2011 v11n8 - SAVOR SUMMER

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February2011

editorsnote

editorsnote

a few words from our editor

I

t’s that time of the year when I can’t help but fondly recall the wise words of probably one of the most gifted sages in the world, Bugs Bunny. His line, “No more classes, no more books, no more teachers’ dirty looks. Yipee! It’s summertime! Where kids can be naughty again...” while jumping around the forest, is a true classic that only that warmhearted yet uncaring rabbit can dare say.

This month’s issue gives you the rundown on what you can do in this season of sun, sand and surf.

Thanks to technology, there are still a lot of ways to stay connected even while traveling; read all about it in our cover story—The Connected Traveler. The Lifestyle Feature story on what to Pack for a Road Trip gives you a fresh guide to putting order in your luggage. Personal navigation devices are a bit new this side of the world, that’s why we have a 101 on GPS – in car or mobile app? With lots of options in the market, the article on Best Beach Cameras can steer you through it all. But really, if you’re not the traveling kind, we have the Ultimate Guide to Internet TV to redefine what it’s like for today’s couch potato.

These days, we can substitute Bugs Bunny’s line to: “No more cellphones, no more netbooks. No more deadlines...” Yes kids, we can all be naughty again. Take that much-needed break and make that escape.

Armin A. Amio EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Photographed by Paul Ticzon Model Stef Prescott Make-up & Hair by Jo Ticzon (Make-up) & Donn Donato (Hair) for Benefits Style Salon Art Direction by Chad Villarmino Styling by Danee Torres Clothes from Speedo Accessories from SM Department Store Shot on location at Red Talent Studio, Makati City

April2011

GADGETS Magazine is published monthly by Great Minds Media Incorporated. Address all correspondence to 9-B Evening News Street, West Triangle, Quezon City.

Our telephone numbers are 332-4004, 376-7356 and 514-8321.

Our website is: www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph Our email addresses are: editors@gadgetsmagazine.com.ph gadgetsmagazine@gmail.com

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All unsolicited manuscripts, illustrations and photos submitted must be accompanied by a stamped self-addressed envelope if they are to be returned. All rights reserved.

Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission from the publisher is prohibited. Every care is taken to ensure that the content of Gadgets is fully accurate; however, the publisher and printer assume no responsibility for the effects arising therefrom. Gadgets Magazine is a registered trademark of Great Minds Media Incorporated.

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PUBLISHER Maribelle Alba

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Armin Amio

MANAGING EDITOR John Nieves

LIFESTYLE EDITOR Michelle Callanta-Toledo

EDITOR-AT-LARGE Presy Alba

EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS Danee Torres M.R. Gavin CONTRIBUTORS Benjamin Arnold, Francis Tan, JC Ansis

Paolo Toledo, Steven Vea

SENIOR ART DIRECTOR Chad Villarmino

ART DIRECTOR Benjamin Arnold

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Maribelle Alba SALES & ADVERTISING MANAGER SENIOR ACCOUNTS EXECUTIVE ACCOUNTS EXECUTIVE ADVERTISING AGENTS

CIRCULATION OFFICER

CIRCULATION ASSISTANT

ACCOUNTING MANAGER HR OFFICER/EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT

Marisa Consuelo MJ Gonzales-Esteban Carol Agabin Bess Zamora, Val Villamar Lorie Bernardo Salvador Da, Jr. Tess Pascua Amy Christine Giray

LEGAL COUNSEL Alba Law Office

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February2011

editorsnote

contents

Volume 11 Number 8 • April 2011

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coverstory

THE CONNECTED TRAVELER Enjoy your vacation anywhere while being updated and connected.

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GPS—in car or mobile app?

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Leave the city without leaving anything behind.

April2011

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TAYO (Ten Accomplished Youth Organizations) launches “Revolutionaries.”

It’s definitely ON with HP’s “Everybody On.” Watch anything and everything you want—with Internet TV.

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photofeature

SUMMER SIZZLES WITH STEF PRESCOTT Stef Prescott sizzles our summer with her gadget fix and beach bod.

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February2011

contents

content Volume 11 Number 8 • April 2011

Tech

10 techparade Tickle your fancy by taking a peek into our Parade section

Mobility 38 40 42

24 gadgetslab The latest gadgets we reviewed to answer your growing needs

36 snapshots Find your perfect companion this summer

We take the Mazda CX 7 for a spin

A first look at the new Honda Jazz

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Mercedes-Benz celebrates innovation, mobility and 60 years in the Philippines

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Isuzu Alterra takes on a tougher road on an auto rally Know the Car of the Year next month

Lifestyle 66 lifestyleparade

Sizzle this summer with these super-hot items

72 beautylab Dance that weight away

46 apps Get what you need with just a click with these downloadables.

35 tablets

Music 76 listen

Rokit on your own home studio

Road trip possibilities are just endless

Bits&Bytes 78 profiles Emerson Network powers up with Rey Lugtu

80 events Preserving Filipino heritage— digitally.

48 websites APril2011

A new look at summer spots in the Visayas

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47 gaming Simply awesome Dragon Age 2 www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

74 featuredartist Anberlin takes us deeper into their music and their gadget must haves

77 cdreview Listen to Sky Sailing, Neon Trees, Anberlin and Nicki Minaj

82 newsbits&bytes The latest news on tech and lifestyle

88 buyersguide Shutterbugs will get a kick out of the comprehensive great buys list we put together.

Play it.

Charge it.

Share it.

Mix

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February2011

™

Digital Boombox for iPhone™ and iPod®

Shattering volume, perfect clarity and heavyweight bass, the Mix is the ultimate equipment for a night to remember. Let your friends jump in by connecting up to three different sound sources.

Octiv Mini

Octiv Duo

This small footprint speaker delivers great sound while charging your iPhone and iPod. Download the free Alarm Rock app for added functionality.

Discovering new music is part of the fun — and the [Octiv™ Duo/202] gives you new possibilities. Dock, charge and play two players at once, while shuffling all their tunes with the free Music Mix app.

Speaker System for iPhone® and iPod®

Dual Docking/Charging Speaker System For iPhone® & iPod®

Octiv Stage

Speaker and Charging Dock for iPad® Why hide your iPad in a dull black folder? Let it take a starring role with the Octiv Stage.

Altec Lansing speaker systems have formed the backbone of the sound systems in such world renowned places as The United Nations Building, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Disneyland and Disneyworld, New York's Lincoln Philharmonic Center and the Schubert Theatre, MGM's Grand Hotel, The Singapore National Stadium, and The Sydney Opera House, to name a few.

Today Altec Lansing speakers appear in myriad environments, addressing the wide array of needs for quality audio among diverse professional business people, musicians, families, students, music connoisseurs and gaming aficionados within their respective milieus.

contents

Altec Lansing's early technological developments in acoustical and electronic components have earned a place of prominence in sound reproduction few companies can match. The predominance of Altec's name over the years in sports stadiums, arenas, theatres, airports, auditoriums, churches, amusement parks and more recently on desktops within homes and at the workplace attest to this fact.

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Volume 11 Number 8 • April 2011

content

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February2011

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techparade

be up-to-date on the freshest gadgets to hit the market

ASUS EAH6990 VIDEOCARD

Gaming products aren’t exactly known for their subtlety, and the monstrous Asus EAH6990 is no exception. Patterned after AMD’s reference 6990, the Taiwan company’s version tweaks the performance of the already monstrous card by 1245 MHz for sheer gaming performance in the highest possible resolutions and with all effects and details turned up to maximum. This gargantuan video card is all about performance, and nothing else. If you’re a gamer with deep pockets, this should card be an automatic purchase.

ASUS K42F NOTEBOOK

Get a little bit of everything with the Asus K42F. Weighing in at a measly 5lbs. yet able to deliver fast, no compromise computing, the Asus K42F is your best bet when you need a solid performer. The sleek design gives it that distinctive modern vibe, while the latest Intel Core i processor gives you all the horsepower you need to power through your daily tasks, on and off the web. The 14-inch screen is big enough for most tasks, and when combined with the excellent Altec Lansing speakers with SRS audio boosting technology makes for enjoyable movie viewing.

ASUS Maximus IV Extreme MOTHERBOARD

April2011

Get ready for the next generation of extreme motherboards. The Asus Maximus IV Extreme is designed for the future of gaming. With support for the latest generation of Intel Core i7/i5/i3 processors in mind, the Asus Maximus IV Extreme delivers unparalleled performance for the truly discerning gamer. With a bevy of proprietary features like the ROG iDirect that allows you to tune your PC from your iPone or iPad and RC Bluetooth that connects to Bluetooth-enabled devices for the OC on the fly.

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April2011

techparade

techparad

Canon EOS 1100D DSLR CAMERA

Canon is injecting a spark of color into the dreary world of DSLRs with the EOS 1100D. Available in different colors including red, gray, brown and black, the EOS 1100D appeals to the funky and fun creative types who want a decent shooter—in different colors. The EOS 1100D is armed with a 12-megapixel CMOS sensor and Canon’s outstanding 9-point AF system. Combined with its excellent DIGIC 4 processor, users can expect fantastic pictures only Canon can deliver.

Php 31,950

Electrolux Air-conditioners Get some Hälsa—the Swedes’ unique brand of wellness—into your home with Electrolux’s newest air-conditioners.

SPLIT-TYPE

April2011

Electrolux’s new split-type air-conditioners help you escape the polluted air of the outdoors. It has an integrated Air Filtration System that eliminates dust and other harmful particles, ensuring that the air your family breathes is clean and pure. A Bio HEPA Filter traps very fine particles of airborne dust, bacteria, fungi and microbes then destroys the organisms by dissolving their cell walls with a biological enzyme. It also has a Plasma Air Purification Technology that cleanses the air of contaminants and impurities, reducing the incidence of allergies, asthma and even the common cold. And to give your room that extra burst of freshness, the split-type air conditioner even has Vitamin C technology. It releases nano particles of pure Vitamin C which help reduce stress, improve your skin and even inhibit bacteria and combat free radicals which cause cell damage.

Split-type • Php 20,000 to Php 33,000 Window-type • Php 9,000 to Php 20,000

WINDOW-TYPE 12

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April2011

techparade

techparad

Epson Ultra Portable EB-1700 Series PROJECTORS

When you think about slim gadgets, projectors aren’t usually the first things to pop into your mind. But Epson is defying conventions with their newest Ultra Portable EB-1700 series of projectors that combine a small base footprint with outstanding picture quality. The new projectors are only 44mm thin which is roughly the size of a AA battery standing up, yet is able to deliver class-leading brightness up to 3,000 lumens of white and color light output.

Epson EB-1750 • Php 57,000 Epson EB-1760W • Php 61,000 Epson EB-1770W • Php 68,000 Epson EB-1775W • Php 74,000

***special introductory prices until May 2011

Belkin Bluetooth MUSIC RECEIVER

A company known for its diverse and far-reaching products, Belkin brings you the Bluetooth music receiver that lets you play your iPod touch or iPhone music through your home stereo or stand-alone speakers—wirelessly.

Through the use of Bluetooth technology, an audio collection of mobile devices is available wirelessly. You’ll get stereo sound and the ability to control your playlist directly from your device from the comfort of your couch.

EB-1760W

Key features include Bluetooth v2.0 with EDR, transmits up to 33 feet away, remembers up to six paired devices and compatible with devices enabled with A2DP stereo Bluetooth technology.

Php 2,200

EB-1770W

EB-1775W

Brother Entrepreneur pro PR-1000 April2011

EMBROIDERY MACHINE

EB-1750 14

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For the intrepid entrepreneur, the Brother Entrepreneur pro PR-1000 is truly a “Perfect 10”—perfect for embroidery enthusiasts, hobbyists and crafters.

This home embroidery machine is great for home-based entrepreneurs or for anyone looking to step up their productivity and creativity. The result of more than 100 years of Brother innovation, the PR-1000 combines the best features of our best-in-class machines. Embrace the next dimension in embroidery as you experience optimum performance in the perfect multineedle machine for all your embroidery needs.

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April2011

techparade

techparad

Intermec 70 Series RUGGED MOBILE COMPUTER

Making lives easier for on-theroad workers, Intermec now has the 70 Series ultra-rugged mobile computers. Features include EA30 2D scan engine, third-generation EX25 near-far scan engine; industry-first 802.11n dual-band WLAN, six-foot drop spec across all temperatures, Gorilla glass touch panel and indestructible keypad technology, onboard diagnostics and device health monitoring. Recommended for field service, transportation, logistics, direct store delivery/ route accounting, parcel delivery, manufacturing and warehousing companies.

CN70 • Php 126,500 CN70e • Php 148,565 CK70 • Php 176,150 CK71 • Php 137,350

Transcend SSD18C3 PORTABLE SSD

The Transcend SSD18C3 portable solid state drive combines the benefits of USB 3.0 with all the performance and durability advantages of solid-state technology, providing unparalleled speed and stability that conventional portable hard drives cannot compete with. The SSD18C3 is a true SSD based on high-quality NAND flash memory. It includes an innovative device driver engineered to dramatically enhance USB transfer speeds.

64GB • $224 (~Php 9,856) 128GB • $448 (~Php 19,712)

KORG microKEY

USB-POWERED KEYBOARD The microKEY is slim, lightweight, USB-powered and compatible with all of your computer music software. Features include: USB MIDI keyboard,37 velocitysensitive mini keys, comfortable and easy-to-play natural-touch keyboard, octave shift and key transpose features access the full MIDI note range, pitch bend and modulation wheels add expression to your performance. A “Korg Kontrol Editor” software can be downloaded for free so you can customize the microKEY to your own production or performance system.

April2011

Php 4,888

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Starting out as a two-person operation hand-building speaker system for local requirements in Oklahoma in 1973, Kicker made its mark in the car audio market when it introduced the first full-frequency-range speaker box designed specifically for cars and trucks.

IK150

April2011

Kicker Performance Audio

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Building on its success as car audio innovators, Kicker is now entering the personal audio market with a range of digital docking systems and highperformance headphones that produce the detailed highs, smooth midrange and legendary bass response for which Kicker is known.

KICKER IK150 DIGITAL DOCKING SYSTEM WITH ALARM Designed for the iPod and iPhone, this digital docking system is also a table radio with alarm clock, making it a perfect bedside companion. The iK150’s exclusive Tuned-Port Enclosure provides enhanced bass response and signature Legendary Kicker Bass. Speaker design is two-way, full-range 10-watt woofers with a powerful integrated amplifier. The built-in dock is certified for 4th-generation or newer iPods and iPhones, while an auxiliary input jack connects other music players.

A built-in AM/FM tuner can be preset to 12 stations, while the clock features a dual alarm and sleep timer. An internal power back-up saves all settings in case of power failure.

EB91M

Php 7,990 KICKER EB91M IN-EAR STEREO HEADSET WITH MICROPHONE One-third smaller than standard in-ear headsets, its Comfort-MicroFit aluminum housing makes the Kicker EB91M one of the most lightweight and comfortable monitors in the market. Cables are wrapped in black braided cloth for durability. Also included in the package are four sizes of silicone tips to ensure comfort. An in-line microphone allows the EB91M to be used with the iPhone, as well Blackberry and other smart phones. A multifunction button provides calling and listening convenience.

EB141

Php 1,990 KICKER EB141 IN-EAR STEREO HEADSET This advanced full-range in-ear monitor features a large speaker diaphragm for ultimate aural clarity and full-bodied sound. Users may choose from three sizes of noise-isolating silicone tips or a set of memory foam tips. The fourfoot long ultra-Gauge cable is covered in woven-cloth, while the 3.55mm plug is nickel-plated to be corrosion-resistant.

Php 2,490 KICKER HP541 DJ-STYLE HEADPHONES

Php 2,990 HP541 Kicker home and personal performance audio products may be purchased through Gadgets Magazine.

techparade

These DJ-style headphones feature over-the-ear, full-swivel ear cups with dynamic, full-range audio and life-like vocals. Interchangeable cables give the HP541 versatility for use with either iPhone or other music players using the 4-ft cable, or at the studio with an 11.5-ft cable. In addition to the corrosion-resistant nickel-plated 3.55mm plug, the package also comes with a removable, gold-plated ¼” stereo adapter.

techparad

MiLi Charger Station & Power King

MILI CHARGER STATION

POWER KING

There’s one cruel truth to all the portable gadgets that we own and use—sooner or later, they will all run out of juice. Thankfully, there are companies like MiLi that make charging your beloved gadgets a bit easier. The MiLi Charger Station is a convenient multipurpose charger that can charge multiple devices at once, including your iPhone, iPod, iPad and mobile phone. It’s extremely handy when you’re taking all of your gadgets with you and don’t want to bring multiple chargers. The MiLi Power King is an external power bank that charges your gadgets without the need for an external power source. Think of it as a homebase for your gadgets— you charge up the Power King at home, and take it with you. As soon as any of your gadgets start to lose their juice, you can hook them up to the Power King and once they’re fully charged, the fun resumes.

Great for long trips, especially in areas without reliable power.

L120

Nikon Coolpix L120 & L23 DIGITAL CAMERAS

Before heading out of town for your vacation, you might want to consider giving your digital camera an upgrade. Nikon’s latest offerings, the L120 and the L23 have everything you’d ever want in a camera – easy to use controls, powerful zoom and impressive picture quality.

L120 The Coolpix L120 is an impressive shooter, thanks mainly to its 21X optical zoom Nikkor lens that covers a broad range of focal lengths from wide-angle 25mm through super-telephoto 525mm (35mm format equivalent). The 3-inch, 921k-dot (VGA) TFT LCD monitor with wide viewing angle makes it easier to review pictures you’ve taken. Battery endurance isn’t much of an issue with the L120—it’s capable of capturing approximately 330 still images or roughly three hours and five minutes of HD movies with stereo sound using the supplied AA alkaline batteries.

Php 15,999

April2011

L23

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If you’re looking for simple, no frills photography, you shouldn’t look further than the Coolpix L23. With an effective pixel count of 10.1-million pixels, a built-in 5x optical zoom Nikkor lens, and the easy auto shooting mode, even rank amateurs will be able to grab impressive pictures and videos of their summer getaway.

Php 4,699

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L23

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LG Appliances HS-09IV

WD-1403RD

April2011

GR-P267FSN

Most people don’t really associate kitchen appliances with hightechnology. South Korean manufacturer LG is out to prove you wrong as it unveils new kitchen appliances that saves power and improves the quality of your life.

The new core technologies for these appliances, like the high-efficiency inverter, inverter direct drive and linear compressor technologies give customers better energy efficiency and performance than other appliances. Like the HS-09IV, a highly power efficient split-type air-conditioner that’s also able to protect consumers from allergens and viruses like the A(H1N1).

Another great product that uses the new core technologies from LG is the GR-P267FSN refrigerator that gives you outstanding performance with its energy saving inverter linear compressor. Finally, you can rest assured that your clothes are in good hands with the WD-1403RD washing machine with direct drive technology that cuts noise levels to just 54dB and reduces energy use up to 25 percent.

Dell S300wi

INTERACTIVE PROJECTOR If you're looking for a portable alternative to an interactive whiteboard, consider Dell's S300WI. It has some excellent features—3D-capable, USB plug and play, USB viewer, PTG converter and closed captioning. An interactive projection software bundled with an interactive pen allows you and audience members to interact with presentations from any point within 30 feet of the screen while the INTERWRITEWORKSPACE function lets you interact with any form of digital content, using more than 4,000 teaching resources and over 600 interactive lessons. An alternative to the interactive whiteboard, it works on virtually any surface, as well as, off surface. Engage your audience by introducing more fun and interactivity into your classrooms and meeting rooms.

techparade

techparad

Hisense Headsets

Hisense has come out with headsets that might have been developed with the two-mobile-phone-carrying Pinoys in mind. The HB200M and HB200S allow multipoint connections, meaning the device can connect to two mobile phones at the same time, even with different service providers.

