It begins with an idea Every great thing starts with an idea. Whether it’s your next big project, a huge creative collaboration, or something that breaks free from the norm, it starts with something that’s inside you. It’s that spark that can then be brought to life in ways that only you can, with the tools that you have. When it comes to bringing these great ideas to life, you need more than just the ordinary. Lenovo knows this, and it has created the IdeaPad Slim 5, Slim 5i, Flex 5, and Flex 5i (“i” is for Intel) to meet all your creative needs.
The IdeaPad Flex 5 and Flex 5i offer just that: flexibility. Whether it’s putting the words into your next literary masterpiece, crushing that report, or bringing your art to life, the Flex 5 and Flex 5i are there to give you the freedom you need. With thin bezels around a gorgeous 14-inch FHD display, the Flex series gives you an uninterrupted window to your creativity. Should you need more room for your art, the display folds all the way around, thanks to a 360-degree hinge, for use with a digital pen to breathe life to your most vivid ideas, take notes, consume text, or mark documents up. Up to either an 11th Gen Intel Core i7 with MX 450 discrete graphics or an AMD Ryzen 7 4700U means you have all the muscle you need to see your vision come to life. Even after your work is done, its 12 hours of battery
life means you’ll have enough juice left to kick back and enjoy a show or five. To push your creativity further, Lenovo preinstalled the IdeaPad Slim 5 and 5i and IdeaPad Flex 5 and 5i with Microsoft Office 2019 that’s good for life with all the features available. Create stunning presentations, let your creative juices flow and take the world by storm with your literary prowess, or finish several worksheets and reports with ease while working or studying from home. The IdeaPad Slim 5 and 5i are machines built with a keen eye to detail, for devices that feel every bit as good as they perform. Extras such as a USB-C power delivery port for convenient charging of your other devices and up to 17 hours of battery life for the 5i provide you all the power you need and more. Work, play, or do both at once, the IdeaPad Slim 5 and 5i have you covered. Versatile and ready to take on any task you throw at it, these devices offer up to either a 10th Gen Intel Core i7 or AMD Ryzen 7 4800U with up to 16GB of memory, and a large 15.6-inch display so you don’t miss any details. Once you’ve crushed your productivity goals, you can kick back with the massive screen, or get your game on with up to NVIDIA MX450 discrete graphics. Both sets of devices have fast SSD storage (plus a 1TB HDD for the Slim 5 devices), 2 hours of battery life on 15 minutes of charging, and a
simple but effective privacy shutter, so you don’t have to worry about your webcam. Security is increased even more thanks to a built-in fingerprint scanner on select models, so you can keep your personal projects personal. Of course, turning ideas into reality can lead to wear and tear damage over time. Lenovo bundled the IdeaPad Slim 5 and 5i and IdeaPad Flex 5 and 5i with its exceptional 3-Year Premium Care Warranty solution. The Premium Care warranty gives you direct access to Lenovo engineers who can also personally visit your premises on the next business day if the need arises. The experts can also guide you on the basics of troubleshooting your devices, and can even provide an annual PC Health Check. With its presence in over 180 markets worldwide, Lenovo’s portfolio of strong, diversified businesses positions it well to lead in and enable Services-led transformation through Smarter Technology for All. It will continue to invest in the future technologies that will shape tomorrow and enable more people and businesses to unlock their potential. You need a device that keeps up with your different passions and lets you live your most creative life. Why settle for anything less?
Contact any Lenovo authorized resellers to get your hands on an IdeaPad: http://lenovoph.com/authorizedresellers
M Lhuillier’s 11 years of partnership with Moneygram
M
Lhuillier Financial Services, Inc. has been in a long-standing business partnership with MoneyGram (MG) as it continues to bridge Filipinos across the globe through its reliable financial services and efficient system that bring loved ones closer despite the distance.
Its partnership with MG began on March 3, 2009, which makes 11 years of fruitful exchange backed by good relationship, strong support, and trust from both sides. From the very beginning, M Lhuillier has put its trust in MG, the latter being one of the largest remittance companies in the money transfer industry. With M Lhuillier’s mission to always provide a swift, straightforward and steadfast service to its loyal customers, its partnership with the global remittance company has helped position M Lhuillier as the leading non-bank financial institution in country.
Executives and staff of M Lhuillier and Moneygram celebrate their 11-year partnership.
Today, M Lhuillier proceeds to uplift its identity as the “Tulay ng PaMLyang Pilipino” through its partnership with international money transfer companies as well as its trusted financial services such as Kwarta Padala, Domestic and International Money Remittance, Quick Cash Loan, and Bills Payment, which one can avail in any of M Lhuillier’s more than 2,500 branches nationwide. For updates on the latest promos and exclusive offers, please follow M Lhuillier Financial Services, Inc. on Facebook, or visit www.mlhuillier.com for more information. For inquiries, one may contact Customer Care through its toll-free number 1-800-1-0572-3252 or email customercare@mlhuillier.com.
(L-R): Alex Lim, country manager of Moneygram International; Cecilia Lumapas, division manager for money transfer services of M Lhuillier Financial Services Inc.; SABRINA CHAN, regional head of product & marketing for Asia Pacific & South Asia, Moneygram International; and MARIA LINDA TACBOBO, MTD assistant business manager, M Lhuillier Financial Services Inc.
PRESIDENT & CEO
Maribelle Alba
SALES AND ADVERTISING MANAGER ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE
Marisa Consuelo
ACCOUNTING MANAGER ACCOUNTING STAFF
Maritess Pascua-Maulion Lorie Bernardo
HR & ADMIN MANAGER ADMINISTRATION STAFF
Amy Christine Giray Ramil Almojano
LEGAL COUNSEL
DIGITAL CONTENT PRODUCER
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It might not seem like a year has passed since the last one, but December is upon us again. While things aren’t back to normal quite yet, we’ve made it this far, and that’s more than enough reason to celebrate. Here at Gadgets, we’re happy to have been able to deliver the best from the wolds of Tech, motoring, and lifestyle to you all, and despite everything the world is going through, we’re going to keep doing just that. It’s been a crazy year, for sure, but we’re devoted as ever to give you all that great content you expect, and more. Thanks for staying with us this 2020, and we hope to see you again in a few weeks at the start of a new, and hopefully better year for us all. Stay safe, and see you all again in just a bit!
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Ren Alcantara Editor-at-Large
Maribelle M. Alba
Presy Alba
Arnel Doria
Jay Alba
Jose Alvarez
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF @bellealba
EDITOR-AT-LARGE @presy1121
MOBILITY CONSULTANT
DIGITAL INITIATIVES LEAD
CONTRIBUTOR @josealvarez
Ren Alcantara
Gabriel Pe
Jerico Lutrania
Carmela Birao
Zeil Romero
Chini Yu Soriano
EDITOR-AT-LARGE
STAFF WRITER @pe_gab
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GRAPHIC ARTIST
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@zeil_heyo
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DECEMBER 2020 | Volume 21 No. 4
26. Cover Story
08
4
Parade Here’s a roundup of the latest gadgets levying for your attention.
44
Photofeature Even more tech for the season
21
Gadgets Lab
50
Mobility News
26
CoverStory: Gifts for Creators
64
Visual Space: iPhone Videography
34
Gift Guide
We’ve done the homework, now see if these devices made the cut.
Spread some Christmas Cheer
News on wheels
Rewarding masochism.
Get into the Holiday Spirit
DECEMBER 2020
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66 Gaming
6
66
Gaming
68
Gaming
70
Bulletpoints Imalent LD70
72
Enterprise
DECEMBER 2020
World of Warcraft: Shadowlands
League of Legends: Wild Rift
Let there be Light
76
Cybersecurity
80
Bits and Bytes
92
Relic
Because cybercriminals don’t take Christmas off
The latest in news tech and lifestyle in 150 words or more.
Age is just a number
A little business before the holidays start
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PARADE
realme Smart Cam 360 360-degrees IP camera
The realme Smart Cam 360 is the brand’s first foray into the smart camera market. Part of the brand’s new smart home portfolio, the realme Smart Cam 360 features 1080p WDR Video Recording that lets you see more details. It has a built-in high quality 940nm infrared illuminator that allows the camera to record a clear picture in the dark up to 10 meters without emitting any light. The built-in dual motor allows this camera to rotate in all directions to offer a 360-degree panoramic view. The AI Motion Detection Monitor alerts user in case of anomalies so you can feel at ease even when you’re not at home. The realme Smart Cam 360 also has a built Wi-Fi extender to enhance the internet connection at home.
PHP 2,790
realme M1 Sonic Electric toothbrush
realme has entered the smart home market launching a few smart home devices including the M1 Sonic Electric Toothbrush. The realme M1 Sonic has a sonic motor capable of vibrating up to 34000 times per minute to ensure an effective clean of the mouth. It has an ultra-thin integrated brush head that is metal-free making the brush safer. The brush itself uses Dupont bristle that have 99.99 percent antibacterial properties. The realme M1 Sonic has 4 cleaning modes to fit all types of users. It has 90-day battery life out of a single charge. The brush also has wireless charging that powers its 800 mAh in just 4.5 minutes or for two days of use in just 5-minutes.
PHP 1,990
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realme Narzo 20 Smartphone
The realme Narzo 20 is the first smartphone from realme’s new sub-brand line Narzo and caters to gamers on a budget. The realme Narzo 20 is powered by a MediaTek G85 gaming processor with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. The Narzo 20 has a triple camera setup at the back with a 48-megapixel main shooter. Game all you want with the Narzo 20’s 6000 mAh battery that’s able to last for more than 45 days on standby. Running out of juice is also not a problem thanks to the 18W fast charging. The realme Narzo 20 is available in either silver sword or blue blade color variants.
PHP 7,990
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DECEMBER 2020
9
T-Force Treasure Touch External RGB SSD External SSD
The T-Force Treasure Touch External RGB SSD is the ultimate gaming companion. This external SSD supports different platforms and has up to 1TB of storage capacity. The T-Force Treasure Touch uses the latest generation of USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type C connecter, and can expand the storage space of gaming consoles. It supports PCs, laptops, PlayStation, and Xbox. The T-Force Treasure Touch also has a specifically designed touch surface to control the device’s RGB. It has a simple and stylish design with a metallic brushed finish.
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Tecno Spark 6 Go Smartphone
The Tecno Spark 6 Go is Tecno’s newest budget smartphone offering. It has a 6.52-inch display with an HD+ resolution and a 20:9 aspect ratio giving users a wider, clearer, and immersive display. The Spark 6 Go also has a massive 5000 mAh battery that’s bound to give users longer battery life to fully enjoy the phone’s features. The Spark 6 Go has an AI dual-camera with a 13-megapixel main shooter that’s capable of up to 4x digital zoom and 18 different scene detection. Lastly the HiOS on the Tecno Spark 6 Go brings a more intelligent and convenient user experience plus a new dark theme which lowers the phone’s battery consumption and causes less eye strain to users during nighttime browsing.
PHP 3,990 (2GB + 32GB) PHP 5,490 (4GB + 64GB)
Tecno Spark 6 Smartphone
The Tecno Spark 6 is the latest Flagship model from Tecno’s Spark line of Smartphones. The Spark 6 has a massive 5000 mAh battery that gives users more than a full day’s worth of battery and then some. The Spark 6 is powered by a MediaTek G70 processor with 4GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. The Tecno Spark 6 also has a 6.8-inch high-definition dot in display that gives users a sharp display and a large screen ratio. The Tecno Spark 6 has a 16-megapixel AI quad-camera with lens that has an AI scene detection that recognizes 18 different scenes.
PHP 6,490 (4GB + 128GB)
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DECEMBER 2020
11
Kingston DataTraveler Kyson USB
The Kingston DataTraveler Kyson is designed for professional and business use, this high-performance Type-A USB flash drive features extremely fast transfer speed of up to 200MB/s read and 60MB/s write for quick file transfers, and up to 256GB capacity for extra data storage. With stylish and durable metal casing and key ring loop, which makes it easy to carry on the go, while the capless design saves you the trouble of losing a cap.
DataTraveler Exodia USB
A value-driven Type-A USB flash drive for light users, the DataTraveler Exodia features USB 3.2 Gen 1 performance (up to 10x faster than USB 2.0) and up to 256GB capacity. With lightweight design and colorful key ring loop by capacity, it is ideal for everyday use at work, home, school and wherever you need to take your data.
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Poco M3
Smartphone Poco enters a new tier with the M3 and delivers more than you’d expect from a phone in its price range. With a 48 MP triple-camera system, Snapdragon 662 chipset, 4 GB of RAM, and a massive 6000 mAh battery, it’s greater than your average entry-level device. Combine this with a large, 6.53-inch FHD+ display, side-mounted fingerprint scanner, 4G connectivity, and dual speakers, it’s a winner no matter how you look at it. Available in cool Blue, Poco yellow, and power black, it’s more than ready to fight for the title of entry-level king.
PHP 6,990 (4GB+64GB) PHP 7,990 (4GB+128GB)
AmazFit Bip U Smartwatch
AmazFit’s newest smartwatch is here. The AmazFit Bip U is not only lightweight and stylish, it is also functional featuring 60+ sports modes and health trackers. The AmazFit Bip U has a 1.43-inch color HD display covered by 2.5D Corning Gorilla glass 3. It has a myriad of health sensors including BioTracker 2 PPG an optical tracking sensor that measures your heart rate 24/7 and OxygenBeats that measures your blood-oxygen saturation and gives instant feedback. The AmazFit Bip U also syncs with your phone so you can view your different notifications. The AmazFit Bip U has over 50 different watch faces to fit your style and is available in three color variants: black, pink, and green.
PHP 3,090
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DECEMBER 2020
13
Seiko Prospex Philippine Limited Edition Automatic diver’s watch
Building on a long legacy of industry-defining diver’s watches, Seiko has just released a limited-edition Prospex watch inspired by the world-famous Tubbataha Reef. The SRPF33K1 is limited to just 1,000 units, and features Seiko’s in-house caliber 4R36 automatic movement with manual winding capability. It has a 41-hour power reserve, and is water-resistant to 200 meters. It comes with a day/date display, stop second hand function, and Lumibrite hands for supreme low-light visibility. The watch itself has a two-tone stainless steel band, along with an extra, blue silicone band, and a special box that is serially numbered, and marked “Philippine limited Edition.” The watch is available now at official Seiko Boutiques, and authorized dealers.
PHP 29,000
Huawei Freebuds Pro True wireless earphones
Designed for style, comfort, and performance, the Freebuds Pro from Huawei is set to revolutionize the true wireless headphone market. Sleek and stylish, with touch controls built into the stems, these buds also have intelligent features that control the level of active noise cancelling that the buds apply, making these the perfect companion wherever you might find yourself. On top of all that, Huawei engineers designed a dynamic suspension system that stabilizes the sound-delivery components, reducing unwanted vibration for clear, crisp sound. It even tailors itself to adapt to the best sound for your particular ear type.
PHP 7,990
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Jabra Elite 85t
True wireless earbuds The Jabra Elite 85t is the newest update of its award-winning true wireless earbuds. The Elite 85t is fitted with Jabra’s Advanced ANC noise canceling technology, giving users the power to create their own private quiet space, and control what they hear through HearThrough Jabra’s transparency mode. The Jabra Elite 85t adopts a semi-open design that allows more natural sounds. Still, the 12mm speakers allow the earbuds to produce a big sound powerful sound. The 6-mic technology gives users improved noise protection and enable great call quality wherever they are. The Elite 85t is rated with up to 5.5 hours of listening with ANC on extending up to 25 hours with the charging case, and 31 hours if the ANC is turned off. The Jabra Elite 85t is also the brand’s first Elite TWS earbuds with wireless charging.
PHP 11,999
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DECEMBER 2020
15
Nokia 3.4
Smartphone The Nokia 3.4 is the fourth generation of Nokia’s highly successful Nokia 3 smartphone. The Nokia 3.4 will run on the newest Qualcomm Snapdragon 460 that features up to 70 percent performance update compared to the previous generation. Paired to the new processor is 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. The Nokia 3.4 has a big 6.39-inch HD+ display with a punch-hole to house the front camera. You can also expect to shoot great pictures with the phone’s triple camera setup at the back with AI imaging features. The Nokia 3.4 comes in two distinct colors vibrant Fjord and timeless Charcoal.
PHP 7,990
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Asus ROG Rapture GT-AX11000 Wi-Fi Router
The ROG Rapture GT-AX11000 was voted as one of the best gaming routers for 2020 and one of the first to offer Wi-Fi 6 connectivity in the country. It comes with a 1.8 GHz Quad-core processor, Tri-Band AX11000 connection, AiMesh Technology, Beamforming + Traffic Analyzer/QoS, AiProtection Pro, Parental Control, IPTV Support, Link Aggregation, and WTFast Gaming Network. The ROG Rapture GT-AX11000 is currently the fastest Wi-Fi 6 router in the market with up to 11,000 Mbps of throughput; triple-level game acceleration that comes with a 2.5 Gbps LAN Port.
PHP 26,700 Also available to PLDT Home Fibr subscribers for:
PHP 1,399/mo for 24 months PHP 2,599/mo for 12 months
Malaku 67
Gaming mouse The Malaku 67 by Mountain, is the world’s first gaming mouse fitted with a PixArt PAW3370 sensor design to enable gamers to perform at their best. Coming in at a mere 67g in weight, the Malaku 67 offers a mid-to-large sized gaming mouse feel at the weight of much smaller mice. It’s built upon a unique rib cage design that trims unnecessary weight while offering a rigid structure that’s able to withstand up to 5kg of force. It has 100& PTFE feet that guarantee the best possible gliding experience and 50M Omron switches so gamers can be sure of reliable and satisfying clicks for years to come.
www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph
DECEMBER 2020
17
Mac Mini Computer
The Mac mini just got a massive upgrade. The new Mac mini is now powered by the new Apple M1 chipset that has a 3x faster CPU performance and 6x faster graphics compared to the previous generation. The Mac Mini’s M1 chip has an 8-core CPU, an 8-core graphics processor with a 16-core neural engine that gives the device up to 15x faster Machine Learning performance. The Mac mini is powered with the new macOS Big Sur which Apple has specifically tailored to its new M1 Chipset. The Mac mini’s compact size makes it the perfect fit in any work setup.
From PHP 37,990
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MacBook Air Laptop
Apple’s thinnest and lightest notebook has been completely transformed thanks to Apple’s new M1 chip. The new MacBook Air’s M1 chip has an 8-core CPU and 8-core GPU and a 16-core neural engine that gives it 3.5x faster performance, 5x faster graphics, and 9x faster machine learning. The MacBook Air has up to 16GB of RAM and up to 2TB of SSD storage. The MacBook Air has a 13.3-inch retina display that provides lifelike colors and a P3 wide color gamut. The new MacBook Air will also be running the new macOS Big Sur which is specifically designed for the new M1 chip.
From PHP 54,990
MacBook Pro 13-inch Laptop
Apple has reinvented the power and performance of the new 13-inch MacBook Pro thanks to its new M1 chip. The new MacBook Pro’s M1 Chip has an 8-core CPU and 8-core GPU with a 16-cores Neural engine. This gives the new MacBook up to 2.8x faster CPU performance, up to 5x faster graphics, and 11x faster machine learning. The MacBook Pro 13-inch also has an improved battery giving it up to 20 hours of battery life which according to Apple is the longest in any Mac. Storage options for the 13-inch MacBook Pro are up to 16GB of RAM and up to 2TB of SSD storage. The MacBook Pro 13-inch is also running Apple’s new macOS Big Sur which was specifically designed for the new M1 chips.
From PHP 71,990
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DECEMBER 2020
19
Huawei X Gentle Monster Eyewear II Smart glasses
Huawei partners with Gentle Monster to give your glasses stellar audio. With custom drivers built into the stems to deliver startlingly clear audio, and innovative controls for user convenience, this pair is designed to be as low-key as possible, while packing some cutting-edge audio tech, so the sound doesn’t leak and bother other people.
PHP 21,999
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GADGETS LAB
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 Reviewed by Ren Alcantara
Now more than ever, our laptops are our constant companions in the current global situation. From our trusty productivity companion, to our partners in entertainment, and even our link to people we can’t see in person, laptops make life so much easier for all of us. Few companies know this as well as global leader Lenovo, and to give us consumers even more options, they’ve just released the Yoga Slim 7. True to its name, it’s ultra-slim, but offers few compromises. Does it have what it takes to be your main device? We got to find out. DESIGN The Yoga Slim 7 is a gorgeously designed little laptop. From its matte, metal case, beautiful 14-inch display, and overall sleek design, it’s a laptop that’ll look great while you work. Our model came in a deep matte purple (called alluring orchid), and from the moment I took it out of the box, I just couldn’t stop looking at it. Thin bezels on either side of the display make the screen look even larger than it is, and the top bezel, while slightly thicker, thanks to the smart IR cam, still doesn’t take away from the overall look. The keys on the keyboard are colored to match the rest of the shell, and give the whole laptop a very cohesive look. The same goes for the wide touchpad. It would be wrong to call it fashionable, as that’s not really a thing, but it wouldn’t be way off the mark either. It tips the scales at just over 3 pounds, and is just a shred over half an inch thick.
HARDWARE The laptop might be small, but it doesn’t skimp on features. With a massive 16 GB of RAM, an Intel Core i7-1065G7 CPU that runs at a maximum clock speed of 1.5 GHz, and a 500GB SSD, this packs far more hardware than you might think given its size. The FHD IPS display is gorgeous and sharp, and more than bright enough to work under practically all indoor environments. It has a super-secure IR camera that can work in concert with Windows Hello for input-less login, and two front-firing 2W, Dolby Atmos speakers for all your multimedia applications. It’s not just built for work either. If you need to get a little light gaming done, this is going to be happy to oblige. With an Nvidia GeForce MX350 graphics card, it can keep keeping you company with a few games during your downtime.
USER EXPERIENCE While there’s no shortage of laptops at this point in time, Lenovo has always proven to deliver some of the best options available. The Yoga Slim 7 is no exception. I used it every time I was away from my work desk, which, given the nature of our workfrom-home setup is most of the time. The first thing I appreciated about it was how thin and light it really is. I pick it up with no second thought or hesitation, and plop it down anywhere I’m intending to do a little work, whether it’s on the floor, the kitchen, on www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph
the couch, or outside, on the balcony. It’s hard to get over how light it is, and how happy it is to just get picked up and brought wherever. Another thing I loved about it was the screen. Wide, bright, and sharp, it made working on documents for long hours bearable; even pleasant. When it came necessary to use a second screen, or maybe something larger, the built-in HDMI port made that process so much simpler, and allowed me to make a small “battle station” in one of the rooms when I needed a second display, dedicated microphone, and other hardware for meetings and other projects. This is helped along further by 2 USB 3.1 ports, a USB-C port, and a headphone jack. It is also charged via a separate USB-C port, simplifying the matter of home logistics by eschewing proprietary plugs altogether. In terms of capability, there was nothing I could do in a normal workday that gave it trouble. Countless documents, tabs, and multimedia content, on top of audio editing software and conferencing apps, were all taken in stride, without any additional effort aside from a little extra work from the fans when things got a little heavy. Even then, the laptop performed great, and the fan noise wasn’t nearly enough to be an issue. All very impressive given the dimensions of this little machine. Gaming, which in our case is mostly limited to older titles such as Overwatch, was no problem at all. In the game, on recommended settings (roughly on the higher side of medium), the laptop pushed upwards of 60 FPS with no problem whatsoever. It did get a little hot after a while, but as long as you’re playing on a desk and not your bed, this shouldn’t be a problem at all. Again, this isn’t a gaming laptop, but the fact that it can handle light (emphasis on light) gaming, is great. While not a particular concern at the moment, the laptop managed much more than I expected. Lenovo rates this as able to go on for 14 hours in their tests, and while I didn’t really get to work for a stretch that long, I did pull 9 hour days on it without having to plug the charger in. There was of course, no gaming done in that period, and the backlight was about 1/3 of max. I’m not entirely sure about14 hours straight, but 9 hours without charging still isn’t anything to sneeze at. Still, this means that once offices and schools reopen in earnest, one wouldn’t even have to bring the charging brick along every day. That’s very impressive.
Overall, it’s a very capable device, and factoring in its size and weight, it’s downright impressive.
