Acer’s Liquid Ferrari smartphone caught in the wild, gets our hearts revving fast

    So right after the unveiling of Acer’s new netbooks, Dio Vasquez, Product Manager for Acer Philippines proudly showed me his latest toy: the Liquid Ferrari Android powered smartphone. Now this might be a retail unit or an engineering one, as Acer hasn’t officially launched it yet locally, but let me tell you, seeing it in the flesh instantly made me want to go out and buy one. The whole Ferrari motif wasn’t overdone, and the unit feels solid. It features a 3.5” high-definition (WVGA) capacitive screen and a somewhat modified UI on top of Android 2.1, Eclair. It’ll also come with a matching leather case/protector. Check out the pics below.

    The homescreen.

    It comes with its own Ferrari carrying pouch, apparently.

    Android 2.1 folks.

    Aside from the touch sensitive controls on the front, there’s a camera shortcut on the right side with the volume rocker.

    3.5mm jack allows you to plug in your own cans.

    5-megapixel camera.

    Probably custom widgets that Acer put in. The widget act like cards in a Rolodex, you flick them up and down to access your favorite social media sites and whatnot. There’s also a similar widget on the other end of the home screen for pictures and media.

    That’s it. You’ll probably be seeing this pretty little thing on store shelves by the end of this month.

    Acer wants you to be happy with dual core Atom on the Aspire One Happy and Aspire One D255

    Gadgets Team
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    Acer wants you to be happy with dual core Atom on the Aspire One Happy and Aspire One D255

    Acer’s serving up their newest netbooks for the holiday season in the form of the Aspire One Happy and Aspire One D255. The two new netbooks are served up with Intel’s newest Atom processor, the N550.

    Jermyn Wong, Market Development Manager of Intel Philippines walked us through the new features of the N550. The new Atom processor is markedly faster than its predecessor by up t0 60%, and that’s a conservative estimate said Wowie. The new processor is also equipped with Intel’s Hyperthreading technology, which allows the processor to have four threads running simultaneously, which speeds up processing time and applications.

    The Aspire One D255 and Aspire One Happy are aimed at the younger demographic said Dio S. Vasquez, Product Manager for Acer Philippines. The Aspire One happy comes in a variety of colors, including lime green, lavender purple, candy pink and Hawaii blue. Aside from the normal netbook fittings like a 10-inch screen and 250MB of memory, and Windows 7, the Aspire One Happy is also equipped with Google’s Android OS for dual boot duties. The Android OS boots in mere seconds, and is useful if you want to just surf the net instantly.

    The Acer Aspire D255 meanwhile, is for the more serious worker. It comes in a range of corporate friendly colors like sandstone brown, diamond black, ruby red, seashell white and aquamarine. Like its sibling, it is also equipped with an Intel Atom dual-core N550 processor, and has a 250GB SATA HDD.

    Also on hand for the event was Ricky Banaag, Intel Microelectronics Philippines Country Manager and Manuel Wong, AcerPhilipines General Manager.

    We managed to wrangle a lime green Acer Aspire Happy during the event, and as you can see from our photos, it’s a pretty little netbook.

    That little green dude on the corner should clue you in immediately that the Aspire One Happy is able to boot in both Windows and Android.

    Here’s a photo of how Android looks like on a netbook.

    The keys are standard island style ones that you see on bigger notebooks. It’s pretty comfortable to use, but like any netbook, the reduced sized keyboard will still take some getting used to.

    The Windows Experience Index clocks the Acer in at 2.9, decent enough score we suppose.

    Sony unleashes the power of 3D in their 3D World Event

    Gadgets Team
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    Sony unleashes the power of 3D in their 3D World Event

    Combining the best of technology and content, Sony is THE only company capable of delivering 3D entertainment from production into the comfort of one’s home

    Sony has truly been superior in terms of their capabilities to make 3d; and they proved it by creating a 3D world for us to see – nay, to be immersed in. The Sony 3D world is a showcase of all of Sony’s device working together to create a revolutionary 3D world – ranging an array of devices including TVs, digital cameras, gaming consoles, and media players.

    “As the leader in 3D innovation, Sony delivers unrivalled 3D entertainment by bringing consumers’ favorite movies and games directly into their living rooms in breathtaking quality,” says Mr. Takao Kuroda, President and Managing Director, Sony Philippines. “With 3D BRAVIA TVs as the centrepiece in the 3D ecosystem, Sony offers consumers unparalleled clarity and picture quality for 3D cinematic and gaming experiences at home.”