HB200M SLIM

HB200M MINI

HB200M MINI BLUETOOTH MONO HEADSET You can pair this headset with two active mobiles, all at the same time, although it can remember at least six more numbers. Other features include auto power off, magnetic clip attachment, optional ear hook and interchangeable ear bud.

Php 1,950

HB400C

HB200M SLIM BLUETOOTH MONO HEADSET It basically has the same features as the “mini,” with a longer and slimmer form factor.

Php 1,950 HB400C BLUETOOTH STEREO HEADSET

HB420S

For music lovers, this pair of stereo headsets allows A2DP wireless streaming for call and music while on the go. You can even activate your music wirelessly with its advanced AVRC profile technology.

Six hours of play and talk time and 160 hours of standby time is guaranteed.

Php 2,950 HB420S Runners and other sports enthusiasts will like Hisense’s HB420S sport stereo headsets. It has a behind-theneck design so the device will not be a bother while you run or play.

Php 3,450

April2011

HB440H

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This professional-looking Hi-Fi stereo headset offers over-the-top sound quality for those who really value their music. But you can still answer mobile phone calls with it.

Php 3,950

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HB440H

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Toshiba NB520 NETBOOK

April2011

Enjoy your music and movies with your laptop and you wouldn’t need to take a separate speaker with your netbook. With the new Toshiba NB520, it has 2 built-in 2 x 2 watt Harman Kardon stereo speakers that lets you play music through it without even turning on the netbook. With its 10.1 inch truBrite display, you could have 720px hd playback and 10-hour battery life which makes it perfect for watching videos and listening to music. It’s as thin as 17mm and is packed with your file transfer needs via Bluetooth and the integrated SD card reader. Its performance is speedy with Intel Atom N550 processor, 2GB DDR3 memory and 250GB Hard Disk Drive. Toshiba NB520 comes in orange, green, turquoise and brown.

JVC Everio GZ-HM650 CAMCORDER

Catch your summer antics in high definition with the JVC Everio GZ-HM650.

This handy little pocket camcorder is small, light and easily concealable, yet has the ability to capture videos in HD for you to enjoy. Loaded with 8GB of internal Flash memory and an SDXC card slot, 40x optical zoom, Advanced Image Stabilizer, and 2.7" "Frameless" Touch Panel LCD for easy and smooth operation, it makes taking HD videos quick and easy.

techparade

techparad

C SERIES

Sony Vaio Series C SERIES Be bold and vivid with the new Vaio C series. Available in neon orange, neon green, pink black and white, you will surely get noticed by your peers and colleagues during presentations. The C series is made of high-tech light-emitting materials that gives this netbook its yummy neon colors. High-performance and delightfully entertaining, the C series has all the bells and whistles you will ever want in a computer.

Php 69,999 E SERIES Express your individuality with the Vaio E series. This daily PC workhorse is powerful yet stylish that can easily be at home from the college halls to the business boardrooms.

Its one-click web access allows easy connectivity to the World Wide Web. Available in pink, black and white.

E SERIES

Php 44,999 Y SERIES

Y SERIES

Who says netbooks are for the lame?

For less than Php30,000, you get the Sony Y series that comes with powerful features found mostly in notebooks—power graphics with premium and powerful design.

Comes in silver, pink and green hues.

Php29,999 S SERIES Thin and lightweight, the S series is every mobile warrior’s dream notebook. Prestige, power, design and mobility are melded into one fantastic-looking machine.

Php 69,999 VAIO F SERIES

April2011

Sony’s answer to the 3D bandwagon, the F series is practically an artwork with the best 3D quality technology can offer. Did we say you can covert 2D material to 3D using a single button?

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Php 149,999 F SERIES

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S SERIES

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April2011

techparade

gadgetslab

tried and tested to find out what’s hot and what’s not

HTC DESIRE HD SMARTPHONE

Blazing fast smartphone

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April2011

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SAMSUNG GALAXY MINI SMARTPHONE Android on a budget

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PHILIPS BLADE 234CL2SB LED MONITOR Uniquely thin

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ASUS HD EAH6970 VIDEOCARD Gaming must-have

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SMARTPHONE

By Michelle Callanta-Toledo

SPECIFICATIONS: FORM FACTOR: QWERTY Candybar DISPLAY: 320 x 240 pixels PHYSICAL DIMENSION: 119.4 x 59.8 x 14.3 mm WEIGHT: (with battery) 107.5 g BAND: Quad-band GSM 850/900/1800/1900 INTERNAL MEMORY: Combo 128 MB/64 MB; MicroSD memory card slot up to 8GB PRICE: Php 5,000

April2011

NOKIA X2-01

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WHAT’S HOT: • Light and stylish design • One-click access to features and apps WHAT’S NOT: • VGA camera • No WiFi capability BOTTOMLINE: A smartphone for beginners, the Nokia X2-01 gives you just what you need without breaking the bank.

BUY METER

7.8

/10

I may be able to type without looking at a laptop keyboard but QWERTY phones are a different story. I knew the Nokia X2-01 would pose a bit of a challenge for me and my long nails. But then again, who was I to resist such a slim and sleek-looking phone with a high-gloss finish on the front and a red (or azure, gray, silver, and lilac) matte, smudgefree finish at the back? also add shortcuts to your favorite contacts, social communities and apps onto your home screen for an easier and more personal experience. And with the Nokia Ovi Store, you can personalize as well as customize your X2-01 for free.

However, for a smartphone that’s going against a lot of others in the market, the Nokia X2-01 may seem sub-par especially to those familiar with what competition can offer. It may give off a lovely first impression but you may also begin to see some not-so-attractive

qualities such as the flimsy plastic-ky back cover, VGA camera at the back, and yes, a tightly spaced QWERTY keyboard, (the kind that makes typing a chore despite the simple iconic designs and symbol placements.) This phone also doesn’t include WiFi connectivity which really just dampens its potential to become a truly smart smartphone.

Yet for its price (Php 5,000), you still get a fairly decent smartphone that can keep you mobile and in-touch with friends through social networks plus a

battery that can last a good 1½ to two days with normal use. It will also keep you entertained with music downloads, not to mention, the one-click access to songs as well as your choice FM radio station. One-click access also applies to your email, chat, and social networks.

But if you’re like me, who simply likes to talk and text with their phone, the Nokia X2-01 is a luxurious choice. Calls were clear and loud while the QWERTY keyboard became easier to use with time.

gadgetslab

Its minimalist design also includes the battery charger and 3.5mm headphone jack on top, USB and microSD card slot on the right side and a rather small battery and SIM card slot just behind the back cover. And if you’re already familiar with Nokia’s usual buttons and icons, then using the X2-01 will be a breeze.

Of course now, this phone allows for a much brighter screen and more intuitive icons. You can view photos and web pages on a wide 2.4-inch color display as well as customize your phone by changing themes and icons. You can

gadgetsla

SAMSUNG GALAXY MINI S5570 SMARTPHONE

By JC Ansis

SPECIFICATIONS: FORM FACTOR: Candy bar DIMENSION: 110.4 x 60.8 x 12.1 mm SCREEN: 3.1” TFT capacitive touchscreen, 240x320 pixels PROCESSOR: 600 MHz processor CAMERA: 3.15 MP, 2048x1536 pixels CONNECTIVITY: GPRS, EDGE, 3G HSDPA, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth OS: Android 2.2 Froyo, TouchWiz 3.0 UI PRICE: Php 10,690 WHAT’S HOT: • Loaded with Froyo and TouchWiz UI • Basket-full of apps available on Android Market • Fast and responsive • Compact and decent for your onthe-go experiences • Cheap!

WHAT’S NOT: • Poor resolution • Average camera BOTTOMLINE: Generally, the Samsung Galaxy Mini is a good choice for people who are looking for an easy-on-the-budget Android phone.

BUY METER

8.7

/10

Are you looking to migrate to an Android phone but unsure of which one to buy? No need to press that panic button. I recommend you test the waters with the Samsung Galaxy Mini S5570.

April2011

The phone’s compact appearance and construction will never take you by surprise. It does however look like a Samsung Galaxy S that took a downsizing pill. It weighs 105g and it’s got an all-plastic-but-doesn’t-feel-cheap build quality. The case feels all right to the touch, especially with the dotted pattern at the back and the green plastic bordering the phone was nicely metallic.

It measures 110.4 x 60.8 x 12.1 mm and could hide in a pocket all day.

Positioned in front are the usual three buttons of Samsung Androids—menu, home and back—which are easy to hit no matter your digits’ size. Located on the right are the power/lock key and the microSD card slot while the volume rocker is situated on the opposite side.

The 3.5mm headphone jack and the USB port are placed on top, protected by a flap.

The Samsung Galaxy comes equipped with a 3.1-inch capacitive touchscreen.

However the display is only QVGA with a

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resolution of 240x320 pixels. Under the hood lies plenty of processing power.

The Samsung Galaxy Mini rocks a peppy 600MHz processor, powerful enough to guarantee a stable performance. Its got 384 MB RAM and has a 160 MB internal storage.

In terms of software, it’s good to see the Samsung Galaxy Mini came with Android 2.2 Froyo. Indeed, almost all apps that you’ll see on the device are stock Android, which is not a bad thing.

The phone also has TouchWiz 3.0 UI to optimize user interface. The combination of a touchscreen OS on a small display isn’t exactly the best experience, but the S5570 handles it quite well.

The Samsung Galaxy Mini’s homescreen allows you to have multiple pages for widgets, shortcuts and folders while the main menu is divided into pages to enable easier app browsing. You can seamlessly sign into your Google account, sync your mail and contacts, download apps from the Android

Marketplace and enjoy all the rest of the Android functionalities without any hassle. And knowing this phone might end up in pockets of many youngsters, social networking integration isn’t a problem. Samsung’s Social Hub lets you follow updates from Facebook, MySpace and Twitter through the dedicated widgets.

For connectivity, the device has WiFi, Bluetooth, GPRS, EDGE and HSDPA. It also has a GPS transceiver with A-GPS support and Google Maps. The device comes with one of the best mobile web browsers and the phone’s multitouchenabled screen allows pinch-to-zoom gestures. Sadly, it doesn’t support Flash.

Messaging has always been a strong part of the Android platform, and the QWERTY keyboard doesn’t disappoint for a handset with a 3.1-inch screen. The keys aren’t really big enough, but they are nicely laid out.

Multimedia-wise, the Samsung Galaxy

Mini carries a 3.15-megapixel camera that has no flash or autofocus support.

The quality of photos taken from the snapper is strictly average, sufficient for casual shots. It can also record QVGA videos at 15 FPS. For your music needs, the phone is outfitted with an FM radio and the standard Android music player that should be able to read any MP3, AAC, AAC+ or eAAC+ audio files.

The phone’s standard 1200 mAh Li-ion battery should be good to last for about 1.5 days, despite being connected to the WiFi most of the time.

The Samsung Galaxy Mini is priced at around Php 10,690 which, in my opinion, is fairly cheap for a device that can give you a fruitful mobile experience. It’s snappy and feature-rich thanks to Android 2.2 Froyo. Flaunting a youthful design, this Android mobile targets smartphone rookies and immature techies. Indeed, the Samsung Galaxy Mini is everything you need in a small package.

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INTERCHANGEABLE LENS CAMERA

By Steven Vea

SPECIFICATIONS: DIMENSIONS: 120.5 x 71 x 34.5 mm WEIGHT: 282 g SENSOR: APS-C (CMOS) PIXELS: 14.6 million effective pixels DISPLAY: 3.0” VGA AMOLED display LENSES: Samsung NX mount lenses MOVIE MODE: 720p HD, H.264 compression STORAGE: SD/SDHC BATTERY LIFE: 210min (stills), 130min (movie) EXTERNAL FLASH: Hot shoe SENSITIVITY: ISO 100-3200; (6400 extension settable) MODES: 13 scene modes, 8 exposure modes

April2011

SAMSUNG NX100

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WHAT’S HOT: • Excellent display • Great image quality • Unique iFunction lens WHAT’S NOT: • No built-in flash BOTTOMLINE: The Samsung NX100 is an excellent option to upgrade from a pointand-shoot. Not only is it a beautiful camera, but it performs brilliantly as well. It is a definite must-have for the amateur photographer or enthusiast.

BUY METER

8.5

/10

Samsung has been quite impressive with its recent product line, and its newest interchangeable lens camera, the NX100, is no exception. It is the perfect camera for the amateur wanting to take a small step towards a professional DSLR while still retaining the familiar feel and ease of a point-and-shoot.

The NX100 has a very neat and minimalist technical layout, and users will quickly find their way around the controls. What makes the NX100 unique is the introduction of the iFunction lens, which allows settings to be changed (ISO, aperture, etc.) with a simple turn of the focusing ring. In theory, this intuitive design allows adjustments

to be made without removing your hands from the shooting position.

While those migrating from point-andshoots will find this to be useful, those more acquainted with a DSLR might not. Granted, while the iFunction is an ingenious idea, it might prove to be more of a novelty than an invaluable tool.

The NX100’s best characteristic is the gorgeous 3-inch AMOLED display.

Utilizing the same technology found in LCD TVs, Samsung surpasses its competition in this category. Images are vivid and crisp and surprisingly don’t drain the battery.

The lack of a built-in flash might turn away a fair amount of would-be buyers, but a flash is available as a separate

accessory and can be connected via hot shoe on the top of the NX100. The maximum ISO does reach up to 3200 and with the maximum aperture of the standard kit lens at f3.5, expect to shoot mostly in the daytime or in places with generous light sources. For low-light situations, an upgrade to the 30mm f2.0 lens provides an alternative solution as opposed to purchasing the flash.

On that note, Samsung’s 20-50mm f3.5-5.6 kit lens is a solid performer and provides the average user with a good amount of focal length to work with, eliminating the dire need to upgrade immediately. The sweet spot of the zoom lens is more inclined towards the wider end, and the bokeh produced at various focal lengths are quite stunning.

The AF is fairly quick and accurate,

especially when light is abundant.

Manual focusing is a breeze as well but the lack of image stabilization may require multiple shots to get it right, or one might resort to carrying a compact tripod.

So how does it shoot? Quite excellently.

Not only can users shoot stills of up to 14 megapixels but they can record 720p of video as well. The variety of quality lenses available ensures that users can achieve high quality results and cultivate their creativity at the same time. Images taken with the NX100 are sharp and vibrant with just the right amount of saturation.

In conclusion, the Samsung NX100 is an excellent camera despite its lack of a built-in flash and image stabilization.

gadgetslab

Out of the box, the NX100 will definitely grab your attention. With a monolithic, yet curved design that’s very sleek, it’s a throwback to the classic rangefinders and analog toy cameras. The camera build is solid, as to be expected with Samsung, but it is slightly heavier than most point-and-shoots. Nevertheless, the NX100 is significantly more compact than a prosumer DSLR and boasts very similar features.

gadgetsla

CARNAVI ECO 300 PERSONAL NAVIGATION SYSTEM

By Paolo Toledo

SPECIFICATIONS: SCREEN: 3.5inch Touch TFT LCD Screen (with flat touch panel) CPU: SIRF Atlas III GPS, 400MHz MULTIMEDIA: MP3, Video, eBook reader INTERNAL MEMORY: 64MB EXTERNAL MEMORY: SD card (up to 16GB) RECHARGEABLE LI-POLYMER BATTERY: 3.7V/1000mAh DIMENSIONS: 102mm x 79mm x 16mm WEIGHT: 149g CONNECTIVITY: USB 2.0 Interface WHAT’S HOT: • Compact size • Detailed and complete maps • Thousands of pre-determined points of interest • Easy to use and very helpful • Night mode function WHAT’S NOT: • Weak battery life (if not plugged) • Cramped display • Inaccurate manual address search BOTTOMLINE: The carNAVi ECO 300 GPS Navigation System is a high-performance local GPS assistant that fuses a userfriendly experience, compact size, and detailed pre-loaded maps that make traveling in and out of the city, a lot less worrisome. It’s almost a must for your every day city driving, or out of town roadtrips.

BUY METER

8.8

/10

April2011

Given the every day state of traffic and “road makeovers” we get in the Philippines, it’s quite surprising that GPS navigation has yet to be a staple and heavily-used tool in our ways of life. But fortunately, Global Positioning Systems and their devices are slowly creeping into our consciousness—as well as our cars—in recent years.

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Enter the locally-branded carNAVi ECO 300 GPS Navigation System; a compact, friendly, and easily portable travel assistant for the daily on-the-go individual. Basically, this device shows a detailed road map of the country, its major streets and cities, with thousands of landmarks and “points of interest”, all to help you find the best way to any destination. It also serves as an entertainment data hub for music, videos, photos, ebooks and other media.

It’s a full touchscreen, talking, and traveling multimedia wonder that can www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

even speak Tagalog in three different voices.

Giving the carNAVi a run was easy and definitely exciting since I spend almost half of my day in the car, clawing my way through congested avenues and side streets all over the metro. And as luck would have it, I even had a long roadtrip to and from Pangasinan during the test period, which gave me a broader (and longer) testing experience.

Generally speaking, I was very much satisfied with the ECO 300’s performance

and would even go out to say that I am now an avid supporter of local GPS navigation technology.

but this doesn’t seem to be a huge bother once you get used to working the interface.

Holding the carNAVi ECO 300 in your palm, its compact size immediately points to an advantage. The 3.5-inch TFT LCD touchscreen offers minimal obstruction to your vision, and it can also fit snugly in your pocket if you choose to carry it around. Of course, the small display size means a cramped and tiny map view, requiring you to zoom in several times for a cleaner picture,

Setting up the ECO 300 is easy and fast. Simply assemble the arm mount, stick the suction cup on your preferred surface in the vehicle, plug it into the lighter power source (you can also opt to charge it via USB), and power up the device. The home screen is clean and simple, with the major functions shown as tiles for Navigation, Bluetooth, media Player, Ebook viewer, Photo, and System

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ASUS HD EAH6970

VIDEOCARD

Taking the multimedia functions aside (they pretty much work to standard), the operation of the ECO 300 is focused mainly on Navigation. Selecting this function automatically triggers the device to triangulate your position and pinpoint where you are on its map. The map orientation itself is nothing new and is not that difficult to comprehend if you are used to looking a Goggle Earth’s road maps. Locating your position did take quite a while at times, particularly when on the move and when there are obstacles blocking a direct path to the sky.

By John Nieves

BUY METER

8.8

Overall, the carNAVi ECO 300 GPS Navigation System is a very useful travel buddy. Easy to use, detailed, and complete, the advantages it gives in driving in and out of Manila outweigh all the small gripes and nuances. GPS is definitely here, and it’s set to take over our streets.

/10

Last month, we were fortunate to review the ASUS HD EAH6950, one of AMD’s newest high-end GPUs aimed at hardcore gamers and enthusiasts. This month, we’re reviewing its faster and beefier sibling, the ASUS HD EAH6970. Based on AMD’s Cayman platform, the 6970 is the firm’s fastest single GPU solution to date. It generates about 2.7 TFLOPS of computing power, courtesy of a core that runs at 880MHz. Not one to sit idly by, ASUS has taken AMD’s latest flagship offering by adding a bit of oomph by overclocking it right from the factory floor to 890MHz. The overall design of the card is identical to the HD EAH6850. The clean, straight lines combined with the tasteful red stripes gave the card a very utilitarian look. The card uses a 6- and 8-pin PCIe power input in line with the reference design, along with a twin DVI-D, mini DisplayPort and HDMI output. The box contents are disappointingly sparse, with only a power adapter, Crossfire Bridge and driver software included.