VALUE At a sticker price of PHP 69,995, this is a laptop that’s worth every buck. The performance, portability, and battery life make it a great option for a work device. Even though it’s not intended to do so, being able to do some gaming on it is a little cherry on top. SPECIFICATIONS: • Dimensions: 320.6 x 208 x 14.9mm • Weight: 1.43kg • Display: 14-inch FHD (1920 x 1080) IPS display • Processor:Intel Core i7-1065G7 CPU • GPU: NVIDIA GeForce MX350 2GB GDDR5 • RAM: 16GB LPDDR4X RAM • Storage: 512GB SSD • Ports: 2 x USB Type-A, 2 x USB Type-C, HDMI port, 3.5mm Audio Jack • Camera: 720P IR Cam • Battery: 60Whr battery with 95W RapidCharge Pro What’s Hot: • Slim, light design • Great color (orchid) • Superb battery life What’s Not: • Keys are a little shallow
BOTTOMLINE A wonderfully portable laptop that doesn’t compromise on performance. DECEMBER 2020
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realme M1 Sonic Electric Toothbrush Reviewed by Maribelle Alba
Concern about dental hygiene is part of my OCD complex, and I do go through an elaborate daily routine of oil-pulling, brushing with an electric toothbrush for the requisite two minutes, then carefully rinsing each tooth with a waterpik. But I’ve never used a sonic toothbrush before, so I was really keen on checking out the realme M1 Sonic Electric Toothbrush. DESIGN The yellow-boxed realme M1 Sonic Electric Toothbrush package contains the brush handle, two brush heads (regular and soft), a clear brush head cover, and the charging base. The rechargeable toothbrush handle is basically a narrow plastic tube with a protruding metal power shaft on which you install the brush head. On the handle is an on/off button below which are the different modes and battery indicators. Instead of the round brush heads of most electric toothbrushes, the accompanying brush heads are shaped more like ordinary toothbrushes, although narrower and with just three rows of bristles.
HARDWARE The M1 Sonic is powered by a high-frequency sonic motor that can vibrate at 34,200rpm with variations of ±10% depending on your chosen mode. Its built-in rechargeable 3.7V 800mAh lithium battery can be fully-charged in 4.5-hours, and delivers about 200 hours of brushing time or about a month of regular daily use. The toothbrush bristles are made of Dupont 99.99% antibacterial wool to ensure that these are germ-free.
USER EXPERIENCE My current electric toothbrush is an Oral-B Genius 9000 with all the bells and whistles including Bluetooth and travel charging case, so that was my benchmark for the realme M1 Sonic, except that, of course, these are two very different animals. Unlike the high-speed brush rotation typical of electric toothbrushes, the M1 Sonic “vibrates” at a much higher frequency so you don’t actually see the movement. The accompanying instructions said to hold the brush head at an angle on the gum line and to gently move the brush over your teeth for at least 30-seconds on each quadrant, for a total of 2-minutes brushing time. Unlike an electric
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toothbrush where you could actually feel the brush moving over your teeth (sometimes quite vigorously), with the M1 Sonic you don’t feel the bristles moving. Instead, you feel a hum agitating the toothpaste, and reaching ito the crevices between your teeth and near the gum line. This very much reminds me of how it feels when you go for the bi-annual dental prophylaxis, particularly when the brush is set to the higher frequency polish mode. That’s another thing I like about the M1 Sonic — you can choose between soft, clean, white, and polish modes by pressing the on/off button. For sensitive areas, you can go soft, then switch up to clean for regular brushing, then move to white or polish for the front teeth to get that perfect smile. Initially, I was worried that I wasn’t getting the clean that I was used to with the vigorous cleaning effect of my old electric toothbrush. I did notice, though, that after brusing with the M1 Sonic, there were virtually no leftover food particles stuck between my teeth for the waterpik to dislodge. And, after a month’s use, my teeth feel smooth and shiny clean — can’t wait to hear my dentist congratulate me on my dental hygiene.
SPECIFICATIONS: • Frequency : 34,200rpm/min±10% (according to mode) • Brush material : Anti-bacterial wool • Brush handle weight : 101.67g • Brush handle size : 186.3 x 28mm • Brush head weight : 4g • Brush head size : 85.5 x 18mm • Inductive charging base weight : 78.7g • Charging method : Wireless • Charging time : approx. 4.5hrs • Rated input/power : DC5V 1A / 3W • Battery : 3.7V 800mAh lithium • Available time : Soft mode ~360min, cleaning mode ~215min, whitening mode ~165min, polishing mode ~220min What’s Hot: • Four brushing modes • Slim brush head • 2-minute brush timer What’s Not: • Nothing comes to mind for now • Where to get replacement brush heads?
VALUE The realme M1 Sonic does not come cheap. In fact, its suggested retail price of PHP 1,990 is a bit more than the base price of the leading electric toothbrush brand. However, if you consider the cost of dental procedures due to poor oral hygiene, then this early investment on self-care will be something your teeth (and pocket) will thank you for over the years. One concern I do have is the availability of replacement brush heads, considering that realme is new to the personal care category and distribution channels may be quite limited at this time. As it’s recommended that you replace tooth brushes every 3 months or so, an assured supply of replacement heads is an important purchase consideration.
BOTTOMLINE For the ultimate in dental hygiene, make this part of your daily oral care routine.
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Huawei x Gentle Monster MYMA-01 Reviewed by Ren Alcantara
While the concept is not new in the least, combining audio hardware with glasses hasn’t really taken off. There have always been problems—either it’s too cumbersome, too weirdlooking, not effective enough, or some other issue that makes it more a novelty than a real innovation. Huawei is looking to change that with the Huawei Gentle Monster Eyewear II. There is some pretty impressive innovation here that takes the concept to the next level. Is it enough of a change to make it a real, daily-wear thing? Let’s find out. DESIGN There are a few designs offered for this line, with two pairs of chunky but fashionable sunglasses, a pair of semi-round glasses, and half-rimmed glasses. To anyone just looking at them, they’re practically indistinguishable from regular, runof-the-mill eyewear--they’re actually extremely low-key, which is the first great thing about them. They’re also fairly basic in their design, and have a broad, if not universal wearability to them. What we got were the MYMA sunglasses, which are large, tinted, and have a very ubiquitous shape. Think Wayfarers, make the lenses larger and more rounded at the bottom, and that’s them. This is the first innovation, if you can call it that: these are made to be as subtle as possible, and it actually works. The only difference you might find is in the stems. They’re curiously thicker than average. They aren’t so thick as to be particularly obtrusive, but they are noticeably thick. This is where the innovation lies.
HARDWARE There are specialized drivers built into each of the stems, just about where one’s ears would be. The speakers communicate with your device via Bluetooth 5.2, and are powered by an 85 mAh battery, which is charged wirelessly with the case. Crucially, there are no wires to plug into the glasses, nor are there any ports anywhere on the device to ruin the look. There are also two microphones hidden inside, to receive voice commands, and hear the user speak, and sensors to accept swipes and pinches to access different functions. The whole thing is IP54 rated, so it can handle splashes, and some dust, adding to user convenience. All of that in a pair of nondescript glasses. Impressive.
USER EXPERIENCE I have to be honest. Having been in this business for a long time, I’ve had to review my share of gimmicky products, so I viewed these glasses with much skepticism. I mean, this has been done, and it never really took off. This all changed when I paired the device, and got to playing music. I find it difficult to put to words how shocked I was when the sound came through. While it doesn’t give you audiophile-quality music output, but it blows inexpensive or “kit” headphones out of the water. There’s a little loss of clarity in the mids, but the lows are surprisingly present, and the highs, www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph
which one would expect to be missing are clear as well, though you have to turn it up a bit. Listening to Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major (a test track of mine-I’m not trying to be pretentious by choice), the sweet sound of the cello came out beautifully, with impressive presence. Vocals, particularly in Lana Del Rey’s Video Games were clear and discernible. There was no distortion when the music swelled, and the subtle harp sounds came through beautifully. James Blake’s cover of Limit to your Love, started a little thin on the higher vocals and piano, but acceptably so. The very low bass at the start was, however, almost totally absent. Other tracks verified that higher highs and lower lows are just outside of what the speakers are capable of driving, but mids are solid, making vocals pleasant enough to hear, if a little on the tin side. Bass guitars and bass drums come across decently, but sounds on the lower register of EDM music are more a whisper than a thump. Overall though, the performance is impressive. If the design of the glasses suited me better (and if I looked a LOT more like RDJ), I can imagine this is what Tony Stark hears with his eyewear. There’s also some clever design here, minimizing sound leakage—of particular importance when it comes to calls. Other people can hear what you hear, but they’d have to be considerably in your personal space, sand you’d probably notice that. While I was listening to music, my wife, sitting across the counter from me, couldn’t hear what I was listening to, making office use perfectly acceptable in my book. Controls take some learning, and are some combination of taps and swipes to control playback, volume, and your phone’s assistant. As with many touch devices, it takes some learning, but gets to be second nature in time. This is helped along by the device’s responsiveness, hardly ever responding wrong to my input.
VALUE The local SRP for this device is PHP 21,999, This is admittedly quite expensive. Is it worth the cost? It’s admittedly a bit of a hard sell on paper, but that price tag is a lot easier to accept once you give it a try. Is it for everyone? I can’t say it is, but I can totally see myself rocking a pair of these with my daily prescription lenses and being more than happy with it. That startlingly good sound quality, even though it’s not perfect, really is something, and really, the idea of being able to just play music and take calls without any additional earbuds is tantalizingly sweet.
SPECIFICATIONS: • • • • •
Weight: 48.1g Connectivity: BT 5.2 Battery: 85 mAh Control: Pinch, tap Rating: IP54
What’s Hot: • Surprisingly good sound quality • Responsive controls • Low-key What’s Not: • Charging case requires external charger (no internal battery) • Price • Limited options with the look.
Battery life is rated at 5 hours per charge, and I found this to be mostly accurate, as total time between charging was a little more than 4 hours of music playback at about 60 percent volume. Something to note is that at full volume, it’s not ear-splittingly loud, but it won’t really drown outside sounds. Also impressive is that there’s no noticeable delay when watching video, even on YouTube. This is a big deal, and something I really love. One other niggle I have with it is that the unusually large charging case doesn’t have an internal battery, so if you want to charge your glasses, you’ll need to have the charging case plugged into a power bank or wall charger.
BOTTOMLINE If you find a pair that suits your style, I don’t think you’ll regret it DECEMBER 2020
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Xiaomi Mi Band 5 Reviewed by Gabriel Pe
The Xiaomi Mi Band fitness tracker has dominated the budget fitness band market for a few years now. The Mi Band 5, is the brand’s fifth-generation tracker and after spending a few months with it myself I see why Xiaomi on this spot.
DESIGN At first glance, the Mi Band 5 doesn’t differ much compared to its older bro, the Mi Band 4. It still features the same oval design and still removable from the rubber band. The Mi Band 5 does have some minor improvement from the Mi Band 4, in the looks department, it has a larger AMOLED display, now sporting a 1.1-inch screen with a 126 x 294 resolution and a maximum 450 nits of brightness. Additionally, the Mi Band 5 is now charged with a proprietary magnetic charger that hooks at the back of the device so you won’t need to remove it from the band itself.
HARDWARE Most of the upgrades come in form of the hardware. The Mi Band 5 comes with an improved sensor, now a high-precision 6-axis sensor (3-axis accelerometer and another 3-axis gyroscope), and a new PPG heart rate sensor. The new sensors give the device 24/7 heart rate tracking as well as sleep monitoring. The Mi Band 5 is also 5 ATM waterproofed which means you can now wear the band as you swim. Speaking of swimming, it’s now included in the 11 sports mode you have with the Mi Band 5. Some additional upgrades is the new music and camera controller via the device’s Bluetooth 5.0 connection.
USER EXPERIENCE I bought my Mi Band 5 a couple of months ago out of sheer curiosity and maybe a lie that I’ll be working out during quarantine – this didn’t pan out. Installing the device and pairing it with the accompanying Mi Fit app was pretty painless. Just open your phone’s Bluetooth and then the Mi Fit app (which can be downloaded via Google PlayStore or App Store) and it’ll pair by itself. Do
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note that you’ll need to fill out some details on the app first in order to set goals and have the device note some details about you’re built. Once the setup was finished, you’re free to use the band. One thing I noticed was that the Mi Band’s UI needed some getting used to. You navigate the UI by swiping on the screen, but swiping left and right gives you access to your shortcuts, while up and down gives access to the more important features such as the workout menu and some vital stats. The Xiaomi Mi Band 5 still doesn’t have its own GPS, instead, it uses your phone’s GPS as its reference GPS, but for the price, I am not complaining; and besides you’ll also bring your phone during your morning jogs anyways. Unfortunately, the pandemic has locked me indoors so I still couldn’t test the accuracy and connection stability of this. What I have enjoyed and used the most are the Mi Band’s music and camera control features. The Mi Band 5 can finally control music playback and volume via Bluetooth, and the camera shutter if you have your phone’s camera open. The camera function showed almost no latency when taking pictures and videos, pretty cool if you ask me.
SPECIFICATIONS: • Display: 1.1-inch AMOLED with 126 x 294 resolution and 450 nits max brightness • OS: Proprietary with support for Android 5.0 or iOS 10.0 and above • Sensors: 6-axis sensor, PPG heart rate sensor, Digital MEMS microphone, • Connection: Magnetic charger, Bluetooth 5.0 • Protection: 5ATM • Battery: 125 mAh • Dimensions: 46.95 x 18.15 x 12.45mm • Weight: 11.9 g
What’s Hot: • Magnetic Charger • Larger AMOLED Screen • Remote Camera control
What’s Not: • 2-week battery life
One of my qualms with the device is that the sleep data is only accessible via the Mi Fit app. I was confused during the first few days since I knew that it had sleep monitoring but it was not showing on the device itself. Another thing I was disappointed of was the battery life. The previous Mi Band has 20 to 30 days of battery to a single charge double the Mi Band 5’s capacity. Thankfully charging it needs only an hour and a half.
VALUE Coming in at the sub-PHP 1500 price, the Xiaomi Mi Band 5 is a good steal for people who doesn’t their own fitness band/ smartwatch yet. If you know someone who’ll want to lose some holiday gains, then the Mi Band 5 might be the perfect gift for Christmas.
BOTTOMLINE The Xiaomi Mi Band 5 will be your perfect post-holiday work out companion
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Nokia 2.4 Reviewed by Gabriel Pe
The Nokia 2 series has long been a solid midranger smartphone ever since HMD Global took over the Nokia name. Now on its fourth generation, does the Nokia 2.4 carry on its value for money appeal set forth by its predecessors?
DESIGN
USER EXPERIENCE
Ever since I started working from home, my father has increasingly grown curious to the devices I have been reviewing. Upon seeing the Nokia 2.4, he was impressed by its looks even speculating that it might be on the upper mid-ranger because of it. The device is one heck of a looker.
You need to temper your expectations a bit for the Nokia 2.4. This is a budget mid-ranger and for that price, you are sacrificing some quality of life found on the higher end models, such as more camera lens, and a more vivid display.
The Nokia 2.4 sports a somewhat sharp rectangular shape which adds to that professionalslash-elegant appeal. The back is all plastic, but the 3D Nano-textured design (this what HMD calls its engraved back) makes the phone easy to hold and removes any of the slippery feel to it. If you’re the cautious type, a jelly case is included in the box, as is a 3.5mm headset (a rarity these days). The front of the phone features the 6.5-inch HD+ display, which by the way has a 20:9 aspect ratio. And the 5-megapixel front camera. At the back are the dual-camera setup and the fingerprint sensor. At top is a mic hole and the 3.5mm audio jack, the bottom features the microUSB port as well as another mic hole and the single downwardfiring speaker. On the left is the sim tray and the dedicated Google Assistant button, and on the right is the volume keys and the power button.
HARDWARE The Nokia 2.4 is powered by a MediaTek Helio P22 processor paired with 3GB of RAM and 64 GB of internal storage. Storage is expandable via a dedicated MicroSD slot. The P22 is already a twoyear-old chipset, but don’t let that fool you; this octa-core chip paired with stock android, makes this phone is still fast and can compete with some of the newer models in the market. As for the camera, it sports a dual-camera setup at the back. It has a 13-megapixel main shooter and a 2-megapixel depth sensor. At the front is the 5-megapixel selfie camera. The Nokia 2.4 is powered by a 4,500 mAh battery which typically lasted my two days of usage. Charge time is a bit long taking almost 4 hours via the MicroUSB port.
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The biggest draw of the Nokia 2.4 is the stock Android OS courtesy of the Android One program. Despite sporting an older processor and GPU the phone still feels fast and snappy. The 3GB of RAM is still enough to run multiple apps and do some multitasking, and the 64GB is pretty much enough to last you if you don’t take that many photos or download a load of apps on your phone. Still, despite the optimization of stock Android, the processor does take a hit in gaming. I tried playing Call of Duty: Mobile and that the maximum graphic setting for the phone is just the low settings still the game compensated by running smoothly and without any fps drops. League of Legends: Wild Rift was a bit smoother on the phone but was only able to handle up to medium resolutions but only up to 40 to 48 fps. The camera is a bit of a hit and miss for me. Outside shots came out sharp but somehow the colors were a bit duller for my taste. For indoor images, it’s just decent and nothing to writing home about. Images were noisy at times and smoothed out some details. As for the selfie camera, I found it to be not the greatest. The images came out smudgy even in well-lit environments and extremely noisy in low light.
which offers free security and OS updates for at least 2 two years.
SPECIFICATIONS: • • • • • • • • • • • •
Display: 6.5-inch HD+ Display Processor: MediaTek Helio P22 GPU: PowerVR GE8320 OS: Android 10 (planned update to Android 11) RAM: 3GB Internal Storage: 64GB Camera: Rear: 13-megapixel; 2-megapixel (depth), Front: 5-megapixel Battery: 4500 mAh Connections: MicroUSB, USB OTG, Bluetooth 5.0, 3.5mm audio jack Features: Fingerprint scanner Dimensions: 165.9 x 76.3 x 8.7mm Weight: 195g
What’s Hot: • Stock Android • Future Android updates • Great design What’s Not: • Dated Processor • Long charge time • Could have had a better front camera
The last thing to note about the phone is that battery life is pretty good. The phone lasted a good two to two and a half days of light to medium use (a bit of gaming and movie streaming). But the charge is equally long, taking more than three hours based on my experience.
VALUE Coming it at PHP 6,990, the Nokia 2.4 sits at the perfect spot for value. You have the trusted Nokia branding paired with the full Android One supports
BOTTOMLINE The Nokia 2.4 carries on Nokia’s brand of value for money phones.
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COVER STORY
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G
ift-giving can be an entirely stressful affair, particularly if you aren’t interested in the same worlds as your giftee. Not to worry--we’re here to help make your gifting experience just a little bit easier. If you happen to have a budding streamer, podcaster, or motorcyclist, this is just the thing you need. Read on, take notes, and get your credit card ready, you’re about to complete your shopping list.
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DECEMBER 2020
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Words by Gabriel Pe
T
he work-from-home setup paired with stringent quarantine protocols, has turned some of our closest friends into budding content creators. This new generation of content makers has turned their passion and hobbies into something more. And since the holidays are a time for giving and good cheer, these gift ideas might cheer that content maker friend we all have.
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A new pair of headphones Whether he or she is a gamer, a podcast producer, a video editor, and even a graphics artist, you will never go wrong in buying them a good pair of headphones. Even if you are on a tight budget, headphones are among the cheapest gift you can buy for your friends.
Image: elgato
A new microphone/ microphone stand
A ring light
If your friend is someone who wants to stream, they’ll definitely appreciate a good microphone for Christmas especially if he’s still using the fried earpods from his iPhone 8. If your worried microphones are expensive ,don’t there are now condenser mics on online platforms being sold for less than PHP 1,000 and they’re one hundred percent better than their old worn down earphone.
Image: Corsair
A ring light is perhaps one of the most affordable gifts you can give your content creator friend. Don’t let its affordable price fool you, a good ring light, or any lighting for that matter, is a content creator’s dream. From good stream light to see their faces, or for lighting up products for videos if they’re the sort to do that. You can never discount the power of great lighting for content creators.
A Capture Card
A stream deck
Streamers who want an easier time streaming from consoles, or those who want to use existing, stand-alone cameras as a streaming camera, then a capture card is a must. These let the user take footage from the console or external camera, and feed it into a computer. It makes the whole experience of streaming from a console much simpler, with just a single device. There are expensive options out there, but we found a cheap and cheerful one online. It’s generically named CAPTURE CARD, costs way less than PHP 1,000 and works much better than it has any right to at that price point. We’ve tried it with a variety of devices such as a Switch, GoPro Hero 3+ Black, and even an old Canon DSLR, with our PC having no problem receiving and processing the video for a stream via OBS. Considering brand-name alternatives are several times more expensive (we’re looking at you Elgato,) this is a great budget option that’s almost stocking-stuffer-priced.
If you’re an avid stream watcher chances are you’ve heard about a certain device called a stream deck. Basically, it’s a customizable switcher mostly used by streamers. A stream deck’s main purpose is to switch the streamer’s scene in just a push of a button. Since the stream deck is fully programmable, it’s also handy for any other sort of live video producers who make use of their PCs, and even video editors and graphics designers who want the convenience of additional macro keys.
Image: elgato
A new XL mouse pad Extra-large mouse pads have increased in popularity in recent years, mainly due to the fact that they’re comfortable to work on and adds certain aesthetic aspects to a work desk. Your friend may already have his own mouse pad, but surely, he won’t feel disappointed if you give him another one, since he can clean and change them every so often.
Image: esiergo Image: steelseries
Some new keycaps If your content creator friend is using a mechanical keyboard, why not liven it up by giving him some new keycaps to add design to his board. These not only add design, but they also add some practicality since he can customize his board to highlight the important keys he usually use.
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Image: tai-hao
An ergo-desk/monitor arm/ ergo-chair Content creators spend more than half of their sitting in front of their computers or laptops, often in poor positions which lead to back pains, muscle, and stiff necks – ouch! This is why investing in good ergonomic furniture such as ergo-desks is slowly becoming the norm abroad. Ergonomic desks are pretty expensive with some costing as much as PHP 25,000 which is why it is a monitor arm or an ergo-chair are good cheaper alternatives and can aid your friend even just a little.
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Words by Ren Alcantara
T
he season of giving is here again, and as usual, we’re here to give you a hand in deciding on the best gifts for the many different people in your life. In this CoverStory, we’re going to be taking a look at some gifts you might want to get that aspiring podcaster in your life. Who knows, you might even get to guest on the show!
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A microphone While a streamer might get away with using the microphone on their gaming headset, it’s really not the most ideal solution. Even the higher-end gaming headsets have mics that are positively miniscule compared to a stand-alone microphone. If you’re trying to help your streamer up their game, a USB mic is a great way to do that. A USB mic is so named because it plugs straight into your computer via USB, and works directly as an input, without any additional hardware required, unlike XLR mics that require an intermediary device for your computer to use the audio signal. There are a few considerations when picking a USB microphone. If price is the main factor, more than decent ones can be had for less than PHP 4000 at your favorite online store. A quick search for USB Microphone will yield plenty of results, just make sure you pay attention and pick one that’s an actual USB mic, and not one that is trying to pass itself off as one. We haven’t found a proper USB mic for less than about PHP 3900 or so, so that’s a decent way to narrow your search. Maono, Fifine, and even Razer offer a good set of choices you can start to look at. For an even better USB microphone experience, pick a device that has zero-latency monitoring, so whomever will be using it can plug a pair of headphones right into the mic, and get instant
feedback as to how their voice is sounding, on top of the sounds that they would normally hear on their headphones (basically, game sounds, voice chat, and all of the usual audio you’d hear when playing). This might raise the price somewhat, but is well worth the increase, as the alternative would be to pass the audio through the computer first, introducing a very noticeable and distracting delay.
A third option is a combination USB/XLR mic. There are fewer options here, most notably from Samson and Audio-Technica, which have both USB and XLR outputs. These will work on their own into a computer, or through an audio interface when your budget and capabilities grow. They’re reasonably priced, coming in at about the PHP5000 mark, and make for decent future-proofing.
If you’re looking to really drop some money on this friend (to ensure a spot on the list of interviewees perhaps), then you can go even bigger. A good quality XLR microphone and interface might cost significantly more than a USB mic, but it will offer a lot more versatility in the long run. All the major brands such as Shure, Sennheiser, Samson, and Audio-Technica, as well as the smaller brands such as Maono and Boya offer great options across a HUGE price range, so listen to reviews and pick something that fits your budget.