    Check out the short video below as our Lifestyle editor, Mich Callanta and myself take you to a quick tour to this 3D experience.




    (Also, please subscribe to our Youtube gallery for a chance to win a DVD copy of Prince of Persia!)

    Sony’s new range of 3D entertainment solutions will be available at all Sony authorized retailers. More information on Sony’s 3D World can be found at www.sony.com.ph .

    Samsung Galaxy Tab unboxing; fruitless-tablet fun

    Gadgets Team
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    1
    Samsung Galaxy Tab unboxing; fruitless-tablet fun

    We usually do unboxings of retail grade products, i.e. products that usually ship with their retail boxes, but we just had to make an exception for the Sammy’s latest: the Galaxy Tab. Opening the box you’ll see the white back of the Galaxy Tab, which houses the camera and LED flash. The name of the unit is there for everyone to see.

    Turning it over, you’ll be treated to a large, 7-inch TFT capacitive touchscreen. There are touch sensitive controls right below the screen similar to what you’d typicaly find on an Android mobile phone. There’s a front facing camera located on the top right of the screen.

    On the right side sits the power/lock button, volume rocker, microSD slot and the SIM card slot. And yes, the Galaxy Tab will accept regular sized SIMs, so you can put those scissors down.

    On the bottom sits the speakers and data port.

    There’s a 3.5mm jack on the top of the unit, so you’ll be able to plug in your own cans, or the hands-free kit that comes with the unit.

    The Galaxy Tab runs Google’s latest iteration of Android – 2.2 Froyo. So all the trimmings you’ve come to expect from the latest Android build can be found on the Galaxy Tab, including Wi-Fi tethering and all that jazz.

    The rest of the accessories.

    And of course, this isn’t a proper hands on without a comparison shot with the Apple iPad.

    You might be wondering why the Galaxy Tab shipped with a handsfree kit. Well, that’s because the Galaxy Tab can make and receive calls. No really. It even has a dialer and everything. The screen is pretty sensitive to touch input, and you’ll also be able to enjoy the current library of Android applications for it.

    That’s it for this unboxing. You can read the whole review of the Galaxy Tab on the November issue of Gadgets magazine when it comes out.

    Cignal HD brings affordable digital TV to Filipinos, might spell the end for analog cable

    Gadgets Team
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    Cignal HD brings affordable digital TV to Filipinos, might spell the end for analog cable

    That’s if MediaQuest President and Chief Executive Officer Ray Espinosa gets his way. According to him, “Analog cable providers are going to be out of business very soon.” The forward thinking CEO was present for the Cignal TV press conference held for the press today, and looking at what his company is offering, it seems that way to us too. Cignal aims to provide 100% digital content to anywhere in the country, including HD content. The company’s lineup also includes HD channels that include HBO and National Geographic.

    Cignal’s hook here is their all digital transmission and technologies. Even if the signal isn’t a digital one, ie free channels like TV5 and the like, they automatically convert it to a digital one from their end which coincidentally, also improves picture quality.

    Their set-top boxes are compatible with both legacy CRT systems and newer LCD flatscreens, but of course you’ll only get to enjoy HD on HD ready devices. Their HD signal transmits up to 1080i depending on the source, and channels like HBO also have digital 5.1 surround embedded in the signal.

    As you see in the photos here, the set-top box isn’t substantial and can easily integrate into whatever home theater set-up you currently have at home.

    Here you can see that Cignal’s tech is able to run on CRT TVs as well.

    A closer look at the set-top box.

    Cignal will be offering both postpaid and prepaid plans for their service. You can start enjoying digital broadcasts for as low as Php 250 per month before additional fees (like the Cignal kit) but expect to shell out Php 590 before additional fees to enjoy HD channels.

    First look at the Suzuki Smash Cool 115: good looks that won’t wreck your wallet

    Gadgets Team
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    2
    First look at the Suzuki Smash Cool 115: good looks that won’t wreck your wallet

    There’s a certain charm to riding a motorcycle down the metro’s perennially clogged roadways. If you’re thinking of owning a motorcycle for a first time, or just thinking about upgrading your old ride you can do no better than the recently launched Suzuki Smash Cool 115. We were on hand for unveiling of the Smash Cool 115 at the Mariott in Pasay, and we weren’t disappointed.