You’d think Asus would throw in a display adapter or two into the mix, or a free game at least—considering this particular card isn’t cheap.

The card is a bit hefty, thanks mostly to the cooling and ventilation built into the card. As always, you’ll want to clear space in your rig before trying to fit this particular monster inside it. As always, I’m using two apps to gauge the card’s performance: Futuremark’s

3D Mark Vantage and Unigine Heaven.

To evaluate real world performance, I use DICE’s multiplayer extravaganza Battlefield Bad Company 2 and Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit with the aid of Fraps, a program that counts and averages the framerates of games.

I ran Unigine’s Heaven benchmark with the highest settings selected—1920 x 1200 resolution, maximum anti-aliasing, max everything. The Asus HD EAH6970 gave an impressive final score of 987, with the average FPS hovering at around 39.2. 3DMark Vantage paints the same picture, with the settings cranked up on max and the resolution set at 1920 x 1200 resolution, the card scored an excellent 11277, with the extreme preset, with an average of 35.44 FPS on first GPU test and 30.55 FPS average on second.

Benchmarks are good, but nothing can replace real game performance, so I loaded up two of the usual gaming suspects—EA’s multiplayer hit Battlefield Bad Company 2, and Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit. The numbers back up the benchmark results: Battlefield Bad Company 2 posted a buttery smooth 54 FPS with the resolution set to 1920 x 1200 and with everything set to maximum. It was pretty much the same story for Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit—52 FPS with the resolution set to 1920 x 1200 and effects all set to maximum.

If you want the Asus HD EAH6970, be prepared to shell out big bucks for it.

The card is available through special order only, and gauging by its price in foreign markets, it’s going to cost about €300 or about Php18,325.

gadgetslab

But among all the navigation options, I found that the best way to find a destination is through the menu of POIs or your own Waypoints, rather than doing a manual Address search which could be quite frustrating. Using the list of pre-determined POIs is extensive and complete enough for use, and even though the maps may not have the newest landmarks, road changes, and routes, updates can be downloaded and stored on the SD card via the carNAVi website.

WHAT’S NOT: • A little thin on freebies • Pricey BOTTOMLINE: A bit expensive and lacking in freebies, but other than that the ASUS HD6970EAH is a solid performer where it counts.

From this point, you can choose to find your destination via several methods: Address, Points of Interest (POI), Waypoints (user-created POIs), History, Favorites, and Next (by coordinates).

Once a destination is set, the device calculates and gives you an accurate route to take, with alternatives in the event that you deviate from the original route, all while tracking your location as you move along. However, don’t count on it to know all the sneaky shortcuts and tricks to beat traffic because it does not give live traffic updates or road status.

Nevertheless, all these options made finding a destination quick, painless, and rather precise. This held true not just for within city limits, but also for my trip from Manila to Pangasinan where I keyed in “Alaminos” and got the right route to get there, along with all the POIs on the way (i.e. gas stations, malls, parks, churches, etc). A menu of voices and languages can be selected to prompt you with directions and alert you of any alternate routes available.

WHAT’S HOT: • Excellent performance • Good TDP (thermal design power)

April2011

options. Touch response of the screen is decent, although it tends to lag at times especially during GPS triangulation in Navigation mode.

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gadgetsla

PALIT GTX560 TI SONIC Videocard

By John Nieves

WHAT’S HOT: • Good TDP and power to watt ratio • Excellent performance • Overclocked out of the box WHAT’S NOT: • You are limited to using only 2 monitors on 1 card.

BOTTOMLINE: If you fancy upgrading your GPU and aren’t a fan of the red camp, the Palit GTX560Ti Sonic might just be the answer.

BUY METER

8.8

/10

April2011

While high-end cards like the GTX580 and the 6990 steal the spotlight when it comes to drool factor, mid- to highend cards that retail under the $300 mark (about Php 13,200) have always been the battleground where the two GPU rivals, Nvidia and AMD fought for dominance. The phrase “price to performance” is the main buzzword in this particular arena, and Nvidia is bringing out the big guns in the form of the GTX560 Ti. The Palit GTX560 Ti Sonic is based on the reference Nvidia GTX560 Ti, and while it doesn’t have new features that we haven’t seen before, its performance as far as the power-to-watt ratio is concerned, is still superior to its predecessor, the GTX460.

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Based on Nvidia’s Fermi line, the GTX560 Ti uses the new GF114 chip that’s virtually identical to the previous chip that was used with the GTX460, the GF 104, with an important change—all of the 384 CUDA cores are enabled and it uses the same enhancements from the extremely power-efficient GF110. The reference clock speed for the GTX560 Ti is 823MHz, but the Palit GTX560 Ti Sonic runs at 900MHz, which is indicative that this particular model is factory overclocked out of the box. The memory clock has been increased as well—up to 1050MHz from the reference design of 1002MHz. www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

The overall design of the card detracts from the standard reference design by using a custom cooling solution comprised of two fans and a heat sink that uses three heat pipes to take away the heat from the GPU core to the fins of the sinks. The card uses two 6-pin PCIe power connectors, and will use up two slots worth of space on your motherboard. Output options include a two DVI ports, one analog port and one HDMI port.

To gauge the Palit GTX560 Ti’s raw performance numbers, I used Unigine’s tried and true Heaven 2.0 benchmark,

along with a few games in my library, including Battlefield Bad Company 2 and Dawn of War 2. Actual game performance will be measured by Fraps, a screen-grab utility that can also determine the average frame rate of a PC game.

and the resolution on 1920 x 1200 for the duration of my playthrough. Dawn of War 2 posted excellent numbers as well, registering a high FPS count of 90, again running on the same configuration as Battlefield Bad Company 2 (1920 x 1200, high settings).

I ran Heaven 2.0 benchmark with all the settings on full and with the resolution on 1920 x 1200, and the Palit GTX560Ti Sonic managed to nab a nice average FPS of 32.3 It was pretty much the same story for real-world gaming, with the Palit GTX560Ti Sonic nailing an average FPS of 50 with the settings on high

Probably the only drawback of this card (and all of the cards in the 500 series) is the multi-screen limitation. You are fixed to just using two monitors in any one card, so if you want a triplescreen setup, you’d need a second card connected via SLI.

www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

LASER MONOCHROME PRINTER

By John Nieves

SPECIFICATIONS: PRINTING OUTPUT: Grayscale PRINT METHOD: Laser INPUT PAPER CAPACITY: 250 sheets OUTPUT PAPER CAPACITY: 150 sheets MAXIMUM PRINT RESOLUTION (GRAYSCALE): 1200 x 1200 dpi PRINT SPEED: 35 ppm CONNECTIVITY: Ethernet, USB, LPT DIMENSIONS (WXHXD): 16.79 in x 10.45 in x 14.57 in WEIGHT: 498.4 oz

April2011

DELL 2330DN

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WHAT’S HOT: • Prints documents and reports fast • Can be networked, has printer management software WHAT’S NOT: • Extremely large and bulky • Single feed tray jams the printer when paper isn’t positioned exactly BOTTOMLINE: It might be big, bulky and a bit temperamental, but the Dell 2330dn prints quickly and cheaply.

BUY METER

8.2

/10

Out of the gate, the 2330dn doesn’t shy away from its corporate roots. The unit is big, boxy and its design is purely utilitarian. There isn’t getting away from the primary function of this bulky appliance­—it’s made to print documents as fast as possible with as little ink as possible. The toner is accessed by flipping the front open and pushing a button on the right side of the unit. The 2330dn has a 250 sheet paper drawer located on the bottom plus another 50-sheet multipurpose tray. It’s also

able to take an optional 550 sheet drawer for more paper capacity. There’s a rudimentary LCD display panel on the top right side of the device that allows you to manage the printer easily, and to tell you about paper jams as they happen.

The 2330dn is also able to connect to your existing office or home network, making it the focal point of your printing needs. There’s a USB port for direct USB printing and surprise, surprise—a parallel

port, I guess for connecting legacy devices. The installation software also includes a web management tool that allows network admins to monitor and manage the 2330dn once it’s connected to your network.

Performance is pretty much what you’d expect from a printer such as this. Print speeds were in the 7 ppm range, starting from when you clicked your mouse to the finished output. The printer is also capable of double sided

prints, or duplex printing, which is great for SMBs that are looking to save on paper on reports and documents. The only issues I had with the printer is its overall bulk—you’re definitely going to need a dedicated station or space for this thing, as its going to eat up a lot of desk real-estate if you put it on your desk. The single sheet feeder also has a nasty habit of jamming the printer when the paper isn’t positioned properly on it.

gadgetslab

With so many integrated printing solutions out there, is there still a demand for stand-alone printers? Of course there is. While the purchase of multifunction printers might be the first choice for most people and consumers, the low cost of printing, high speed output and reliability provided by stand-alone laser printers are enough of a reason for home offices and SMBs to invest in one. The Dell 2330dn is one such printer.

gadgetsla

HTC DESIRE HD SMARTPHONE

By John Nieves

SPECIFICATIONS: FORM FACTOR: Candy Bar DISPLAY: 480 x 800 pixels PHYSICAL DIMENSIONS: 123 x 68 x 11.8 mm WEIGHT: 164g (with battery) BAND: GSM 850/900/1800/1900 HSPA/WCDMA 900/2100 Mhz MEMORY: 1.5GB; 768 RAM WHAT’S HOT: • Unibody construction and design • Large screen • HTC Sense 2.0 • Fast response time WHAT’S NOT: • Battery life is a bit wanting BOTTOMLINE: If you can look past the so-so battery life, the HTC Desire HD is one of the best Android devices currently out in the market today.

BUY METER

9.4

/10

April2011

Google’s Android OS is really in full swing this year, and we’ve managed to catch one of the hottest devices to utilize it. The HTC Desire HD is everything you’d ever want in a smartphone, with all the features you’ve come to expect from the company’s flagship device—and then some.

Let’s get this out of the way right now— the HTC Desire HD is just gorgeous. A huge chunk of its body is made from a single block of aluminum, which definitely gives it that nice, premium feel. The 4.3-inch capacitive feels screen is fast and responsive, and is a joy to browse the web and watch video clips on. Like most Android devices, there are four keys on the bottom on the unit—home, menu, back and search. The volume rocker is located on the right side of the unit. The USB port, which doubles as the charging port, is on the bottom along with the 3.5mm audio jack. The top of the Desire HD holds the power button. Imaging-wise, the Desire HD has an 8 megapixel camera that’s capable of taking pictures at 3264x2448 pixels and is equipped with autofocus and dual-LED flash.

The Desire HD is definitely heftier than

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the regular smartphones out there, primarily because of the large screen.

But even though it’s slightly larger than the norm (it measures in at 123 x 68 x 11.8 mm), the overall size and weight isn’t overwhelming and the screen is still easy to manipulate using your thumb. Because of its unibody design, the battery, memory and SIM card are all inserted in a certain way. You have to take out a plastic cover on the right side of the device to put in the battery.

The SIM card and memory are slid in the same way, only this time you do it through the bottom.

The Desire HD ships with Android 2.2 (Froyo) and the latest version of HTC’s Sense UI, Sense 2.0—a software layer that adds additional functionality to Android powered devices. You get additional homescreens (seven as opposed to five) and widgets specific to

HTC devices like the FriendFeed, which updates you to what people in your subscribed social networks, are up to.

Once you get into the thick of things, you’ll immediately notice how fast and snappy the Desire HD is. The device revels in continuous use, with nary a whit of slowdown. Things will occasionally crawl when you have multiple apps and things running in the background, but once you kill those apps the device starts running smoothly again. Much of the credit for the smooth experience is due to the beefy 1 GHz Scorpion processor, Adreno 205 GPU and Qualcomm MSM8255 Snapdragon chips present in the device.

What really gives users that extra layer of security and convenience is the Sense 2.0 overlay. Aside from what I’ve mentioned before, users can go to

www.htcsense.com/sea/ and register their device. Once registered, you can remotely manage your device, including locking it in case of loss, and if there’s no chance to retrieve it, wiping the contents remotely which includes any attached storage. To be fair, there are apps in the android marketplace that’s able to do that, but HTC is one of the few, if not the only smartphone maker to include it with the device.

Probably the only Achilles heel the HTC Desire HD has is battery life. It’s endurance isn’t exactly what you’d call ideal, and while it’s able to stand up to regular day to day use, meaning snippets of SMS messaging, internet and calls, anytime you really sit down and browse the internet, play games or do anything that stresses the device for an extended period of time will rapidly drain the battery.

www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

LED MONITOR

By John Nieves

April2011

PHILIPS BLADE 234CL2SB/00

SPECIFICATIONS: TECHNOLOGY: LED SCREEN SIZE: 23.4-inches CONTRAST RATIO: 20,000,000:1 PHYSICAL DIMENTIONS: 547 X 408 X 176mm (with stand) HD CAPABILITY: Full HD

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WHAT’S HOT: • Overall design • Excellent features • SmartTouch Controls are a nice touch WHAT’S NOT: • Configuring the monitor is a bit of a challenge due to the touch sensitive controls BOTTOMLINE: The Philips Blade 234CL2SB/00 is an excellent LED monitor that will do your computer proud. And at only Php 9,900 for the 23.5-inch model, there’s really no reason not to buy.

BUY METER

8.9

/10

Today’s gadgets are becoming slimmer and slimmer. So it’s not a surprise then that even monitor manufacturers are jumping into the trend. The latest manufacturer out to out-slim the competition is Philips with its uniquely designed Blade line of monitors. The new line is a curious mix of old and new, and the overall result is a unique piece that most would welcome on their workstations.

Like most high-end monitors, the Blade uses touch-sensitive controls to function.

When the monitor is turned off, only the power button is immediately visible on the base. When the monitor is plugged in, a small blue LED light comes on at the bottom, as well as the other touch sensitive controls at the base. The Blade comes with its own power adapter, and is able to take regular D-sub inputs as well as DVI. The Blade is equipped with all the niceties you’d expect from a high end monitor—multiple display modes, fast response time of 2ms for gaming and high contrast ratio of 20000000:1. Since

the technology used with this particular monitor is LED, power consumption is much lower compared to regular LCD monitors of the same size.

pretty good as well as the black levels owing mostly to the high contrast ratio.

Games look vibrant and movies are a joy to watch on the screen.

So how does the monitor perform? Short answer is extremely well. The Blade was relatively easy to set up as the base and the monitor is permanently connected, so there’s no fiddling around with screws and whatnot to mate the two halves together. As with most monitors with touch-sensitive controls, calibration is a bit of a challenge but once you get it locked down, color reproduction is

Probably the only thing that managed to rub me the wrong way about the Blade is ironically one of its biggest selling points—the controls. While it’s an excellent way to clean up the aesthetics of the monitor, using it was a bit of a pain, especially when I was trying to calibrate it for the first time. Of course, your mileage may vary, and who knows, you might take to it better than I did.

gadgetslab

The Blade gets its moniker from the slim profile of the display. It’s less than an inch thick, and more importantly, does not have any cables coming out of the back of the main display to ruin the aesthetics. The accompanying base to the 23.4-inch LED display takes care of that, doubling as a dock of sorts for the power and display cables. There’s also no manual buttons on the screen itself— all the necessary controls are all located on the base.

gadgetsla

SAMSUNG GALAXY FIT SMARTPHONE

By Francis Tan

SPECIFICATIONS: FORM FACTOR: Candy Bar DISPLAY: 480 x 800 pixels PHYSICAL DIMENTIONS: 122.4 x 64.2 x 9.9mm WEIGHT: 119g NETWORK: 26 GSM 850/900/1800/1900, 3G, HSDPA 900/2100 MEMORY: 8GB/16GB, 512MB RAM, 2GB ROM PRICE: Php 12,980 WHAT’S HOT: • Responsive, snappy • Good camera • Good price WHAT’S NOT: • Poor video recording • Cheap build • Poor screen resolution BOTTOMLINE: The Samsung Galaxy Fit would be a perfect transition phone for first-time smartphone owners, who want quick access to fun Android games and social networks.

BUY METER

8.7

/10

April2011

If you’re still using a feature phone these days, you might want to consider taking the big shift to a smartphone.

If you’re not quite ready to invest on an expensive, feature-packed, top-of-the-line smartphone yet, there are also cheaper alternatives that pack quite a punch. Such is the Samsung Galaxy Fit.

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The Samsung Galaxy Fit looks sleek and modern. It’s made with plastic, which lacks the magnificence of high-end aluminum unibody smartphones. It has a cheap feel, but it’s actually sturdier than its looks. There are two colors available—chromed silver and white.

It has a comfortable grip that fits right into your hand and shoots right into your pocket. Those who are familiar with Samsung smartphones will find the standard three-button interface familiar.

The buttons, except for the middle one, are touch sensitive. All the other standard ports are present as well: the mini-USB, power button, volume rocker, 3.5mm earphone port and the microSD card slot.

As with most budget smartphones, it packs a 3.31-inch 240x320 capacitive touchscreen that is not exactly impressive, but it’s good enough to www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

say the least. The brightness level is respectable which makes it fairly visible even under the sun. The touchscreen is actually one of the most responsive among the smartphones that I’ve tried.

The Samsung Galaxy Fit packs a 600Mhz processor and is capable of Bluetooth, WiFi, HSDPA 3G and GPRS. It packs a scanty 160MB internal storage but is expandable to up to 32GB. As mediocre as the specs sound, it is really as good as what’s written on the paper. Don’t be quick to judge and read on to see what the Samsung Galaxy Fit is all about.

The phone is loaded with Android 2.2 Froyo, and to my surprise, it runs pretty smoothly. Browsing through menus and opening apps are fairly snappy and delays are hardly noticeable. To keep the phone optimized, make sure that you close running apps from time to time;

there’s a preinstalled task manager for that. It uses Samsung’s proprietary TouchWiz UI, which isn’t as flashy as HTC’s sense UI but it very appealing in its own right. Running apps, however, is a different story. You might notice some slowdown when browsing through different pages, or when playing games.

However, if you’re going to stick with social networks and messaging, you’re on the safe side.

The smartphone carries a 5-megapixel camera that is capable of geo-tagging and 15fps video recording. I’m very much impressed with the quality of the shots it took. It is vivid and the colors appear natural. Picture-savvy users will certainly enjoy how easy it is to upload images to social networks. The smartphone doesn’t have flash so it would be best to take pictures in places with good lighting. And don’t count on

the video recording capabilities of the phone either.

The battery life of the Samsung Galaxy Fit is on-par with the industry standard.

One cycle of charge lasts more or less 4-7 hours on regular use and up to 20 hours standby. As with most smartphones, it would be wise to keep a travel charger on hand, just to be sure.

The Samsung Galaxy Fit would be a perfect transition phone for first-time smartphone owners. Not only does it fit the budget, it actually performs quite well too. Unlike most budget phones, the Samsung Galaxy Fit provides a good overall user experience. Quick access to fun games and social networks on your mobile device might be enough reason for you to get this phone that offers a good value for money.

tablets iPad Roadtrip

a portable personal computer

By Presy Alba

I love my iPad. It still won’t replace my trusty Macbook Pro, but these days I always find myself on the road either accompanying visitors to rural locations or going on a daytrip with a lot of waiting time. Having my iPad along guarantees that there is not a boring moment.

Summer time is just around the corner and most of us will be driving to the beach or to the mountains to cool off. Some lucky people might even be taking long journeys.