If your friend is really going semi-pro, Zoom, the maker of exceptional audio hardware, has the PodTrak P4, which is a device that’s made just for podcasters. I mean, 4 XLR inputs, 4 headphone outputs, a sound pad, phone patching, on-device recording, and the ability to use it as an interface, all in a device that fits in a bag. While it’s a bit niche, it looks to be very well equipped for that niche.
An audio interface is just as important, otherwise the mic will remain an expensive desk accessory. There are a lot of factors to consider over a wide variety of price ranges, from Zoom’s H5 handy recorder that can work as an interface, to great devices from Focusrite, Bandlab, and Behringer that can handle multiple XLR microphones at once. Do some research and pick what fits your podcaster’s needs, and your budget, just don’t let on about what you’re doing to keep the surprise!
A Microphone scissor stand If your streamer friend is still stuck using a desk stand, do them a favor and get them a decent scissor stand to give them that pro feel and let them get right close to the microphone they’re using. There are cheap ones that can be had for less than PHP 3,000, and those might just do the trick, but if they’re using a heavier microphone, might not be up to the task. If you can, get an idea how heavy the mic you’re pairing with it is, and pick a stand that can take the weight. A mic is a reasonably expensive investment, and you don’t really want a piece of precision hardware to drop onto the floor mid-stream. This is a much better option than a desk stad, as it frees up a lot of space on the desk, for a keyboard, tablet, or show notes. It also lets them move it into exactly the right position to make the most of their microphone, drastically improving audio quality on the listener’s end.
Image: Neewer
While podcasts don’t usually have a video component, in this pandemic era, multiple-person podcasts are recorded remotely. While it’s possible to get that done with just a computer, mic and headphones, a lot is lost without visual cues in a conver
Software and Services While editing a podcast can be done with a little learning on free software such as Audacity, it’s not the most user-friendly. If they have an iPad, consider Ferrite, or Hokusai, both of which are extremely useful in stitching together audio when combined with an Apple Pencil. Seriously, you’re going to wonder how you got by without it. If you want to go whole hog, you can even get them a camera connection kit, which can let them, with a USB mic, record right on the iPad, streamlining the workflow even more. If they’re into panel-style, multi-host podcasts, consider a subscription to a service such as Cleanfeeed, which is browser-based, and lets them get synchronized, high-quality audio from everyone in the call (provided of course that their audio is good to begin with). This simplifies the recording process quite a bit, and makes turnaround times even faster.
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A better camera
This is a gift you can give a streamer that might cost you nothing at all. If you have an old, but working camera lying around such as an old GoPro, or some more recent, but discontinued DSLRs, consider donating that to the stream. They offer worlds better quality than a laptop’s built-in webcam, and are easy to set up with conventional photography equipment.
It’s always great to get quality content out into the world, and it pays to give content creators such as podcasters a little help. Whether it’s for your team, a friend, or maybe even yourself, these are some tools that can really help that podcast get off the ground.
Another option is if you have an older android phone with a working camera. If it’s not too old, chances are great that it’ll still take better footage than a laptop camera, and it can be made to work as a great streaming camera by installing a simple app called Droidcam. Accessories such as mounts and stands can then be found on the cheap, and that’s a quick streaming camera done and dusted.
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Words by Ren Alcantara
I
f you’re looking for something for your motorcyclist friend or family, things can be a little confusing, particularly if you’re not part of that world. Don’t worry. We’re here to help. Your gift doesn’t have to be super fancy or complicated to have an impact, but there’s a lot out there. Let us help you sort through the options so you can find something they’ll love.
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Gloves
Chain Lube
While selecting a glove involves equal parts style and substance, taking a look at what your rider giftee should clue you in to their preferences, and allow you to make an informed gift-buying decision. It’s extremely easy to pick just any glove, only to have it sit in a drawer somewhere or get re-gifted. Are they a fan of leather, or do they prefer a mesh glove? Are there armored points, or is it plush with soft, flexible padding? Are they fans subdued colors, or do they prefer flashy, hi-vis? What size do they wear, and do they have a brand preference? One might not immediately consider these options, but once you have these basic characteristics nailed down, you can head over to the nearest shop, or online, and find something similar. Gloves take a lot of wear and tear, and having a replacement on-hand is always something a rider will appreciate
As you may well know, motorcyclists love their bikes like children, and this love extends to keeping their machines in the best shape possible. Certain specialty products exist to cater to this need, and something like a good can of chain lubricant or maybe some chain cleaner is a great way to help them keep their beloved bike running happily. While it’s tempting to get a can of WD-40 and call it a day, please don’t do that. There are much better options in the market. These are easily available, and can be had for less than PHP 1000. Putoline, Muc-off, and ProLink are great places to start.
Image: carbibles
A Balaclava Longer rides, or extended ones in the city, tend to cause a lot of sweat to build up. Once that sweat starts getting into the lining of a helmet, it can get very muggy and unpleasant very fast. A great, inexpensive way to add a layer of comfort is a balaclava--something every seasoned rider will likely have, and can never have enough of. From simple cloth coverings, all the way to special synthetic fabrics for better breathability, this isn’t’ something you can really get wrong. It also makes for a great stocking-stuffer that every rider will appreciate. If they’re prefer to wear half-face helmets, there are also caps made from those same specialty materials, for all the comfort of an open lid, without the stuffiness of a full-face cover.
Helmet sanitiser and lens cleaner While bikes get most of the love, taking care of safety gear should be up there as well. Brands offer helmet sanitizing sprays, google and lens cleaners, and cloths to help keep visors clean, while minimizing the chance of scratching. They’re worlds better than home-brew concoctions as they’re formulated to keep from degrading the materials inside the helmet, making sure they’ll perform as intended, as opposed to DIY mixtures that may compromise the material integrity of important safety equipment. They’re also quite inexpensive, usually running well under PHP 500 a bottle.
Image: autoquarterly
Tire patch kit Not a lot of two-wheelers have room for a spare tire. As such, when something happens and a tire runs flat, there’s little to do except thee dreaded walk of shame to the nearest vulcanizing shop. Give the gift of peace of mind with a flat repair kit. These kits have everything one might need to repair a tubeless tire on the road, including a reamer, a hole plug, and CO2 canisters as well as an adapter to top the air up and ride (carefully) to a shop that can see to the problem more permanently. These usually go for about a thousand pesos, and come in pouches that can be thrown into a utility pocket or bag, and forgotten until the need arises.
Image: brm
Rain gear While the rider in your life likely has rain gear to see them through the wet season, it’s also possible that due to storage constraints, particularly if they ride a sportbike, it’s not something they carry around. While some riders would rather look good soaking wet than be caught in ughly rain gear, it never hurts to have something just in case it gets really bad. Disposable ponchos fold up small enough to fit into all but the smallest utility pockets, so they can keep it even under the seat if necessary, ready to be pulled out and donned in the event of some surprise rain.
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We hope this list has helped you navigate the tricky world of motorcycle enthusiast gift-giving. There’s something for everyone’s price range, and, as riders ourselves, we’d very much appreciate and (or all, thanks Santa) of the gifts we’ve mentioned here. While you’re at it, always remind your rider friends to stay safe so they can enjoy the gifts you give them for a long, long time.
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KCS-222 SRP PHP 6,499 • Micro component “Todooke” system with USB/SD, Bluetooth, & FM Radio – 2500W PMPO
SBX-2X4 SRP PHP 4,499
KX-355+ SRP PHP 3,599
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• 2.1 channel sound bar system with USB, bluetooth & HDMI-ARC- 3500W PMPO
• 2.1 channel multimedia speaker with Bluetooth, USB/SD, AUX-IN & FM Radio – 3800W PMPO
KX-400+ SRP PHP 3,999
WM-22V
• 3.1 channel multimedia speaker system with USB/SD, FM Radio and Bluetooth – 4000W PMPO
• Wireless microphone VHF
SRP PHP 1,999
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Honda AirBlade150 SRP PHP 109,000 • Engine Type: 4- Stroke, Single Overhead Cam (SOHC), Liquid-Cooled • Displacement: 150cc • Starting System: Electric ( ACG Starter) • Brake Type (Front): Hydraulic Disc with ABS • Brake Type (Rear): Mechanical Leading Trailing • Tire Size (Front): 90/80 - 14M/C • Tire Size (Rear): 100/80-14 M/C • Overall Dimensions (LxWxH):1,870x686x1,112 (mm)
• Seat Height: 773 mm • Fuel System: PGM-Fi • Smart Key, Anti-Theft Alarm and Answer Back System: Equipped • Idling Stop System: Equipped • U-Box Capacity: 22.7L • Power Charger Socket: Equipped w/ LED Lamp • Fuel Consumption (WMTC Test Method): 47 Km/L
*Available color variants: Candy Rosy Red, Matte Galaxy Black Metallic, Candy Caribbean Blue Sea
Honda Supra GTR150 SRP PHP 102,900 • Engine Type: 4-Stroke, 4 Valves, Double Overhead Cam (DOHC), Liquid-Cooled w/ Auto Fan • Displacement: 150cc • Starting System: Electric & Kick • Brake Type (Front & Rear): Hydraulic Disc • Tire Size (Front): 90/80 -17MC 46P • Tire Size (Rear): 120/70 - 17MC 58P • Seat Height: 786 mm
• Fuel Tank Capacity: 4.5 L • Fuel System: PGM-FI • Maximum Power: 11.5 kW @ 9,000 rpm • Maximum Torque: 13.6 N.m @ 6,500 rpm • Bank Angle Sensor: Equipped • Headlight: LED • Meter Panel: Full Digital • Fuel Consumption ( ECER40): 42 Km/L
*Available color variants: Valiant Red, Black
Honda Genio SRP PHP 72,900 • Engine Type: 4- Stroke, Air-Cooled, Single Overhead Cam (SOHC) • Displacement: 110cc • Starting System: Electric ( ACG Starter) • Brake Type (Front): Hydraulic Disc Brake • Brake Type (Rear): Mechanical Leading Trailing • Tire Size (Front): 80/90 - 14 MC • Tire Size (Rear): 90/90-14 MC
• Overall Dimensions (LxWxH): 1,869 x 692 x 1,061 (mm) • Seat Height: 740 mm • Fuel System: PGM-Fi • U-Box Capacity: 14 L • Power Charger Socket: Equipped • Fuel Consumption (ECE R40): 59.1 Km/L
*Available color variants: Ross White with Red Stripes, Ross White with Blue Stripes
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DS220j
SRP PHP 9,399
• CPU: Realtek RTD1296 64-bit 4-core 1.4GHz • Memory: 512MB DDR4 non-ECC • Compatible drive type: 2 x 3.5” SATA HDD; type-C disk holder optional for 2.5” SATA • External ports: RJ-45 1GbE LAN; 2 x USB 3.0
DS220+
• Dimensions (HxWxD): 165 x 100 x 225.5mm • Weight: 0.88kg • System fan: 92x92mm; modes– full-speed, cool, quiet, low-power • Power supply: 60W 100V~240V AC • Warranty: 2 years
SRP PHP 18,999
Compact and high performance NAS for IT enthusiasts • CPU: Intel Celeron J4025 64-bit 2-core 2.0 (base) / 2.9 (burst) GHz • Memory: 2GB DDR4 non-ECC • Compatible drive type: 2 x 3.5” SATA HDD; 2 x 2.5” SATA HDD; 2 x 2.5” SATA SSD • External ports: 2 x RJ-45 1GbE LAN; 2 x USB 3.0
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DS420j
SRP PHP 17,999
Essential storage choice for the family
A simple-to-use private cloud for everyone
• Dimensions (HxWxD): 165 x 108 x 232.2mm • Weight: 1.30kg • System fan: 92x92mm; modes – full-speed, cool, quiet • Power supply: 60W 100V~240V AC • Warranty: 2 years
• CPU: Realtek RTD1296 64-bit 4-core 1.4GHz • Memory: 1GB DDR4 non-ECC • Compatible drive type: 4 x 3.5” SATA HDD; 4 x 2.5” SATA HDD; 4 x 2.5” SATA SSD • External ports: RJ-45 1GbE LAN; 2 x USB 3.0
DS920+
• Dimensions (HxWxD): 184 x 168 x 230mm • Weight: 2.21kg • System fan: 2 x 80x80mm; modes – full-speed, cool, quiet, low-power • Power supply: 90W 100V~240V AC • Warranty: 2 years
SRP PHP 31,999
Best storage solution for content creators • CPU: Intel Celeron J4125 64-bit 4-core 2.0 (base) / 2.7 (burst) GHz • Memory: 4GB DDR4 non-ECC • Compatible drive type: 4 x 3.5” SATA HDD; 4 x 2.5” SATA HDD; 4 x 2.5” SATA SSD; M.2 2280 NVMe SSD • External ports: 2 x RJ-45 1GbE LAN; 2 x USB 3.0
• Dimensions (HxWxD): 166 x 199 x 223mm • Weight: 2.24kg • System fan: 2 x 92x92mm; modes – full-speed, cool, quiet • Power supply: 100W 100V~240V AC • Warranty: 3-year hardware warranty, extendable to 5-year coverage
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Yamaha MIO i125 PHP 71,900 • Engine Type: Air-cooled, 4-stroke. SOHC, 2-valve • Displacement: 125cm3 • Starting System: Electric starter & Kickstarter • Ignition System: TCI (Transistor Controlled Ignition) • Brake Type (Front): Hydraulic Single Disc Brake; Brake Type (Rear): Mechanical Leading Trailing Drum Brake
• Tire Size (Front): 70/90-14 M/C 34P Tube Type; Tire Size (Rear): 80/90-14 M/C 40P Tube Type • Overall Dimensions (LxWxH): 1,870mm x 685mm x 1,035mm • Seat Height: 750 mm • Ground Clearance: 135 mm • Fuel Tank Capacity: 4.2 L • Fuel System: Fuel injection
*Available in Magenta, Yellow and Vibrant Orange
Yamaha NMAX ABS PHP 134,500 • Engine Type: Liquid cooled, 4-stroke, SOHC, 4-valve • Displacement: 155 cm3 • Starting System: Electric Starter • Ignition System: TCI (Transistor Controlled Ignition) • Brake Type (Front): Hydraulic single disc brake; Brake Type (Rear): Hydraulic single disc brake • Tire Size (Front): 110/70-13M/C 48P Tubeless; Tire Size (Rear): 130/70-13M/C 63P Tubeless
• Overall Dimensions (LxWxH): 1935mm x 740mm x 1160mm • Seat Height: 765 mm • Minimum Ground Clearance: 125 mm • Fuel Tank Capacity: 7.1 L • Fuel System: Fuel Injection • Maximum Power: 11.3kW(15.4PS)/8000r/min • Maximum Torque: 13.9N•m(1.4kgfm)/6500r/min
*Available in Midnight Black, Tech Camo and Matte Red
Yamaha XSR155 PHP 162,000
• Engine Type: Liquid cooled, 4-stroke, SOHC, 4 valves, VVA • Displacement: 155 cc • Starting System: Electric starter • Ignition System: TCI (transistor controlled ignition) • Brake Type (Front): Hydraulic single disc brake; Brake Type (Rear): Hydraulic single disc brake
• Tire Size (Front): 110/70-17M/C 54S (Tubeless); Tire Size (Rear): 140/70-17M/C 66S (Tubeless) • Overall Dimensions (LxWxH): 2007mm X 804mm X 1080mm • Seat Height: 808 mm • Ground Clearance: 170 mm • Fuel Tank Capacity: 10 L • Fuel System: Fuel Injection
*Available in Garage Metal and Tech Black
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Blaupunkt Air Pure AP1.1 3-layer Filtering System | Smart Fan Mode | PM2.5 Air Quality Indicator
• Indicator Display : PM2.5 Level, Filter replacement reminder, Auto/ Manual fan speed • Pre-packed with Blaupunkt AirPure Filter (APF1) • Noise Level : ≤35dB • Fan Type : Double inlet DC Turbo Fan • HEPA Filter Grade : H11 • Ultraviolet Wavelength : 253.7nm • Applicable for space : 3m2-5m2 • Input Voltage : 5V • Current : 1A • Power : <5W • Dimensions : 71mm x 195mm • Net Weight : 425g • Accessories : USB Power Cable
Voombox Trek
Voombox Power
Compact and rugged portable Bluetooth speaker for the great outdoors
Rugged and powerful Bluetooth speaker
PHP 4,590
PHP 2,750
• Dimensions: 95 x 46 x 132 mm • Weight: 295g • Output: 6W • Playback Time: Up to 6 hours • Battery Capacity: 1400mAh • Driver: 2” full range + 2” passive radiator • Frequency Response: 6520k Hz • Signal-to-Noise Ratio: 85dB • Battery Voltage: 3.7V • Wireless Range: Up to 10 meters • Bluetooth compliant: Bluetooth V4.2
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• Dimensions: 193L x 65W x 84.5H mm • Weight: 770 g • Output: 30W • Playback Time: 12 Hours at 50% volume • Battery Capacity: 5000mAh • Driver: Full range x 2, Dilk Tweeter x 2,
• Frequency Response: 60-18000Hz • Signal-to-Noise Ratio: 75dB • Battery Voltage: 3.7V • Battery Charge Time: 3-4 Hours • Charge: Via USB cable, 5V-2A • Wireless Range: Up to 10 meters
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MiLi PhonePure
portable UV sterilizer pouch
PHP 850
• Size: 10x18.5x2.5cm • Material: Oxford cloth • Sterilization Time: 5 minutes • Input: 5v/0.3A • UV-lamp: 265-280nm • Function: sterilization, storage
Power Magic IV
Slim, fast-charging power bank with wireless charging capability
Model No.: HB-G12 Color: White Meterial: PC+ABS Capacity: 10000mAh Input port: Type-C Output port: Type-C, USB AF
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fast-charging car charger with Type-C port
PHP 550
PHP 1,400
• • • • • •
Smart Speed Car Charger
• Input: DC 5V/3A 9V/2A • USB-A output: 5V/3A 9V/2A 12V/1.5A • Type-C output: 5V/3A 9V/2A 12V/1.5A • Output power max: 18W
• Size: 60x26mm • Material: PC+ABS • Connector Type: USBA*Type-C • Input Data: 12-24V
• Output Data: USB-A: 5V/3A, 9V/3A,12V/2.25A; Type-C: 5V/3A, 9V/3A, 12V/2.25A • Color(s): White, Black
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Spark 6 6 Upgrades, Big Value • Ocean Blue/Comet Black /Dynamic Orange / Misty Violet • 6.8” Dot-in Display • 4GB RAM + 128GB ROM • 5000mAh Battery • G70 Octa-core processor • Video Beautify • Bluetooth Audio Share • 16MP Quad Rear Camera with Quad Flash • Android™ 10 • Fingerprint sensor
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Legion Y740Si
Legion Slim 7
A visual feast for the eyes
Slim yet savage
• Display: 15.6” In-Plane Switching (IPS) display with UHD resolution and High Dynamic Range (HDR) • Processor: 10th-Generation Intel Core i7-10750H • Graphics: Powered by Legion BoostStation eGPU with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 graphics card • Memory: 16GB DDR4 RAM • Storage: 1TB SSD • OS: Windows 10
• Display: 15.6” FHD resolution display with 144Hz refresh rate and 100% sRGB • Processor: 10th-Generation Intel Core i7-10750H • Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 • Memory: 16GB 2933MHz DDR4 RAM • Storage: 1TB SSD (with extra SSD slot) • OS: Windows 10 Home
PHP 99,995
PHP 144,995
Legion 5 & 5i
Legion 5Pi
Mainstream workhorses
A perfect balance of style and adrenaline
• Display: Up to 15.6” FHD IPS (1920 x 1080, 500 nits brightness, up to 240Hz refresh rate, less than 1ms response time, 100% sRGB, Dolby Vision enabled, VESA DisplayHDR 400 certified • Processor: Up to AMD Ryzen™ 7 4800H mobile processor (Legion 5) or 10th-Generation Intel Core i710750H processor (Legion 5i) • Graphics: up to NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 graphics card • Memory: Up to 16GB 3200MHz (Legion 5) or 2933MHz DDR4 RAM (with an expansion slot) • Storage: Up to 1TB PCIe SSD (with an SSD expansion slot) • OS: Windows 10
• Display: 15.6” In-Plane Switching (IPS) display with FHD (1920 x 1080) resolution, 144Hz refresh rate, less than 3 ms response time, 100% sRGB, Dolby Vision Enabled, 300 nits of brightness • Processor: 10th-Generation Intel Core i7-10750H • Graphics: Up to NVIDIA GeForce GTX1660Ti graphics card • Memory: 8GB 2933MHz DDR4 RAM (with an expansion slot) • Storage: 512GB M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (with an SSD expansion slot) • OS: Windows 10 Home
PHP 71,995
IdeaPad Gaming 3 & 3i Ultimate value-for-money gaming device
PHP 56,995
Legion Phone Duel A mobile gaming beast • Display: 6.65” Full HD AMOLED display with 144Hz refresh rate • Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 Plus • Memory: 12GB (Blazing Blue), 16GB (Vengeance Red) • Storage: 256GB (Blazing Blue), 512GB (Vengeance Red) • Battery: 5000mAh with 65W Turbo Power Charging • Rear camera: 64MP, f/1.9 25mm (wide), 16MP, f/2.2, 120 degree, 16mm (ultrawide) • Front camera: 20MP, f/2.2, 25nn (wide), Motorized side-mounted pop-up camera
• Display: 15.6” FHD IPS (1920 x 1080), 250 nits brightness, 120 Hz refresh rate • Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 4600H (IdeaPad Gaming 3) or 10thGeneration Intel Core i7-10750H (IdeaPad Gaming 3i) • Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650Ti graphics card • Memory: 8GB 3200MHz DDR4 RAM or 2933Mhz DDR4 RAM for the IdeaPad Gaming 3i (with expansion slot) • Storage: Up to 512GB SSD storage with an SSD expansion slot • OS: Windows 10 Home
PHP 46,995
PHP 39,995 | Blazing Blue
PHP 49,995 | Vengeance Red
*All Legion laptops come with Lenovo’s 3-Year Premium Care solution (comprehensive technical hardware and software support, a 24x7 direct hotline to engineers, and On-Site repair).
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PHOTO FEATURE
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The end of 2020 is here, and what better way to celebrate that than to spread some Christmas cheer with some gifts! If you can’t decide how to brighten up your giftee’s Christmas, we’ve got just the thing! Check out some of the things we’ve gathered in the pages of this month’s Gift Guide!
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Great looks, even better performance.
Get more than you expect from entry-level devices with the Pomo M3. More power, more battery life, more features, all for a great price.
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With a new chip, better battery life, and plenty of power, this is a new era for Apple.
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Looks, features, and an attractive price tag. Who says you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have it all?
Game on with power and style, in a compact, lightweight package.
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MOBILITY
HONDA CLICK 150 Reviewed by Ren Alcantara Despite the pandemic, there’s no denying that traffic jams have returned. Clear roads, one of the woefully few good things we had during this crisis, have become clogged once more, and as we did before all of this went down, we’re looking to leave our cars at home and take alternative modes of transportation. Honda has once again come to my rescue, sending over a bike to test while we come to grips with hassles of going out. The new Click 150 offers some impressive tech, and promises to be a great city bike without compromising things such as power. It’s not the first Click 150 I’ve tried, and the last one left a scooter-shaped hole in my heart when they took it back. Will this new version make me feel the same pain? Let’s find out.
DESIGN Think “commuter.” Now spice that up a bit with some sharp angles and straight lines. Now, take that, and give it a downward-pointing face that might not look out of place on a big bike. You now have in your head, the Click 150i. It’s aggressively styled (incidentally what I liked about the previous model), but not gimmicky. There are some very sporty lines in there, giving what would otherwise be a large-looking
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scooter a much sportier vibe. Our test unit, which came in a very fetching stealth black, looked surprisingly imposing, and didn’t feel out of place among the other large-displacement bikes we have at home. A downward-pointing, angular face, upswept exhaust, and very tasteful accents give it the air of a larger bike than it actually is, while retaining that light, nimble performance one expects from a city scoot.
