If you haven’t heard, Intel’s already shipping it’s second generation Core i series of processors. So to build the excitement of the newer, faster procies, Intel has made a short movie that gives potential users an idea of what it can do for them. Check it out.
Mammothon: A Week of Whole Living
This March, Manila can fully experience that mind-body connection for a whole week of health and empowerment. Green Toad Advertising Concepts in cooperation with MCHREDO presents Mammothon, an event encouraging everyone to take the modern approach to wellness.
Run for a Mam
Benefit Breakfast and Auction
March 6, 2011
5:30 am onwards
Participants of the marathon will get a 40% discount on mammograms with partner hospital, St. Luke’s Medical Center. A benefit breakfast and auction will take place on the same day. Proceeds of this event will benefit the CANCER FREE QC‖ project of Vice-Mayor Joy Belmonte to help raise funds for a mobile mammogram machine for the less fortunate women of Quezon City.
Wellness Work Shops/EVERYDAY+
March 7-10, 2011
6 pm – 9 pm
Bayan Academy
The 4-night interactive talk aims to equip attendees with practical solutions to deal with a more balanced life and to handle stress while having a clear mind. Every night, there will also be a Do It Yourself segment called EVERYDAY+ which will feature demonstrations on healthful food preparation – detox teas, antioxidant juices, homemade anti-aging masks and anti-cellulite body scrubs, the super food salad, masala massage oils for aching muscles, and heart-friendly main courses.
Wellness Retreat
March 11-13, 2011
Brahma Kumaris Center for Spiritual Learning
The soulful ambience of Brahma Kumaris Center for Spiritual Learning in Tagaytay serves as the site for this weekend retreat. This three-day event works a lot on how we tackle our everyday life, hence the brand EVERYDAY+, a behavior modification system with practical tips plus hands-on applications for creating a healthy body and a healthy home.
Google: Please stop copying our search results
Seems like something’s amiss in the internet. Danny Sullivan, Editor-in-Chief for searchengineland.com ran a story about Bing allegedly copying Google’s search results. He has a whole wall of text explaining how Bing does it but it seems that users who run Google searches on IE send (unwittingly) information to Bing, and Bing in essence copies those results. The whole shebang is explained in Danny’s story, and Google’s official explanation on the links below.
Source: Search Engine Land, Official Google Blog
Honda Native Concept Car Changes Color Like A Mood Ring
Honda believes in “The Power of Dreams,” but who would’ve dreamed up a car like this?
Italian transportation designer Liviu Tudoran did. Drawn sometime in 2009, reports are surfacing of new details of the car, named the Honda Native. The car changes color through photo-cosmic technology—something no one seems to know about yet. But etymologically speaking, it would probably have something to do with the manipulation of white light and its component colors.
Apparently, Tudoran’s also a champion of the environment as he conceptualized the Honda Native being powered by an electric engine that harnesses energy from high-voltage, lithium-ion batteries. The interiors of the car do not play second-fiddle, as it is made of light aluminum while the speedometer display and touchscreen controls employ new OLED technology.
While waiting for confirmation that the Honda Native will be produced, we’ll have to settle for some of the other futuristic designs Tudoran has on his site.
And here I was waiting for a flying Delorean.
UPDATE (February 4, 2011, 11:00PM):
Tudoran has responded to our inquiries with this clarification: that photochromic (not photo-cosmic) material is something that changes reversibly color with changes in light intensity. These materials are said to be colorless in the dark, but when sunlight or UV radiation is applied (hence, heat) the molecular structure of the material changes and it exhibits color. When the light source is removed, the color then disappears. Changes from one color to another will be made possible by the combining of photochromic colors with base colors.
“The photochromic material…is applied on the exterior of the car and covered properly with a polycarbonate material”, he says.
AMD Radeon 6990 spotted in the wild, might be overcompensating
We’ve seen our fair share of massive video cards, but the AMD 6990 might just take the crown of the biggest of them all. Unveiled during the recently concluded Asian Pacific Fusion Tech Day held at the lion city Singapore, the absolutely gigantic 6990 is rumored to sport not one, but two GPUs inside. Cost, performance and power requirements are all still up in the air, but if it follows the norm for high end video cards, you can expect the answers to be “expensive, fast and might require its own generator”. You can catch a glimpse of more pictures of the monstrosity from the Japanese site 4gamer linked below.