Whether you’re going away for just the day, the weekend or a long vacation, taking along your iPad will guarantee that the trip will be a lot more entertaining.

When we go on vacation, we tend to want to be incommunicado so that business will not distract us from enjoying our trip, but we also want to keep in touch with friends so the iPad makes sense especially when you want to share your pictures via

Facebook or other online repository, and send tweets so friends can virtually experience what you’re doing almost at the same time.

Your motto this summer must be— “Have iPad, will travel.” But what apps should you install to enrich the iPad experience?

VLC PLAYER This free iPad version of the popular application that you most certainly already have will let you watch divX videos without any conversion. Unlike the video app native to iPad that will only play videos compatible to iTunes, VLC Player will allow transfering and viewing videos usually in .avi format. The only downside is that it does not support the TV-out iPad connection so if you have a component or composite cable that connects your iPad to a TV screen, and you plan to use it during your trip to watch movies on the TV screen of your hotel room, you’ll have to use the videos app. But if you just want to watch the videos on your iPad, this will work perfectly.

Once installed, you can add videos via iTunes by clicking on the apps link on the top navigation bar, then scrolling down to VLC to add the

videos. You don’t even have to add the videos to your iTunes library.

Once you’ve added all the videos, just sync your iPad to iTunes and you’re done.

AWESOME NOTE (+ TODO) At $3.99 this app is truly awesome. Of all the calendar/to-do applications available for the iPad, this is the one I liked best because it allows me to file my personal and business tasks separately.

When preparing your trip itinerary, you can keep a journal of all your travels plans, post notes to yourself on what to do and what’s special in each location. Once you’re on the road, you can update the entries with what really happened at each leg of your journey. It also allows you to append photos into your entries, and you can backup all entries by syncing it to your Google Docs account.

SCRABBLE ($6.99) This classic board game is so much more exciting on the iPad. For a multiplayer game you have three choices: over the local network, where each player plays from his own iPad,

iPhone or iPod Touch; Pass and Play, which means that players take turns in sequence, passing the iPad from player to player, or if all players have either an iPhone or iPod Touch, the iPad can serve as the board, while each player connects to the iPad either via Bluetooth or WiFi and play from their own personal “rack.” This is so much more fun as each player can form their words by flicking the tiles from their own gadget and arranging it as they like in the iPad Scrabble Board. The Scrabble Tile Rack App can be downloaded for free from the App Store. The newest version now allows you to play Scrabble on Facebook mode—and play the game against friends who are not with you but are online from any gadget via Facebook.

MAHJONG HD BY GAMEFRONT ($2.99) This is the best Mahjong game for iPad because it lets you play real Mahjong, using Singapore rules. It’s not the usual Mahjong computer game which lets you find pairs of the tiles. This one is the real deal with 4 players. You can either play alone against the computer or with multiple players. I like this game because it is a good way to learn Mahjong, a popular game for many Asians. This iPad app has 3 levels of difficulty so as you become more adept, the app will continue to challenge your strategic prowess.

April2011 www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

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Summer Shots

snapshots a

digital photography in a snap

Text and Photos by Benjamin Arnold

Whenever I think of the word summer, four other “S” words usually come to mind: swimsuits, sun, sand and surf. Why not capture those fun-filled moments in a photo?

With the wide variety of cameras nowadays, it’s hard to decide on what camera to bring on your summer escape. To help you decide which camera best suits you, we broke it down into four simple beachphotographer personalities along with our choice of camera.

The Beach Party Point-and-Shooter

April2011

During the summer, people of all shapes and sizes flock to the beach for the hot sun and the cool waters. But quite a few people choose the beach as their vacation destination—not because of the sand and surf—but because of the beach parties that are hosted on or near them. If you are the type of person who loves to party, simple and easy to manage point-andshoot digicams would be the ideal choice. This small, light and compact camera was specifically intended to

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fit perfectly into any pocket or purse while producing decent quality photos at a respectable price.

What makes this type of camera the best for partygoers—besides its compact body—is the camera display screen that shows the shot before you press the button. The built-in flash provides sufficient lighting for those night shots while the troublefree strap makes sure that the camera is safely on your wrist while you party the night away.

OUR PICK: The Samsung ST550. With its dual LCD screen for spot-on self-portraits, Smart Face recognition technology and 16 different shooting modes, capturing those amazing party moments with this 12.2-megapixel camera becomes as easy as point and shoot.

Php 21,990 www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

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For those of you that like to get into the action and enjoy a good swim, then waterproof cameras would be the best beach camera for you.

As the name implies, waterproof cameras are cameras specifically designed for shooting while on a boat, snorkeling, swimming, scuba diving or any other activity that

involves big bodies of water. The main advantage of any waterproof camera is the underwater photos you can produce with it, opening a new area of creative possibilities.

From sea creatures to family members, taking pictures under water is made easy.

April2011

The Water-fun Vacationer

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OUR PICK: Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS2. With its tough silicon-jacket, varied shooting modes including beach and surf mode, LED light and waterproof up to 10 meters, this 14.1-megapixel waterproof camera is ready to take a dip in the cool summer waters. Php 24,999

The Laid-back Memory Maker There are some people who just don’t want to get their feet wet.

They go to the beach just to soak up the sun and watch their family members play around in the water.

If you are the type of person who doesn’t want to get out into the water but still wants to capture those precious memories, the relatively new-to-the-market mirrorless-interchangeable lens cameras would be your best bet.

These revolutionary designed cameras meld the compact light body of a point-and-shoot digicam with the interchangeable lenses of a digital single lens reflex (DSLR) camera, giving you a creative range of shooting with beautiful adjustable optical zooms or specialty lenses— such as the fish-eye or wide-angle lens—along with a nice slim and light body.

OUR PICK: The Sony NEX-5. With its wide variety of interchangeable lenses and 14.2-megapixel SLR image quality output, shooting beautiful memorable moments are made easy with this ultra-compact and stylish mirrorless-IL camera. Php 38,000

The Shoreline Photographer or a far off surfer on a surf board catching that perfect wave with a 300mm telephoto lens, the DSLR gives the photographer ultimate creative versatility. In addition to the number of available lenses, DSLRs also give you control over the photo with options to adjust the shutter speed and aperture, hence allowing you to capture every drop of water or a splash; or blur the background of a photo giving full attention to the desired subject.

DSLRs—with their wide variety of lenses and accessories—can help the well-trained photographer capture the vision he had in mind. Whether it is the wide ocean landscape with the sun setting on the horizon captured with a wide-angled lens

Take into account the high-quality photos produced which are ideal for large format printing, the DSLR provides value for money if used to its full advantage to capture stunning summer beach themed photos.

OUR PICK: The Canon EOS 60D. With its DIGIC 4 imaging processor, 18.0-megapixel sensor, 63-zone advanced metering system, 5.3 frames per second burst and Full HD (1920 x 1080) capability, you are sure to capture beautiful high quality images and videos on its 3-inch vari-angled LCD monitor. Php 57,950

snapshots

For the hardcore photographer that goes to the beach to capture the action and essence of summer in a photo, nothing beats the digital single lens reflex (DSLR) camera.

This type of camera was made for people who can see the world through a lens. Though they rest at the top of the high-priced camera list, every professional photographer knows the importance of buying a good DSLR and looks at it as a worthwhile investment.

mobility Mazda CX-7:

the hottest machines that take you places

SPORTY LUXURY

April2011

There are cars that get my attention and there are those that merit my second look. I always find myself giving the Mazda CX-7 another once-over whenever I see one plying the streets of Metro Manila. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on the CX-7 come test period (which was rescheduled three times, although that’s another story) and steer Mazda’s hip and classy SUV.

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By Armin A. Amio

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April2011

T

he test vehicle was white, making the vehicle’s smooth flowing lines from the bonnet and through to the car’s rear much more evident.

Bulging side guards give a wisp of the car’s sporty genes, not to mention its chunky wheels and exposed exhausts. Inside the cabin is pure luxury. Rear leg and headroom is just right. I was able to get the right distance and driving position easily—thanks to the electronic controls for the driver’s seat. Equipped with nine speakers and churning out 240 watts of power, there is ample entertainment value inside the cabin. A six-disc CDchanger tops things off the CX-7’s audio system.

The luggage compartment is roomy, guaranteeing 400 liters of storage space.

Trunk opening is impressive, allowing the loading and unloading of cargo with great ease.

Turn on the engine and all you can hear is silence. It is so silent that you would think the engine is not running. This is very impressive considering that hiding inside this hushed powerhouse is a 2.5-liter, turbocharged, fourcylinder engine that produces 175kW of power and 350Nm of torque that is matched with an eager six-speed automatic gearbox.

Step on the accelerator and the CX-7 moves with eager intention. Its sporting genetic predisposition comes into play once more, allowing the CX-7 to move about responsibly and swiftly with nary any indecision; attacking corners with confidence. The accurate and responsive steering of this sporty SUV comes into play especially in tight corners. Brakes serve well to keep the CX-7 in check. Sufficient brake feel and a slowing motion make it easy to drive even to its limits. Body roll is unsurprisingly well controlled.

During city drives, the CX-7 is such a pleasure to maneuver. The suspension is firm enough and soaks up bumps, especially on EDSA. Standard features include air-conditioning; power mirrors; alloy wheels; trip computer; steering wheel audio controls; six-disc CD player; power windows and auto dimming rear vision mirror. Safety features are ABS brakes with EBD and BA; dynamic stability control (also known as electronic stability control) driver and front passenger airbags; and front passenger side airbags. The CX-7 is priced at Php1.525 million.

If you haven’t had the chance to drive the Mazda CX-7 yet, schedule an appointment with your nearest Mazda dealership for a test drive. I’m pretty sure you will be amazed.

mobility

mobilit

2011 Honda Jazz:

Bold is Beautiful The newest iteration of the Honda Jazz promises to be bolder and much more aggressive than its predecessors.

The 2011 Honda Jazz sports dynamic styling in every angle. It features redesigned front and rear bumpers.

Front styling is further enhanced with its new mesh grille and reshaped headlights at the back are a new rear cluster with LED tail lights. Foglamps, side sill garnish, and sport bumpers come exclusive for the 1.5 V while a new 15-inch alloy wheel design refreshes the 1.3 S variant.

Inside is an amber-lit instrument cluster and audio system to carry on that sporty atmosphere into the cabin. Long drives will always be full of life and energy while your favorite songs are playing. The new Honda Jazz comes compatible with iPod and other MP3 players via USB and AUX port connectivity.

April2011

The 1.5 liter Jazz comes with a paddle shift technology, just like

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the City, Civic and Accord models, to enable manual shifting of gears without the clutch. Powered by Honda's renowned i-VTEC engine, the new Jazz is capable of delivering excellent fuel economy without sacrificing power output. It has a maximum power output of 100 ps at 6000 rpm for its 1.3 S, and 120 ps at 6600 rpm for the 1.5 V model.

Its 5-speed automatic transmission ensures no compromise between power and efficiency. In delightfully keeping track of one’s instantaneous and average fuel mileage, a fuel consumption meter is neatly displayed on the instrument panel.

More than 3.5 million units of Honda Jazz have been sold cumulatively around the globe, and

the number keeps growing! Packed with innovative technologies, it is no surprise that the Honda Jazz has gained huge popularity and has reaped several recognitions here and abroad. The 1.3-liter S MT is priced at Php 752,000; 1.3-liter S AT is Php 792,000 while the top-of-theline 1.5-liter V AT is available for Php 857,000.

www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

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April2011

mobility

mobilit

Mercedes-Benz Celebrates

Innovation & Mobility As the automotive pioneer, Mercedes-Benz is shaping its future with passion and responsibility. This passion began on the 29th of January 1886 with Karl Benz, who was awarded patent on this day for his motorized vehicle invention which is considered as the first modern automobile in the world. It was Benz who said “the love of inventing never dies.” This principle is evident in Mercedes-Benz’s 125-year-long history with its numerous pioneering innovations.

The year 2011 is a celebration, not only of the significant contributions of Mercedes-Benz in the past 125 years, but the mere invention of the automobile. It looks forward to the next 125 years ahead: the future of mobility, as the passion for inventing inspired by Karl Benz will never cease.

The year-long global celebration of Mercedes-Benz kicked off in the Philippines in February. This year marks a lot of milestones for Mercedes-Benz Philippines, not only is it the automobile’s and Mercedes-Benz’s 125th year, it is also Mercedes-Benz’s 60th year in the Philippines. The Mercedes-Benz Club Philippines is celebrating its 10th year as well.

April2011

The name Mercedes-Benz stands for

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a successful past and a trailblazing future of mobility. The three-pointed star is a symbol of quality, safety and refined motoring. MercedesBenz has wide range of models— from elegant sedans, comfortable station wagons, sporty cabriolets and powerful off-roaders.

“Mercedes” is derived from the name of the daughter of Emil Jellinek (1853-1918) an early engineering and marketing strategist and a successful businessman who suggested improvements on the automobile. Starting 1897, Jellinek promoted the Daimler-MotorenGesellschaft (DMG) automobiles in the highest social circles, working as an independent dealer.

By the time Gottlieb Daimler passed away in 1900, he had managed to

sell 34 cars—this gave him weight in his dealings with DMG, and he repeatedly demanded technical innovations of Daimler and engineer Wilhelm Maybach. He combined the ability to judge vehicles with an antenna for the market—he definitely showed the traits of a marketing strategist.

Jellinek finally convinced Daimler and Maybach that the future of the automobile lay in speed and elegance: “If I can’t get any more out of an automobile than out of a horse and carriage, then I might as well travel by horse again!” He suggested that the cars compete in races and reliability runs under his own name and with his own cars because “racing will make a name for a factory and a brand.”

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April2011

mobility

mobilit

The Alterra Takes On The ARCC

By Danee Torres

I had mixed feelings at the onset of this year’s Auto Rally Corporate Challenge. One question kept bugging me all through the week: Can I do this?

My apprehension stems mostly from the fact that I was a passenger in a car accident recently that left me with a hairline fracture in the zygomatic region of my skull.

But after I was told that I would be driving an Isuzu Alterra, my anxiety eased a little. I’ve test-driven the Alterra before, but certainly not during a timed auto rally. I had to get reacquainted with the various functions and truthfully, familiarity does not always breed contempt. In fact, it even gave my confidence in automobiles back.

April2011

The ARCC was held at the Subic Bay Freeport, its second year in a row.

Organized by Sunshine TV, the ARCC allows the country’s more than 10 car manufacturers to field several participants. This year, the total number of competitors exceeded 30 vehicles. I drove for Isuzu Philippine Corp., along with time navigator Angel Rivero and route navigator Charles Buban.

One of the rules of the ARCC was that competitors rely only on the organizers’ instructions and maps.

The use of smartphones, tablets and GPS devices is banned. The Alterra had a built-in navigational device but because it was disallowed we just used it to access the radio.

The auto rally is drastically different from an actual race; because

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while a race may need you to best competitors with more speed and less time, the rally winner is whoever makes it closest to the allotted time. After flag-off we traveled through the pre-set route, careful not to miss the checkpoints that were all cleverly placed throughout the course. Angel was in charge of calculating how fast (or slow) the vehicle should go and it was my job to get the vehicle to that speed without breaking any traffic laws.

The Alterra is a big vehicle that handles as easily as a smaller one; I had no difficulties with accelerating and decelerating even on inclined planes. The car lent to us by Isuzu had manual transmission, but I hardly noticed. The clutch was smooth and contributed to the transition from one gear to the next being a breeze. There was one point in the course where we were required to drive in reverse and upon putting the gear in, the rear-facing cameras turned on and provided more visibility than just a rear-view mirror.

Upon leaving the reverse-drive part

of the course, we misread some instructions and wound up on an unpaved road in a daunting, junglelooking environment. We had to turn around. I wouldn’t have known that the Alterra was so easy to maneuver until I made that turn on a narrow road. The wide, 16-inch tires made for good traction and the backup sensors didn’t hurt either.

requiring competitors to navigate through sharp and wide turns in 1 minute and 30 seconds. I revved the Alterra and drove to the best of my ability, confident that its dual SRS airbags would protect us in any impact. Fortunately they did not deploy in the roughly 1 minute and 38 seconds that we drove through the slalom.

We finished the first part of the course just in time and with high hopes that we could come out of the race with flying colors. After lunch, we got back on our trusty steed to take on the second part but not before going through one of the ARCC’s special slalom courses,

We completed the second part of the rally about 5 minutes after our ideal time and also got lost at one point looking for the road. In the end, we were all happy we were in an Alterra, a safe, comfortable vehicle that was tough on the road but gentle on the passengers.

at the

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April2011

Car of the Year Awards

www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

7 MIAS th

By Christopher Kho

For the first time in history, CAGI has revised its period scope, changing it from a singular year (2007, 2008, 2009) to a dual year format (20102011). The decision was made to harmonize the organization's classification time frame with the automotive industry's dynamic

market. As a result, it now encompasses more vehicles sold within the broader time frame, may it be newly launched or have received a significant upgrade in its variant, engine, transmission or suspension. The two-year coverage also helps the automotive market by providing consumers the opportunity to choose from a wider selection of vehicles that has CAGI's seal of approval. Coincidentally, the Japan COTY organization has also shifted to the same two-year coverage.

CAGI, as a dynamic organization, also continuously evolves in the same manner as its awards campaign. As one of the largest motor shows in the country, the MIAS has always supported CAGI and COTY since it was formed.

Thus, to complement each other's milestones, the COTY awards night is now scheduled to coincide with the auto show. It also gives the public full exposure to all of the COTY winners that will be on display.

CAGI has become the Philippines' premier automotive award-giving body though the Car of the Year (COTY) awards. And in its continuous pursuit of searching for automotive

excellence, CAGI—composed of motoring journalists—aims to keep consumers informed with the country's best vehicles and aid them in making the right choices when it comes to buying cars.

(PTTC). Previous COTY winners include the Honda Civic (2005), Mazda 6 (2006), Volvo C30 (2007), Subaru Impreza STI (2008) and 2009’s winner, the Subaru Legacy 2.5 Liter GT.

Though COTY, the organization intends to spur growth in the local automotive market by giving deserving vehicles the proper accolades. This, in turn, encourages automotive manufacturers to offer their very best products to the public. From the myriad of vehicles currently available, CAGI has tested over 60 eligible nominees from 20 manufacturers, forming 14 categories for the 2010-2011 COTY awards.

CAGI is a non-stock, non-profit organization of more than 50 motoring journalists from various print, broadcast and online media.

CAGI president Ferman Lao's prediction for this year's winners points toward cars that offer good fuel economy and value for money.

They may or may not be the prettiest or the most well-equipped cars, but “bang-for-the-buck” factor is definitely a key feature.

Find out which car will claim the coveted 2010-2011 Car of the Year award this April 7, 2011 at the Philippine Trade Training Center

Supporters to the 2010-2011 COTY are The Automotive Association of the Philippines, Clark International Speedway, SpeedLab, Congo Grille, Brother's Burgers, LifeLine Ambulance Rescue, Red Rock Travel, Caltex Techron, All Terra Cyclery, Winner Graphics, Ortigas Home Depot, Worldbex, MG Madrid & Co. and Manila International Auto Show. Media partners are: Philippine Daily Inquirer, Philippine Star, ManilaStandardToday, Gadgets Magazine, BusinessWorld, BusinessMirror, Daily Tribune, Malaya Business Insight, Top Gear Philippines, Power Wheels, MotorCycle Magazine, Auto Review, 99.5RT, autoindustriya.com, motioncars.com, sprocket.ph and kotse.com.

mobility

The Car Awards Group Inc. (CAGI) is finally ready to unveil the Philippines' 20102011 Car of the Year (COTY) during the 7th Manila International Auto Show (MIAS).