HARDWARE TThe click 150 has some nice tech going for it. Apart from the water-cooled, fuel-injected 150cc mill, it has a smart idling system, keyless pushbutton starting, and a built-in alarm all standard. There unfortunately is no ABS though, but the single front disc, and rear drum provide ample stopping power when you need it. It comes with a 90/80 front, and 100/80 rear tires on 14-inch cast wheels, don’t look half bad. It has a 5.5-L tank, a
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digital gauge cluster, and can produce 13 HP, and 13.4 Nm of torque. The seat is a comfortable 769mm off the ground, and the scoot affords you 132mm of ground clearance. It’s on the larger side for a scoot, clocking in at 1919 mm long, 679 mm wide, and 1062 mm long, and tipping the scales at 113 Kg. USER EXPERIENCE Within the first few kilometers of myride on the Click 150i, just like its previous incarnation, was a winner. The comfort, ergonomics, and ride height were perfect for someone of my height (5’4, a little thick in the middle), and offered no challenges when I needed to put my foot down on the pavement at a stop. The long seat looks angles downwards visually, but is in fact nicely stepped, and allows for a bit of shifting around during longer rides, to keep from cramping up. There’s ample step board space as well, though there’s not much room for anything aside from feet. Groceries or other packages will have to be placed in the under-seat storage, which while reasonably large, has barely enough room to fit a 2XL helmet. And bigger than that, and you’ll have to sling the load on your back.
The Click 150 has a lot of power on tap, without being excessive. It’s plenty to put a bit of a smile on your face, without having so much as to tear that smile off from acceleration. You do feel that 150cc engine, and it spools up, getting you up to speed quickly. The brakes are up to the task as well, and while it’s not going to throw you off the bike, grabbing two fistfulls is enough to get you into a bit of trouble if you aren’t ready for it. One standout thing about the scooter is the suspension, which is comfortably pliant without feeling floaty. It feels planted, with great feedback. It absorbs the usual bumps and potholes on bad city roads quite well, while not making it feel like you’re just floating around. Crowded city streets is where this bike shines the most. While it’s not the smallest commuter, it happily behaves like it is. Tight spaces are pleasantly easy to navigate, and the engine is more than happy to give a quick burst of speed to get out of sticky situations. The engine responds quickly to rider demands, and the brakes are just as quick to scrub speed or bring you to a quick halt should you need it. I am slightly embarrassed to say that I had to consult the manual to get the bike to start. It is apparently a combination of a button press on
the fob, turning the switch on the bike, and only then hitting the starter. I appreciate the tech, but it’s not the most intuitive system, at least for the first few times you get on the saddle. The gauges are very clear and easy to read in all lighting conditions we encountered. It’s digital, which is great, and a quick glance is all you’ll need to get the info you’re looking for. It also offers an auto start/stop system that kills the engine when you’re at a traffic light, and starts it back up with the slightest twist of the wrist. Over all, there are some features we’d have loved to see, such as ABS as an option, or even a USB charging port, but most of all, we would have wanted a little bit more under-seat storage, particularly since the scooter itself is on the larger side. VALUE At about PHP 98,000, the Click 150i is a great commuter, with enough power to keep up with longer rides. All the features at this asking price isn’t bad at all, and makes for a great city companion, particularly through crowded Metro traffic.
What’s Hot: - Great comfort - Excellent suspension
What’s Not: - Underseat storage could be elarger Involved startup sequence
BOTTOMLINE: An excellent city scoot with plenty of power to get you out of trouble.
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Maxus D60: Designed for exciting, endless possibilities
T Maxus Philippines has been able to create a dent in the local automotive market since its introduction in June of 2019, introducing Filipino motorists, entrepreneurs, and their families to a line of world-class vehicles that have gone to the “Max” in terms of its design, functionality, performance, comfort, and safety. Models such as the G10 MPV, V80 van, T60 pickup, and the G50 MPV come to mind when people speak of value-for-money and internationally-proven vehicles with a rich 124-year British heritage of the brand infused with technological, design, and engineering expertise sourced from all corners of the globe.
he Maxus D60 compact SUV is a bold statement that whatever challenges and difficulties we have faced this year, the exciting possibilities for the future remain as boundless as the oceans. The dynamic, fashionable, and elegant D60 is a clarion call for creative inspiration—inspiration best sparked by the three pillars: Technology, Confidence, and Progress
Despite the challenges and obstacles that faced the entire automotive industry this 2020, Maxus Philippines has proven to be an unstoppable force, forging ahead with its dealership network expansion and new vehicle launch—first with the G50 MPV and now with the D60 compact SUV. It’s all about Maxus being true to its name. The Maxus logo, a combination of three triangles, represents technology, confidence, and progress, which stand as the brand’s pillars. The name “Maxus” itself drives these pillars to the fullness of its potential, as “Max” symbolizes a “sea of infinite possibilities” flowing into “us,” the people, both as the creators and end-users. For just the exterior design alone, the D60 already conveys a guarantee of limitless possibilities. The front of the D60 inherits the unique Maxus grille design conveyed in two out-of-the-box expressions: “Cool black gypsophila” and “Dark Cobweb”, complemented by full LED split matrix headlights flowing into the rear LED diamond taillight. In between the front and the rear, the mesmerizing linear “sea wave art” lends the body of the D60 the illusion of an endlessly rhythmic motion, fueling a youthful desire to move and be moved.
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MEET THE ALL-NEW CHANGAN ALSVIN
C
hangan Motor Philippines Inc., the official distributor of Changan vehicles in the Philippines, has brought a serious contender to the subcompact sedan segment that allows customers to expect more and nothing less: the Changan Alsvin.
Known in other countries as the sedan that “exceeds everyday demands and expectations,” the Alsvin is built to ensure that you will not be compromising your standards—be it in terms of style, technology, fuel efficiency, or safety. Measuring 4,390mm long, 1,725mm wide, and 1,490mm high and with a wheelbase of 2,535mm, the Alsvin is ready to win you over with its size and array of irresistible features. Outside, you will be greeted by its eye-catching “Butterfly-wing” radiator grille, which comes with Projector Headlamps and LED Daytime Running Lights (DRL) on the Platinum variant. Standard to the Alsvin are the 7-inch Touchscreen Multimedia System that can play music and videos, control wireless phone calls via Bluetooth, and access the AM/FM radio; and the manual air-conditioning system with its modern digital display that are bound to impress. Also offered with the Platinum variant are the sunroof as well as plush leather seats.
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And to stay true to its promise of exceeding everyday demands and expectations, the Alsvin gives you the power to choose the efficient variant fit for your everyday driving needs. There is the 1.4L 5-speed manual transmission that can deliver maximum power of 100ps and maximum torque of 135Nm; and the 1.5L 5-speed Dual Clutch Transmission (DCT) that gives you a maximum power of 107ps and maximum torque of 145Nm. Additionally, the 1.5L 5-speed DCT Alsvin Platinum variant is packed with a cruise control function that lets you lock on to your desired speed and the blind spot camera and monitor to mak parking easier and safer.
brakes before seamlessly changing from brake pedal to accelerator, and the Electronic Stability Control (ESC) that detects skidding and applies the brakes to individual wheels if necessary, to counter the loss of steering control.
Safety in the Alsvin does not end there. It is also equipped with Dual Airbags and Reverse Camera, while its DCT variants possess the Hill-Hold Control (HHC) that lets you apply
Visit www.changanphil.com and @ChanganPhil on Facebook to learn more about the Changan Alsvin and find the nearest Changan dealership for you.
Accomplishing your daily essentials while exceeding your expectations gets more convenient with the Changan Alsvin at an introductory price that starts at PHP 539,000. All introductory prices are valid from November 26 to December 31, 2020 only. Choose from a variety of colors to suit your style: snow white, silver gray, pearl black, glory red, and deep blue.
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2021 Toyota Rush now available
L
ocal automotive leader Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) has released the 2021 update of its popular entry-level SUV, the Toyota Rush. Retailing in Toyota’s 70 dealerships across the country starting November 26, the refreshed Rush line-up offers the Rush E grade with improved seating capacity — with 3 rows of seats now available. With this update, all Rush variants now come as 7-seater SUVs.
One of the most well-received features of the G grade, the Reverse Camera, is also being made available to the E grade variants. Local automotive leader Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) has released the 2021 update of its popular entry-level SUV, the Toyota Rush. Retailing in Toyota’s 70 dealerships across the country starting November 26, the refreshed Rush line-up offers the Rush E grade with improved seating capacity — with 3 rows of seats now available. With this update, all Rush variants now come as 7-seater SUVs. One of the most well-received features of the G grade, the Reverse Camera, is also being made available to the E grade variants. We at Toyota continuously listen to the requests of our customers to make improvements in our cars. The Rush is a favorite family vehicle, and with the Filipino’s close-knit and often extended
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family, we added the third row to bring the joy of moving together to more members,” said Sherwin Chualim, first vice president of TMP’s Vehicle Sales Operations. “As our thrust of advancing mobility for all becomes more relevant especially at this time when safe transportation with social distancing is essential, we aim to provide more options to Filipino customers, and give them the best value,” he added. With all these new additions to the Rush E grade, the model retains its position as a modern, stylish, spacious, efficient, yet reasonably priced family vehicle, ideal for those who want to enjoy the SUV experience without breaking the bank. The improved Rush 1.5 E retails at PHP 1,023,000 for A/T, while its M/T variant is available for PHP 983,000. The top-grade Rush 1.5 G A/T meanwhile has an SRP of PHP 1,100,000. All variants of the Toyota Rush also retain the model’s most-wanted key features like the high
220mm ground clearance, 7-inch infotainment system, back sonar, plus safety features like 6 SRS airbags, anti-lock brake system, vehicle stability control, and more. Each unit comes with the Toyota Sure Advantage of providing quality, durability and reliability; fulfilling ownership; great value; and technologies that matter. Introduced in the Philippines in 2018, the Toyota Rush has quickly cemented its position as one of the best-selling nameplates in TMP’s stable. In 2019, TMP sold more than 15,000 units, making the Toyota Rush the best-selling entry SUV model that year. To check full specifications of the Toyota Rush, and to conveniently inquire at your preferred dealership, go to www.toyota.com.ph/rush and simply fill-out the online inquiry form. Representatives of your chosen dealership will get in touch with you to assist you. You may also check the vehicle anytime, on any device via the Toyota Virtual Showroom at https:// toyota.com.ph/showroom/rush.
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Mazda PH champions wildlife preservation with the BT-50 4×4 Pangolin
M
azda Philippines raises awareness of a critically endangered species endemic to the islands of Palawan with the introduction of the BT50 4×4 Pangolin pickup truck. Much like the modest anteater that it derives its name from, the BT-50 Pangolin features design that ensure long, versatile, and steady service, matching the gentle tenacity of its namesake—the world’s most trafficked mammal.
New for the BT-50 Pangolin are its world-class quality, locally manufactured, 17-inch ROTA alloy wheels. Specced and manufactured specifically for the BT-50 Pangolin, the alloy wheels reinforce the pickup truck’s all-terrain 4×4 capabilities and support its 800mm water wading depth. The new wheel design also enhances the rugged nature of the BT-50’s dynamic form. ROTA Wheels is a popular world-renowned, top-quality performance alloy wheel brand that is made in the Philippines. It meets all global safety standards, including the high standards of Japan Light Wheel Automotive Wheel Testing Council (JWTC). The custom wheels are matched to a set of Fender Flare extensions, which create a wider and more powerful stance for the BT-50 4×4 Pangolin. Philippine-made ROTA wheels are distributed worldwide, and Bermaz Auto Philippines is proud to be associated with a local high-quality brand. Also standard with the BT-50 4×4 Pangolin is a new functional and lightweight Aluminum Black Matte Finish Roof Rack that adds additional cargo-carrying capacity and flexibility for the top-ranging pickup. The BT-50 continues to be a strong and capable work vehicle that can load up to 1,086 kilograms on its reinforced cargo bed. With its supplemental cargo-bearing capability adding to its already impressive 1,214 liters of available cargo volume, the BT-50 Pangolin can lay claim to load-carrying superiority over its competition. All Mazda BT-50 4×4 Pangolins are equipped with a 7-inch Touch Screen JVC Infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone mirroring capability, and steering wheel-mounted controls. A Black Leather Steering Wheel matched with Black Leather Seats creates a premium and elegant spacious cabin for 5 adults. The BT-50 4×4 Pangolin is equipped with Mazda’s potent 3.2-liter 5-cylinder common-rail turbo diesel engine, the highest diesel engine displacement available in the pickup market today. Outputting 200PS of power and 470Nm
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of smooth-flowing torque to handle propulsion, the BT-50 will go anywhere and get any job done with ease and comfort. “The BT-50 Pangolin is Mazda Philippines’ way to acknowledge our important role in preserving the delicate balance of our environment as we go about our daily lives,” shares Mazda Philippines president and CEO Steven Tan. “The Philippine Pangolin is an endemic and critically endangered species that deserves our attention and concern. Like the BT-50, it is a reserved, yet highly proficient, hard worker. That is why together with Katala Foundation, a nonstock, non-profit Philippine NGO that is active in protecting and conserving threatened endemic wildlife, we at Mazda Philippines will make use of the enduring nature of the BT-50 to promote awareness and inspire conservation of one the Philippines’ and the world’s most critically endangered mammals.” To add further credence to its newfound advocacy, Mazda Philippines will lend a Mazda BT-50 4×4 Pangolin to the Katala Foundation for one year. With Mazda’s support, the NGO
will make use of the pickup truck to promote its wildlife protection advocacies, and perform its preservation and monitoring duties during this time. “What an appropriate choice Mazda made to give the much needed attention that the Palawan Pangolin deserves,” says Katala Foundation’s program director, Indira Lacerna-Widmann. “We hope that with this vehicle, we will have the right direction to achieve the conservation status of this species. It’s an honor for us. The passion that we work for this species—and for other species we are working on—is carried also in the passion for this vehicle.” The new BT-50 Pangolin is available in six colors: cool white, titanium flash, true red, jet black, aluminum metallic, and deep crystal blue. Its special introductory price is PHP 1,400,000, a reduction of PHP 150,000 from the regular BT50 4×4 SRP of PHP 1,550,000. The BT50 4×4 Pangolin also comes with Mazda 5-Year Free Service Plan that includes 10 Periodic Maintenance Service schedules over 5 years, or 100,000 kilometers, whichever occurs first.
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The 2020 Manila International Auto Show goes virtual with MIAS Wired The Manila International Auto Show [MIAS] remains to be the most anticipated motoring and driving event in the country. MIAS consistently gathers more than 200,000 visitors across the country every year boosted by strong participation from almost 1,000 partner brands and associations. This 2020, MIAS will shift gears as it takes a detour to the virtual realm as it introduces MIAS WIRED as an online event on December 16-20, 2020 MIAS WIRED will bring some of its trade show counterparts highlight events to a more accessible and dynamic channel as it launches an interactive platform where brands and enthusiasts can experience the same excitement MIAS delivers. What to look forward to for the first MIAS WIRED? • Check the latest car models which will conquer the road soon • Get an insider’s access to the car showrooms at the comfort of your own space. • Know the latest innovations and newest automotive trends
• Meet possible partners and network in the automotive industry • Watch some activities and engagements designed for the car enthusiasts As we gear towards the next normal in staging events, the support of the biggest brands in the local and international automotive arena is present even with the recent pandemic crisis. Taking the next step further through the first virtual automotive show with the most exciting features and activities while keeping our fans at the edge of their seats. The country’s top car brands, car accessories, automotive technology, and car enthusiasts alike will be the first to witness this kind of collaboration under one virtual event. To know more about MIAS WIRED, visit www.manilaautoshow.com to register for free. Contact inquire @worldbexevents.com or call 02-8656-92-39 for interested parties. Follow the Manila International Auto Show on FB & IG @ManilaInternationalAutoShow.
Ford PH turns to virtual activities to celebrate Global Caring Month Ford Philippines turned to virtual volunteer activities to celebrate Global Caring Month last September as part of its commitment to give back and support community service projects amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The annual social responsibility event sees thousands of Ford employees and dealer employees from around the world take time to participate in various community projects. Ford employees served as virtual volunteers in different learning sessions under Gawad Kalinga’s (GK) Paraisong Pambata program that benefitted the kids from GK Diageo-Yolanda Village in Sta. Cruz, Laguna. Through video conferencing, the employee volunteers conducted activities such as storytelling, art and crafts making, board games, and tutorials to learn more about health and safety during the pandemic. Two virtual learning sessions benefitted over 50 kids from the GK community. Aside from virtual volunteer activities, Ford employees also donated school and art supplies to the kids for their use in their online classes. Ford PH CSR lead hailed as one of Ford Motor Company’s 15 global ‘All-Star’ volunteers To commemorate Ford Volunteer Corps’ 15 years of serving communities, Ford Motor Company 56
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Ford Philippines employees, represented by (L-R) Director for Human Resources Arni Rifareal and Director for Government and Corporate Affairs Josephine Gonzalez, turned over school and art supplies to the kids from GK Diageo-Yolanda Village in Sta. Cruz, Laguna.
executive chairman Bill Ford and Mary Culler, president, Ford Motor Company Fund recognized 15 global “All-Star” employee volunteers for their passion, leadership and commitment to volunteering. One of the recipients of the prestigious recognition is Josephine Gonzalez, government and corporate affairs director, Ford Philippines. Gonzalez spearheaded Ford’s relationship with GK, American Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM) Philippines Foundation, and other NGO partners, engaging employees and dealers as Ford Philippines’ Volunteer Corps to drive programs focused on four
Ford Philippines Director for Government and Corporate Affairs Josephine Gonzalez is one of the 15 global “All-Star” volunteers recognized by Ford Motor Company for her passion, leadership, and commitment to volunteering.
basic needs: accessible healthcare, community housing, clean water and meals for school children. “In my volunteer work, I see poverty and struggle for survival. But what affects me most is how people help each other and how they live with dignity and self-respect. Seeing this helps me become more compassionate, sensitive and respectful of other people,” Gonzalez said. Ford Philippines has been recognized in recent years for its corporate social responsibility activities by AMCHAM Philippines, the U.S. Embassy, and the Society of Philippine Motoring Journalists.
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Isuzu modern PUVs now plying BayambangDagupan route Isuzu Philippines Corporation (IPC), the country’s leading manufacturer and distributor of brandnew trucks, continues its efforts to support the government’s Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP) to bring safer, more efficient, more convenient, and more environmentally sustainable transport systems to the Filipinos. On November 20, IPC officially turned over five Isuzu QKR Class 3 modernized public utility vehicles (PUVs) to the New Bayambang UV Express Transport Corporation. Ideal for longer routes, the front facing units will ply the roads of Bayambang – Dagupan via Malasiqui. Founded and organized by Roy Gutierrez and Ponciano Valendiano Jr., the organization aims to improve the experience of the riding public and maintain the quality of transportation vehicles for its members. The simple turnover ceremony was held at the Bayambang Town Plaza, with IPC officials led by its president Hajime Koso, as well as Pangasinan Governor Amado Espino, Bayambang Mayor Cezar Quiambao, and Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) regional director Nasrudin Talipasan in attendance. The turn-over was made possible through the cooperation of Isuzu Pangasinan. The activity marked the resumption of a series of turnovers of modernized PUVs from IPC to the various transport groups and cooperatives across the country,
after the government eased the community quarantine restrictions that aimed to stem the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.
and safety for your drivers and passengers. Together we will overcome the challenges of this pandemic and look towards a brighter future for everyone.”
In his remarks during the ceremony, Koso reiterated the enduring partnership between Filipinos and the Isuzu brand.
IPC’s modernized PUVs assembled using the Isuzu QKR77 platform with PUV body designed and manufactured by Almazora Motors Corp, is equipped with the Euro IV-compliant 4JH1-TC diesel engine which delivers better fuel economy and cleaner emissions, thus guaranteeing its clients like the New Bayambang UV Express Transport Corporation quality and reliable transportation, connecting passengers and communities to their destinations the easy way.
“It cannot be denied that Isuzu has created a reliable partnership between Filipino drivers and transport cooperatives over the years. Isuzu has not only achieved its 300,000th sales milestone in 2020, but also continued its legacy of having these Isuzu PUVs run the public roads under the government’s PUV modernization program. Isuzu PUVs are truly made by Filipinos for Filipinos, Gawang Pilipino, Para sa Pilipino. We hope that these units will be able to provide its usual durability, comfort,
For more information about Isuzu PUVs, get in touch with your nearest Isuzu dealer, or log on to www.isuzuphil.com.
Trimotors Philippines launches Bajaj Maxima Three-wheeler in PH market With the emergence of new unconventional businesses, results have shown a positive shift in the number of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the Philippines. A survey by PwC Philippines saw an increasing demand and positive impact in the retail, essential goods, delivery service and logistics sector. With all these changes, Bajaj Philippines saw an opportunity for them to earn more through an effective diskarte in the form of the Bajaj Maxima models. These new Bajaj Maxima three-wheelers: Bajaj Maxima Z and Bajaj Maxi Cargo will give you the power to generate more income through its bigger and better features. To start with, both models have a 236.2 CC DTS-i engine that givyour vehicle extra power to do more trips and carry bigger loads, also Fuel Injected (FI) for superior power production with better fuel saving. With a bigger engine comes a bigger body, that provides a roomier and spacious compartment in delivery, a heavy duty CV Shaft that can carry heavy loads thru difficult terrain and a dual front fork suspension to continuously absorb shock and harsh motion. The new Bajaj Maxima Z – “Ang multi-purpose partner sa Negosyo” is a three-wheeler that provides bigger performance and a multi-purpose way to cater both your transporting and delivery
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requirements. It is convertible into cargo with up to 800 liters of cabin space. Bajaj Maxima Cargo enables your business through efficiently delivering loads and limitlessly actualizing your unique business ideas. It is best for hauling and delivering goods giving you a better earning capacity.
These models will be the next business enablers for the new generation of individuals who want to take a leap of diskarte in life. A tool that offers limitless possibilities for every Filipinos’ business needs and ideas.
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The Yamaha racing arena begins Yamaha Motor Philippines Inc.’s commitment to racing was at an all-time high with 3 Filipino racers competing in the ARRC after a stellar season that saw McKinley Kyle Paz bringing home the Championship in the UB150 category. But when the season came to a standstill, it was imperative to make sure Yamaha racing fans still got a taste of competition, through the Yamaha Racing Arena. The tournament put together McKinley Kyle Paz with Andrei Reyes and Motodeck; Masato Fernando with Dustin Esguerra and Kaisaya; Kerwinn Chang with Leeandro Paredes and Ella Cruz. The Team Captains will lead the way for their teams in this 7-round competition. Playing games are always fun and this tournament won’t be any different except the prize after crossing the finish line. The purse for each round will be donated to the H.E.R.O Foundation and additional contributions from sponsors will bring the total sum to one million pesos. During this time a helping hand is always needed, and this race is not just for entertainment, it’s for a cause. The teams aren’t the only ones competing. Because viewers who watch the race can participate in the digital mini games where they can win special items from the sponsors. Minor raffle segments award 10 winners for each of the 7 sponsors for a total of 70. The Major Raffle segment gives seven lucky viewers (one per sponsor) the top prize for the night. Viewers qualify for the Major Raffle draw by screen capturing the sponsor segment and posting it on their page with the hashtags #YAMAHARACEYOURCAUSE #YAMAHAPH #(SPONSORNAME) The first round of the Yamaha Racing Arena started on November 18 which was viewed online by audiences. Hosted by Rico Robles, it was a fun yet competitive atmosphere during the tournament proper. Kyle Paz showcased why he is set to become an international staple in racing with a dominant run. The ARRC UB150 Champion was nearly unmatched in the entire race with no other player coming close to his number one spot. The battle for the 2nd and 3rd spots were furious between Kerwin Chang, Motodeck, and Leeandro Paredes. But a late stumble pushed Paredes down to 5th place leaving the other 2 podium spots to the other players. With 2 Players from Team Kyle finishing at the podium, their team is at the top with 50pts. They are followed by Team Kerwin with 39 Points and Team Masato with 30pts. This is only round 1 of the Yamaha Racing Arena and anything can happen in the following rounds. The race continues only on the Yamaha Facebook Page, follow the season and see who will claim the championship in the first ever digital tournament presented by Yamaha.
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Schedule (may be subject to change):
ROUND
AIRING DATE
1
November 18, 2020 (Wed)
2
November 22, 2020 (Sun)
3
November 29, 2020 (Sun)
4
December 6, 2020 (Sun)
5
December 13, 2020 (Sun)
6
December 20, 2020 (Sun)
7
December 27, 2020 (Sun)
RACINGBOY, UMA RACING, SEC, KOSO, RK CHAINS,4S1M, KOBY.