Source: 4Gamer
Samsung teases with concept Real Translator device
[This entry is cross posted to The Next Web]
Travelling to other countries could be a big headache because of the language barrier. Wouldn’t it be awesome if there was a device to solve this? Samsung may be up to the challenge with its concept device: the Real Translator.
It supposedly works by holding up the device equipped with a transparent AMOLED while facing the person you are talking to. The device will then interpret whatever is spoken in real time and give a rough translation on the spot.
It actually sounds so surreal to the point that it has raised a lot of questions in our heads: How accurate would it be? How do I speak back? What about surrounding noise, different tones and accents? A lot of things are yet to be revealed but Ubergizmo said that “Samsung Mobile Display is claiming that this product can be mass produced in due time.”
But really, for the time being, it would be surely nice if there could be a simple app that does the same on my iPhone/Android.
Source: samsungamoled.net via The Next Web
Sean Parker wanted Facebook’s mascot to be a hedgehog. True Story.
[This story is cross posted on The Next Web]
Companies often use mascots as a marketing tool to strengthen its brand image. Twitter has the Twitter Bird, Android has the green robot, and so on. Facebook, on the other hand, just used a plain white font on blue background color. This sparked curiosity as the question was recently asked on Quora: “Does Facebook need a pet (Android robot, Twitter bird, etc) to improve its corporate image?”
Facebook ex-employee Ezra Callahan shares the story:
True story: in the very early days of Facebook, Sean Parker wanted to make Facebook’s mascot a hedgehog. We had early plans to build a local business program around each college on the site (a Yelp-like service similar to what later became Facebook Pages). As part of that, Sean wanted us to send each participating business a little blue stuffed hedgehog. Matt Cohler and I even sourced a couple companies to make them.
Sean actually wanted us to get a real hedgehog for the office. Turns out they aren’t street legal in California, or something, but I guess he found a way to obtain one in Nevada. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on your affinity for hedgehogs) Sean couldn’t convince any of us to drive there to get one.
The local business program was shelved mid 2005 (we decided a revenue product wasn’t as important after the Accel financing), and Sean let his dream of the hedgehog go with it.
If I’m not mistaken, a couple employees who live near the facebook campus own a hedgehog today. I won’t name them in case they are, in fact, illegal, but I guess that sorta counts.
Interesting story, huh? Does this mean Facebook’s blue color is reminiscent of the fastest hedgehog alive? Well, it certainly isn’t the short-lived Facebook guy we all hardly knew back in 2007, who was actually the rock and roll star and lead singer of the J. Geils Band, Peter Wolf.
For what it’s worth, the Facebook logo, even without a mascot, is already a strong representation of the brand. But if it DID have a mascot, what do you think should Facebook use?
Thanks to Peter Clark for the tip. Souce: The Next Web.
Kraft plans your meals…with Intel’s help
The perpetual question during meal time is, “what will we eat?” Transcending racial lines and social status, this question is known to plague even the folks who have personal chefs. Well now, technology is moving out of the living room and into your kitchen. Kraft Foods and Intel have joined forces to create a vending machine integrated with an interactive digital signage that scans your face and tells you what you want to eat, within Kraft Foods products, of course.
The kiosk is basically 3-HP touch screen HD monitors with 2nd generation Intel® Core™ i7 processors equipped with Anonymous Video Analytics (AVA) technology that scans the customers’ face and analyzes it while searching through marketing data and determining what kind of Kraft Foods products you might find appealing based on your gender, age and other factors like time of day.
I expect that while this might pose a problem for people who aren’t big fans of Kraft Foods but need help with meal planning, lovers of cheese and dairy like myself should be able to optimize this new feature.
Gadgets Magazine Feb. issue out now!
As we usher in a New Year, we also usher in the latest issue of Gadgets Magazine with PBA courtside charmer, Cesca Litton. Now for those who are excited to capture 2011’s most precious moments, we’ve got you covered as we feature cameras in all shapes, specs, and sizes. Once you’ve gotten your fill, find out which camera is best for you.
Gadgets Magazine continues to keep its fellow gadgeteers in the know with the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2011 as well as with a monthly dose of new parades available here and now. Of course, what would our magazine be without us putting some of these new toys to the test, as the BlackBerry Torch 9800, HTC Desire Z, and the Sony VAIO E (to name a few) undergo close scrutiny. And to all of our music lovers, we’ve given you room (and a room) to broaden your sonic horizons as we stimulate your eyes as well as your ears in this month’s Listen Feature.