Coinciding with the show's opening day, the awards night will be on April 7, 2011 at the Philippine Trade Training Center (PTTC) in Pasay City, right next door to the World Trade Center where the show will be held.

apps

we got an app for that

Compiled by John Nieves and Francis Tan

INTONOW iOS4

IntoNow is an iOS app for “checking in” TV shows and movies. Instead of having to scroll around or type in what show you’re watching, the app will simply listen to the TV show that’s currently playing and, in as little as 4 seconds, identify the show and episode to allow you to share that information with your friends. Dubbed as the “Shazam” or “SoundHound” for television shows, the app uses SoundPrint technology which scans a database that matches up the sound with anything that has been aired in the past five years. Once the show is identified, you can choose to share it via Facebook or Twitter, find more information about it at IMDb, see if it’s available on Netflix or purchase episodes on iTunes. Your personal profile grows with each show that you add to IntoNow and as you add friends within the app, you will be able to see what they’ve been watching, and get recommendations as well.

FIX IT CENTER BETA Windows

Is your computer dragging you down? Are there mysterious problems that you can’t seem to fix?

Don’t worry, you’re not alone—bigbrother Microsoft knows this. That’s why it has created the Fix it Center Beta, an automated program that’ll help you diagnose and fix a wide variety of PC woes automatically.

Fix it Center Beta has easy-tounderstand and -follow wizards that’ll try to identify the particular malaise your PC is afflicted with, and will try its best to correct it. It scans and analyzes your PC and its attached hardware and personalizes solutions for your device, showing you only solutions that pertain to your hardware and software.

Download it for free on the App Store.

Free to download, www.fixitcenter. support.microsoft.com

AIR VIDEO WORD LENS Augmented reality at its best, Word Lens gives you near instantaneous translation of almost any printed material. The app works well with large, font and text-like newspapers and the like. While the translation isn’t perfect, it’s usually good enough to get the point by context.

The app is initially free but unless you pay for the language packs (English- Spanish for now), it only reverses the order of words as a tech demo. Each language pack is slated to cost $5.

Sometimes it’s just a major hassle re-encoding all the video files that you have in your computer so that your iPod/iPad can play them.

Well, there’s a way to play them on the iOS device of your choice without having to go through all of that. Air Video allows you to stream those videos from your PC to your gadget—and even convert them on the fly if the videos are incompatible. There’s a bit of fiddling required on the PC, but nothing a few trips to Google won’t fix.

The app also includes server side software for PC/Mac.

Free to download, $5 each per language pack

Free to download, Pro version is $3 from iTunes

April2011

iOS4

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iOS4

gaming

where playing around is a good thing

Dragon Age 2 Developer: Bioware Publisher: EA

By John Nieves

If you were to ask me to compress my review for Dragon Age 2 into two words, it would be: simply awesome. Bioware managed to improve on the story, combat and overall RPG feel, basically all of the things that made the original great without killing the soul of the franchise. The result is a RPG that’s currently sitting on the top of my list as one of the best of all time.

Dragon Age 2 takes a different route when it comes to the story and gameplay. The game starts out from over a decade of adventuring for Hawkes, a refugee from the city of Lothering, a city lost to the Darkspawn (quasi-orks, if you will) in the first game. The game is told through the words of Varric, a dwarf companion of Hawkes, being forced to tell his tale about the champion of Kirkwall—you. While most of the important bits of the plot are already known, the way it got that way is entirely up to you and the choices you make.

That doesn’t mean your decisions won’t have any kind of repercussions in the game. There are certain times when you’ll need to decide

Since the game plays out in a 10-year period, a lot of those decisions will come back and haunt you. I chose to sever the man’s connections and later discovered that I managed to leave him slightly more intelligent than a freshly cooked bagel. I found him later on in the Viscount’s Keep, muttering and talking to himself, and it genuinely made me feel bad. It’s rare that a game can elicit that kind of emotion out of anyone, especially a jaded

gaming veteran like myself.

Other nice touches, like the occasional banter of your party members back and forth while you are adventuring, and Bro Hawkes (I chose a guy character for my initial playthrough) was voiced decently and spouted one liners worthy of Duke Nukem. Your party members are also a varied bunch. There’s lady pirate Isabella, whose personality and demeanor made her the female version of Jack Sparrow, the ever entertaining dwarf Varric and Dalish elf Merril, whom I suspect maybe a bit Welsh.

Combat is faster this time around, mostly because of the abilities’ quick turnaround time. Each party member has their own specialty

when it comes to combat—Fenris, the ex-slave is a glass hammer— able to pummel enemies extremely quickly but not able to take much punishment himself.

The only negative this time around is that the action mainly takes place on the city of Kirkwall, with a few excursions outside the city walls.

While Kirkwall is pretty massive— the overall ambiance of the game pretty much stays the same for the duration of the playthrough (around 30 to 40 hours).

That’s a pretty small complaint, and to be honest, I truly think that Dragon Age 2 is one of the best RPG games to hit this year. If you’re a true RPG fan, this needs to be in your computer, right now. www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

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Speaking of choices, the game eschews the previous games’ dialogue tree and instead goes for the Mass Effect treatment, allowing you to respond in either mature, rude and, my favorite, sarcastic dialogue. The arbitrary karma system that Mass Effect employed before that rendered most people to go the Space Jesus or Robot Devil route is gone, so you’re free to respond to NPCs the way you want.

on a course of action that will have a definite impact on the course of the game. Like the time you had to make a difficult choice of going into the fade (Dragon Age’s version of the netherworld) to cripple a man’s potentially destructive abilities at the cost of his cognitive skills.

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websites

Road Trip

By Presy Alba

VISAYAS Summer is the best time to explore the Visayas Islands and take advantage of the so-called Nautical Highway (SRNH). For most people who live in Manila, if you’ve ever been on an interisland trip, the farthest you’ve probably gone is to Boracay. I know of a few families who have gone on a roadtrip all the way to Mindanao via Samar and Leyte, but for most people who take the Batangas to Caticlan route, Boracay is always end of the road.

When we think of going to any of the Visayas islands, we automatically think of taking the plane—but I’m here to share with you how much fun a road trip across Panay, Negros and Cebu islands is going to be. Who knows? You might discover a new vacation destination.

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To make this a success, you will need at least two weeks to savor what each destination has to offer.

I don’t have to spell out that when you make your travel arrangements, you should make sure that you’re not going to be cramped and that at least 2 persons know how to drive.

The entire trip will involve long drives and may require drivers to take turns at the wheel.

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To give you an idea of the nautical highway route, a map with trip schedules and rates the link www. da.gov.ph/updates/roro.html is a good information source. I have to clarify here that this page is a little out of date but it gives you a ballpark idea of how much it will cost at each island crossing. The ferry departure times are almost still the same. The only big change is that the roll on-roll off (RORO) ferry www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

crossing from Iloilo to Bacolod all now departs from Dumangas. You can check ferry schedules and routes from Negros to Cebu and the nearby islands through a more reliable web resource: www.cebuboattrips.com/ slow_ferries.htm.

Here’s the trip schedule and destinations I want to recommend for your 14-day vacation: Day 1 – Roadtrip from Manila to Boracay.

Spend Day 2 and 3 in Boracay. Leave Boracay around 2PM of Day 3, go back to Caticlan and drive about an hour to New Washington, Aklan and stay for the night. After checking out in the afternoon of Day 4, you can either drive to Iloilo City for some urban relief or to Roxas City, Capiz, the seafood capital of the Philippines. Both destinations are about 3-4 hours from Kalibo, Aklan.

If you decide to visit Roxas City, the best place to stay is the San Antonio Beach Resort: www. thesanantonioresort.com. I promise you won’t be disappointed with their facilities or the food—and all at very reasonable rates. When you reach Iloilo, stay somewhere in the Smallville Strip near SM City if

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you’re keen to enjoy Iloilo’s nightlife.

When you cross to Bacolod, prepare your taste buds and stomach for a gastronomic extravaganza. Aboy’s, Imay’s and 18th Street Pala-pala are the best places to eat Filipino cuisine, while Bob’s at BS Aquino Drive will give you the widest selection of the best that Bacolod can offer. If you’re a chocoholic, Matt’s Chocolate Cake served with vanilla gelato at Kuppa on Hilado Street is something you shouldn’t miss.

Since Bacolod is famous for its Chicken Inasal, you’d want to experience the authentic street food style at the Manokan Country near SM City. If you can’t go there, the best alternative is Chicken House which has several branches around the city. I will let you in on a secret—try their Spare Ribs—it’s to die for! If you like sisig, you should try KSL’s version. www.bacolodcity. gov.ph/bacolod_city.htm has an almost-complete list of restaurants in Bacolod and their contact details.

Reserve a day to go on a short trip to Mambukal Mountain Resort: www.mambukalhaven.com. After a long active day, you can soak away the aches and pains in the hot springs pool, get a massage and watch the flying foxes take off to feed at dusk before you drive back to the city.

When you reach Cebu City, of course you should do the Skywalk, eat Lechon de Cebu and visit the tourist sites.

The RO-RO from Batangas leaves every 2 hours on even hours, so if you make sure that you’re in the port by 7:00AM, you can be in Calapan City by 10 AM. Eat an early lunch before you start the next leg and drive across the island to get to Roxas, Oriental Mindoro in time to catch the 4PM ferry—if you do, you’ll be in Boracay by 8 in the evening, otherwise the next trip will be 4 hours later at 8PM, then 10PM. But if you want to cross to Boracay on the same day, you have to be in Caticlan before 10PM or else you’ll have to wait until the next day at 6AM when the ferry service starts again.

It is always wise to be in the port at least an hour before the scheduled trip because the RORO service is usually first come-first serve basis, and you’ll be competing with buses and trailer trucks.

Montenegro Shipping Lines (www. montenegrolines.com.ph) has ferries that cross each inter-island connection and visiting their website can give you a better understanding of the timelines—but please note that the website does not look like its been updated recently so it is better to call their local office just to make sure that you have the correct schedule.

Now, let the road trip begin!

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Next you can cross to Cebu via Amlan in Negros Oriental. I’m recommending this route because although it is a long drive to Cebu City, you get to pass Carcar where they make the best chicharon and where the females in your group can go gaga over cheap espadrilles and sandals.

On the return trip, I recommend that you cross from Toledo to San Carlos City and stop and buy their specialty – peanuts! From San Carlos City, cross the mountains via Don Salvador Benedicto and experience Baguio-like weather. When you cross over to Panay, I recommend that you take the Western coastal highway that takes you through the towns of Miag-ao where UP in the Visayas Campus is and drive up to Antique before crossing over to Aklan and back to Caticlan, then on to Roxas, Calapan, Batangas, and finally Manila.

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The Connected Traveler

By John Nieves

April2011

Most of us will be hitting the road this summer in one way or another. For some, it’s an opportunity to disconnect from the world or go “off the grid”—leaving those countless emails and teleconferencing schedules queries at the office. For others, going unplugged isn’t an option. Be it a lifestyle choice or something work related, our traveler will have to hop online using whatever means necessary. Thankfully these days, it doesn’t require much to get back on the internet. All you need is a bit of ingenuity and the right tools.

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Phone smart One of the things the connected traveler needs is a 3G-equipped smartphone. There’s a whole bunch of models available—from the exquisitely styled and equipped HTC Desire HD to the more sensible Samsung Galaxy Ace to the budget friendly Huawei IDEOS. Almost all smartphones nowadays have WiFi capability, so connecting to wireless hotspots shouldn’t prove too difficult. If a wireless hotspot is nary to be found, you can always hop on the 3G gravy train and use the phone’s built-in data capabilities to surf the web. If you’re thinking of cost, don’t fret. Most telcos have started offering affordable data plans for smartphones nowadays—for both postpaid and prepaid subscribers. You can get unlimited 24-hour internet for as low as Php 50 nowadays, and longer periods don’t cost all that much.

If you can’t have that, a short walk to the ubiquitous internet café is your best bet!

WiFi everywhere Speaking of data, did you know you can actually take a wireless hotspot with you? All of the major telcos now have their own version of the pocket router—a small device that’s able to connect to the ‘Net via 3G and HSDPA and you can then share the connection via WiFi. This handy little device allows people to surf the web with WiFi-only devices like some tablets and notebooks. Since it uses the same 3G and HSDPA network as mobile phones, it’s subject to the same pricing schemes. Now if you’re unable to get a hold of pocket WiFi devices, there are smartphones that have the same WiFi-sharing capability.

Android-powered devices can also share mobile hotspots with WiFi-enabled devices as long as the smartphone is running on Android version 2.2 (Froyo). You will have to keep in mind though that this drains your battery way faster than normal, so try and stick to a place where you can keep your device charged.

Onboard WiFi

Singapore Airlines has followed suit; partnering with in-flight connectivity provider OnAir to provide internet and mobile telephony services. Hopefully, other airliners within the Southeast Asian region will also start offering onboard WiFi. That way, you won’t get dirty looks from your co-passengers if you open your computer to log on— even while the plane is cruising at 33,000 feet.

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The next bit of mobile innovation may be a double edged sword for most. Planes have long been a bastion of freedom for business travelers. The flight schedule has generally been most important to the road warriors.

Few passengers choose an airline for its wine list, or the plump seats. In-flight movie and food are in most instances given. But in the last year, a new reason for choosing one airline over another has emerged. Many business travelers now expect not just to get from point A to point B—but to log on as well. Most US airlines are now offering onboard WiFi, including Virgin America, AirTran, Delta, American, Frontier, Air Canada, Alaska Airlines, United, US Airways and JetBlue.

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Destination

Everywhere

By John Nieves

April2011

With the proliferation of multiple devices that’s able to utilize the GPS network, it really takes a concerted effort to be lost nowadays. From regular mobiles to smartphones and dedicated GPS navigation systems, there’s more than enough choices for the directionally challenged to safely get to their final destination.

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et’s get the basics out of the way. GPS or Global Positioning System is a space-based global navigation satellite system that provides reliable location and time information in all weather and at all times and anywhere on or near the Earth when and where there is an unobstructed line of sight to four or more GPS satellites. The system is accessible to everyone with a GPS receiver—from standalone dedicated personal navigation system (PNS) devices to smartphones with GPS capabilities.

The question on everyone’s mind is this: With so many products able to point you to the right direction, is there even a point to getting a dedicated GPS device these days? The short answer is yes.

There are several things that make the standalone PNS device superior when it comes to navigating through a country such us ours. Most smartphones today have an average screen size of about 3 to 4 inches.

That’s fine for using the screen close-up when texting and what-not, but you may soon find out that it’s difficult to use as a GPS device when driving. The screen of a typical mobile and smartphone is simply too small—and unsafe—for drivers.

While Google maps have extensive coverage of Metro Manila and its outlying suburbs, it lacks detailed diagrams for provincial destinations.

In contrast, local PNS offerings have almost 100% coverage of all major streets and destinations in the Philippines, with most offering free updates.

Granted that Google maps do a good job at showing the streets of the metro, it’s sadly not able to point you to the right street (yet). While not entirely perfect, local GPS offerings are not only able to pinpoint your exact destination, it’s also able to take you there using fairly accurate routing. And since these are being actively updated with software updates and are being marketed locally, there’s a lot more POIs (points of interest) available.

Dedicated GPS devices have a far easier time of acquiring and maintaining a GPS signal than mobiles and smartphones, simply because it’s built for that task and that task only. A smartphone needs to cram a GPS receiver or antenna with a cellular one, and space isn’t exactly plentiful on most smartphones.

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A phone GPS is handy when you have nothing else to use, but if you do have a choice, you should be powering up your GPS navigator when you want to get to your destination safe and fast.

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Packing for a road trip

By Danee Torres

As the Philippines is a country that has 7,107 Gadgets spoke to adventure islands, you’re sure going to need help plotting traveler Rhea Ocampo who goes a route through the roads leading to the sun out-of-town at least once a and sand paradise. We advise you to bring a GPS navigation device, to guide you. You’ll be in the month. Rhea is a true believer car most of the time so you’ll need it to point you of the mantra: “the more often, to the right direction—thereby minimizing time the better.” Ocampo says she’s and gas money spent on being lost. a careful traveler—packing Cellphones are considered a staple in everyone’s extra clothes even if it’s just an bag these days, but if you can, have another overnight trip. On her must-bring phone that isn’t a smartphone (as they use up a lot of battery juice) ready. Placing it in a list is tissue paper, isopropyl alcohol and wet wipes along with shockproof/weatherproof case would also be in your best interest. Don’t forget your camera; the underwear considerably moreis here—when best things happen while in transit, so take a Our favorite season of the year snapshots for memories. Oftentimes when than the number of days the trip people trade their button-down shirts forlot aof tank going out-of-town, the car stereo may not pick will take. She says she never top and flat-fronted slacks for some shorts. Beaches up all the radio stations that are broadcasting fails to bring along mosquito in the city; make the trip extra fun by plugging are popular destinations for the summer, and we’re your iPod to the car if it allowed. If you’re going repellant, bottled water, a small pretty lucky that weheadache live in a country where the on acoast hiking trip, don a reliable watch that comes towel and meds like equipped with a compass, altimeter, barometer, is just a few minutes’ drive away. Unfortunately, not ibuprofen or paracetamol. thermometer, chronograph and an alarm. Leaving

everyone likes packing for a road trip.

“For a three-day trip, bring three shirts plus two more.”

Albert Esguerra is a wedding and travel photographer who takes time out every month to go on a road trip. He usually chooses destinations like Batangas or Baguio. He gives us a glimpse as to what any sensible traveler should have and how to pack right. “For a three-day trip, bring three shirts plus two more. Pack underwear, toothbrush and toothpaste [and other toiletries for proper hygiene], fully charged phones, a Swiss knife although this is optional, a flashlight and emergency money that’s enough to get you home.”

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There’s also the danger of packing too much, or too little. We might think we need five pairs of shoes for a three-day trip but end up not using them. Packing incorrectly may dampen the experience, and you probably don’t want to be juggling around a heavy suitcase when everything can be packed in a light duffel bag.

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the city may pose a problem in recharging electronics, but luckily there are solar chargers that are compatible with most devices.

Esguerra, who takes to the road usually when there are events or festivals, gives solid advice to travelers—check the weather forecast. The weather is a big factor that decides what you should bring, or whether to proceed with the trip at all. The lack of umbrellas, rain coats and boots can make or break a trip. Traveling is great, but it can also be a chore in the beginning. The key here is to plan well and pack smart.

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April2011

TAYO book launched at the Forum

[R]evolutionaries, a book about the Filipino youth, was launched recently at the Forum in Fort Bonifacio. It tells about innovativethinkers who are finding new solutions to old problems, challenging the status quo, testing their limits, and daring to go beyond the normal call of everyday life.

Published by the TAYO Awards Foundation Inc. the photo-documentary aims to share inspiring stories of the best youth organizations in the country and the impact they have created in their communities, families and selves.

The book features the winners of the annual Search for the Ten Accomplished Youth Organizations (TAYO) from year 1 to year 6.

Since it started in 2002, the TAYO Awards Foundation Inc. has successfully established itself as the country’s only award-giving body that recognizes and supports the outstanding contributions of youth organizations in nationbuilding.

Featured in the book are the bodies of work of youth organizations from Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao, and the National Capital Region that have helped in areas such as education, disaster response, environment, women’s rights, social services, and livelihood. The same bodies of work that landed them a TAYO Search win.

The launch of [R]evolutionaries also marked the formal opening of the TAYO 9 Search, which will be accepting entries until July 31, 2011.