    The latest model of the 115cc bike has been upgraded with a new higher-revving, strong-pulling 115cc engine that produces more power and lower fuel burn which, in turn, creates a perfect mix of performance and economy. It’s also equipped with Suzuki’s patented PAIR (Pulsed Secondary Air Injection) system ignites unburned gases inside the exhaust port which allows it to maximize engine efficiency and produces cleaner emissions.

    The bike also features a new GSX-R inspired design that racing fans will definitely appreciate. The bike has a low seat height that translates to a more comfortable ride. The new chassis is slimmer than the previous Smash, and gives it better overall maneuverability in tight metro streets. It also features a high wattage multi-reflector headlight, complemented by a rear combination lamp with multi-polygon reflector and transparent cover. The dash board also features a sports-watch inspired speedometer with gear position indicator.

    On hand during the launch was Suzuki Philippines President Satoshi Uchida, who laid down their target buyers: “With the new Suzuki Smash 115, we are confident that we have a bestselling model that will appeal to a large segment of motorcycle fans, ranging from novice riders who want an easy handling entry level bike, to company employees who want an affordable and reliable vehicle for their daily commuting needs, to experienced riders looking for a durable performance machine.”

    Also present during the launch was the racing Smash owned by famed rider John Lerry Enriquez, which basically shows off what a bit of aftermarket parts and a bit of polish can do to a Smash. Check out the other photos of the event in our gallery below. The Suzuki Smash 115 will retail for about Php 53,000 for the spoke version, and Php 59,900 for the mags version.

    HP Launches the stylish G Series, our hearts flutter

    Gadgets Team
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    HP Launches the stylish G Series, our hearts flutter

    So you’re looking for a powerful, stylish and reasonably priced notebook. Well, HP says you shouldn’t look further than the new HP G42 during their launch earlier today in the Discovery Suites in Ortigas.

    The main value proposition for the newest member of the HP notebook family is “basically a new entry perfromance notebook with a very good design with value for money” says Tracy Sin, Business Development Manager, Mobile Business Unit, Personal Systems Group. “There’s also the new 30 minute express service in which the unit’s keyboard, DVD, battery and adaptor is serviced in 30 minutes or less.”

    Mr. Albert G. Mateo, Country General Manager for HP Personal Systems Group, is optimistic and bullish about the HP G42. “With these new technology and design enhancements, we offer customers a better computing and entertainment experience.”

    From left to right, Kathryn Wong Market Development Manager for Consumer Notebooks, Albert G. Mateo, Country General Manager for PSG, Tracy Sin, Business Development Manager Mobile Business Unit, PSG

    The new HP G42 is equipped with a 14-inch HD HP BrightView LED display. It also sports HP’s trademark imprint finish that won’t attract dirt and fingerprints.

    The imprint finish runs through the whole notebook, and is present even in the wrist rest and the trackpad. There are three SKUs available for the HP G42 – two Core i3 powered machines, one with Windows 7 and one with free DOS, and one Core i5.

    There’s plenty of connections available on the HP G42, as evidenced by the multiple ports on the right side. There’s HDMI, LAN, 2 USB, audio jacks and a SD/MMC card slot.

    On the right side sits the power and Kengsington Security slots, another USB slot and the DVD drive.

    Audio is provided by Altec Lansing speakers. Notice the distinctive pocket style keyboard.

    Interestingly enough, the G42 will also sport its own discrete graphics solution by way of an ATI Mobility Radeon 5470 with 512MB of memory, and a 500GB hard disk drive for storage.

    The HP G Series starts at  Php 37,990. We’ll get our first impressions up as soon as we get some hands on time with the unit.

    Asus Eee PC 1018P, WiCast EW2000 unboxing

    Gadgets Team
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    Asus Eee PC 1018P, WiCast EW2000 unboxing

    Lookie what we have here. Our awesome friends at Asus has decided to send us over two new products: the absolutely gorgeous Eee PC 1018P in white, and the wireless HD slinging WiCast. Let’s take a look at the Asus Eee PC 1081P first, shall we?

    The 1081P comes in the standard brown carton that most Eee PCs ship with. But don’t be fooled, contained within this seemingly ordinary brown box is a real looker.