Not to be outdone in the lifestyle department, our February issue features the latest in fashion and must-haves all with the help of Promod, adidas, Carolina Herrera, and Pureology. Plus, upgrade you look with L’oreal INOA and see the future of hair color.
All this and more in our latest issue.
Android becomes top dog in smartphone platforms, Google is one step closer to taking over everything
We all knew it was only a matter of time before Android claimed the throne of smartphone king, but we didn’t think it would happen this early. Seems that Android has finally topped the long time king of the smartphone OS Symbian off its throne, with smartphone manufacturers reporting a whopping 32.9 million smartphones sold with Android on board, compared to Symbian’s total sales of 31 million in the last quarter of 2010, according to research firm Canalys.
This bit of news puts additional pressure on Nokia, as they’ll definitely need to cover a lot of ground to retake that title from Google.
Source: Yahoo News
HTC Sense 2.0: Does everything except your taxes
We just came from an interesting media briefing held at the Mandarin Oriental in Makati where our good friends from HTC Mr. Wayne Tang, product marketing manager, Southeast Asia and Mr. Mark Dewey Sergio, HTC Country Manager for the Philippines introduced us to the all new and improved Sense 2.0 GUI. Sense is a GUI that brings additional features and functionality to the table, including remote data services like wiping it remotely if it’s stolen.
You can even back up your contacts, your pictures, basically everything that’s in your phone (even the contents of your SD card) onto HTCSense.com and manage everything there. From that page, you can manage your phone, look at your contacts and if your phone is missing or unaccounted for, you can remotely lock it and force whoever picked it up to call you. If worst comes to worst, you can also remotely wipe all the data in it including the contents of the SD card.
The newest version of Sense is currently on two HTC phones as of the moment – the HTC Desire Z and the HTC Desire HD. Aside from all the bling you’d come to expect from top tier smartphones, both units are currently running Android Version 2.2 (Froyo) and boast speedy processors, responsive touchscreens, and generally awesome features. Additionally, Mr. Sergio mentioned their plans to build 3 to 4 more concept stores that are hopefully to be completed in the first half of this year to allow more people to experience HTC’s brand of magic.
Want to know more? Then point your browser to http://www.htc.com/sea/htcsense/index.html and see what HTC has in store for you.
Why Privacy Is Important And What You Can Do To Keep It
We’ve heard time and again that knowledge is power, and this rings true not just during finals week. One of the most controversial elements of social network Facebook is people’s right to privacy. A few years ago a Facebook policy claiming to gain ownership over everything a user posts, (whether it be photographs, videos, notes, etc.) caused quite a ruckus in the cyber community. Now that they’ve updated their policies and clarified that little clause, the main issue now is their ability to possibly give-out or sell your information to other companies for whatever purposes.
Why is this such an issue? Well it all depends on what kind of information you post online. If you’re really careless, you would have answered every field in the INFO tab of your profile truthfully and allowed EVERYONE online to see it. This might give third-party applications information about your likes, dislikes, your e-mail address etc. which will in turn allow them to send you unsolicited e-mails, or make surveys without your knowledge. Or worse, it could give identity thieves the green light to pretend to be you and rack up credit in your name. Or much worse, it could give way to the mythical “Big Brother” to keep tabs on you—wherever you go, whatever you’re doing. We’re not far-off, seeing as you might already be allowing Foursquare to check you in to places and posting your activities as status messages.
The fact that Facebook is already worth $500 billion without even going public yet should set off some alarms. Why is it worth that much? Is it because it has that much information on so many people? How much will it be worth when Goldman Sachs makes it a public company allowing anyone with enough money to buy shares?
Today, cyberspace was flooded with news that a new site called Spokeo.com lets users find other people online. Think Google search but for people. I searched with my name and found nothing. Until I searched for myself using my e-mail address.
It’s already a little creepy that it’s searching for photos and bio, but why is it searching for WEALTH? I tried my best to remember if I had ever posted any information that would lead anyone to a specific amount. If you have MySpace, you should recall that the last question on the bio there is “income per year.”