Through the years, over 1,000 youth organizations have joined the annual Search for the Ten Accomplished Youth Organizations and are now part of the growing youth network of the foundation. The search is organized by TAYO Awards Foundation, Inc., The National Youth Commission, and the Office of Sen. Kiko Pangilinan.

The TAYO search is co-presented by The Coca-Cola Foundation Philippines and is supported by the Philippine Center of Young Leaders in Governance and the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

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The program featured messages from Niña Terol-Zialcita, one of the main writers of the book, Bam Aquino, president of the TAYO Awards Foundation Inc., Christopher Lawrence Arnuco, chairman and CEO of the National Youth Commission and Cecile Alcantara, president of the Coca-Cola Foundation Philippines.

More than a collection of stories, [R]evolutionaries is a 14-chapter illustration of how innovative thinking, resourcefulness, teamwork, passion, initiative, and leadership have helped to break barriers, build bridges, confront issues, and solve problems within different communities and fields of expertise.

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Discover a new

HP World

By Michelle Callanta-Toledo

Media guests from all over the Asia Pacific gathered in chilly Shanghai, China last February 23 as HP launched its “Everybody On” global marketing campaign as well as a slew of new products that boast a completely new HP world. The whole-day event included talks on the general outlook at HP’s campaign and direction as well as an indepth discussion on the new products.

“Technology plays a vital role in how people explore, develop and enable their passions,” said Robin Seow, vice president for marketing in Asia-Pacific and Japan for the personal systems group (PSG). “Five years ago the personal computer was the center of one’s connected life, while today people and thier technology needs are at the center—across smartphones, tablets, PCs and cloud services—needs to provide seamless connectivity to what is important to them.”

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As discussed by Jos Brenkel, senior vice president for PSG in Asia-Pacific and Japan, the company wants to come out with “technology that allows people to live their lives differently.” Through this, they hope people may be able to efficiently link their passions with others, whether it is music, business, or any other environment.

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Ted Clark, senior vice president and general manager for notebook global business unit, personal systems group then went on to discuss HP’s four passions, which are, to put the customer first, come out with environmentfriendly products, to become accessible to “poorer” customers, and to provide total-care service centers across the Asia-Pacific region. Understanding these passions allows HP to enhance its designs as well as give it a better understanding of what customers truly need from their products. “From enjoying music, to playing games, to enabling intuitive touch experiences, the new range of consumer notebooks and desktops offers style, performance, entertainment and security features that work together to present a seamless connected experience,” said Paul Donovan, PSG vice president and general manager for product marketing in Asia-Pacific and Japan. www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

The new consumer PC lineup allows users a variety of ways to better enjoy and experience the new HP products. With Beats Audio, you can experience the way artists intended their music to be heard, optimized by onboard quad speakers on HP Pavilion dv6 with metal chassis and additional HP Triple Bass Reflex Subwoofer on dv7. Users can also enjoy greater comfort with HP CoolSense Technology, designed and engineered for better cooling on HP dv series notebooks as well as amplify visual experience with the HP TrueVision HD webcam and the optional graphic enhancement of up to 1GB GDDR5(3) of dedicated video memory on the HP Pavilion dv4. With HP SimplePass on the Pavilion dv6 and dv7, users can more importantly protect their personal information and simplify password management while the HP TouchSmart610 provides users the benefit of an increased range of motion with a reclining display of up to 60 degrees and forward-tilt of up to five degrees.

Steven McArthur, PSG senior vice president, talks about the webOS which is “a solution to provide effortless access” and “transform how people think, feel, and connect.”

Products that will fully utilize the webOS are smartphones HP Veer, HP Pre3 and the first webOS slate in a tablet, the HP TouchPad. With its vibrant 9.7-inch diagonal flush capacitive multitouch display, virtual keyboard, instant-on access, support for Adobe Flash Player 10.1 beta in the browser and access to thousands of webOS applications, the HP TouchPad is designed not just for fun but for mobile productivity.

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April2011

The Ultimate Internet

TV guide By: Francis Tan

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Summer’s here and a lot of you are set on spending your vacation either by going out of town, or bumming at home to watch the good ol’ boob tube. Those that pick the latter, had only three basic choices when considering TV reception back in the day: cable, satellite, or the good old-fashioned antenna. More recently, a fourth option is now coming on strong that goes by a wide variety of names—IP TV, streaming video, online TV—but we’re calling it Internet TV for lack of a better name.

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f you’re one of those who people just can’t stand waiting for the television networks to air your favorite shows, might want to try the better alternative watching your favorite shows online. Covering anything from news, series, movies, documentaries to music videos.

Although new devices like Blu-ray players and XBox 360s allow users to access Internet TV directly from the television, it’s not an absolute necessity. All you need is a browser with Flash/HTML5 support and a decent Internet connection then you’re all set.

Surf the Channel

Surf The Channel is website that aggregates TV shows. It allows users, registered or not, to watch full television shows and movies online. SurfTheChannel has a really large selection of shows and movies, and a lot of movies are available online within hours of being released in theaters. As a general rule the speed of the videos is pretty good, and the quality is quite good, although that has nothing to do with SurfTheChannel as a site because it does not actually store the videos on their site, it just embeds from other video-sharing sites. www.surfthechannel.com

Internet TV allows for uninterrupted TV viewing on demand. Now you can maximize your short summer vacation by watching what you want, when you want. You can spruce straight into action with these invaluable Internet TV resources that you can access anywhere.

World Wide Internet TV

Sidereel

Sidereel works similarly to SurfTheChannel in a way that it aggregates videos from different sources. It is also updated regularly so within a matter of hours, the latest episodes of your favorite series are already indexed in the site. This is site provides all types of movies, from TV series, big movies, anime, reality shows, documentaries, and so much more. www.sidereel.com

Justin TV

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Justin.tv is a website that allows users to produce and watch live streaming video.

User accounts are called “channels,” and users are encouraged to broadcast a wide variety of user-generated live video content, called “broadcasts.” What sets it apart is its ability to broadcast live television shows as well. One of the most popular channels of Justin TV is the NBA channel where games are broadcast live. www.justin.tv

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The World Wide Internet TV is a website that lets users watch the 2,339 different channels from all over the world. It can be sorted by country, by channel or by topic. More than 30% of the daily viewers shifted to Japan’s English news channel, NHK World, when it streamed live broadcast of the earthquake and tsunami that recently hit Japan. www.wwitv.com

TED Talks

Some of the smartest people in the world meet every year from all over the globe to share ideas about technology, entertainment and design (TED), and their lectures—rounded up here— are both thought-provoking and entertaining. www.ted.com

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April2011

Machinima

Machinima turns the world of videogame trailers, in-game footage, tips and news into a channel that no avid gamer should miss. As one of the top channels of its category, Machinima is home to an elaborate collection of videos about anything under the videogaming world. www.machinima.com

Failblog

Laugh your ass off with this brilliant idea: find random video clips of things going wrong then file them under whatever word best describes each one.

Driving fail, cooking fail, dating fail—it will surely give anyone a hearty laugh. www.failblog.org

College humor

CollegeHumor is a comedy website that features daily original comedy videos and articles created by its in-house writing and production team, in addition to user-submitted videos, pictures, articles and links. CollegeHumor produces original comedy videos under the CH Originals (formerly known as CHTV) banner. www.collegehumor.com

AlJazeera English

NBA

It is the official Home of the NBA on YouTube with highlight reels, game recaps and exclusive interviews of the world’s most popular basketball league. Never miss the greatest moments of the game by staying in tune with its YouTube channel. www.youtube.com/user/NBA

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AlJazeera is the world’s first English-language news channel to have its headquarters in the Middle East; covering the world, bridging cultures and setting the news agenda. Initially launched as an Arabic news and current affairs satellite TV channel, AlJazeera has since expanded into a network with several outlets, dissenting views that have created controversies in Arab nations. www.english.aljazeera. net

lifestyleparade

simplify your lifestyle decisions

adiZero Rose 1.5 Basketball Shoes adidas

With summer here, guys will also be hitting the courts. Stay one step ahead of the game with the adiZero Rose 1.5 basketball shoe that offers the perfect balance of fit and light weight inspired by Derrick Rose’s speed on the court and his taste in fashion.

The adiPRENE heel insert paired with the asymmetrical torsion system provides maximum heel impact absorption while maintaining the heel fit, mid-foot integrity and proper torsional movement. At 12.9 ounces—the lightest adidas basketball shoe yet—it features the new forefoot-zoned PURE MOTION technology. Add in the unique lacing system that allows both a casual or tight fit, and you’ve got a shoe that looks great and feels great both on and off the court.

Php 5,495

XR Crossmax Neutral & Guidance

Neutral

April2011

Trail Running Shoes Salomon

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Salomon introduces the XR Crossmax Neutral and Guidance trail shoes designed for the ultimate athlete who trains both on and off the road. Fashioned in collaboration with Jonathan Wyatt, six-time World Champion in mountain running and two-time Olympian in the Marathon, the XR Crossmax Neutral and Guidance provide supreme fit, grip and response for athletes who train on all types of challenging surfaces. The Sensiflex lining which gives support and freedom of movement to the ball of the foot; the Contagrip sole which maximizes traction and durability; and the Oversize Tendon or OS Tendon which is a compound integrated into the midsole of the shoe that literally acts like a tendon are three of Salomon’s key components that make the XR Crossmax Neutral and Guidance the perfect choice for everyday training needs.

Php 7,490

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Guidance

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Limited Edition Fragrance Calvin Klein

April2011

CK One Summer

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Jump into the summer feel with the fresh, clean and fun-filled scent of the CK One Summer Limited Edition. The fragrance captures the essence of summer with a burst of fresh melon and dewy water fern followed by a stimulating blend of tangerine leaves, lemon, and the unique invigorating herbaceous effect of verbena while maintaining a cool edgy freshness with rhubarb. Rounding out the fragrance is the uplifting addition of yellow freesia, earthy oak moss and the warmth of cedar wood, musk and peach skin.

100ml - Php 3,398

L’Eau d’Issey Florale Eau de Toilette Issey Miyake

The breath of a rose is how the scent of L’Eau d’Issey Florale is described. The floral alchemy behind the scent is so simple yet amounts to an elaborate elegance that Issey Miyake is known for. The mixture of rosebud and yellow ginger lily gives a note of a soft freshness with blossom accents. Notes of mandarin orange and added white woods contrast and enhance the floral heart. Well preserved in an emblematic bottle of luxurious glass, L’Eau d’Issey Florale accents the vivacious, limpid and luminous femininity of a woman.

50ml - Php 3,798 90ml - Php 5,250

Millésime Fragrances/Eau de Parfum Creed

Royal Water and Original Santal (Gentlemen Millésime) 125ml - Php 8,800 75ml - Php 7,700 30ml - Php 4,600

Acqua Fiorentina (Lady Millésime) 75ml - Php 7,700 30ml - Php 4,600

Acqua Fiorentina gets its ingredients from around Florence, giving it a fruity-floral scent consisting of plum, bergamot orange, roses, carnations and lemon with a base of cedar and sandalwood. Royal Water is an herbal-citrus fragrance with a dry clean scent for the next generation of royals. The infusion of citrus, peppermint, juniper berry, basil with a base of musk and ambergris captures spirit of tomorrow’s newsmakers. Original Santal, with a woody-oriental scent of sandalwood, cinnamon, coriander, juniper berry, lavender, absolute orange tree leaves, rosemary and ginger and a base of Tonka Bean and vanilla, this Asian-inspired scent aspires an inner calm.

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CREED

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Cross-Terrain Collection Active Body Care for Men Kiehl’s

The active man has to have active protection. Kiehl’s introduces its adventure-tested Cross-Terrain Collection which is specifically designed for a man who is out for some action. With the AllIn-One Hair & Body Refueling Wash, UV Skin Protector with SPF 50, “24 Hour” Strong Anti-Perspirant Stick and “Dry Run” Foot Cream, you can keep your mind off your skin and focused on the activity on hand.

All-In-One Hair & Body Refueling Wash (240ml) - Php 995 UV Skin Protector SPF 50 (40ml) - Php 1,600 “24 Hour” Strong Anti-Perspirant Stick (75ml) - Php 800; “Dry Run” Foot Cream (100ml) - Php 1,200

Face Primer & Cream Foundation Make-Up Designory (MUD)

Make-Up Designory (MUD) is for those who are looking for simple and easy to use make-up. MUD’s quality, long-lasting wearability, flawless application and luminously accurate colors are so simple to use due to its systematic line of products specifically designed to do away with the intimidating guesswork of finding the right products for your skin. The MUD Face Primer, which is a lightweight gel, preps the skin by making it extra smooth. Pair that with the versatile MUD Cream Foundations that were created for ultra-smooth blending and application to go from a sheer natural look to a flawless full-coverage finish.

Face Primer 30ml - Php 1,220 Cream Foundation - Php 1,250

Uplight Sculpted Glow

Face Luminizer Gel and Sculpting Kit Make Up For Ever

April2011

Have you ever wanted that on screen glow of movie stars or that perfectly radiant skin like those of models on the cat walk? With Make Up For Ever’s Uplight and Sculpted Glow products, that glamorous yet natural look is now attainable. The Uplight Face Luminizer Gel is a silky gel that naturally lights up the face as it contains reflecting pigment that captures and defuses light giving skin that fresh, healthy and glowing complexion. Couple that with the Sculpting Kit which contains a two-tone powder that flawlessly contours the face to capture the light and reveal that enchanting “sculpted glow.”

Uplight - Php 2,080 Sculpting Kit - Php 2,200

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K1 Khakis

April2011

Spring/Summer 2011 Collection Dockers Designed for real men, Dockers K1 Khakis were designed and inspired by World War II military uniforms. Crafted with heavy duty three-ply combatready cotton twill that has been ripped and repaired, these straight-forward, masculine trousers showcase a vintage look with updated accents to keep that authentic feel while making them tough and durable.

Fitted with a distinct internal waistband, uniform hook, eye closer and button fly, Dockers K1 Khakis will fit comfortably any man on a mission.

Slendertone Flex Electronic Abdominal Toner

If you want to get in shape but don’t have the time to shape up before swimsuit season, the why not slender down with Slendertone Flex—a clinically proven, easy-to-use abs belt that uses Electronic Muscle Stimulation (EMS) technology to deliver a complete abdominal workout to firm up the core muscles and flatten the tummy area.

Php 7,990

Spring/Summer 2011 Collection Plains & Prints Stay simple and chic with this seasons Plains & Prints collection. With esteemed local designer, Rajo Laurel, Plain & Prints unveils its Spring/ Summer 2011 collection of modern futuristic and fashion-forward designs. Combining two of the best in the world of retail and design, this well-rounded tandem will transport the women of today into the future with some of the most fashionable, enthralling and futuristic designs. Inspired by the idea of technology, space and beyond, the collection hosts a variety of fresh designs and exciting pieces that play with fluid garments, bright sophisticated colors and cuts that would complement any woman’s physique.

lifestyleparade

Rajo Laurel

lifestyleparad

Summer Apparel SM Department Store

Summer is here and that means beach season. Update your wardrobe and be prepared for summer fun at the beach with colorful swimsuits and shorts from SM Department Store. Look sexy and chic with an animal printed swimsuit, a one-piece halter swimsuit with keyhole or a red two-piece printed swimsuit by Coco Cabana. Walk along the sand in a pink and red tie front plaid shirt from Shopaholic paired with denim shorts from Miss Shorts to show off those sexy legs, ala ’40s pin-up flare. If the sun is too much for you, then cover up with a beautiful pink shawl with silver details.

Coco Cabana animal print swimsuit - Php 699.75 Coco Cabana red two-piece printed swimsuit - Php 599.75 Coco Cabana one-piece halter swimsuit with keyhole - Php 699.75 Shopaholic pink and red tie front plaid shirt - Php 349.75 Miss Shorts three-button denim shorts - Php 349.75 Pink shawl with silver detail - Php 299.75

Generation Mobile Bags

Laptop, Camera, Mobile phone and iPad bags Golla Bags

April2011

In this mobile generation where having a laptop or tablet is now a cultural norm, it’s essential to have the right case to keep these expensive gadgets from getting damaged or scratched. But this doesn’t mean sacrificing style for security.

Golla bags provide some of the best security casing products with their fresh and simple yet highly fashionable bags.

Whether it be a laptop, a camera, a mobile phone or an iPad, with Golla Bags, your mobile life is sure to be a lot safer.

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G967 Bay Black Smart Bags - Php 790 G1012 Logan Black Camera Bags - Php 2,590 G1086 16-inch Laptop Back Pack - Php 3,890 G1127 Inez Pink Slim Cover for iPad - Php 2,090 G1159 Emily Slim Sleeve for iPad - Php 1,790 www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

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April2011

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The revitalized www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph, along with our Facebook, Twitter and YouTube pages, features the latest, most up-to-date tech lifestyle news and daily updates. Read about the latest products straight from the box and the hottest events and news INSTANTANEOUSLY. Interactive online copies of current issues—which you can read from cover to cover—are available at our website—absolutely FREE.

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Dancing Your Way Into Fitness

By Benjamin Arnold and Michelle Callanta-Toledo

April2011

Do you love to dance? Do you want to get fit?

Do you enjoy listening to energizing Latin or party-pop beats? If you answered “yes,” then join Gold’s Gym’s Zumba dance-fitness program.

The Zumba workout is said to have long-term fitness benefits, thanks to exciting, high calorie-burning fitness classes and simple dance moves that also increase the fun factor. The sessions showcase both fast and slow rhythms and, at times, with accompanied with resistance training which successfully tone and sculpt the body while burning fat.

A 55-minute fun-filled work out that feels more like a party than a fitness regimen, the Zumba Fitness program is the perfect group exercise alternative to boring redundant gym workouts.

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beauty secrets revealed

www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

-benjamin

BENJAMIN SAYS: I enjoy dancing. I am not necessarily good at it, but I enjoy it. I also want to get into shape and stay fit.

With the Zumba Fitness Program at Gold’s Gym, I can do both. With invigorating music—ranging from Lady Gaga’s Born This Way to Katrina and the Waves Walking on Sunshine and a scattering of Latin Pop songs in-between—getting into the mood of exercising becomes so much easier!

Although it may be difficult for those who join the class for the first time or people like me who sometimes have two left feet, the movements are actually simple to follow even if you’ve made a few wrong steps.

While I must admit, I didn’t shake my booty as well as the rest of the girls in the program (yes, I was one of three male participants in the group), I did my best to keep pace and keep my energy level up.

The 55-minute long class is a continuous workout, with only a few seconds in-between each song allowed to rest and catch my

hour. And I began to panic. I didn’t know how I was going to last the remaining 40 minutes, even if I did enjoy dancing in general.

Now I am not going to deny that it is not tiring nor does it help when you have an instructor that looks about ready to eat you alive if you slow down or show signs of sluggishness.

But then again, the age-old adage “no pain, no gain” still holds true in this case. The best part is that it’s not boring. You are constantly moving. You’re learning new dance steps. You’re listening to your favorite dance hits. You’re having a great time. Even if you don’t get all the steps right, you still end up feeling sexy and more confident in your movements. This makes the Zumba Fitness program well worth the time and effort.

“Even if you don’t get all the steps right, you still end up feeling sexy and more confident in your movements.”

-Michelle

The best part of the class isn’t just dancing or the music or the fact that you are getting a well-balanced workout, but rather the fun you get out of dancing with a friend.

I suggest enrolling in the Zumba fitness program at Gold’s Gym with a friend. It helps motivate you and you won’t feel like a total buffoon shaking your butt when your friend is right next to you doing the same thing.