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Suzuki PH celebrates virtual grand opening for dealership Suzuki Philippines Inc. (SPH), the pioneer compact car distributor in the country welcomes another dealership to their roster of successful automobile shops in the country. With the grand opening of Suzuki Auto Marikina (SA Marikina), a member of the ANC+ Group of Companies, Suzuki is now more reachable and accessible to residents within the vicinity of Marikina City and its neighboring communities. With the new normal we now experience in our country, celebrations and events that require gathering and face to face interaction are the last options to commemorate milestones and achievements especially for companies with a significant number of loyal and hardworking employees. As a direct response to this change, Suzuki Philippines took on the challenge of taking to available digital resources to honor the grand opening of Suzuki Auto Marikina through a virtual ceremony led by its dealer principal Anthony Cheng and its executive vice president and treasurer Dr. Mike Tan. This is the first time a Suzuki dealership grand opening was done online, the most efficient and safe route to take in a time of social distancing.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;The opening of Suzuki Auto Marikina is yet another reason to remain committed and relentless in servicing our customers. These trying times may have presented countless deterrents in our society, but we in Suzuki took on the challenge of helping the community bounce back and stay reliable to those who consider Suzuki automobiles as their dependable partner in rising above the situation. We are optimistic that more Filipinos, especially those in close proximity to SA Marikina, will welcome us with warmth and excitement as we continue to champion the Suzuki way of life!â&#x20AC;? says Keiichi Suzuki, vice president and general manager for the automobile division of Suzuki Philippines.
SA Marikina is the 12th dealership under ANC+ Group of Companies, offering sales, service, and spare parts to its customers. Standing in a 1,000sqm lot area at Brgy. Sto. Nino, Gil Fernando Avenue Ext. Marikina City, SA Marikina will be able to display in optimum presentation the three newest Suzuki car units in its showroom. The dealership is also capable of receiving vehicles for repair and other services with six bays made available. The vast experience of the group is an assurance that quality and reliable customer service will be provided to the city of Marikina. For more information about Suzuki visit http:// suzuki.com.ph/auto/, like it on Twitter and follow on Instagram.
Mahindra PH supports Philippine medical infrastructure Mahindra Philippines, the local franchise of the 20-billion dollar global business conglomerate Mahindra Group, has expressed its willingness to help the country build up its medical emergency infrastructure. Seeing the need for more medical emergency equipment because of the Covid-19 pandemic, Mahindra Philippines is now looking into bringing to the country their latest medical product, the BS6 Supro Ambulance. This is a compact sized van uniquely compatible with the tight and congested streets of the Philippines. The Supro Ambulance, is factory fitted with essential medical emergency equipment, including a foldable stretcher cum trolley, medical kit box, provision for an oxygen cylinder, fire extinguisher along with internal lighting, flame resistant interiors, and an public address (PA) system. The body is equipped with AIS 125 certified retro reflective decals, 75% frosted windows, and a beacon light with a siren. Mahindra automotive is a division of Mahindra & Mahindra of India, a part of the 20-billion dollar Mahindra Group, a
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federation of companies that has interests and strong presence in agribusiness, aerospace, commercial vehicles, components, defense, logistics, real estate, renewable energy, speedboats and steel. Mahindra & Mahindra, meanwhile, enjoys a leadership position in utility vehicles,
information technology, financial services, and vacation ownership in India and is the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest tractor company, by volume. The Mahindra automotive brand is a popular and respected brand in the United Kingdom and Europe, and Mahindra employs over 2,40,000 people across 100 countries.
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Honda’s CSR efforts recognized at 4th SPMJ ‘Driven to Serve’ awards Honda Cars Philippines Inc., Honda’s automobile business unit in the Philippines, bagged Gold and Silver awards at the 4th Driven to Serve awards of the Society of Philippine Motoring Journalists (SPMJ) last November 12, 2020, for its corporate social responsibility initiatives in the environmental and road safety categories. The Driven to Serve Awards of the The Society of Philippine Motoring Journalists (SPMJ) is an award giving body which recognizes outstanding CSR efforts of vehicle manufacturers in the Philippines. Honda’s tree planting activity was once again recognized by the award giving body for its contributions in the restoration of the Philippines’ rainforests. Taking home a Gold award in the environment category, Honda’s tree planting activity not only helps restore communities and ecosystems, but also contributes solutions to environmental problems such as climate change and air pollution. Through the Honda Foundation Inc.—composed of the Honda Group of Companies Honda Cars
Philippines Inc. (HCPI), Honda Philippines Inc. (HPI), and Honda Parts Manufacturing Corporation (HPMC), in partnership with Haribon’s Forest For Life Movement—Honda’s tree planting aims to restore damaged rainforests through planting various native tree species such as Narra, Apitong, and Lauan. Through its 10 year partnership, around 50,000 trees have already been planted across 36 hectares of damaged forests in the provinces of Laguna, Quezon and Rizal. Meanwhile, Honda’s Teen Smart, a program designed for teenagers which combines road safety tips and coaching on values such as responsibility, respect, and patience in preparation for their part as road users and future drivers or vehicle owners, baggeda Silver award in the road safety category. The Teen Smart program has, so far, conducted its road safety seminars in five (5) selected school beneficiaries in the City of Sta Rosa. This program covers topics such as traffic rules and regulations, physical and mental condition of road users, vehicle
safety and anticipation of traffic and environmental conditions. “We are glad to have received these recognitions from SPMJ for our environmental and road safety CSR efforts. In line with Honda’s 2030 vision, we believe that with our CSR initiatives, we are able to give back to the Filipino community by providing a safe and sustainable society for the next generation,” said Mr. Masahiko Nakamura, president of Honda Cars Philippines Inc. (HCPI).
Honda achieves 800th FIM world championship Grand Prix victory Honda Moto3 rider Jaume Masia (Leopard Racing NSF250RW) claimed victory in the Moto3 class, in round 12 of the 2020 FIM World Championship Grand Prix held at MotorLand Aragón in Spain. Beginning with its first world grand prix race in 1961, in the 125cc class of the Spanish Grand Prix, Honda has now achieved an unprecedented 800 grand prix wins. In 1954, Honda’s founder Soichiro Honda declared entry into the premier motorsports event of the time, the Isle of Man TT, aiming to “realize the dream of becoming the world’s best.” After five years of developing a racing machine, Honda became the first Japanese motorcycle manufacturer to enter the Isle of Man TT race. The following year, in 1960, Honda began competing in the 125cc and 250cc classes of the FIM Road Racing World Championship, and in 1961, Tom Phillis won the season-opening Spanish Grand Prix, giving Honda its first victory. Since then, Honda forayed into the 50cc and 350cc classes in 1962, and the 500cc class in 1966, and won the championship in all five classes in 1966. By the end of the 1967 season, when Honda paused its factory racing activities, to be restarted 11 years later, it had accumulated 138 grand prix wins. In 1979, Honda returned to FIM Road Racing World Championship racing in the 500cc class. three years later in 1982, american rider Freddie Spencer won Round 7 in Belgium on his Honda NS500, giving the company its first victory since returning to world grand prix racing. Honda then went on to win grand prix races in the 125cc and 250cc classes as well. As a result, Honda achieved its 500th victory in 2001, when Italian rider Valentino Rossi won in the 500cc class at the season-opening Japan Grand Prix. In 2015, Marc Márquez on his Honda RC213V gave
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Honda its 700th grand prix win when he took the checkered flag in the MotoGP class of Round 10 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indiana, USA. Takahiro Hachigo, president, CEO and representative director, Honda Motor Co., Ltd. remarked, “I am proud of Honda’s 800th FIM World Championship Grand Prix victory. I am deeply grateful to the Honda fans worldwide for their contributions to, and unwavering support for Honda’s racing activities. I would also like to thank all of those before us for their passion and dedication to overcome the countless problems and lead us from 1959 to where we stand now. Honda sees this moment as a waypoint, and will continue to fight for victory. We look forward to your continued support.” The Road to 800 FIM World Championship Grand Prix Victories 1959 1960 1961 1961 1962 1966 1966 1967 1979 1982 1983 1983 1985
First Japanese motorcycle manufacturer to race in the Isle of Man TT Honda enters Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix 125cc and 250cc classes First victory: Tom Phillis (Australia) wins 125cc class in Round 1, Spain Honda wins riders and manufacturers championship in 125cc and 250cc classes Honda joins 50cc and 350cc classes 100th victory: Luigi Taveri (Switzerland) wins 50cc class in Dutch TT Honda joins 500cc class, and wins manufacturers titles in all 5 classes Honda halts Road Racing World Championship activities (138 wins) Honda returns to Road Racing World Championship activities after 11 years (British GP / 500cc class / NR500) Freddie Spencer (USA) wins Belgian GP giving Honda its first win since returning Freddie Spencer gives Honda its first Riders championship Honda wins Manufacturers championship for the first time in 16 years Honda returns to 250cc class with RS250RW
1985 1987 1988 1992 1994
1996 2000 2002 2002 2005 2010
Freddie Spencer becomes first rider to win both 250cc and 500cc championships Honda returns to 125cc class with RS125R 200th victory: Jim Filice (USA) wins 250cc class in U.S. GP 300th victory: Àlex Crivillé wins 500cc class in Dutch TT Mick Doohan (Australia) wins Riders championship in the 500cc class Mick Doohan wins 500cc Riders championship for 5 consecutive years until 1998 400th victory: Haruchika Aoki (Japan) wins 125cc class in Brazilian GP 500th victory: Valentino Rossi (Italy) wins 500cc class in Japanese GP 500cc class replaced by MotoGP (4-stroke 990cc) class, Honda enters with RC211V Valentino Rossi becomes the first MotoGP class champion 600th victory: Dani Pedrosa (Spain) wins 250cc in Australian GP 250cc class replaced by Moto2 (4-stroke 600cc onemake series) Honda supplies Moto2 class engines until 2018
2012
125cc class replaced by Moto3 (4-stroke 250cc), Honda enters with NSF250R
2015
700th victory: Marc Márquez (Spain) wins MotoGP class in Indianapolis GP
2020
800th victory: Jaume Masia (Spain) wins Moto3 class in Teruel GP
Moto3 class wins in 2012 are not included as Honda wins, as the registered constructor was FTR Honda (albeit powered by the NSF250R engine)
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Nissan and Department of Tourism boost safe local tourism Nissan in the Philippines is taking a step further in its commitment to enrich Filipino lives by partnering with the Department of Tourism (DOT) to promote safe and responsible land travel to boost local tourism. Nissan Philippines president and managing director Atsushi Najima joined Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat in a virtual press conference and contract signing last November 5 to kick off the Safe Trips campaign. Under the campaign, Nissan and the DOT will develop educational and promotional content for social media and publicity on how to safely and responsibly travel to local tourist destinations. These include tips for land travel in the new normal, social distancing guides, health protocols for visiting specific destinations, and updates on the latest spots that have reopened for visitors. “The DOT is committed to reviving the country’s tourism industry from the harsh impacts of the pandemic. We thank Nissan Philippines for being a partner in tourism recovery by promoting health and safety protocols for road trips. It is a timely effort as we have reopened Baguio City and Ilocos Norte to Luzon residents, both of which can be accessed by land travel,” says Romulo-Puyat. “We hope that this campaign will encourage all Filipinos to practice safe and responsible travel
as they return to local tourist spots and enjoy the beauty of our country,” she added. “Nissan’s vision is to enrich people’s lives by making their journeys safe, smart, and fun. We want to promote safe and responsible travels with our innovative and dependable vehicles, so that our customers can enjoy adventures with family and friends. Tourism has become a passion for Nissan in the Philippines over the years, which is why we are truly excited to partner with the Department of Tourism to promote the tourism sector towards its recovery,” says Najima. “We thank Sec. Bernadette Romulo-Puyat for taking on the challenge to revive the tourism sector. Your daring spirit to overcome the odds through perseverance and passion are values that Nissan shares and admires,” he added.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, tourism industries all over the world have been heavily affected, as stricter travel restrictions were implemented to deter the spread of the virus. In countries such as the Philippines, the tourism industry contributed 13% to the economy in 2019. In a survey conducted by the DOT, results showed that domestic leisure travel will be the main driver in the recovery of the tourism industry in the Philippines. With health and safety as the top priority of travelers, road trips via private vehicles were found to be the best way for domestic travel under the new normal. For more information, please visit nissan.ph.
LTO denies data leak from old portal; vows to cooperate with investigation The Land Transportation Office (LTO) denied that the data leak, which the National Privacy Commission (NPC) is investigating, comes from the current web portal the agency is using for its Land Transportation Management System or LTMS. The transportation agency said Atty. Romeo Vera Cruz, the concurrent executive director and data privacy officer of the LTO reported the data breach to the National Privacy Commission (NPC) on November 10, 2020. LTO Director Asst. Secretary Edgar Galvante said the website they are currently using for the LTMS is portal.lto.gov.ph, with “.gov.ph” as the standard domain suffix the Philippines uses for all government agencies, and that the website involved in the data breach is lto.net.ph. LTO is using two parallel systems at the moment; Stradcom (lto.net.ph), the IT company that handled the data of the LTO in the past and operating on a monthly basis because of an expired contract, and a new IT service provider
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operating the LTMS at portal.lto.gov.ph. LTO has yet to clarify why Stradcom is still in operation and why they are allowed to be in the official website of the LTO. The Stradcom domain is the one connected to the current data breach.
LTO has assured the NPC that they will cooperate with the investigation and plug the data leak immediately. The LTMS site, portal.lto.gov.ph, is secure and will have no issues when it comes to user privacy, Galvante said.
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DIY car care with new 3M auto care products 3M, the global science company known for its cutting-edge automotive solutions, has launched its latest range of 3M auto care products for the Philippines market that will be exclusively sold at the 3M Auto Flagship Store in LazMall. Through these products, 3M brings the latest innovation and scientific development in the automotive industry straight to the hands of auto enthusiasts to help them economically preserve the aesthetics of their vehicles with professional grade products. “Many Filipinos are more inclined to prolonging the lifespan of many big-ticket items like their vehicles, as a way of optimizing their investments. 3M understands this, and that is why we continue to develop products that allow owners to easily maintain the aesthetics of their vehicles while delivering exceptional results,” shared Martin Del Rosario of 3M Philippines’ Automotive Aftermarket Division. Del Rosario also added that with the pandemic affecting many lives and businesses, it is the perfect time to bring products that allow car owners to restore their own vehicles without visiting auto shops during the pandemic— allowing owners not only save time and
money, but eases off the worry of contracting the virus along the way. Revolutionizing auto care Simple and effective, these latest 3M auto care products demonstrate how the company applies science to recapture the excitement and value of one’s vehicles. Not enough time for a thorough auto aftercare session? With 3M Wash & Wax 2-in-1 Formula, car owners can save time, money, and energy by combining washing and waxing in one easy step. Get that instant shine every single time with 3M Spray Wax. This innovative formula enhances the car’s gloss in a snap and acts as barrier for soil and other stains making your next car washes so much easier.
Ramping up convenience
The gentle formula of 3M Tire Dressing makes restoring one’s tires as easy as it can be. To achieve that black and shiny satin finish, all you have to do is spray and wipe.
are exclusively sold online, the store is a car owner’s paradise as it carries various auto care products, wipers, mats, and soon enough, tinting services as well.
3M Leather & Vinyl Restorer allows car owners to maintain their car interiors easily. With its pH neutral formula, this product prevents consoles and leather seats from drying and cracking without leaving oily or sticky residues.
Follow 3M Auto’s Flagship store at https:// www.lazada.com.ph/shop/3m-auto now until December 31, 2020 to instantly get a PHP 200 voucher with a minimum spend of Php 1,500.
H.A.R.I. Foundation, Inc. given highest award by PH Media H.A.R.I. Foundation Inc. (HFI), the CSR arm of Hyundai Asia Resources, Inc. (HARI), scored a perfect trifecta in the 4th Driven to Serve Awards (DTS) of the Society of Philippine Motoring Journalists (SPMJ). Hyundai Dream Centre Philippines (HDCP) and the Rainwater Harvesting Project in Tanay each bagged a Platinum—the highest recognition—in the categories of Education and Community Development, respectively, while Alagang Breastfriend won a Gold for Community Development. “We thank SPMJ and all of its members for this recognition since we share the same aspirations for a better industry and a better society. This dark period of the pandemic will pass but the heart of H.A.R.I. Foundation continues beating for the Filipino, mobilizing and engaging our stakeholders to work with us to build a better Philippines in the BETTER NORMAL,” said HFI president Ma. Fe Perez-Agudo. HDCP provides young marginalized Filipinos world-class education designed to help them set off productive careers in the automotive industry. Since early 2018, it has produced 174 graduates with another 42 scholars set to graduate. Eighty-seven percent of HDCP graduates are now working as 62
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service technicians and professionals at Hyundai dealerships. The TESDA-certified program is a full circle education-to-employment initiative. The Rainwater Harvesting Facility, launched in March 2017 to provide clean drinking water to 200 students at Rawang Elementary School in Barangay Tandang Kutyo, Tanay, Rizal, has expanded its reach in 2019 with a Hyundai HD36L Maxculado now making the rounds to collect and deliver water to communities around the pilot area. The Alagang Breastfriend (#AlagangBFF) project is HFI’s and the UP-PGH Cancer Institute’s flagship wellness program for women in underserved communities. A first in the country, a Hyundai H-350 luxury van customized into a mobile clinic equipped with modern mammography and breast ultrasound facilities transports UP-PGH medical personnel to far-flung communities to offer education modules on early detection of breast cancer and free consultation and screening. AlagangBFF has since served 200 women in four areas. During the first virtual Driven to Serve Awards, SPMJ president Pinky Colmenares said, “We are aware of the effects of the pandemic. Many good people have stepped up with good deeds. (But long before that,)
we have seen people with outstanding projects and efforts that come from the heart and not from a script. You need a woman’s touch to make these succeed.” Also present was a respected member of the 4th Driven to Serve Awards panel of judges, multiawarded marketing guru Ms. Blen Fernando who noted, “The projects are spot on to what Hyundai sells. You give a deeper purpose to your vehicles and place HARI on a higher level, not just to sell cars but to help Filipino communities.” “The Driven to Serve Awards serves as a continuing inspiration for us in the auto industry to persevere and to carry on! Maraming salamat, SPMJ!” Ms. Agudo ended. www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph
Montero Sport tops MMPC October sales with 232 percent jump
Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corporation (MMPC) announces the spectacular October sales performance for its most popular SUV — the Montero Sport. With 533 units sold in the first month of the fourth quarter of 2020, the Montero Sport posts an increase of 232 percent over September 2020 sales. The report comes at a time when the local automotive industry is reeling from lost sales due to government quarantine measures meant to address the COVID-19 pandemic. “The strong October performance of the Montero Sport shows it remains to be a much soughtafter model in the Mitsubishi lineup,” shares Mutsuhiro Oshikiri, president and CEO of MMPC. “The Montero Sport’s popularity with Filipinos is undeniable as it continues to provide genuine allroad performance while being stylishly modern. Its long list of advanced features and amenities likewise contribute to the Montero Sport’s reputation of being a reliable and convenient partner in the Filipinos’ everyday lives.” The Montero Sport remains to be one of MMPC’s most popular vehicle nameplates. Designed to project a high-class presence while delivering outstanding on and off-road performance, the Montero Sport is an SUV that stays true to its origins. The 2020 Montero Sport debuted in October 2019 featuring the new Dynamic Shield Concept front fascia which expresses the idea that form follows function. Projecting the potential for high performance while providing a protective aura, Mitsubishi’s design philosophy has been fully adopted in the Montero Sport to reinforce its robust nature, modern-day styling and advanced technology. Inside, its well-appointed cabin showcases its ability to seat seven in superlative comfort. Its leather-lined seats make every journey memorably pleasing. With their reconfigurable versatility, the folding seats of the Montero Sport transform its cabin into an expansive cargo hold for those times extra space is needed. The 2020 Montero Sport also makes driving easier with its new 8-inch LCD meter that displays important driving information. The customizable display is clear and instantly legible, and takes the Montero Sport one step closer to the future. Passenger entertainment is expertly handled by the Smartphone-Link Display Audio (SDA) which seamlessly connects mobile phone functionality with either the Apple CarPlay or Android Auto interface. With its touchscreen interface,
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navigation, journey data, energy consumption and driving range may also be accessed to provide a complete stream of information in every drive. Filipino families, working professionals, and accomplished individuals all appreciate the Montero Sport’s clean and clear cabin layout. Studded with convenience features such as climate control, multiple cup holders, device chargers and storage bins, the Montero Sport’s interior is an inviting refuge from the hustle and bustle of the outside world. The power of its 2.4-liter turbo diesel engine, and the stability and the confidence its advanced Super Select 4WD II system with off-road mode selection and differential locking affords, are just some of the other many reasons why Filipinos have come to love Mitsubishi’s quintessential
seven-seat SUV. Along with advanced safety features such as the Ultrasonic Misacceleration Mitigation System (UMS) and Forward Collision Mitigation System (FCM), Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA) and Blind Spot Warning System (BSW) with Lane Change Assist (LCA), driving a Montero Sport with confidence and peace of mind is a reality experienced by thousands on the road today. Supported by a network of 55 Mitsubishi dealers nationwide, owning a Montero Sport is not only a reassuring experience, but also a sound investment. And this is why the Montero Sport continues to be a solid aspirational choice among thousands of Filipino car buyers to this day. To know more about the Mitsubishi Montero Sport and its latest deals, visit www.mitsubishi-motors. com.ph or contact your nearest Mitsubishi Motors dealership
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FEATURE
What happens when free viiGoogle Photos storage is no longer free? Words by Maribelle Alba
Google Photos has announced it will stop offering free unlimited storage for high-quality photos on June 1, 2021. Photos uploaded after the date will be counted towards the 15GB Drive cap. If the account is inactive or exceed the 15GB limitation for two years, Google may delete the photos after warning. Users will either need to pay for a recurring fee or look for an alternative if they run out of room.
This change of policy is projected to affect more than 1 billion users worldwide, with many wondering what they ought to do with their existing as well as future photos going forward. Several remedies are available in the market at the moment, such as shifting to other cloud storage services that offer freemium models, or simply upgrading your Google storage plan. Though most of the tier-1 public cloud storage vendors such as OneDrive, Amazon Drive, Dropbox, or iCloud offer some amount of free storage space, none of them exceeds Googleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s whopping 15GB storage space which means that, ultimately, it all comes down to upgrading your public cloud storage plan regardless of platform. For Google Drive, although there are several paid plans available for upgrade, if we consider that 256GB seems to be the base storage on SSD-based laptops like the MacBook or smartphones, storing this amount of data on the cloud can cost you around USD 120 per year! The annually accumulated fee could be a considerable expense.
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If you don’t want to manage photos on a public cloud with a recurring subscription fee, another intuitive approach is to go back to the old practice of storing photos and other files on external hard drives. Of course, many of us are aware that this approach has many inconveniences, of managing and centralizing photos and the risk of natural and physical damage. Moreover, external hard drives are vulnerable to other common data loss risks such as viruses and human error. And migrating all photos from a public cloud to multiple external hard drives can be particularly tiresome and tedious. If these two alternatives won’t serve your needs in the long run, an an on-premise device or private cloud may be a solution. NetworkAttached Storage (NAS), a device with terabytes of storage space connected to a secure home or office network, offers users a higher level data ownership, data protection and recovery features, and comprehensive public cloud level accessibility.
Here are three compelling reasons why you should consider a NAS: 1. Data protection & recovery
2. Low total cost of ownership
Data loss often is due to human error like accidental deletion, hardware failure, or ransomware attack. Countless celebrity photo leak or data loss incidents from different public cloud providers have been reported over the years, making more people aware that the notion of public cloud services being completely safe and secure is just untrue.
Let’s put things into perspective. With 2TB storage space as a benchmark, if a user is determined to pay for 2TB Google Drive storage space for USD 120 a year to save and maintain the integrity of his or her photo gallery, the total cost of ownership accumulated will grow to USD 600 in 5 years— quite a significant expense for many people going forward.
A NAS solution, on the other hand, is ideal because several NAS providers like Synology have a complete backup applications ecosystem that helps users deploy all-around photo backup and data protection. By seamlessly integrating the backup solutions with a NAS device, users can achieve various photo protection strategies without fear of photos being lost or damaged.