    It’s a pretty netbook, that’s for sure, easily one of the prettiest one we’ve seen so far from Asus, and that’s saying a lot. This 10-inch netbook packs the usual hardware for most netbooks of its class – Intel Atom N455 running at 1.66GHz, about 1GB of memory and a 250GB hard drive.

    A cursory glance at the right side of the 1018P reveals two USB connectors, audio jacks, an Ethernet plug that swivels down, SD/MMC card slot and the power jack.

    On the right side sits another USB slot, a Kensington Security Slot and a d-sub connector.

    The keyboard is an island-type one that’s fairly comfortable to type on. The lower chassis is made out of a nice combination of aluminum and plastic. The touchpad gets the same aluminum finish as the wrist rest. Be warned though, the left and right buttons don’t have a seperator, so you’ll have some mis-clicks now and again from it.

    On the upper right side beside the WiFi button is the button that boots the Asus Express Gate OS, which is basically a faster booting operating system that allows you to do basic stuff like check your email, view photos and so on.

    The Windows experience index isn’t one of the most accurate benchmarking tools, but it does give you a sense of what to expect from a notebook or a netbook according to its score. This is an unedited screenshot from the 1018P, in which Windows gives it a 2.3, pretty much what you’d expect from a netbook.

    Another look at the 1018P.

    Next on the list is the WiCast EW2000. Now this nifty little gadget allows you to beam HD images from a number of devices to your HDTV wirelessly, up 10 meters as long as there’s line of sight. The device also allows you to transmit up to 8 channel sound while doing so.

    This is back view of the transmitter that plugs into your device.

    This is the back view of the receiver that goes into HDMI equipped projectors, LCD monitors and of course, HDTVs.

    Power and HDMI cables for both the transmitter and receiver.

    And that’s it. As usual, watch out for our November review of these awesome gadgets.

    LG 32LE5500 unboxing

    Gadgets Team
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    LG 32LE5500 unboxing

    So LG delivered their brand spanking new 32-inch LE5500 to the Gadgets office the other day. Which was excellent timing as I’ve been hankering to test another LED TV, and there was a pile of movies sitting at my desk just waiting to be enjoyed. So I present to you the LE5500 in all her anorexic glory.

    The box comes in the standard LG red and white color scheme, with the requisite picture icons teasing the features of the TV within.

    The actual TV. It’s not as flashy as other TVs design-wise, but I personally like its understated elegance.

    The back connections. There’s enough connectivity options here to satisfy most consumers.

    Two USB connectors grace the side, along with audio connectors.

    Contents of the box. Manual, the usual LG remote, additional connectors and installation CD.

    Check out how thin this thing is. That’s a Nokia 6600i mobile phone inserted for comparison.

    What the TV looks like when fully assembled.

    Well, that’s it for this unboxing. Watch out for our review of this beautiful TV in the November issue of Gadgets Magazine!

    Gadgets Sunday: Asus Ares, Samsung NX10, Shure PG27, Neo ELAN L4300-3D, Ozaki iFinger

    Gadgets Team
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    Gadgets Sunday: Asus Ares, Samsung NX10, Shure PG27, Neo ELAN L4300-3D, Ozaki iFinger

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    Your weekly source of the hottest gadgets is here. Featuring Asus Ares, Samsung NX10, Shure PG27, Neo ELAN L4300-3D, Ozaki iFinger.

    Got a question? Ask Gadgets!

    Gadgets Team
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    Got a question? Ask Gadgets!

    Are you having problems with your computer? Can’t figure out which smart phone is best for you? Or are you looking for a software to make your work easier? Don’t know what new video game to buy, maybe?

    No need to go anywhere else! Just ask Gadgets and we’ll have our editors answer them! Your fellow tech enthusiasts might also chip in an idea or two. Interesting questions and selected answers from our community/fans may be rewarded with prizes as well.

    You may email your queries at [email protected]. If you want to join the contest, post your question on our facebook page!

    ASUS unveils new Eee PCs, Lamborghini VX6, N53 and NX90 notebooks

    Gadgets Team
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    ASUS unveils new Eee PCs, Lamborghini VX6, N53 and NX90 notebooks

    Asus is pulling out its big guns as witnessed in their unveiling of their new notebooks in the recently concluded Asus Regatta event in The Lighthouse Marina Resort in Subic. The new notebooks, which include the co-branded Lamborghini VX6, Eee PC 1001PQ targeted at tweens, the entertainment powerhouse N53J and the massive NX90, which is their current top of the line entertainment notebook, co-developed with audio giant Bang and Olufsen.