*Special thanks to Luisa Beltran, assistant marketing manager of Gold’s Gym Philippines

beautylab

MICHELLE SAYS: We were told the class would be 55-minutes long, but we didn’t realize it was 55 minutes of nonstop dancing. And I don’t mean, prom-night, slow-moving, sideto-side type of dancing. It meant getting a full body workout while listening to Usher’s DJ Got Us Falling In Love, J.Lo’s On The Floor, Lady Gaga’s Born This Way, and even Katrina & The Waves’ Walking On Sunshine. So basically, we were in for a full-on, fast-paced workout.

From the moment you begin, the Zumba instructor gets right down to business and you begin to dance with the same fervor as if you were dancing at a club—sensual, sexy, sultry, but more coordinated. So you can only imagine my surprise when after only 15 minutes, I felt I had already been dancing for an

breath! About a third of the way through, I kept asking Michelle, our lifestyle editor, if it’s done—hoping she would say yes. But after awhile, I forgot about the time and fell into the rhythm of the music. With movements that include jumping around, arm swaying and booty shaking, I built up quite a sweat and became all flushed by the end of the class. The Zumba instructor—who reminded me of my high school ROTC commandant, in the sense that if I didn’t continue on, I would be penalized—motivated me to press on. I felt exhilarated and pleased to have gotten through the entire session.

April2011

“With movements that include jumping around, arm swaying and booty shaking, I built up quite a sweat”

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featuredartist

the musicians and their toys

Anberlin is the Way April2011

By Benjamin Arnold

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www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

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April2011

Rock, punk and emo are the initial blend of music that American alternative rock band Anberlin is known for. With a variety of influences ranging from the artistic musician, Thom Yorke; the crowd pleasing Mick Jagger; to Paulo Coelho’s Veronica Decides to Die, Anberlin showcases its streamlined rock n’ roll with an ease of pop.

With chart-topping albums and thousands of records sold, Anberlin takes in another poetic influence, its fifth studio album. Themed with encounters in life and love, “Dark Is the Way, Light is a Place” takes its title from a line in “Poem on His Birthday” by Dylan Thomas. Stephen described how the album was influenced by the phrase, saying: “It was unique to find that phrase from [Dylan Thomas’] ‘Poem on His Birthday’ and still be in the middle of the writing process and to watch how the songs took shape or evolved around that one phrase. I think Dylan

Thomas played a big part in this record as far as being almost a focal point or center point to work out the rest of the album.”

Characterized as a Christian band by critics, the media, and fans alike, Anberlin believes faith is not based on labels but on what people feel inside. “There are a lot of things in our lives that we can’t separate ourselves from—such as our family, our friends, our pasts, our relationships and even our faith. Through all those things, we can’t separate ourselves… Like you still see Spanish contributions here [in the Philippines] like the names of roads are in Spanish.

It’s part of your cultural DNA, whether you like it or not. For things like our faith, we can’t separate ourselves from it so it’s going to come out in our music one way or another because it is a part of who we are,” Stephen said.

When on tour, Anberlin can’t live without a few things, including gadgets, “Phones, computers, books, toothbrush, iPad and cameras. I mean everything.

I actually brought too much stuff on this tour. I have almost two backpacks-full of random stuff that I am probably never going to use,” Christian joked.

When asked if nothing is indeed impossible, as taken from the lead single of the album entitled Impossible, Christian said, “Nothing is impossible… if you are a winner,” which goes to show that a positive outlook and faith goes a long way in achieving your goal. Incidentally, the song was originally taken off the album and the entire introduction with guitar picking and low backup vocals was reworked.

featuredartist

Formed in 2002 from Winter Haven, Florida, Anberlin—consisting of lead vocalist Stephen Christian, bassist Deon Rexroat, lead guitarist Joseph Milligan, drummer Nathan Young and rhythm guitarist Christian McAlhaney has been rocking the airwaves with music about love, life and everything in-between

listen

hit the right notes with the latest sound tech

Should you “Rokit” in your studio?

By Steven Vea

RP-5s

If you have a modest home-based studio, you’ve probably been producing and mixing your music on consumer stereo speakers or perhaps even desktop computer speakers for quite some time. While they might have served their purpose well (I’ve personally used Sony stereo speakers for a decade and still use it as a reference point), you’ve probably noticed your mix might not have translated well on other systems such as the car stereo, iPod docks, etc.

This is primarily because consumer speakers often add a hint of “color” to the sound by accentuating certain frequencies or by adding subtle effects (i.e. DSP, delays, etc.). While this definitely leads to a more pleasurable listening experience, it is not effective when you’re mixing music for commercial release What studio monitors aim to do is represent your music as truthfully as possible by presenting you with what has been commonly described as a “flat” sound where all sonic aspects are represented without any “artificial” coloring. This helps you detect the frequencies that need to be adjusted in the mix. Thus, the quintessential problem any starving musician will face with studio monitors is the disheartening cost of this essential equipment.

April2011

But don’t despair. The advent of digital production has also given rise to an increase in project home-based studios, consequently resulting in the need to address the growing market for affordable monitor speakers.

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This is where the KRK Rokit series of studio monitors have gained their popularity by catering to the delicate balance of budget and brilliance.

Although still categorized as “prosumer,” rest assured that its quality is excellent and on par with industry standards, despite its rather juvenile name and almost unbelievable affordability.

The KRK RP-5’s are near-field monitors, meaning they are specifically designed to be within close proximity of the listener, which is often the case in home-based studios with limited space. Measuring at approximately 10x7x9 inches, with a 5-inch glass aramid composite www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

cone woofer and a 1-inch neodymium soft dome tweeter, the RP-5s pack quite a punch.

Granted, with a frequency response of 53 to 20k Hz, don’t expect these monitors to emanate subsonic low thumps beneath your chest or rattle your windows. These monitors excel in expressing your mix truthfully, particularly in the mid-low frequencies that contribute to a muddy track. Furthermore, they noticeably shine when used at relatively lower volumes, which make them perfect for late night sessions that could disturb your neighbors.

What I find particularly pleasing with the RP-5s is that these are not tiresome to listen to. The high end of the frequency spectrum will never make you cringe in audible pain—it is crisp yet smooth at the same time, which is perfect for long drawn out mixing sessions. While there is a provision to adjust the presence of the highs (-2dB to +1dB) at the rear of the units to account for your position in relation to the monitors as well as the acoustics of your room, rest assured that the RP-5s will never get too sharp for your sensitive ears.

In terms of connectivity, the RP-5s have the bases covered as well, with provisions for unbalanced RCAs and balanced TRS and XLR inputs.

Furthermore, the overall aesthetic design of the chassis is as warm as the sound that it emits—the yellow hue in contrast to the black body will seamlessly blend in with your surroundings, allowing you to fully concentrate on your mix.

The KRK Rokit Powered 5 is priced at approximatly Php 11,000.

Source: www.krksys.com

cdreview

get our take on the latest tracks to hit the market

singing style sends a soothing relaxing calm throughout my body.

simple yet creative lyrics that talk about life, love and dreaming—and you have a match made for success.

Sky Sailing

This is also the same case with Adam Young’s recently released yet unheard of album, “An Airplane Carried Me To Bed,” a project that fell—not under Owl City—but rather a different name known as Sky Sailing. This 2010 release of the pre-Owl City album, which contains some of Adam Young’s first recordings, has 11-tracks which were originally available only through iTunes.

However, the tracks seem to merge together as the tone and style of each song is so similar to the extent of me checking to see if I am listening to a different track or not. But this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as some people would rather prefer listening to an album that keeps the same flow of energy from start to finish.

There are some songs that sound like a lullaby. That is what comes to mind whenever I hear Owl City’s Adam Young sing. But don’t get me wrong. The comparison to a lullaby doesn’t mean the song lulls me to sleep, but rather his

The songs, which have a familiar synthpop feel not far from Owl City’s electropop style, hosts a more acoustic sound to the songs that give it a more home-grown sense to the album. I personally like the blend of synthpop with acoustic guitars and pianos as it creates a refreshing new balance to Adam’s music. Add to the mix the

Although every track on the album was as beautiful as the next, a few of the songs did stand out. Brielle, the lead single from the album, presents a deep visual story behind its lyrics while the song Sailboats, from which the album got its name, serves as a perfect closing to the album with its wonderful play of words.

the tone—portrays a deep seeded emotion of obscurity to which a high mixture of power and calm merge together in flawless beauty. This is so with American alternative rock band, Anberlin and their fifth studio album “Dark Is the Way, Light Is a Place.”

album is Take Me (As You Found Me) which hosts a simple opening of soft drums and guitar strings and a chorus filled with steady yet powerful tone that fits well with the alternative rock genre.

Take into account the lyrics that, from my perspective, send a message of acceptance when one enters someone’s life and you have a song that can have deep meaning to anyone.

An Airplane Carried Me To Bed MCA Music Inc.

By Benjamin Arnold

Anberlin

Dark is the Way, Light is a Place MCA Music Inc.

By Benjamin Arnold Alternative rock has always had this subtle darkness to it that—no matter how bright the lyrics or upbeat

Recorded at Blackbird Studios with Grammy Award-winning producer Brendan O’Brien, Anberlin released a 10-track album filled with classic style alternative music to capture the hearts and ears of rock music listeners around the world. Impossible—which is the lead single from the album—has a wonderful opening arrangement of guitar picks, drums and vocals. The first verse has faint vocals repeating the lyrics that makes the song memorable.

Another song that stands out on the date as each song plays out a movie in my head. Neon Tree’s alternative rock debut album, “Habits” is a 10-track album of pure awesomeness.

Habits MCA Music Inc.

By Benjamin Arnold

There are songs and albums that seem to fit into a movie soundtrack. With that said, I have found the best album to

The second single, 1983—which is a dance rock track that was written by the bands lead vocalist Tyler Glenn and was produced by Tim Pagnotta—is a song

We Owe This to Ourselves, Closer, You Belong Here, Pray Tell, The Art of War, To the Wolves, Down and Depraved all

of which hold true to the alternative rock style with a simple blend of guitars, drums and deep meaningful lyrics. “Dark Is the Way, Light Is a Place” is beyond a doubt Anberlin’s tribute to where they are now as a band, nearing darkness yet at the borderline of light. described by Tyler Glenn as a “return to innocence in love and in relationships.”

This is evident with the fun ’80s feel and the lyrics that play on the teasing between two people in love.

The other songs such as Sins of My Youth, Your Surrender, Girls and Boys in School, In the Next Room and Helpless all exude an infectious energizing mood with exception to Love and Affection, Our War and Farther Down, three rock ballads that apply realness to the albums rich alternative energy.

To sum up the entire album, Neon Tree’s “Habits” is a wonderful addition to any playlist that centers on captivating sounds and emotion altering music as each song tells a story that can turn anyone’s life into a real life movie swayed by a high-powered alternative rock soundtrack.

Pink Friday MCA Music Inc.

By Paolo Toledo

From MC Lyte, Salt-n-Pepa, Lil’ Kim, Lauryn Hill and Missy Elliot, hip-hop music has always had the females well represented in every generation. The steady crop of powerful female rappers has always produced rare talent, coupled with the right blend of sexy swag.

Much like her predecessors, Nicki Minaj is emerging as the female flag-bearer of this generation. Appearing on the radar with her early mixtapes and firespitting guest verses (see Kanye West’s “Monster”), she now explodes into the mainstream with her highly anticipated debut, “Pink Friday.”

Undoubtedly, her lyrical style and skill are at par with the best, regardless of gender. But although much acclaim has been given for her early works, her own debut album might have fallen a bit short of really capturing this girl’s potential.

Much like her multiple personalities and eccentric flow, “Pink Friday” comes off as a bit too scattered to really define her ferocity. Blame it on trying to cater to a more “pop-centric” audience, the album features a bipolar tracklist that turns from hard grime to a weak glitter.

The latter is seen on similarly-themed songs of rising to fame, and even an appearance of the bubblegum track Check It Out (feat will.i.am).

But nevertheless, her raw talent shines on breast-beating songs such as Roman’s Revenge where she goes toeto-toe with a rampaging Eminem, and she captures the album’s best moment on Did It On ‘Em over a Bangladesh beat that rages under Minaj’s unorthodox style and wit.

Overall, “Pink Friday” may have stifled the female MC with ’80s-themed samples and softer themes, but like the strong women who came before her, Nicki Minaj still holds up her own on a few gems, and shows the world why she is the new dark queen of hip-hop.

www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

April2011

Neon Trees

Though relatively unknown, except to major indie rock fans, this group from Provo, Utah consists of Tyler Glenn (vocals, keyboards), Chris Allen (guitar), Branden Campbell (bass guitar, vocals) and Elaine Bradley (drums, percussion, vocals). The lead single of the album, Animal—which was used in a wide variety of commercials and reached No. 1 on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart—is a highly contagious upbeat song that is about the animal instincts that arise between lovers.

Other songs on the album include

Nicki Minaj

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profiles

Towerof

meet the people that make your tech-lifestyle a reality

Power:

Emerson Network Power’s

By John Nieves | Photo by Benjamin Arnold

Rey Lugtu

Emerson Network Power is well-known when it comes to the enterprise space, but is relatively unheard of by the normal consumer. But that doesn’t mean the service that Emerson Network Power gives is unimportant—far from it. Their products and services form the backbone of the IT infrastructure that allows many of today’s biggest companies to operate.

April2011

It’s unsurprising then that Rey Lugtu, the newly appointed Philippine country manager for Emerson Network Power wants to break into the consumer space. An IT veteran of 19 years, he brings his experience from working for IBM as country general manager communications sector of IBM Philippines to Emerson.

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channel business here in the Philippines which allow us to serve the SMB and consumer markets through our strong and skilled solution partners and reseller network,” he says. “We are gearing toward a strong retail presence for our channel products, combined with our existing partner enablement programs which include regular training, promotions and incentives.”

As such, he brings a wealth of managing techniques and experience to Emerson Network Power. “Extensive management experience has taught me there’s no one-size-fits-all style or solution for management. How I manage people depends largely on the situation; and the situation may be defined by the urgency and importance of the situation; the skill level, maturity, and motivational level of the employee. If I were to pick a dominant management approach, however, I would favor management coaching. I believe in investing time and effort into understanding people. Through coaching, I am able to unlock my team’s potential and boost their performance.”

With this, he’s confident about entering the consumer space.

Indeed, Emerson Network Power’s consumer line for home users and SMBs are geared to offer the same protection to potential customer’s homes as it does for server racks for business. “We recommend our solutions to protect sensitive home electronics such as home entertainment systems. With consumers investing so much in their entertainment systems, it would be prudent to purchase additional protection from surges and spikes through a UPS or a TVSS, to prolong the life of their expensive equipment,” he says. “Our Liebert UPS line from 500-1500 VA is specifically geared toward this market, where we harness our enterprise-level expertise to protect SMBs and Home Consumers.”

Of course, the consumer space is a whole different animal from enterprise, but Mr. Lugtu is confident of Emerson’s ability to adapt. “We have a robust

Mr. Lugtu extols the value and quality of Emerson Network Power’s products, from its consumer solutions all the way to the enterprise suites.

www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

“Our precision cooling solutions are considered the best in the industry. In fact, we invented precision cooling through our Liebert brand back in 1965. We have cooling solutions that address the entire room regardless of size, a row of racks, and even down to a single rack and hotspot,” he says. Our recent acquisition of Chloride has further strengthened our UPS range, and our organizational strength allows us to provide full portfolio solutions in AC Power—from 500 VA to 1200kVA.” Stress management is a must for a post as high profile as Mr. Lugtu’s, so he tries to unwind as much as possible. “My family is my best stress reliever. I have three kids—Frances, Renee and Adam—and despite long hours in the office, I make it a point to end each day with them.

Talking to my kids or playing PS3 games with them takes all the stress away. I’m also a parttime professorial lecturer in the MBA program of De La Salle University. In a way, it also helps me relieve stress since I’m able to do what I love to do, which is to teach. Other stress relievers? A date with my wife, catching up with friends or colleagues, and making a point to fit in a good workout almost everyday.”

www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

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April2011

“Our precision cooling solutions are considered the best in the industry. In fact, we invented precision cooling through our Liebert brand back in 1965.�

profiles

event

Preserving The Filipino Heritage –

DIGITALLY

April2011

Information solution company EMC Corp. and the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) are working together to digitize the center’s audio-visual collection of Philippine arts and culture for the preservation of the nation’s treasures.

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The digitization project involves storing, protecting, managing and making accessible on EMC information infrastructure systems of the CCP Library’s vast collection of national, cultural and historical materials which consist approximately 40,000 hours of audio and 30,000 hours of tapes from literary works. Part of its program is to also digitally capture 1,500 art and 1,500 historical pieces for future content migration. EMC will initially provide 32 terabytes of storage for this project.

“Poetry, film, music, visual art and expressions of humanity are part of a country’s national, cultural and historical heritage and, yet, many of these critical documents www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

and cultural artifacts are at risk of disappearing without the right information infrastructure systems,” said David Webster, EMC president for Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand. “EMC recognizes and support the protection of such important heritage of the Philippines for the enjoyment and appreciation of future generations of Filipinos.”

In supporting CCP’s vision on the importance of preserving the nation’s heritage, EMC has been closely collaborating with the CCP team and providing the necessary EMC products and technologies— including training.

“EMC’s collaboration with CCP is a natural fit with our core business and

expertise around storing, protecting and managing critical digital information assets,” said Ronnie Latinazo, country manager at EMC Philippines. “It has been a rewarding challenge to help CCP create a virtual and interactive environment to make information on Philippines rich cultural past available and accessible to everyone. This is EMC’s way of giving back to the community after having operated in the Philippines for the past 10 years.”

The CCP was established in 1969 to preserve Filipino arts and culture as well as promote the development and appreciation of national arts and culture. Over the years, the documentation of cultural performances and growing

repository of material from other art form were accumulated to provide entertainment and educational materials to the public.

“We commend EMC’s generosity and dedication as a responsible corporate citizen. CCP is honored to be a beneficiary of this digital preservation initiative. It shows EMC’s spirit and vision of making technology a vital tool in building a better Philippines and outstanding Filipinos. This partnership will benefit not only this generation but the youth of the future as well,” said Raul Sunico, CCP president.

www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

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April2011

Gadgets magazine serves the most relevant technology and lifestyle features so you’ll never be left behind. Keep up with the latest in fashion and technology. available monthly at all leading newsstands and bookstores nationwide.

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newsbits&bytes the biggest news served fresh in

bite-sized quantities

Globe surpasses 100Gbps IP port capacity As Globe pursues its network optimization and capacity build up, large corporations and enterprises served by Globe Business stand to benefit, as well as over a million Globe broadband subscribers nationwide.

The huge capacity allows faster internet access and higher bandwidth availability.

Providing reliable internet connectivity to enterprise customers, Globe Business brings the best and diverse routes to enable borderless communication and access

to information. The Internet Protocol (IP) infrastructure of Globe is linked to multiple peers both globally and locally making sure that enterprises experience the best route to access content and reach destinations across the internet. Globe Business assures customers of business continuity and seamless flow of traffic anywhere in the Philippines and beyond.

To support more than 100Gbps IP port capacity, Globe made critical investments in multiple submarine cable systems

that guarantee reliability and traffic fluidity in the network. Serving enterprise customers are Unity Cable System, Tata Global Network-Intra Asia Cable System, TGN-Pacific Cable, Asia Pacific Cable Network 2, and City to City Cable Network System, among others. Globe also invested in the new Southeast Asia-Japan Cable System for increased cable diversity. All these enable cost-effective and resilient connectivity to other countries and other international submarine cable systems.