Whew! So I didn’t give them any information about wealth…or I did but they didn’t find any. Nevertheless, they found enough to give me the goosebumps. One website found 25 blog entries and 4 of my social networking accounts. Oh and they found where I live, my age (albeit fictional. No really, I am 111 years old) and my photos. If I were a cyber-stalker I would have everything I need just from this website. What’s the worst-case scenario here? Serial killers can go through social networks and look through photos of, let’s say, Asian girls in their mid-twenties, get their names and e-mail addresses, go to Spokeo.com, look them up, learn how much they make, what they do, where they live, what they look like, and make their move. Scary? Well yes it is. Knowledge is power.
Alright, alright, everyone calm down. I said worst-case, not that it happens…although it can. But there is a way to avoid it. Get out of Spokeo.com’s search results. Copy the search result URL that has your e-mail address on it, and click the privacy link on the bottom of the page. It should take you to this page.
After clicking the Remove Listing button, Spokeo.com will send you an e-mail confirming that you want out. Obviously, paranoid little me did. It did my heart good when I saw the words: This email search has been removed.
At this point you’re probably thinking, “but what if it hasn’t been removed?” I certainly was. I tried searching again and happily found this: search results for this email address are not available.
Guys, I think by now you all agree that information on the web can be used for different purposes, most of which are out of our control. Be proactive. Don’t post your full name on social networking sites, or any site for that matter. Never give out sensitive information such as social security number, credit card numbers (let’s talk about eBay and PayPal another time), or home addresses. Use different e-mails for different accounts, AND DIFFERENT PASSWORDS that are a mix of alphanumeric letters and symbols. Think twice before allowing a third-party application, like those games on Facebook, to access your information. And if you’re like me who’s extra paranoid about “Big Brother,” never allow someone else to “check you in” to places using Foursquare or Facebook places. Be wary of what you post. Think first if it’s absolutely necessary to post it and how it could harm or benefit you. Knowledge is power, so don’t let anyone use your information against you.
BlackBerry Bold 9780 officially launched
BlackBerry Bold 9780 finally hits the Philippine shores after being released worldwide last November.
RIM today announced the BlackBerry Bold 9780, the latest addition to the more premium BlackBerry Bold series of smartphones which now runs on the new BlackBerry 6 operating system. It is pretty much identical to its predecessor: the BlackBerry Bold 9700 with a few minor improvements such as higher RAM which allows for better multitasking, better camera, and the latest OS.
Here are the specs of the new BlackBerry bold:
Screen: 2.44″ with 480 x 360 pixels resolution
Processor: 624MHz Processor
Memory: 512 MB Ram
Capacity: 256MB, expandable to 32GB.
OS: BlackBerry 6 OS
Camera: 5MP, Auto-focus and LED Flash
Connectivity: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS, HSDPA, BlackBerry Internet Service
Dimensions: 109 x 60 x 14 mm at 122g
Battery: Standard battery, Li-Po 1500 mAh
The BlackBerry Bold 9780 isn’t exactly a significant upgrade from the BlackBerry bold 9700. If you don’t have one yet or are upgrading from a Curve, this may be a good option considering it’s one the best non-touchscreen BlackBerrys out there. On the other hand, if you’re a BlackBerry 9700 user who’s looking for a replacement phone, it might be better to hold on to your cash a bit longer. Unless of course, you pretty much want the same phone.
MiLi offers exciting promos and discounts this weekend
No plans yet for this weekend?
MiLi will be having a booth display at Power Mac Center, Megamall this weekend, January 28-30. During those dates, you can enjoy a 10% discount with every purchase of a MiLi power solution product. You can also avail of a FREE MiLi Power Angel with every purchase of an Apple iPod Touch 4G (8GB, 32GB, or 64GB) or an Apple iPod Classic 160GB (Black or Silver)!
Power Mac Center is located at the 4th Floor of SM Cyberzone. See you all there!
Philips unveils new anorexic monitors, LED has never looked sexier
Everything with a screen is just getting thinner and thinner, and PC monitors are not an exception. Philip’s newest line of monitors, fittingly called “Blade” is the Dutch manufacturer’s interpretation of the thin design mantra. Launched at the EDSA Shangrila today, the new monitors have a profile of 12.9mm, and is packed to the brim with new imaging tech that improves the images that show up on screen. The externals are further enhanced by the buttons, or more specifically, the lack of. Instead, there are SmartTouch keys that light up when you touch them and disappear once you’re done.
The monitors have all the features you’ve come to expect from a modern monitor – stylish design, a multitude of inputs including HDMI and full HD capability. The Blade comes in two sizes: a 21.5-incher that will retail for Php 8,900 and a 23-inch model that will retail for Php 9,900.