    Asus also conducted technical seminars for both the press and dealers regarding Asus technologies and benefits, including the 500GB free web storage that they offer for their netbooks. Asus users now have access to a wealth of applications, programs and games via their application portal http://access.asus.com. Asus also took the time to award their loyal dealers for their part in making them a strong number 3 in the local market.

    Sadly, we weren’t able to get some serious hands on time with the units on display during the event, but rest assured Gadgets fans that we’ve already arranged for a number of the units to grace the Gadgets office, and we will be posting unboxing and first impressions as they arrive. In the meantime, you can check out the units on display during the event in our photo gallery below.

    Gadgets Sunday: Nokia 7230, Acer Tablet PC, Samsung N220 Netbook

    Gadgets Team
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    Gadgets Sunday: Nokia 7230, Acer Tablet PC, Samsung N220 Netbook

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    Here’s another weekly dose of Gadgets Sunday for all you readers out there. This week we’re going mobile featuring the savvy slider Nokia 7230, the new windows tablet pc Acer 1825PTZ, the feature packed mobile HTC Wildfire, and the affordable and portable Samsung N220 Plus netbook.  Only here at Gadgets Magazine.

    NVIDIA officially launches GTS 450, gamers on a budget rejoice

    Gadgets Team
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    4
    NVIDIA officially launches GTS 450, gamers on a budget rejoice

    NVIDIA, together with their hardware partners has today unveiled the latest addition to the Fermi family, the GeForce GTS 450 in the Swissotel Le Concorde, Bangkok Thailand. Gadgets Magazine, together with other press from the Asia Pacific region had a firsthand look at NVIDIA’s newest card aimed at budget gamers.

    Paul Liu, Director, APAC Channel Marketing wasn’t shy about telling the press what gamers thought of NVIDIA. “Gamers today, when they think about games, they think about NVIDIA. Games = NVIDIA,” he says, as he highlights the distinct NVIDIA advantage over their competition. Aside from the clear performance jumps from their Fermi architecture, Paul also pointed out that users don’t have to throw away their old graphics cards – they can simply connect them via SLI to their new cards and use the old ones as PhysX engines, which in turn improves game performance. Paul also shares that NVIDIA is serious about compatibility with today’s games and as a result they have established their own testing center to continually test hardware compatibility with games. The result is their clear market leadership when it comes to hardware sales – a study showed that out of 4.2 million PCs in iCafes in China, a staggering 89.8% use NVIDIA based graphics solutions.

    Gaming isn’t the only space NVIDIA is an active player in either. John Milner, VP, GeForce Worldwide Channel Sales says that “the products that we make, touches your life in some way.” Aside from the GeForce line of  products aimed at gamers, NVIDIA also has solutions for designers and Fortune 500 companies in the form of Quadtro, and supercomputing from their Tesla supercomputers. NVIDIA also has solutions for mobile devices in Tegra and Optimus.

    The newest member of the Fermi family, the GeForce GTS 450, John extols, combines performance and value in one package. Sitting in the 99$ to 149$ price range depending on the manufacturer, the GeForce GTS 450 is a highly versatile GPU that’s a direct replacement of their GTS 250 GPU. It’s fully capable of DX11, and provides 2.4X greater geometry performance and 2X greater game performance when compared to its predecessor, the GTS 25o with DX11. The new card when stacked up against their competitor’s nearest equivalent, the 5770, performs better with the GeForce GTS 450 managing 50 FPS in Starcraft 2 against the 5770’s 42 FPS.

    Of course, all of these benchmarks were done by NVIDIA themselves, and while we can’t confirm the numbers being paraded in front of us ourselves, the general consensus of the reviews online for the GeForce GTS 450 seems positive. We’ll be able to do our own benchmarks once we get our own review samples.

    Also present during the launch were NVIDIA’s hardware partners, and we’ve been fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of their latest product offerings for the GeForce GTS 450 GPU. We’ve included a few product shots of the hardware on display, and will be able to review a few of them once the hardware samples gets to us. In the meantime, enjoy the pictures below of the different cards on display during the conference.

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