NAS, on the other hand, only requires initial hardware cost. A 2-bay NAS device plus two 2TB NAS drives for RAID purposes will only require a onetime cost of around USD 450, offering savings on the running cost of using public cloud services. Also, a NAS device usually comes with 2 to 5 years of warranty. Thus, NAS is an obvious choice when it comes to economic value.
3. Comprehensive photo management appliance Some NAS vendors even provide mobile apps and photo management features like Google Photos to not only help users to manage photo storage, as well as share and access portfolios on the go, but also to deliver a modern browsing and uploading experience. Taking it up a notch, a handful of NAS devices have built-in image recognition with a deep learning algorithm that assists users for organizing photos according to similar topics and categories.
A scalable and efficient NAS storage device can be viewed as an allin-one photo management solution. Users no longer need to worry whether public cloud vendors will start charging or increasing their subscription fees so photos or data need to be migrated elsewhere. Nor do users have to worry about photo management issues such as data loss or scattered photos, as well as the recurring fee that could turn out to be more significant than it first seems in the long run.
With all the benefits mentioned above, NAS vendors such as Synology have now designed their OS to be very intuitive and easy to use, just like operating a PC. Maybe it’s time to say goodbye to the free storage myth and build your own cloud storage with a NAS!
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DECEMBER 2020
65
GAMING
Developer: Blizzard Entertainment Publisher: Blizzard Entertainment Platform: PC
Words by Jose Alvarez
The concept of death often raises many questions. One of the biggest questions that someone might ask is, where do we go after we die? Our upbringing shapes our beliefs and we often grapple with our own mortality. Philosophical issues aside, the release of World of Warcraft: Shadowlands also raises many questions. Where do we go from here? What do we do now that we’re adventuring into the realm of the dead? These questions were about to be answered on October 26, but Blizzard decided to delay the expansion until November 23 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and questions about tuning and covenants, which we will talk about later in the article. The first thing about Shadowlands for long-time WoW players is that you’re reduced to level 50 and the new level cap is 60, just like it was in the original World of Warcraft. With this squish and expansion comes new content. Given that the game just turned 16 years old this year, the developers placed a new area for newcomers to level: Exile’s Reach. Leveling from 1 to 10 takes only an hour in this new zone, while previously someone may have had to spend a lot of time leveling from 1 to 120. You can then proceed to Battle for Azeroth content until you hit level 50, at which point you can start questing in the Shadowlands itself. For veteran players starting a new character, you can also pick one of the previous expansions to level in once you reach level 10: Burning Crusade, Wrath of the Lich King, Cataclysm, Mists of Pandaria, Warlords of Draenor, Legion, or Battle for Azeroth.
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Character customization has become far more robust than in previous expansions. The new expansion is also ray-tracing compatible, so people with high-end gaming computers can enjoy graphical enhancements and enjoy the robust character customization. You can make Humans have tattoos, while Undead players can customize various states of decay. Many classes have either new spells or old spells returning, with talent trees once again being rearranged. You may have to check out an online guide if you intend to push endgame content.
There are five new zones: Bastion, Ardenweald, Revendreth, Maldraxxus, and the Maw, along with eight new dungeons and one raid, Castle Nathria. New raids and dungeons will be added as the expansion progresses. The new main city is Oribos, which is the main player hub that all people assemble at (and is conveniently located in the middle of the map). A brand new feature is the roguelike dungeon Torghast, Tower of the Damned. Players are able to head in solo or in a group to conquer the challenges within the tower.
There are four covenants: Kyrian, Venthyr, Night Fae, and Necrolords. Each offer unique abilities to each player. For players leveling for the first time in Shadowlands, players must hit level 60 and then do quest lines to choose a covenant. Subsequent players will be able to choose their covenants right away, making this expansion a bit alt-friendly compared to previous expansions. One must donate anima to their covenant to receive more bonuses that you can avail of as your renown increases. Legendary items are also back and can be crafted by the player. Overall, the Shadowlands experience brings a mix of old and new to the table. The journey into the realm of the dead is definitely good for plot reasons, such as meeting old characters from World of Warcraft lore while still maintaining a sense of bringing something new to the game such as covenants and roguelike dungeons. If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re a World of Warcraft fan or have played the game before, you might want to give Shadowlands a chance.
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Developer: Riot Games | Publisher: Riot Games Platform: Android, iOS Words by Gabriel Pe
I
f youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve already read some of our previous issues, you might probably know that I am a huge MOBA nut. So it comes to no surprise that one of my most anticipated games for the year is League of Legends: Wild Rift, the official mobile version of Riot Gamesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; beloved MOBA.
Words by Ren Alcantara
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League of Legends: Wild Rift was first announced in October last year and first came out (via Alpha testing) last June. But before you go gung ho to download the game, note that Wild Rift is still on its Beta Testing and certain features will be different when the game officially launches globally either late this year or early next year.
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TAKING LEAGUE OF LEGENDS TO MOBILE AND CONSOLES When Riot Games announced Wild Rift, they also announced their aspiration for the game. That it be League of Legends but just on mobile devices (soon on consoles), and they have succeeded.
As of writing, there are 47 League of Legends champs ported over to Wild Rift. But Riot has already announced that they are slowly adding more in the future.
League of Legends players will feel at home on this brand-new game. Champions from League were ported over with a couple of changes, yet they remain true to their original playstyle and purpose. The map is also similar to the original Summer Rift with the same Jungle creeps and Baron and the elemental Drakes on each side of the river.
Aside from the champions, items are also similar to vanilla League albeit having less needed ingredients and cheaper to overall. Riot has also removed most of the active items for Wild Rift mainly due to the difficulty of aiming compared to PC.
THE COST OF MOBILE Aside from the active items and some champion abilities, the map has also been shortened a bit. The nexus towers as well as the inhibitors removed in order to make the game faster. As Riot Games explained in their preview last year, their goal for Wild Rift is to make the game more accessible to former and newer players who have lesser time to play a normal League of Legends games. Experience, gold, and abilities also have been changed minutely. Players now earn gold despite not last hitting minions. Ultimate Abilities are also unlocked earlier, now only needing level five instead of six and the level cap has also been lowered to level 15. The earlier peaking of champions added to the changes in some abilities makes the game faster with the typical game lasting only 15 to 30 minutes at most, perfect for people who want to sneak in a game of League during their break time. Additionally, the game mirrors maps with the dragon lane (carry lane) and baron lane (top lane) every so often to simulate switching of sides. This means that players all start at the bottom left of the map with the enemy base always on the top right.
THE MOBILE EXPERIENCE If there is one thing to note about Wild Rift is how they have successfully brought the League of Legends experience to mobile. The game uses the same roles like that of the PC version. Carries are still populated by marksmen, the supports still babysit the carries, and the jungler opens up the map for his team by providing ganks whenever there’s an opportunity.
Movement from the joystick takes a bit of getting used to if you’re coming from the PC version. Even though I have played the game for a while now, I still occasionally bump into walls. This is extra frustrating when you’re being chased by the whole enemy team and still had a chance to escape only to run into a wall and they catch up.
Part of the mobile experience is also a slightly easier last hitting mechanic. The game gives players visual cues on when to successfully last hit a minion, at the same time the default auto-attack targets the lowest health minions and shifts to champions whenever they are in range.
Aside from this, the game is extremely fun. Wild Rift is definitely my mobile game of the year, and I cannot wait when it is officially released globally and an esports scene built around it.
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DECEMBER 2020
69
BULLET POINTS
Words by Ren Alcantara
L
ike many of you, I am constantly on the lookout for my perfect light. It’s not easy—there are so many variables that come into play, and many of them are conflicting. Size, brightness, burn time, UI—the “perfect” light needs to have a balance among all of these. It might be a fool’s errand, but occasionally, the search is rewarded with little gems. While far from perfect, I have to admit that the Imalent LD70 is one of those gems.
Let’s get one thing out of the way first though. I’ve seen this marketed as a keychain light, and while you could use this as such, it’s like saying any pizza is a solo pizza if you have the willpower. At about an inch around and just over three inches long, it’s a reasonably small light, though not small enough for me to consider it for keychain use. The light is powered by an internal, non-removable 18350 cell which pushes a Cree XHP70 LED. That’s a firecracker of an LED, and can really pump out a lot of light. There are smaller 18350 lights particularly if you start frankensteining components together, but it’s not large, and in my collection, is only defeated in size by the CR123-powered lights. The design of the LD70 strays far from the flashlight designs we’re used to seeing and handling. It’s slightly squared off, and has a more or less even diameter throughout the length of the tube. There’s a single electronic clicky switch at the very end of the tube, and a handy little OLED information display that delivers information on output, voltage, and lock status. Our unit, done in a fetching shade
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of blue, has cutouts in the outer shell so the black plastic underneath can contrast through. Overall, it’s a particularly high-tech-looking light that’s bound to start a few conversations. This brings us to the first of the imperfections about the light. It has neither a pocket clip, nor provision for one. I know some of us prefer keeping it on a lanyard, and fortunately one is provided, but if you want a clip, you’re going to have to find something in the bin (we all have that bin) that fits, and make that work somehow. I really much prefer a clip than leaving it bouncing around at the bottom of my pocket, particularly since it’s a reasonably small light. There’s also the matter of output. The lowest level, 20 lm, is still a little bright, and there’s no way to get any lower output modes. In close to absolute darkness, 20 lm is a lot more light than I would like, but better too much than not enough, I guess. Turbo mode pushes out an astonishing 4000 lumens (claimed) of light for about a minute, ,before dropping down to a reasonable 900 lumens. It’s crazy how much light (and heat) it puts out, so do be careful. It went
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into turbo once in my pocket when I made the mistake of leaving it unlocked, and there were wisps of smoke in the short time it took for me to notice. The beam is extremely floody, making for a great work light, but the tradeoff is that the throw is quite short. I generally prefer throw over flood, but honestly, this little light is starting to change my mind about that somewhat. It’s a very usable beam pattern on the lower outputs, able to illuminate a large area with little effort, though at high output, I can’t think of very many uses for so much spread from a little pocket light. The tail button is large, and easy to find and actuate with a thumb. It’s the only way to access the simple UI, which consists of a single press to switch on or off, holding to cycle through outputs, three presses for status, and four presses for locking the light. Two quick taps takes it to turbo as long as it is not locked. That’s really all there is to it. Another handy feature is the small OLED display that lets you know whether the light is locked or not, and either
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the current output level or the battery’s state of charge. It sounds a little gimmicky on paper, but in practice works quite well, so you know just where you are in terms of your remaining juice. Overall, it’s a great, handy light that is built solidly, and has a few extra features we’re not really used to seeing in lights at this range. It offers great performance for its size, and having 4000 lumens in the palm of your hand is something. It’s my current daily driver, and should stay so for a good while. Again, it’s not perfect. It doesn’t throw very far, it’s got no clip, and it’s a little spartan in its features. But that’s made up for by its raw output, small size, and interesting looks. Seriously, get it in blue, and stare at it for an hour. In the end, it’s a series of compromises that doesn’t feel like a mediocre effort, which confusingly enough, is actually quite good. Will it end my quest for the perfect light? Probably not. But it’ll stay in my pocket every day for a while.
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71
ENTERPRISE
PLDT launches MVP Bossing 2020 to inspire entrepreneurs
PLDT Enterprise, the B2B arm of the Philippine’s largest and only integrated telecommunications company PLDT, launches the MVP Bossing 2020 campaign to inspire enterprises to rediscover and reinvent their businesses today to successfully thrive in the future. Semi-annually, PLDT holds the MVP Bossing Awards to give tribute to the Filipino entrepreneurial spirit, celebrating local business owners who have achieved success, with the aim of inspiring others to pursue their dreams and aspirations. This year, MVP Bossing 2020 takes on a digital format given the impact of the global pandemic on social events and gatherings. With the theme Rediscovery. Reinvention, PLDT Enterprise aims to convey a message of hope – as challenging times bring forth the call to reinvent and rediscover — through the stories of previous MVP Bossing awardees and
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new aspiring MVP Bossings that have strived to recover from the current situation. “Through this campaign, we want to inspire all of the businesses out there — no matter their size — to rise above the challenges of the global pandemic, to rediscover new opportunities and to not be afraid to reinvent their ways of working,” said Jovy Hernandez, ePLDT president & CEO and SVP & head for PLDT and Smart Enterprise Business Groups. “This campaign will gather previous MVP Bossings and aspiring Bossings to tell their stories and inspire other entrepreneurs to rediscover and reinvent their businesses – through the power of technology — in this new future that we are in,” Hernandez added. MVP Bossing 2020 kicks off with the inspiring stories of Toby’s Sports founder Bobby Claudio and Dr. Carl Balita of Carl Balita Review Center
(CBRC). Claudio shares how Toby’s resorted into digital and contactless services to continue providing for the sports and wellness needs of Filipinos especially with health being a top priority today. Balita, meanwhile, tells his story of how the shift to e-learning left an impact to the many branches of CRBC nationwide. PLDT Chairman and CEO Manuel V. Pangilinan likewise seeks to inspire confidence and hope to businesses amid the situation through the campaign. “To our business leaders, I would like to take this chance to commend you for all your efforts in keeping the wheels of our economy going in time of exceptional crisis. But we have a much better chance at recovery if all of us work together in building a new future,” said Pangilinan. MVP Bossing 2020 was launched during GoNegosyo’s 15th Anniversary e-Cocktails: Toast to Prosperity. To know more, visit pldtenterprise. com.
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RCBC DiskarTech named most inspiring brand in the financial services industry
RCBC Diskartech, the first and only Taglish financial inclusion super mobile app in the Philippines, bagged the distinction of being 2020’s Inspirational Brand in the financial service industry from the prestigious Asia Pacific Enterprise Award (APEA) recently. The APEA honors business leaders and organizations who have shown outstanding performance in developing successful enterprises while keeping in mind the social responsibility that these successes entail. With the theme Accelerating Growth Beyond Borders, APEA brought together businesses and organizations from 14 countries in fostering sustainable growth among Asian economies especially during this pandemic when not only community health is threatened but also the economic wellbeing of millions of people. The Inspirational Brand Award is given to products that are both inspired and inspiring. These are brands that are transformational promoting goodness, wellness, and sustainability. “This award surely inspires us to continue to work further on the creation of innovative, inclusive, and interoperable digital solutions aligned to promote financial inclusion among the underserved and unbanked sectors of the Philippines,” said Lito Villanueva, RCBC executive
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vice president and chief innovation and inclusion officer. RCBC Diskartech is the most recent and ambitious product launched by the bank’s digital team for financial inclusion. It easily warmed up to Filipinos, especially the masses, because of its simple and easily understood interface. It is meant for Filipinos who have never experienced banking in their life. Through DiskarTech, savings would no longer be a far-fetched idea to the common Filipino. Diskartech features could also be used for business tools and other services. These services include bills payment, prepaid smartphone loading, money transfers, insurance, telemedicine and more. These services could be rendered on one’s behalf for a fee. Another benefit of DiskarTech is its 3.25% interest per annum. To make it more enticing to the masses the digital bank does not require a maintaining balance unlike a regular bank account. Recently, RCBC DiskarTech also added microinsurance to its portfolio at a very affordable price. Gone are the days when safety and security are lofty aspirations for the common people.
With DiskarTech, one can be insured for PHP 30,000 for a period of three months. Soon, a loans marketplace will likewise be added where DiskarTech entrepreneurs who have established a good credit standing based on their usage, can avail of loans to put up a business or for emergencies. A skills marketplace will also be included in the app by 2021 where enterprising users can promote their services to other DiskarTech users. “Financial inclusion does not end with just the opening of a bank account as it is a long and arduous process that would eventually lead to stability and growth for the majority of Filipinos,” said Eugene S. Acevedo, RCBC president and CEO. The RCBC Diskartech financial inclusion super app is life to Filipinos as it eases their financial burden during the Covid-19 pandemic. It continues to grow by leaps and bounds as it positions itself to be the preferred financial app of the masses. Diskartech has recorded more than three million downloads since it launched in July 2020. For its massive digital push, RCBC has merited four global awards in three months during the pandemic and being named as the Philippines’ best digital bank of 2020.
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Robinsons Bank wins Omni-Experience Innovator Award
In creating a better normal for every Filipino, Robinsons Bank has accelerated its digital initiatives while continuing to put customers at the heart of their business development. As a testament to this, Robinsons Bank was awarded the Omni-Experience Innovator Award for its RBank Sign Up in the recently concluded IDC Digital Transformation Awards 2020 Philippines held by leading IT market research and advisory firm International Data Corporation (IDC). Similarly, it was also recognized by the International Business Magazine as the Most Innovative Retail Banking Product -Philippines 2020. The RBank Sign Up app is one of the newest products launched during the pandemic as a response to the needs of many Filipinos. The Sign Up capability lets customers open a bank account through an all-digital and online process. With just one ID card, e-KYC, and internet connection, customers are sure to have their account details within minutes of completing the application. “Robinsons Bank takes customer-centricity seriously. Traditional banks develop processes just to re-engineer themselves internally but nowadays we are re-engineering primarily to improve our customer’s experience and to enable them more in a digitized environment,” Ramon Abasolo, RBank’s chief digital officer explains that one of the main drivers for this initiative is to service the needs of their clients.
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Through the app, customers can now open a Simple Savings Deposit Account, Regular Savings Account, Passbook Savings Account, and a Payroll Account with unique paths depending on the selected bank product. “RBank Sign Up’s fully digitized and agile banking process helped clients utilize online banking at their own convenience. The variety of products offered in just one single app made it more beneficial not only for personal banking, but also for corporate clients and soon to sole proprietors and micro-enterprises. As the pandemic changed the way how we do banking, it only showed that they are more than ready for the future of banking.” Lilibeth Agudo, market analyst and DX Awards lead for IDC Philippines, states. Bank beyond the ordinary RBank’s mobile banking has taken a new form with the new RBank Digital. It has been designed to give users a smooth experience with its userfriendly and more responsive interface. Being a full-featured mobile banking application, the RBank Digital gives users the power to do all of their banking needs anytime and anywhere. Easily enable the RBank QuickR to generate a unique QR code to accept payments or fund transfers via cashless and cardless transactions.
Skip the hassle of enrolling billers online because RBank Digital has over a hundred listed billers—from utilities (electricity, water, cable) to insurance, and more. Furthermore, there’s nothing more convenient than being able to monitor all accounts in one place. Manage your savings account, credit cards, Time Deposit accounts, and more in just a single RBank Digital account. Ensuring safety and security at all times, the new mobile banking app has security features which users can enable and manage, allowing them to have full control of their bank accounts! With the significant boost in digital transactions that the Bank has seen in the past months, expect more to come as Robinsons Bank continuously rolls out digital initiatives putting the customer at the center in all its innovations. For inquiries and concerns, you may reach Robinsons Bank through its Customer Care Center at (02) 8637-CARE (2273) or domestic toll-free 1-800-10-637-CARE (2273); or visit its website at www.robinsonsbank.com.ph. Like them on Facebook at www.facebook. com/robinsonsbank/ and join their Viber Community at www.bit.ly/RBankCommunity to get the latest updates.
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CYBER SECURITY
Ransomware and cyberattack trends expected to shape IT security in 2021 Sophos, a global leader in next-generation cybersecurity, published the Sophos 2021 Threat Report, which flags how ransomware and fastchanging attacker behaviors, from advanced to entry level, will shape the threat landscape and IT security in 2021. The report, written by SophosLabs security researchers, as well as Sophos’ threat hunters, rapid responders, and cloud security and AI experts, provides a threedimensional perspective on security threats and trends, from their inception to real-world impact. Three key trends analyzed in the Sophos 2021 Threat Report include: 1. The gap between ransomware operators at different ends of the skills and resource spectrum will increase. At the high end, the big-game hunting ransomware families will continue to refine and change their tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs) to become more evasive and nation-state-like in sophistication, targeting larger organizations with multimillion-dollar ransom demands. In 2020, such families included Ryuk and RagnarLocker. At the other end of the spectrum, Sophos anticipates an increase in the number of entry level, apprenticetype attackers looking for menu-driven, ransomware-for-rent, such as Dharma, that allows them to target high volumes of smaller prey. Another ransomware trend is “secondary extortion,” where alongside the data encryption the attackers steal and threaten to publish sensitive or confidential information, if their demands are not met. In 2020, Sophos reported on Maze, RagnarLocker, Netwalker, REvil, and others using this approach. “The ransomware business model is dynamic and complex. During 2020, Sophos saw a clear trend towards adversaries differentiating themselves in terms of their skills and targets. However, we’ve also seen ransomware families sharing best-of-breed tools and forming self-styled collaborative ‘cartels,’” said Chester Wisniewski, principal research scientist, Sophos. “Some, like Maze, appeared to pack their bags and head for a life of leisure, except that some of their tools and techniques have resurfaced under the guise of a newcomer, Egregor. The cyberthreat landscape abhors a vacuum. If one threat disappears another one will quickly take its place. In many ways, it is almost impossible to predict where ransomware will go next, but the attack trends discussed in Sophos’ threat report this year are likely to continue into 2021.”
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2. Everyday threats such as commodity malware, including loaders and botnets, or human-operated Initial Access Brokers, will demand serious security attention. Such threats can seem like low level malware noise, but they are designed to secure a foothold in a target, gather essential data and share data back to a command-and-control network that will provide further instructions. If human operators are behind these types of threats, they’ll review every compromised machine for its geolocation and other signs of high value, and then sell access to the most lucrative targets to the highest bidder, such as a major ransomware operation. For instance, in 2020, Ryuk used Buer Loader to deliver its ransomware. “Commodity malware can seem like a sandstorm of low-level noise clogging up the security alert system. From what Sophos analyzed, it is clear that defenders need to take these attacks seriously, because of where they might lead. Any infection can lead to every infection. Many security teams will feel that once malware has been blocked or removed and the compromised machine cleaned, the incident has been prevented,” said Wisniewski. “They may not realize that the attack was likely against more than one machine and that seemingly common malware like Emotet and Buer Loader can lead to Ryuk, Netwalker and other advanced attacks, which IT may not notice until the ransomware deploys, possibly in the middle of the night or on the weekend. Underestimating ‘minor’ infections could prove very costly.” 3. All ranks of adversaries will increasingly abuse legitimate tools, well known utilities and common network destinations to evade detection and security measures and thwart analysis and attribution. The abuse of legitimate tools enables adversaries to stay under the radar while they move around the network until they are ready to launch the main part of the attack, such as ransomware. For nation-state-sponsored attackers, there is the additional benefit that using common tools makes attribution harder. In 2020, Sophos reported on the wide range of standard attack tools now being used by adversaries. “The abuse of everyday tools and techniques to disguise an active attack featured prominently in Sophos’ review of the threat landscape during 2020. This technique challenges traditional security approaches because the appearance of known tools doesn’t automatically trigger a
red flag. This is where the rapidly growing field of human-led threat hunting and managed threat response really comes into its own,” said Wisniewski. “Human experts know the subtle anomalies and traces to look for, such as a legitimate tool being used at the wrong time or in the wrong place. To trained threat hunters or IT managers using endpoint detection and response (EDR) features, these signs are valuable tripwires that can alert security teams to a potential intruder and an attack underway.” Additional trends analyzed in the Sophos 2021 Threat Report include: • The impact of the COVID 19 pandemic on IT security, such as the security challenges of working from home using personal networks protected by widely varying levels of security • Attacks on servers: adversaries have targeted server platforms running both Windows and Linux, and leveraged these platforms to attack organizations from within • Attacks on servers: adversaries have targeted server platforms running both Windows and Linux, and leveraged these platforms to attack organizations from within • The impact of the COVID 19 pandemic on IT security, such as the security challenges of working from home using personal networks protected by widely varying levels of security • Attacks on servers: adversaries have targeted server platforms running both Windows and Linux, and leveraged these platforms to attack organizations from within • The impact of the COVID 19 pandemic on IT security, such as the security challenges of working from home using personal networks protected by widely varying levels of security
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Palo Alto Networks announces Prisma Cloud 2.0
Palo Alto Networks today announced Prisma Cloud 2.0 which includes four new cloud security modules, enhancing its standing as the industry’s only comprehensive Cloud Native Security Platform (CNSP). A CNSP is designed to secure multi-and hybrid-cloud environments and cloud native applications integrating security across the full DevOps lifecycle. This announcement integrates Aporeto and builds on the November 2019 introduction of Palo Alto Networks Prisma Cloud. The new Palo Alto Networks Prisma Cloud modules include: • Data security delivers data loss prevention (DLP) capabilities, offering discovery, classification and malware detection for AWS S3. Enterprises operating in regulated industries can leverage data security when adopting the cloud to help meet various compliance requirements. When used in conjunction with Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) capabilities, data security provides customers important context about their true cloud risks around data exposure. • Web Application and API Security helps protect web applications against Layer 7 and OWASP Top 10 threats, integrated with the unified
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agent framework that enterprises already use today for Cloud Workload Protection Platforms (CWPP). • Identity-based microsegmentation integrates powerful Cloud Network Security (CNS) capabilities, following the acquisition of Aporeto, to provide end-to-end visibility of network communications, along with comprehensive security policy control and management. • Identity and Access Management (IAM) security gives customers Cloud Infrastructure Entitlement Management (CIEM) capabilities and allows them to gain visibility into who has access to specific cloud resources and secure those resources by establishing automated least-privileged identity access. Previously, Prisma Cloud was the only provider offering both cloud security posture management and cloud workload protection on a single platform, with a single pane of glass, as a SaaS solution. With today’s addition of Cloud Network Security and Cloud Infrastructure Entitlement Management, Prisma Cloud now has industryleading offerings in each of the four CNSP areas, making Prisma Cloud 2.0 the only true Cloud Native Security Platform.
“Enterprises are adopting cloud native architectures, including containers and serverless, and embracing methodologies like DevOps to increase release velocity and achieve greater scale,” says Doug Cahill, senior security analyst and group practice director, Enterprise Strategy Group (ESG). “This presents a requirement for security teams to integrate security across the full application lifecycle and deliver security through a platform-centric approach as markets converge. The innovation with Prisma Cloud 2.0 speaks to this approach.” “Today, organizations are using multiple clouds in many different ways. This has brought many benefits such as quick deployment, increased agility and rapid feature rollout, but also has brought the potential for many different kinds of risk,” said Varun Badhwar, senior vice president for product, Prisma Cloud at Palo Alto Networks, “Prisma Cloud 2.0 addresses these challenges with a unified solution that helps companies detect threats to their cloud resources, maintain compliance, secure cloud native applications, protect cloud networks and application communications, and enforce permissions and secure identities across workloads — a true comprehensive cloud security solution.”
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IT experts agree that education, choice of tech are important in fight against cyber attacks As more businesses embrace work from home setups and students are now into online classes, the threat of cyber attacks increases as well. Studies show that home networks and personal computers are roughly 3.5 times more likely to receive malware attacks compared to offices with enterprise-grade security. With this, technology leaders HP and Intel held a panel discussion called Cyber Lockdown recently to tackle how we can protect our data and devices from cyber attacks amid the pandemic. The panel featured IT experts HP Senior security advisor Junaid UR Rehman, Intel Asia regional account manager Carrie Chow, ePLDT chief information security officer Angel Redoble, and Manila Bulletin technology editor Art Samaniego. Anti-virus no longer enough On the topic of purchasing anti-virus software, all panelists agreed that while it was the best solution more than a decade ago, it’s simply inadequate today though still necessary. “The bad guys are continuously evolving,” said Samaniego, adding that 350,000 new malwares are created daily and cannot easily be detected. According to the panel, anti-virus software mostly protect against already-existing and known threats. And while they are constantly updated to detect and combat new threats, updates usually take several weeks to reach consumers—by which time, new malware may have already infiltrated devices. But that’s not to say users should not have it. According to HP’s Rehman, it’s an important first step in a multi-layered approach to achieve cyber-resiliency. “Start with the basics: install anti-malware and anti-virus software, then train and educate employees on cyber security,” he explained. Education key to cyber security Asked if cybersecurity is important to the education sector especially now that most are learning from home, ePLDT’s Redoble gave a two-pronged answer. “Cybersecurity is important because with students, we have the potential to train and hone cybersecurity experts,” he said, noting that there is a lack of cyber security experts in the country. He also emphasized the importance of cyber security in online class setups as malware could prevent teachers from facilitating classes and students from logging in to their online classes. Hiring cyber security experts a must for businesses
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This cyber security education isn’t limited to students, however. During the forum, the panel revealed that most businesses in the Philippines are currently very prone to cyber attacks and urged companies to emphasize usage policies and train and educate their employees on cyber security. For PLDT, according to Redoble, phishing attacks are regularly stimulated internally. And it has been proven effective as more and more employees have been reporting possible threats before they even happen, as compared to the past when employees did not mind it as much. Moreover, the panelists also emphasized the importance of investing in cyber security for businesses and hiring experts who can protect company assets. “You need to have someone who can deal with this. For the longest time, businesses in the Philippines have been trying to do everything by themselves…and it has never been successful,” he said. He also warned small companies that they are easy targets as compared to large corporations because hackers know they don’t invest in cyber security. Less worry with HP and Intel’s innovative hardware security But even with all the cyber threats, the information gap Filipinos need to fill in, not to mention the amount of money that businesses
need to shell out, Intel Asia’s Chow and Rehman reminded consumers they need not worry too much because companies like HP and Intel have long-been collaborating to produce innovative security solutions pre-installed in their products. “For HP, we have been working with partners like Intel to make hardware more intelligent. We are also building smart hardware and software to recover from attacks, which was previously unheard of,” said Rehman. Moreover, modern HP PCs and laptops are equipped with HP Security Solutions like HP SureSense, which helps prevent never-beforeseen infections before they even happen, and HP SureClick, which protects PCs and laptops from malware that lurks on malicious websites and hides in shared attachments and files. With these latest security solutions from global technology leaders HP and Intel, Filipinos can rest a bit easier knowing that they have an Artificially Intelligent Security assistant protecting them as they go about their daily routines. According to Christian Edmond Reyes, managing director of HP Enterprise, the rate of cyber attacks in the past two years is even bigger compared to the rate these past ten years. And this rate may further accelerate as many people work and study at home amid the pandemic. Thus, choosing the right PC for work-from-home or learn-from-home set-up becomes a security decision also.
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BITS & BYTES
PLDT Home now offers Asus WiFi 6 mesh routers
Delivering the fastest streaming and gaming experience at home, PLDT Home sets out to introduce a new mesh technology that can bring next-level connectivity as it offers the new ASUS WiFi 6 mesh routers in the Philippines. Beginning November 26, 2020, PLDT Home Fibr subscribers can avail via flexible plan add-ons the best in class routers from ASUS — the ROG Rapture GT-AX11000 and the ASUS ZenWiFi XT8, both of which were awarded and recognized by CNET, the world leader in tech product reviews as the best routers of 2020. “We’re happy to have partnered with ASUS to equip our subscribers with a powerful WiFi 6 technology so they can enjoy the fastest and seamless online connectivity at home. This partnership is in line with our mission to empower Filipino families to rediscover meaningful experiences and further pursue their passions powered by the strongest Fibr connection at home,” said Menardo G. Jimenez, PLDT senior vice president and head of consumer business.
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Asus ROG Rapture GT-AX11000 The ROG Rapture GT-AX11000, voted as one of the best gaming routers, comes with a 1.8 GHz Quad-Core, Tri-Band AX11000, AiMesh Technology, Beamforming + Traffic Analyzer/QoS, AiProtection Pro, Parental Control, IPTV Support, Link Aggregation, and WTFast Gaming Network. It is the fastest WiFi 6 router in the market, with up to 11,000Mbps of throughput, triple-level game acceleration that comes with a 2.5G LAN Port, GameBoost, Gamer’s Private Network, powered by WTFast, plus 1.8 GHz, 64-bit quad-core CPU, AiProtection Pro, and Aura RGB. The ROG Rapture GT-AX11000 comes available to existing PLDT Home Fibr subscribers at PHP 1,349/ mo for 24 months; PHP 2,599/mo for 12 months; or a one-time fee of PHP 26,700 for the outright purchase of the router.
WiFi 6 (AX6600) Adaptive QoS, AiMesh Technology, AiProtection Pro, WP3 security, Supports Alexa & IFTTT. It is the most powerful Mesh WiFi system, capable to deliver 4x faster WIFI speeds at 1000Mbps, 50% more area coverage with the ability to cover 270 sqm. per node, and unmatched simultaneous upload and download speeds, which can support up to over 50 devices simultaneously — perfect for gamers and streamers! The ASUS ZenWiFi XT8 comes available to existing PLDT Home Fibr subscribers at PHP 1,399/mo for 24 months; PHP 2,599/mo for 12 months; or a one-time fee of PHP 26,299 for the outright purchase of the router.
Asus ZenWiFi XT8
With both these award-winning Asus WiFi 6 mesh routers now made available in the country, powered no less by PLDT Home Fibr, gaming, streaming—not to mention studying and working from home—has never been easier and faster.
The ZenWiFi XT8, on the other hand, which received the Editor’s Choice Award in March of this year, features a 1.5 GHz Quad-Core Tri-Band
For more information on this and other ongoing plans, promos, and offers of PLDT Home, visit www. pldthome.com/wifi6.
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Smart will roll out 2,000 new cell sites in 2021 To further improve coverage and connectivity, Smart Communications Inc. (Smart), wireless arm of the country’s largest integrated telco PLDT, is rolling out an additional 2,000 cell sites next year. Since the Anti-Red Tape Authority issued its Joint Memorandum Circular in August, Smart has secured close to 1,500 permits to build more cell sites and accelerate the telco’s goal to improve customer experience across the country. “Our accelerated network expansion efforts will help us reach even the unserved and underserved areas in the country,” said Alfredo S. Panlilio, PLDT chief revenue officer and Smart Communications president and CEO.
Nueva Ecija, Palawan, Pampanga, Pangasinan, Tarlac, and Zambales; Visayas provinces of Aklan, Antique, Bohol, Cebu, Iloilo, Leyte, Negros Occidental, Northern Samar and Southern Leyte; and Mindanao provinces of Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Cotabato (North Cotabato), Davao del Sur, Davao Oriental, Lanao Del Norte, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Misamis Oriental, South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Zamboanga Sibugay, and Zamboanga del Norte. Smart has also tapped six tower companies to build the initial batch of 180 to 200 common towers, pursuant to the government’s common tower policy.
These permits cover towers to be built in Metro Manila and in typhoon-impacted provinces like Albay, Aurora, Batangas, Bulacan, Cagayan, Camarines Sur, Cavite, Isabela, Laguna, Masbate, Quezon, Rizal, and Sorsogon, which were in the path of recent strong typhoons Rolly and Ulysses.
This accelerated tower rollout is part of PLDTSmart’s continuous expansion of their fixed and wireless networks. To date, PLDT’s fiber infrastructure now spans 395,000 kilometers nationwide. This also supports Smart’s mobile networks, which covers 96% of the Philippine population.
The permits also include the Luzon provinces of Abra, Benguet, Ilocos Sur, Mountain Province,
As of end-September 2020, 46 percent of cities/ municipalities have PLDT Home broadband
presence, in both fiber and copper. Total homes passed increased by 14 percent to 8.3 million, while total capacity also increased by 9 percent to 3.8 million ports. PLDT also has ongoing plans of adding 500,000 fiber ports. The PLDT Group’s investments in capital expenditures have totaled PHP 432 billion from 2011 to September 2020. PLDT’s expansion efforts and investments helped the Group cope with sustained growth in data traffic when COVID-19 community quarantines commenced in March. PLDT is anticipating capex of at least PHP 70 billion for 2020.
Lenovo collaborates with Immaculada Concepcion College to achieve e-learning success Global tech provider Lenovo recently inked a memorandum of agreement with Immaculada Concepcion College (ICC) as its first Platinum partner under the Lenovo EdVision program. Implemented in collaboration with Microsoft, the program was designed to support schools in their transition to online learning and ultimately bolster digital transformation in education. Lenovo works directly with educators to understand the challenges of the sector during this period and designs with purpose to meet customers’ needs. “At Lenovo, we feel that we are well-positioned to lead intelligent transformation and are thus committed to empowering the education sector with our end-to-end tech solutions. Through the EdVision program, we aim to be the trusted partner of education institutions throughout their digital transformation journey, especially during this pivotal shift to online learning. We are excited to have ICC as our first Platinum partner under the program and assist them in continuing to provide quality education by honing the digital capabilities of its teachers and students so they are better prepared for a more tech-ready tomorrow,” said Michael Ngan, Lenovo Philippines president and general manager. ICC is dedicated to provide a safe and intellectually challenging environment that will
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From L-R: Immaculada Concepcion College (ICC) executive vice president Marcelino V. Agana, Lenovo Philippines president and general manager Michael Ngan, and ICC IT director Raul Acapulco during a ‘new normal’ contract signing event held recently at the Grand Hyatt Manila
empower its students to become innovative thinkers, creative problem solvers, and inspired learners. To stay true to this commitment despite a new classroom setup, the institution has signed under the EdVision program as it adopts blended learning this academic year. As a platinum partner, ICC will receive a benefit package that includes special discounts on Lenovo products for teachers and students, technical updates
through webinars or newsletters, product trainings on industry-leading software, technical workshops conducted by Lenovo and its partners, inclusion in the student and teacher ambassador programs, and seeding units. It will also receive an upgrade of computer lab facilities using Lenovo devices and accessories, and funding assistance for the development of a Lenovo Smart classroom.
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Microsoft celebrates 25 years in PH Microsoft commemorated its 25th year in the Philippines through an all-virtual celebration for customers, partners and the Filipino public. More than five thousand guests from across the Philippines attended today’s virtual event. Inspiring messages were presented from representatives of Microsoft’s Philippines, Asia Pacific and global leadership. Key government and enterprise partners offered testimonials, and interactive breakout sessions were designed to engage and inspire Microsoft Philippines stakeholders for the next 25 years of growth and partnership in this high-growth market. Special messages were delivered by The Honorable Chief Justice Diosdado Peralta, Supreme Court of the Philippines, and Mr. Lance Gokongwei, president of JG Summit Holdings. A special focus of the 25th Anniversary proceedings centered on how Microsoft has supported stakeholders in countries around the world during the Covid-19 pandemic and particularly, in the Philippine market. “Since the very start of the of the pandemic, your Microsoft Philippines team resolved to be the country’s digital first responders, supporting key government and civic functions while introducing new innovations to help Filipinos respond, recover and reimagine their reality,” said Andres Ortola, Microsoft Philippines country general manager. The Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated the need for progressive and innovative digital solutions across all sectors of Philippine society. Since March 2020, Microsoft launched significant initiatives to empower both the government and private sector to support and create sustainable impact across the country. Microsoft Para sa Bayan: Digital skilling, enablement and entrepreneurship initiatives Microsoft’s nation-building agenda for the Philippines, known as Microsoft Para sa Bayan, seeks to accelerate digital transformation, build coalitions for responsible innovation, and close critical digital skills gaps with increased digital literacy and improve employability for 25 million Filipinos over the next three years alone.
Microsoft PH Senior Leadership Team
this innovative program’s launch markets. People with disabilities were given the opportunity to get cloud and artificial intelligence training while employer partners received accessibility education. The program also supports inclusive hiring from non-profit organizations that help PwDs. The program is a first of its kind and was piloted in Korea, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand. As digital skills expand and more constituencies discover new digital employment opportunities, Microsoft launched an ambitious digital entrepreneurship innovator initiative, Highway to a 100 Unicorns, to strengthen the startup ecosystem across Southeast Asia, seeking to spur new economic growth during and after the pandemic. In the Philippines, the sole major Southeast Asian economy without a homegrown technology unicorn, Microsoft seeks to foster an environment that creates more proactive and engaged opportunities for Filipino digital entrepreneurs. “Filipinos are hugely creative and resourceful people. Enhancing their digital skills and creating inclusive opportunities for them will not only create solutions to society’s challenges today, but drive economic recovery and success for the future,” added Ortola.
Throughout the Philippines’ lockdown period, Microsoft has worked closely with the Department of Education, most recently to provide over 20 million public school children with Microsoft 365 accounts for an improved learning experience. They also continue to support the department’s efforts in training teachers to adapt to online teaching.
In October, in partnership with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and together with the Makati Business Club (MBC), Infocomm Technology Association of the Philippines (ITAP), Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD), Women’s Business Council Philippines, and the US-ASEAN Business Council Inc., Microsoft Philippines announced the formation of the AI Pilipinas Coalition.
The Microsoft Enabler Program was launched to foster disability inclusive workplaces across Asia Pacific, with the Philippines selected as one of
Bringing together key organizations and leaders in government and the private sector, the Coalition seeks to empower people and
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organizations through the responsible use of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Across public and private sectors, industries and communities, AI will play a key role in helping the Philippines respond to, and recover from COVID-19, build resiliency, and increase its competitiveness on the global stage in the years to come. Microsoft’s next 25 years in the Philippines: nation-building through purpose-driven innovation Having been a trusted partner to the Philippine government and leading private enterprise customers and other stakeholders across the country for the past twenty-five years, Microsoft today proudly reaffirmed its commitment to this market as the Philippines (and the rest of the world) seek to build back from the Covid-19 public health and economic crisis. During today’s event, Microsoft Philippines recommitted to assist the Philippines in building back stronger, more prosperous, more equitably and more inclusive from the Covid-19 global pandemic. By purposely leveraging Microsoft’s digital and technology innovations, the Philippines’ government, enterprise and small and medium businesses and communities all over the country can serve all their stakeholders more efficiently, safely, and positively than ever before. “Microsoft’s digital innovations directly help advance Filipino nation-building in new and valuable ways and more Filipinos are empowered with the latest digital skills, increasing their employability, raising incomes and improving Filipino lives. We at Microsoft look forward to being the Philippines’ trusted technology partner for the next twenty-five years with hope, optimism, and a real sense of bayanihan as we tackle the challenges ahead and discover new and exciting opportunities for growth and partnership. Maraming salamat po to all our stakeholders and friends,” added Ortola.
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Globe Business achieves Google Cloud premier partner status
Globe Business, the enterprise arm of Globe Telecom, announced that it gained Premier Partner status from Google Cloud. This is the highest level that any Google Cloud partner can attain. Globe was also recognized as a Google Cloud Expert in Work Transformation and Productivity. As a Google Cloud Premier Partner, Globe now has access to Google Cloud’s complete suite of products and solutions, extensive technical expert support, enhanced cloud transformation offers, streamlined information, training & tools, and exclusive directory of strategic global partners. “This feat wouldn’t have been possible without our team’s hard work and the continuous trust of our partners from Google Cloud,” said Peter Maquera, senior vice president for Globe Business. “We’re grateful that they acknowledge our commitment to transforming enterprises through the cloud. And we’re excited about the many possibilities this achievement can bring for us and for our customers. Being part of the Google
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Cloud Partner Advantage Program and carrying the Premier Partner badge guarantees our clients that we have strong proficiency and experience with Google Cloud as a result of rigorous technical assessment, certifications, and frequent customer success.” The Google Premier Partner status remains a rare achievement, even for cloud-powered companies in the Philippines, and is exclusive to those that demonstrate the highest levels of capability and performance with Google Cloud products. Premier Partners benefit from a wide range of services designed to holistically focus on business requirements—from technical, marketing, sales, to specific functions that address a company’s customer needs. “We’re delighted to see Globe Business grow their investment and expertise in Google Cloud,” said Kevin O’Kane, managing director for partnerships at Google Cloud. “Our partners are key to bringing Google Cloud solutions and capabilities to customers around the world, and we look forward
to working with Globe Telecom to help more organizations transform with the cloud.” With digital transformation as its end goal, Globe offers its enterprise clients with an impressive plethora of cloud solutions, including Google Workspace (formerly known as G Suite) and Google Cloud. The Globe team underwent stringent certification training to mirror Google Cloud’s standards in product deployment, change management, and cloud computing architecture. Globe Business also continues to run a successful cloud campaign, showcasing its ingenious collaborations with globally-recognized providers such as Google Cloud and Cascadeo—a Google Cloud Premier Partner and Globe’s ally in cloud consulting and managed services. Through its products, partnerships, and dominance in the cloud, Globe Business aims to empower companies to steer its course digitally, recreate resilience amid changing times, and pave the way towards a braver tomorrow.
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Shopee sold 200 million items in 24 hours during the 11.11 Big Sale Shopee, the leading e-commerce platform in Southeast Asia and Taiwan, successfully created a big impact at 11.11 Big Sale, building its vision to make e-commerce for everyone. Across the region, 200 million items were sold in 24 hours on November 11. Martin Yu, associate director at Shopee Philippines, said, “The success of the 11.11 Big Sale reflects the continued growth of e-commerce in the region and the many opportunities it presents for businesses and shoppers. When the business landscape is transforming, we are committed to helping sellers and brands capture new growth opportunities while making online shopping more engaging and rewarding for consumers. We are humbled by the strong support this 11.11, and we will continue building on our vision of making e-commerce for everyone.” Shopee creates new milestones for businesses, excites consumers at the 11.11 Big Sale Shopee set new records on November 11, powered by tremendous support from consumers and businesses in each of its seven markets. It saw robust sales momentum throughout the whole of the day, uplifting businesses in the region. Sellers participating in the 11.11 Big Sale for the first time saw ten times more orders than an average
day, as Shopee unlocked new opportunities for entrepreneurs and SMEs. Consumers gathered at Shopee across the 11.11 Big Sale period to shop, play, and forge meaningful interactions. More than 20 million hours of live streams were watched on Shopee Live, while Shopee’s in-app games were played more than 2.5 billion times. 11.11 Big Christmas Sale is a huge success in the Philippines In the Philippines, the 11.11 Big Christmas Sale created a spike in shopping activity as people turned to Shopee for the best deals from their favorite brands and sellers, while enjoying greater convenience through Shopee’s ecosystem. Key shopping trends include: • A surge in demand for skin care products: Over 800,000 skincare products such as Korean face masks, jade rollers, moisturizers, and serums were sold as people upgraded their skincare routine at the 11.11 Big Christmas Sale. • Filipinos turn to Shopee for household needs: Home & Living continued to be the best selling category at the 11.11 Big Christmas Sale. In particular, Filipino shoppers went to Shopee to
spruce up their homes, with over 1.4 million home decoration items such as 3D wallpapers and window curtains sold on November 11. • Strong demand in major cities: 1.6 million items were sold in an hour in Metro Manila at the peak of November 11. • The surge in shopping activity on November 11 created tangible growth for brands, with orders for leading brands on Shopee Mall increasing 20 times. Top brands include Xiaomi, realme, Pampers, Abbott, and Samsung. Yu closed, “We are thankful for the continuous support shown by our users, sellers, and brand partners. We look forward to wrapping up the year on a high note at the finale of 11.11 – 12.12 Big Christmas Sale in the month ahead.”
Fleets: a new way to join the Twitter conversation Twitter’s purpose is to serve the public conversation — it’s where you go to see what’s happening and talk about it. But some users say that Tweeting is uncomfortable because it feels so public, so permanent, and like there’s so much pressure to rack up Retweets and Likes. That’s why, unfortunately, there are so many Tweets left in drafts! To help people feel more comfortable, Twitter has been working on a lower pressure way for people to talk about what’s happening, and has recently launched Fleets so everyone can easily join the conversation in a new way — with their fleeting thoughts. Fleets are for sharing momentary thoughts — they help start conversations and they only stick around for 24 hours. Through tests in Brazil, Italy, India, and South Korea, Twitter learned that Fleets helped people feel more comfortable joining the conversation, seeing people with Fleets talk more on Twitter. Those new to Twitter found Fleets to be an easier way to share what’s on their mind. Because they disappear from view after a day, Fleets helped people feel more comfortable sharing personal and casual thoughts, opinions, and feelings. These are early findings from tests,
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and Twitter is excited to learn more about how Fleets are used by you. You can Fleet text, reactions to Tweets, photos or videos, and customize Fleets with various background and text options. To share a Tweet in a Fleet, tap the “Share” icon at the bottom of the Tweet and then tap, “Share in Fleet.” Then, add what you think about it with some text or emojis. Soon, stickers and live broadcasting will be available in Fleets. Your followers can see your Fleets at the top of their home timeline. Anyone who can see your full profile can see your Fleets there too. If you
have open Direct Messages, anyone can reply to your Fleets. If you want to reply to a Fleet, tap on it to send a Direct Message or emoji to the author, and continue the conversation in your Direct Messages. Learn more about how Fleets work here. Fleets will be updated over time with new features, based on users’ feedback. Initial reactions indicate that some people feel more comfortable joining conversations on Twitter with this ephemeral format, so what they’re saying lives just for a moment in time rather than forever. In the coming days, everyone globally will have Fleets on Twitter for iOS and Android.
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Google activates typhoon response efforts in PH
Google sets in motion crisis response efforts using technology, collaboration, and donation drives to help communities stricken by Super Typhoon Rolly and Typhoon Ulysses. Google has collaborated with Dashboard Philippines, a non-profit, public service initiative, that is fully powered by volunteers who collect publicly available and trusted information. The data is organized in one dashboard to make it accessible and useful for the public for donations and tracking of evacuation centers, among others. Google provided Dashboard Philippines with Google Maps API and Cloud API credits to run its public service web app at virtually no cost to both the developers and the public. This first led to a COVID-19 response initiative announced in April 2020 which mapped relevant information such as checkpoints, donation centers, open establishments, shuttles for essential workers, and hospitals that had available beds. The
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funding enabled the team to further enhance the service and build new features.
distributing donations to nonprofits that work in the affected country or region.
As part of the ongoing recovery efforts in line with Super Typhoon Rolly and Typhoon Ulysses, the volunteer-driven platform, in partnership with Google, has initially mapped the locations of the Philippine Red Cross Chapters, and the evacuation center locations in Metro Manila from the list publicly released by the Department of Social Welfare and Development. For the NGOs and other government agencies that aim to have their information mapped by Dashboard Philippines can write at partners@dashboard.org.ph
On top of this, Google launched a Holiday Giving Campaign providing each employee a USD 400 credit they can use to designate Google donations to qualified organizations, including: Coalition of Elderly, Mengal Women, and Humanility.Org. In addition, Googlers’ out-ofpocket donations will be matched by Google.
Google.org, Google’s philanthropic arm, has also set up an internal Giving campaign where employees are encouraged to donate and it will be matched by the company. To date, in just two weeks, more than USD 63,500 (over PHP 3-million) has already been raised. Once final, the fund will go to the Center for Disaster Philanthropy (CDP), an intermediary organization that specializes in
“The year 2020 has been extremely challenging for the country given the recent calamities on top of the ongoing pandemic. Our hearts go out to those impacted and we want to do our best to help through our technology, partnerships, and employee donation matching campaigns,” said Bernadette Nacario, Google Philippines country director. The ongoing typhoon relief efforts map can be found at www.dashboardphilippines.com/maps/ calamities.
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Paypal survey says 87 percent of Filipinos increased use of digital payments during pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic has undoubtedly accelerated the adoption of digital solutions for many Filipinos, having a profound impact on how they live, work, and pay. A recent online survey conducted by PayPal revealed that 87% of Filipinos who were polled have increased their usage of digital payments during the pandemic, and 9 in 10 preferred to digital payments over cash during this time.
education has helped the Philippine economy cope with social-distancing measures, business continuity, and public service delivery.
“While cash remains the most dominant method of payment in the Philippines, circumstances brought on by the pandemic have given digital payments a more prominent role in the everyday lives of Filipinos,” said Rajkishore Agrawal, senior director and head of sales, SEA, PayPal.
Almost half (49%) of the respondents identified security as the topmost consideration when choosing which digital payment platforms to use and an overwhelming 99% said they plan to keep using digital payments even after community quarantines are eased. According to PayPal, the majority of Filipino respondents used digital payments to pay for bills (44%) and groceries (36%).
The 2020 PayPal Consumer Insights Survey was conducted with 500 Filipinos via online survey with the objective of identifying the impact of COVID-19 on local payment behaviors. In a recent study by the World Bank and the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA), it was suggested that the use of digital technologies such as digital payments, e-commerce, telemedicine, and online 86
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“As the pandemic continues, health and safety need to be a fundamental part of our everyday decisions,” said Agrawal. “But when you consider continued usage of digital payments, convenience and security also play vital roles.”
Rosy appetite for cross-border shopping “Usage of digital payments opens the door to global e-commerce markets for Filipino shoppers,” said Agrawal. “Once they experience the benefits—mainly convenience and security, it opens a wide array of options for them in terms of shopping choices.”
From May to August this year, 61% of the survey participants said they purchased from international merchants with the most common purchases being for Fashion (41%) and Technology (34%). The survey also found that 7 in 10 plan to continue purchasing from international merchants in the coming three months. When it comes to payment platforms for cross border purchases, 77% of respondents cited PayPal as their most preferred method. The digital payments platform has an estimated 361 million account holders in over 200 markets across the world. It is also available for different currencies, giving users unparalleled flexibility to make international payments. “At PayPal, we believe access to financial services creates opportunities for everyone,” said Agrawal. “Now more than ever, individuals and businesses need to stay connected to the online economy as the pandemic leads to a digital shift in our way of life. For PayPal, this means doubling down on our commitment to make payment experiences as frictionless and secure as possible.” www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph
Rakuten Viber introduces game changing features, marking 10 years of connecting people With a strong presence in over 190 countries, worldwide exchanging a total of 100 billion messages and call minutes in the past decade, Rakuten Viber has become a household name for its free, interactive, and secure messaging that allows people to connect with whoever they want, wherever they are. Despite the many challenges brought by the pandemic, 2020—which also marks Viber’s 10th year—is still considered a banner year for Rakuten Viber. Viber started out in 2010 with a simple goal to offer free calls to iPhone users. Since then, it has evolved into a comprehensive communication platform that offers a suite of features like messaging, group chats, video calls, and chatbots, all protected by end-to-end encryption. It was in 2014 when Viber became part of Rakuten Inc., a world leader in e-commerce and financial services. Then in 2018, Viber introduced Communities allowing users to create supergroup chats where they can add an unlimited number of people. The year after, the group voice calls feature was launched. Rakuten Viber has always forged significant partnerships that can improve the lives of the users. In 2020 alone, it focused on providing people with reliable and life-saving information about COVID-19. That’s why it launched a special chatbot for the World Health Organization (WHO) to help fight misinformation about the pandemic. The Philippines’ own Department of Health (DOH), meanwhile, created its own Viber Community to amplify its online reach and effectively provide crucial updates on the COVID-19 situation in the country. The department later created the KIRA chatbot to answer frequently asked questions and further spread health and safety tips. “Everything that we do at Rakuten Viber has always been for the benefit of our users. It all began with a mission to offer a means to communicate with their loved ones. Now the app has evolved into a secure platform where every call and message is protected by endto-end encryption. Rakuten Viber will never stop innovating,” says Anna Znamenskaya, the chief growth officer at Rakuten Viber. “All these milestones and partnerships we’ve achieved so far are just the beginning of what’s in store for our users in the coming years. Our users’ satisfaction remains to be our driving force why we aspire for bolder and bigger goals.” This year alone, Viber introduced the group video calls and bolstered its capacities when the pandemic started to accommodate the higher-than-usual number of calls and messages within the app, doubling the maximum number of participants to 20 people at once in Group Video and Audio Calls. This is why in the first half of 2020, the app recorded an 18% increase in activations, 104% in Community messages sent,
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and 109% in Community views in the entire Asia Pacific region. When compared the numbers with the numbers posted in the same period last year, there’s a 208% surge in Community messages sent and 129% increase in Community Views. This quick action also enabled Rakuten Viber to reach new performance milestones in the Philippines for the first half of the year alone. During quarantine, Viber noted that there was a 2.5x increase in Community viewers and 2.7x growth in messages sent to Communities in the Philippines. There was also an increase in the following: 43% in daily activations, 17% in monthly active users, 18% in daily active users, 22% in outgoing calls, and 35% in incoming answered calls. With such an engaged user base, it has also been important for Rakuten Viber to look out at certain product features and partnerships that may run counter to its core beliefs. One of the biggest decisions Viber made in its 10-year history was to cut all business ties with Facebook for continuously mishandling their user data for profit. The messaging app, which considers security as one of its core strengths, earlier this year pulled out all its ad spending on the social media platform and removed the Facebook Connect and GIPHY features within the app. And true to its years-long commitment to offer users with the best app experience, Rakuten
Viber has also announced the launch of Chatbot Payments through a partnership with Google Pay and Apple Pay this year. This game-changing feature enables users to purchase the products and services of the merchants securely and accept payments directly through the app, marking Viber’s move towards fintech. Rakuten Viber is rolling out this feature in the Philippines after forging partnerships with local industry leaders like Globe. Through this partnership with Globe, Filipino users can easily check out and order from small food businesses through the FoodPH bot. Allowing users to order for their food via Viber is just the start. Soon, users will also be able to pay for their orders via in-chat payments. “We have always believed in Viber’s potential as a lifetime app, as it has become a favorite tool to communicate with family and closest friends, stay on top of the latest news, contact a brand or purchase from a small business, and more,” says Djamel Agaoua, the CEO at Rakuten Viber. “By introducing new product features, capabilities, and improvements like Chatbot Payments, we empower our users to accomplish more in so much lesser time. We did so without having to renege on our commitment to protect their right to data privacy at any point within the app, ultimately giving them the freedom not only to genuinely express themselves but also lighten their load and ease their worries at the same time.”
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Canva launches new collaboration features to help teams work better
As remote working quickly becomes the norm, people are finding new ways to collaborate online and get things done, resulting in a tremendous growth spurt for Canva, where today, over 40 million people bring their visual creations to life each month. Today, Canva launches a number of new collaboration features to help every team work better, together. Among the new features, users can try out are Canva’s new Online Whiteboards, new Notifications Center, and new Talking Presentations. Users can also easily join and manage teams through Suggested Teams and distributed teams can now stay on brand with Canva’s Brand Kits. Maisie Littaua, head of growth at Canva Philippines said, “Canva is combining the simple and intuitive design experience that many Pinoys know and love, with the communication and teamwork functions they need to get work done — all within the same platform.” “We find design works best as a team effort, and if there are any new features we can ship that will make it easier for people to design together, we’re going to build them. Kaya ngayon with Canva we made sure na mas effortless na ang collaboration with your teammates. Mas mapapadali na rin gawin at ipakita ang kanya-kanyang mga ideas dahil real-time ang collaboration sa aming platform,” Littaua added. Design and collaborate in real-time Real-time collaboration is now available for everyone in Canva — bringing collaborative designing to everything from social media posts to videos — so you can co-create, brainstorm and see each other’s contributions as they happen. Try out Canva’s new Online Whiteboards, featuring a collection of Brainstorm templates to help bring 88
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the magic of in-person ideation online, or our Mind Maps, to help organize complex ideas. Canva avatars show which team members are in the same document. Collaborators can see which elements are selected by who, thanks to colorcoding, and names on-display within designs. Comments and replies show-up right away, and are optimized for web and mobile. Mobile comments are accessed through the app menu, and appear as threads, making it easy to respond to, and action requests on small screens. For those with distributed teams, Canva’s Brand Kit also lets teams select and define colors that match their brand, so everyone can make the best design choices. Due to overwhelming demand, this Enterprise-level only feature will be rolled out to all Pro plans in November. Streamline and manage teams more efficiently Communications can become more complex as the team grows. The new Notifications Center helps teams stay informed by making it easy to review and respond to team members and move design projects faster than ever before. Once enabled, team members have the ability to receive alerts when tagged in comments, granted permissions to designs, folders and teams, or when approval or access requests are received. All requests can be easily seen and responded to in one place, leaving less time searching through emails, and more time being creative. This feature is being rolled out to Enterprise customers in November and will be available to everyone on Canva over the next few months. Canva also helps you bring all your assets into shared folders, whether that’s your logos,
graphics, fonts, and now videos too. Canva’s Suggested Teams makes it easy for colleagues to find and request access to the teams they work with, by simply using their work email address. Once given access, they can use the preapproved brand assets and designs in their Team storage, and start collaborating immediately. Add a personal touch with talking presentations Talking Presentations are perfect for teams located in different time zones, where finding times for group sessions can be a challenge. With distance learning now the norm, teachers can embed video explanations in their presentations for students, so they can be watched from anywhere. Canva’s new Talking Presentations gives an alternative to live, or fully pre-recorded formats, letting presenters integrate short videos of themselves as playable elements within slides. Whether you’re a small business owner teaming-up with others to create social media graphics, a large enterprise who wants to keep your assets on-brand across global offices, or a teacher who wants to share your lessons in a more collaborative way, now is the time to join millions of others around the world who are using Canva for their design needs. Purchase 1 Canva Pro account now (priced at PHP 649/month) and get 4 for free from 2 November, until 31 January 2021 to unlock Canva Pro’s full library of over 80 million images, 4.5 million videos, and 25,000 audio tracks — plus time-saving tools like Background Remover, Content Planner, and Magic Resize — for your whole team. For more information, visit https://www.canva. com/ www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph
Safe shopping, customer convenience at SM Retail stores
SM Retail stores assure shoppers that their safety and convenience remain a top priority amid efforts to reopen the economy reeling from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. SM Retail is comprised of The SM Store and other specialty brands such as Kultura, SM Appliance Center, Our Home, Baby Company, Surplus Shop, Toy Kingdom, and Pet Express, among others. As the government continues to ease restrictions to buoy efforts to revive the economy, these stores have implemented stringent measures to ensure the wellbeing of their employees and customers. SM Retail stores are regularly cleaned and disinfected. Shoppers must go through temperature check and must wear their face mask and face shield before going inside the facilities. Public areas such as aisles and escalators are marked and access points are controlled to regulate the number of entrants and promote the practice of physical distancing. Shopping carts and baskets are regularly sanitized. Hand sanitizers and hand soaps are available in strategic locations, ensuring that both customers and employees are practicing proper hand hygiene. Sales personnel follow a prescribed distance when dealing with customers. SM Retail stores also take part in Trace Together, the contact tracing
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initiative of The SM Group of Companies as a response to the government’s effort to fight the spread of COVID-19. SM Retail stores also remind their employees and shoppers about precautionary measures to fight COVID-19 through physical and digital information materials. Signages at store entrances remind shoppers to follow guidelines for their own safety. The same stringent measures are implemented in the back offices of SM Retail. All employees and service providers of SM Retail undergo regular COVID-19 testing. This is to rule out any potential COVID-19 cases in the company premises. Employees get their temperature checked three times during their shift and must also accomplish a health survey daily. They must wear face mask and other applicable PPEs (personal protective equipment) while at work. Office spaces have also been reconfigured to promote physical distancing among employees. SM Retail is implementing a hybrid strategy to reach and provide convenience to its customers. While making sure its stores are safe, SM is also introducing innovations in its retail operations. “This pandemic has reinforced our commitment to our customers’ safety and convenience; and for us,
the need to adapt and transform. Through our hybrid operations in our brick and mortar stores and online platforms, we are building new ways to reach and serve our customers,” said Chito Manalo, president of SM Retail Inc. Exemplifying this hybrid approach is ShopSM, SM’s own e-commerce platform, which complements the offerings of SM’s physical stores and brings the SM experience online. With just a few clicks, shoppers can purchase their essentials and favorite items from The SM Store, SM Markets, and other specialty brands from the comforts of their own home. Through its Click & Collect and Get & Go options, shoppers may also opt to order online and pick up their items at SM. The SM Store’s Call To Deliver is another exciting retail innovation. Shoppers can choose from a wide range of items and just call the hotline #143SM (#14376), coordinate with the personal shopper assigned to them, and have their purchases delivered to their doorstep. Aside from its commitment to continue giving the exceptional SM experience in its physical stores, online platforms and hybrid offerings, SM is also dedicated to ensure the safety of its customers and employees, all in the effort to win the fight against COVID-19.
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Ayala Triangle Festival of Lights goes digital
This year, the Ayala Triangle Festival of Lights brings joy to families with the country’s first interactive digital lights and sound show. Christmas is just around the corner. Regardless of the current conditions, it remains the most anticipated season among Filipinos. It is the time to celebrate life, relationships, and blessings through gatherings and lively events. This year, the same spirit of the holidays continues to live but a new kind of celebration awaits. In an effort to celebrate the season while ensuring safety, Ayala Land brings a virtual execution of the annual Christmas event at Ayala Triangle Gardens. Indeed, however the world turns and whatever challenges come its way, some traditions never change. “The annual lights and sound show has been a family favorite for years. It’s one of the mostawaited Christmas events that brings happiness to people,” shares Mel Ignacio, Head of Makati Estate, Ayala Land. “For this reason, Ayala Land and Make It Makati decided to continue the annual tradition by bringing the show through digital channels. We want the event to spark hope among 90
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Filipinos—hope that will help them remember that brighter days lie ahead for all of us.” Witness an enchanting virtual show of dancing lights and holograms accompanied by a medley of beloved Christmas songs. The Festival of Lights 2020, Lights and Sound Show Virtual Edition is available in the social media accounts of Ayala Land and Make It Makati starting November 24. This year’s virtual digital lights and sound show was conceptualized in collaboration with Globe Studios. Production was led by filmmaker and director, Quark Henares. Together with his team, he recreated the Christmas light show at Ayala Triangle Gardens and turned it into a 360-degree animated video. An exciting orchestration of laser lights, string lights, meteor lights, holograms, and helix lights dancing to Reese Lansangan’s rendition of traditional songs like Oh Holy Night and Jingle Bells are bound to uplift and put anyone into the Christmas mood. “For all the people who will listen to the music and enjoy the show, I hope they are taken to a magical journey of emotions,” shares Lansangan.
“No matter where they are, I want them to feel the rush, the excitement, the flurry of knowing that this special day that we wait for every single year is coming.” Aside from the 360-degree video, various light show-themed Instagram filters will also be available. People are also invited to join the Finders Keepers contest that will happen every week in December. They can win a prize by simply spotting a hidden element in the virtual light show. The first ever digital lights and sound show by Ayala Land ultimately aims to bridge people together through shared experiences, while apart. This joyful endeavor is made possible in collaboration with Coca Cola and Globe; along with event partners, Grab and Shopee. Watch the Festival of Lights 2020, Lights and Sound Show Virtual Edition show on Facebook at https:// tinyurl.com/FestivalOfLightsVirtualEdition. For more information about the city that makes it happen, visit www.makeitmakati.com and follow MakeItMakati on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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Liga Adarna lends gamer girl power as WWF-PH Gamers for Nature partner All-female gaming league Liga Adarna is set to launch a series of online playthroughs for a cause as the newest gaming partner of World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Philippines for the Now Loading: Gamers for Nature campaign. With the importance of environmental conservation and the nature’s impact to human health relevant more than ever, league commissioner Let Perez encouraged their followers to help #ChangeTheEnding for the planet. “Unlike our life online where we have multiverses and multiple worlds to explore, in reality, we only have one world, and we have to do our part to preserve and protect it. We are one with WWF to create awareness and fight to change the ending,” said Perez, who is also known in the gaming community as Queen Wasabi. “We are very excited to be partnering with WWF. As someone like me who does work remotely most of the time, and living in my online world, it is very easy to forget the reality of what our world is becoming. This advocacy is a good reminder that we only have one world we live in and we need to take part in taking care of it,” she added.
Launched in March 2020, Liga Adarna is a franchisebased esports league for women that aims to bring together and nurture women in esports. Talents from the group’s all-girl roster will stream special Mobile Legends, Call of Duty, Valorant, and Dota 2 playthroughs on Liga Adarna’s official Facebook page starting this November to raise funds for the organization’s environmental education initiatives. The initiative also aims to provide aid for the fisherfolk of Lagonoy Gulf, which covers the Provinces of Albay, Camarines Sur, and Catanduanes, whose homes and livelihood were ravaged by Super Typhoon Rolly and Typhoon Ulysses.
Liga Adarna is powered by mobile services provider Smart Communications, Inc., its official telco partner, which has a longstanding advocacy to promote esports and bring subscribers closer to their passions. WWF-Philippines is set to hold more playthrough streams for the gaming community in the next few weeks to help #ChangeTheEnding for the environment. Stay tuned to WWF-Philippines’ official social media pages for the complete lineup and schedule.
VPGAME and Mineski Global collaborate to nurture esports in SEA Southeast Asian esports just got an upgrade. The two giants of Southeast Asian esports— VPGAME and Mineski Global—announce their collaboration to promote and nurture the esports scene of the region. To achieve this goal, both organizations will be sharing resources to put a multi-stage plan into action. VPGAME brings to the partnership esports marketing data and a platform for Mineski Global to advertise their regional events via vpgame. com. In addition to this, Mineski Global and VPGAME aim to launch joint tournaments with Mineski Global in charge of event organizing and local marketing, and VPGAME to handle community activations and reward distribution. VPGAME also hopes to use gamer feedback from these events to improve the quality of the service they provide through the VPGAME Esports app, available on Google Play and App Store. This collaboration is in line with the vision of both esports brands to increase the quality of esports events in the region while nurturing the competitive gaming scene from grassroots to the professional level.
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This is the third of VPGAME’s major esports collaborations this year. Last October, VPGAME worked with NimoTV, one of SEA’s biggest streaming platforms, to provide coverage of the
Indonesian leg of the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Professional League Season 6. VPGAME is also partnered with Indoesports.com to elevate the level of esports coverage in the country.
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RELIC
Words by Jose Alvarez
Today, we have numerous programming languages. Ruby on Rails, Python, or even basic ones such as C++ are just some of the programming languages aspiring programmers will learn if they choose to embark on that career. All these programming languages have origins in earlier ones dating back to the time when computers took up entire rooms (as opposed to today where they are hundreds, if not thousands of times smaller). Common Business Oriented Language, or COBOL, was one of those programming languages. COBOL is a compiled programming language whose statements have an English-like syntax. Most programming languages use modern and succinct syntax like y = x, whereas COBOL uses MOVE x TO y. The code is split into four divisions: identification, environment, data, and procedure. COBOL came about as a response to the high cost of programming in the late 1950s. In 1959, one survey reported that in any data processing installation, programming averaged USD 800,000 at the time (USD 7,158,432.99 in today’s money).
EXAMINE statement (replacing it with INSPECT). Business, finance, and administrative systems for companies and governments were the primary users of COBOL by 1978. However, there were lots of changes that still needed to be made. By 1985, over 60 features were changed or deprecated. The United States of America Standards Institute (now ANSI), which was a committee working on COBOL separate from CODASYL since 1962, adopted the new standard, now known as COBOL 85. Further amendments were made in 1989 and 1993.
In 1959, Mary K. Hawes, a computer scientist at the Burroughs Corporation, gathered various professionals from academia, computer users, and manufacturers at the University of Pennsylvania to try to find a consensus among common business languages. United States Navy Rear Admiral Grace Hopper, known for her work on the Harvard Mark I computer and the inventor of the first English-like data processing language, FLOW-MATIC, was one of the attendees. The most mainstream language at the time, FORTRAN, did not have the capability of writing such programs. The steering committee, the Committee on Data Systems Languages (CODASYL), met throughout 1959 to create what is now known as COBOL. The first version was known as COBOL 60.
By 1997, it was estimated that over 200 billion lines of COBOL were in existence that ran 80% of all business programs. At this time, COBOL was already close to 40 years old. The next iteration of COBOL was going to be objectoriented, which meant it would enable a system to be modeled as a set of objects containing data and code which could be controlled and manipulated in a modular manner. The next iteration of COBOL was released in 2002. It was not well supported, namely because no compilers completely supported the standard and the rise of newer programming languages had started to diminish the importance of COBOL.
Some were rather skeptical of the first iteration of COBOL. One anonymous source said, “It is rather unlikely that COBOL will be around by the end of the decade.” There were many logical flaws in COBOL 60, which led the formation of even more committees to clean up the language. By 1962, the US Navy reported that COBOL could only make compilation speeds of 3-11 statements per minute. In two years, the upper limit became 1,000 statements per minute, but costs varied from USD 0.23 to USD 18.91 per statement. One of the telling signs of COBOL’s legitimacy is that IBM decided to use COBOL as its primary development language in 1962. COBOL survived the 1960s; by 1970 it became the most widely used programming language in the world. New features were being added to COBOL throughout the 1970s, such as file organizations, the DELETE statement, and the segmentation module, while removing the
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Between 2006 and 2012, 60% of organizations used COBOL, although many managers reported moving away from the standard and onto the more modern C++ and Visual Basic .NET. Many United States federal agencies still used COBOL, and 43% of banking systems were using COBOL by 2017. 200 million lines were still in use. However, the retirement of many COBOL programmers forced organizations to find something new. COBOL recently entered the news again because during the COVID-19 pandemic, many US states reported a shortage of COBOL programmers for unemployment benefit management, which still ran on the 60-year-old language. COBOL still has its uses because its applications are still used for mainframe computers that can do large-scale batch and transaction processing jobs. As of this writing, the US government is looking to migrate to newer standards. COBOL was the programming language of business, finance, and government, and hopefully its successor, like all new things, can do these processes faster and better.
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