April2011

ArtPetron 10 exhibit at the 2011 Philippine International Guitar Festival and Competition.

Winners of the ArtPetron 10 student art competition were displayed at the recently concluded 2011 Philippine International Guitar Festival & Competition, held at the Cultural Center of the Philippines on January 27 to 30. Billed as the biggest event in Philippine guitar history, the festival featured world-class guitar performers from the United States, Europe and Asia.

ArtPetron 10, themed Alay sa Natatanging Pamayanan, featured Petron’s involvement in the communities and its dynamic partnerships with local folk in uplifting their quality of life. The ArtPetron National Student Art Competition is a painting and photography contest open to all college students. It is Petron’s advocacy with the Filipino youth, and is also an expression of the oil company’s long-standing support for the preservation, appreciation and rediscovery of Philippine arts, culture, values and traditions. www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

From L to R: Jimmy Alcala and Rommel Macapagal of Globe Business, MEF COO Kevin Vachon, and Harry Florendo of Globe Business.

Globe Business takes part in the Carrier Ethernet World - APAC Congress Globe Business, the enterprise and corporate client servicing unit of Globe Telecom, recently took part in the annual Carrier Ethernet World - APAC Congress.

The event gathered together Global Carriers and Vendors that support and provide Ethernet services worldwide. The conference focused on global Ethernet trends, standards and deployment. It also featured in-depth presentations and discussions on how operators are using Carrier Ethernet to drive down operational expenses and enhance service offerings.

Globe Telecom, through its Globe Business unit, has been offering Ethernet services for more than 10 years now. Globe Business delivers these through its high-speed BAX (Broadband Access Service) network.

The company has also made significant investments in the IP-Converged Optical Network (ICON) upgrade and other aspects of its network infrastructure.

ICON is the Philippines’ first and only pure IP MPLS (Internet Protocol – Multi Protocol Label Switching) network, and its reliable and secure network backbone helps Globe Ethernet service users enjoy low resiliency and latency. Further, Globe Business’ Carrier Ethernet services have been certified by the Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF) as conforming to the MEF 9 specifications for service providers. Globe is the first Philippine telecommunications company to have managed such a feat.

www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

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April2011

Sun Cellular offers the Elite series The hottest mobile phone gadgets in the market are now within easy reach with the ultimate unlimited postpaid plan from Sun Cellular, the Sun Elite Series. Subscribers will be sure to stay connected 24/7 only with offer from Sun. The Sun Elite Series is the most exciting thing to happen in postpaid subscription that combines three of the most soughtafter services with Sun’s trademark unlimited services. Subscribers enjoy call and text unlimited, unlimited mobile internet and unlimited local landline calls—all in just one Sun SIM. Designed to support a full range of mobile connection wherever

you are, the reliable mix of features runs on the latest communications technology for a strong and clear telecommunications experience.

Available under the plan are the Nokia N8 and Samsung Galaxy Tab with the strength and the reach of Sun Cellular’s Elite Plan 2500.The plan not only lets its’ subscribers enjoy its unlimited features, but it also provides them means to stay in touch with people outside the Sun network. Sun Elite Plan 2500 subscribers will get to utilize 500 free texts to other networks, 90 free IDD minutes to 10 countries, and free P500 worth of consumable load each month.

Suzuki @ work: Not just about the sale An important part of the Suzuki experience is to help customers with their vehicle maintenance after the customer acquires the car. It fosters goodwill between the dealer and the customer, it provides the opportunity for repeat business, and shows that Suzuki cares deeply about their customers’ wellbeing and peace of mind.

Recently, Suzuki Philippines—in partnership with Suzuki Auto Pasig and Suzuki Auto Manila Bay—held a service clinic for Suzuki owners at their dealership complex, with the purpose of attracting customers to experience car care the Suzuki way. The target were “old” customers who weren’t returning to the dealer for checkups

because their warranty were up.

During the service camp entitled Suzuki @ work, every customer received a free and thorough 23-point checkup on his or her Suzuki automobile which includes topping of fluids, checking battery condition using Computerized Battery Tester and checking engine performance with the use of Suzuki Diagnostic Tool, all free of charge. The customers were also given recommendations as to what specific area of the unit requires servicing. While waiting for servicing to be finished, they were given snacks and refreshments as well as giveaways to mark this pioneering service event. To encourage them to come back to the dealership,

they can avail of 15 percent off on parts on their next visit within three months.

Also included during the free checkup was a meticulous final inspection of the unit by Japanesetrained engineers from Suzuki Motors Corp., the parent company of Suzuki Philippines. According to the dealers, “It’s a good step for Suzuki, because they got the attention of Filipinos, and it speaks well of Suzuki as far as customer care is concerned. It also gives longtime customers a reorientation of the marquee, showing that Suzuki is not just about selling cars.”

Petron Gasul guarantees quality and safety

Substandard or illegally refilled LPG cylinders may be marginally cheaper but sacrifice safety standards, which could lead to accidents and the

loss of lives and property.

Unscrupulous suppliers may skimp on the LPG cylinder’s fuel content, loading less than the claimed weight.

There is also the issue of LPG quality, which can be detected through the quality of the flame produced.

Petron Gasul cylinders are manufactured to meet stringent safety standards including wall thickness, weld integrity and valve fitting. This ensures that the highly combustible gas is safely contained in the LPG tank and poses no danger to your family. LPG is sold by weight, with prices fluctuating on a per kilogram

basis depending on world market prices. As ordinary consumers, a reliable brand like Petron Gasul gives us the assurance that we are indeed getting the correct amount of LPG that we pay for.

Poor-quality LPG produces a smoky yellowish flame that coats pots and pans with black soot. Because of the lower burning temperature of the flame, this means higher consumption of LPG. Petron Gasul produces a clean-burning trueblue flame that is more economical while keeping your kitchen smoke-free and your pots and pans clean.

newsbits&bytes

Many of us take our kitchen LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) supply for granted but home safety considerations should make us pay more attention to the quality of our cooking LPG. This is the essence of the new slogan Ang Segurista, Petron Gasulista, which highlights the essential safety, quality and authenticity features of the trusted Petron Gasul brand.

newsbits&byte

Cetane boosters optimize performance of Petron Turbo Diesel Petron, the country’s leading oil company, is making its mark as a fuel innovator with the introduction of specially formulated fuels, such as the new Petron Turbo Diesel.

April2011

A high-performance diesel designed to deliver that optimum driving experience, Petron Turbo Diesel contains a technologically advanced cetane booster, resulting in a cetane number higher than other diesel fuels in the market.

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Cetane number (CN) is a measurement of the combustion quality of diesel fuel during compression ignition. It is a significant expression of diesel fuel quality. A high cetane number indicates that the diesel fuel has a shorter ignition delay from the start of injection to start of combustion. It causes lower rates of pressure rise and lower peak pressures, thus lessening combustion noise and vibration, and resulting in increased efficiency. The cetane boosters in Petron Turbo Diesel ensure better ignition quality for quicker engine startup, improved fuel economy and reduced exhaust emissions. Petron Turbo Diesel also contains a robust multifunctional detergent additive that delivers non-stop cleaning action.

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This keeps the fuel system and the engine clean by preventing residue buildup and removing deposits and contaminants.

A premium organic combustion enhancer that promotes more efficient and complete combustion is part of the special formulation of Petron Turbo Diesel. This unique fuel conditioner crates a catalytic reaction that enables more oxygen to combine with carbon molecules to produce a more complete fuel burn, thus generating more power and faster acceleration.

With its enhanced and advanced additive technology, Petron Turbo Diesel offers motorists a high-performance diesel fuel that delivers the following benefits: superior acceleration and performance, reduction of engine noise and ignition delay, cleaner fuel injectors, protection against engine corrosion, improvement of cold start performance, and reduction of exhaust emissions.

Petron Turbo Diesel is the ideal fuel for high-end vehicles with common rail direct injection (CRDI) diesel engines, as its multi-additive formulation has been customized to deliver extraordinary diesel engine performance and a more enjoyable driving

experience. At the same time, older diesel engine types can benefit from its detergent and combustionenhancing properties for more optimized performance.

Following its highly successful launch at a few service stations in mid-2010, Petron Turbo Diesel is now available in select Petron service stations nationwide.

Petron Corp. is the largest oil refining and marketing company in the Philippines.

Its oil refinery produces a full range of petroleum products to supply nearly 40% of the country’s total fuel requirements. Through more than 1,500 service stations nationwide—the largest service station network in the country—Petron retails gasoline, diesel and kerosene to motorists.

Petron will continue to be at the forefront of product innovations aimed at giving the motoring public environment-friendly fuels that provide more value for money.

Canon continues to be No. 1 in the country Canon digital compact camera continues to dominate the Philippine market. For four consecutive years (2007 to 2010), the superbrand has consistently enjoyed market leadership in this category, according to market research firm GfK Retail and Technology Philippines.

GfK’s data for year-to-date 2010 shows Canon leading the digital camera category with 24.5% market share for compact cameras and a very strong market leadership of 58.1% for the digital singlelens reflex (SLR) camera category.

“The previous years have seen the entry of new and low-priced brands of digital cameras,” said Bong Serevo, vice president and head of the camera division of Canon Marketing Philippines Inc. “Looking at the 2010 year-to-date market share results however, Canon remains the brand of choice for the country’s discerning, tech-savvy consumers. It would appear that despite the entry of new players, local customers still prefer established and trustworthy brands like Canon.”

The Japanese brand takes pride in its more than 70 years of producing digital imaging devices. Pioneering

the digital camera lineup is the EOS Digital brand which has been the preferred system of professional and amateur photographers evidenced by its lion’s share in the market for the past four years. Extending the unparalleled knowledge in image-capture technology, Canon also offers the feature-packed PowerShot and stylish Digital IXUS lineups to camera aficionados.

“Here in Canon, our mission is to create quality products that integrate technologies that are relevant to our consumers’ varying needs,” said Ernalou Amechachurra, assistant marketing manager for the camera division. “We have cameras for all types of users, be it someone who just wants to press the shutter button to capture a perfect party shot or someone who uses photography to express ingenuity.”

Globally, Canon is a recognized leader in imaging technologies owing to its wide range of input and output solutions from digital cameras, video camcorders to projectors and home and business printers. Canon has also been a consistent awardee of the Reader’s Digest Trusted Brand Award for 10 years.

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April2011

Smart Thinking, Get instant customer service connection Simple Living for Judy Ann and with Digitel TXT1200 Ryan Agoncillo As young parents to Johan and newborn Lucho, Judy Ann and Ryan Agoncillo want only the best for their young family, a requirement that extends to their choice of home appliances.

In ensuring that they are able to keep a safe and healthy environment in their home, Samsung Digital Appliances provide the perfect products that fulfill a young family’s needs while being easy and convenient to use.

Judy Ann and Ryan also want to make sure their food stays fresh longer with Samsung refrigerators.

Delicate newborns require delicate clothing, and with Samsung washing machines, Lucho’s onesies are cleaned thoroughly but gently.

Features unique to Samsung washing machines like the eco bubble technology and the diamond drum ensure that clothes are not damaged while they are being washed and cleaned.

Judy Ann and Ryan Agoncillo are the epitome of today’s young and modern couples.

But more importantly, they are parents to two wonderful children, and their first priority is always to ensure their kids are safe, healthy and comfortable, a promise that’s guaranteed

by Samsung Digital Appliances.

With TXT1200, subscribers of Digitel’s DSL, landline

and SunTel wireless landline services can contact customer service by simply texting to 1200. They first need to register to the SMS Hotline to start using this text-based customer service touchpoint. Services that can be coursed through this text hotline include applying for any Digitel service, reporting

service-related concerns and requesting for keywords.

The TXT1200 service is initially available using Sun Cellular mobile phones.

Sending messages and receiving customer service responses are free of charge.

Epson to put up new plant in the Philippines Epson, a world leader in digital imaging and printing solutions, through its Japan-based parent company Seiko Epson Corporation, is building a new projector and inkjet printer manufacturing plant in the country.

The company will construct the new plant next to an existing inkjet printer facility at Epson Precision (Philippines) Inc. in Lipa City.

Full-scale production at the new plant is scheduled to begin in October this year.

Both projectors and inkjet printers are corehigh potential markets for Epson. The projector market, in particular, has been growing as a result of increased applications in enterprise and education, and expanding demand in

emerging economies. Epson is keen to boost projector sales by strengthening its line-up of models for use in educational institutions and offices worldwide, and of high-brightness units in the 5,000-lumen and above class. Epson is also expecting to see growth in the inkjet printers for enterprise applications and emerging economies.

The new plant will be constructed on land adjacent to the existing plant and will include a modern projector production facilities. By next year, Epson anticipates building up the plant to an annual projector production capacity of 1 million units and doubling the present annual inkjet printer capacity to approximately 6 million units. Total investment in this project

will come to approximately $110 million (or Php 4.5 billion) and the number of employees will be increased from the present 3,700 to approximately 6,000.

“We are delighted to announce our plans for a new plant in the Philippines, “ said Tadaaki Hagata, director of Seiko-Epson, and COO of imaging products operations segment. “We took this decision because of the excellent and ongoing support we have received from PEZA and other government authorities, and also because of the fantastic local labor force. Epson is confident that the new plant will help us better provide market-leading products and services to satisfy our customers worldwide.”

newsbits&bytes

With Samsung aircons, Judy Ann and Ryan are confident that Lucho’s room is free from dust and other airborne bacteria, thanks to the high-density filter that collects dust and other airborne viruses in the room, for cleaner and fresher indoor air. With the inverter technology of Samsung air-conditioners, they’re ensured of up to 60% energy savings.

Equipped with the Twin Cooling Plus Technology, food odors are prevented from transferring from one compartment to another, ensuring ultimate freshness.

Samsung refrigerators also have the Silver Plus Deodorizer that decomposes and deodorizes unpleasant odors using silver plus particles.

Digitel knows just how valuable time is for its valued subscribers.

Subscribers can instantly get in touch with Digitel’s customer service via text using their Sun Cellularpowered mobile phone.

newsbits&byte

Groupon now in the Philippines Get the sweetest deals everyday at a fraction of the price at Groupon Philippines.

Groupon is the pioneer deal-a-day website from Chicago that introduced the ingenious idea of “collective buying,” which offers users huge discounts when buyers band together to purchase an item. The fastest growing site in the world works as a lifestyle city guide, offering a variety of deals to satisfy all markets with a mix of good quality brands and irresistible sweet deals to choose from.

“This is really a very exciting time as we strive to educate our partners and subscribers about the newest form of shopping,” said Lori Villafuerte, president and founder of Groupon Philippines. In two months, the site has grown to 200,000 subscribers.

“The numbers just grow by the minute,” she shares.

“We are committed in

revolutionizing the way people shop and making our subscribers happy with our sweet deals and promising them excellent customer service. This commitment is what makes us stand out,” Lori said.

When asked for future plans, Lori says, “We aim to make Groupon Philippines a daily fix for today’s shoppers. We want them to wake up each morning and make sure they check Groupon’s site to see what they can do, where they can go, where they can eat, after a long day at work,” The company also plans to expand locally, and regionally. “We want to make our presence in the Asian region really strong. We’d like to acquire more merchants and create sweeter deals for our clients,” Lori adds.

Register now at the Groupon site, www.beeconomic. com.ph and join the newest online buzz.

In the past, Isuzu Philippines Corp. (IPC) held two separate marketing events for its customers: the Isuzu Challenge and the Isuzu Family Day. The former was a fuel-economy run that demonstrated the fuel-efficiency of Isuzu vehicles, while the latter was a family-oriented activity held at Isuzu showrooms nationwide.

For 2011, IPC has combined the two events to form the “Isuzu Family Challenge,” which consolidates significant elements from the two campaigns. The objective is to show Isuzu’s legendary leadership in fuel economy while also enabling Isuzu owners to have fun with their families.

“What used to be known as the Isuzu Challenge has just been made more exciting since we are incorporating recreational activities into it,” says IPC president Ryoji Yamazaki. “This will allow our valued customers to bond with their loved ones even as they also prove for themselves the unparalleled fuel-efficiency of their Isuzu vehicles.”

The 2011 Isuzu Family Challenge will be held during a nine-month period from March to November.

It will be held on Saturdays

Caption: IPC president Ryoji Yamazaki (left) and EVP Yuki Kato during the kick-off party of the 2011 Isuzu Family Challenge.

Isuzu launches fun campaign for the family at each of Isuzu’s 18 dealer networks/groups nationwide. All family participants will compete in a fuel-economy run and then will take part in a dance contest to be held at the showroom to the tune of the new Isuzu jingle.

The 2011 Isuzu Family Challenge is as follows: Isuzu Cabanatuan on March 26; Isuzu Commonwealth and Manila on April 2; Isuzu Alabang and Cavite on April 9; Isuzu Edsa and Quezon Avenue on April 30; Isuzu Pasig and Rizal on May 7; Isuzu Makati on June 18; Isuzu Iloilo on May 21; Isuzu Batangas on

May 28; Isuzu Bulacan on June 11; Isuzu Isabela on July 23; Isuzu Pampanga on August 6; Isuzu Pangasinan on August 20; Isuzu San Pablo on September 3; Isuzu Mandaue on September 9; Isuzu Bacolod on September 17; Isuzu Cagayan de Oro on November 5; Isuzu Davao on November 19; and Isuzu General Santos on November 26.

The 2011 Isuzu Family Challenge is sponsored by Caltex Diesel with Techron D, AVT powered by iNAV, Centro Manufacturing Corp., Philippine Aluminum Wheels Inc., Almazora, Wow Videoke and Rudy Project.

Tokyo Café goes ‘Banzai’ at SM Megamall Tokyo Café, one of the fastest-rising Japanese coffee shops in the land, invades the MandaluyongOrtigas area with the recent opening of its newest branch at the 3rd floor of SM Megamall.

April2011

With its newest branch, the fifth under the chain, Tokyo Café brings to SM Megamall habitués that renowned cozy ambience, unique Japanese drinks and delicious “fusion” food of Japanese and Western culture.

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What separates Tokyo Café from its competitors is that it is totally family-friendly where they can relax, www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

exchange delightful banter or just chill around amid good company.

Tokyo Café started out with its first branch at the swanky and spacious SM Mall of Asia and then invaded SM North Edsa’s The Block.

The third outlet was put up at Mckinley Piazza and just recently, the fourth branch opened its doors at the Robinsons Cybergate Plaza near Go Hotel in Mandaluyong City.

Tokyo Café is owned and operated by IFoods Inc., a food industry visionary group that pioneered he creation of homegrown

brands but with a unique world-class identity. The company is determined to provide many hungry Filipinos only the best and great-tasting authentic dishes, a memorable experience, coupled with reasonable prices that provides more value for hard-earned money.

IFoods also operates the Peri Peri Charcoal at SM City North EDSA in Quezon City, Peri Peri Grillhouse in San Juan, Stackers Burger Café in Eastwood, Libis and at the Newport Commercial and Entertainment Center, Kogi Bulgogi at the Eastwood City and Parmigiano also at the Newport Cente.

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April2011

Gov’t agencies support Honda’s clean fleet management program Different government agencies expressed strong interest and support to Honda’s clean feet management program.

The Honda group of companies consisting of Honda Cars Philippines Inc. (HCPI), Honda Philippines Inc. (HPI), Honda Parts Manufacturing Corp.

(HPMC) and Honda Trading Philippines (HTP), through the Honda Foundation, recently conducted an

executive briefing and consultation among the participating agencies.

For 11 months starting February 23, Honda will share with government fleet operators its technical expertise and facilities for a whole day of fuel efficient and safe driving training.

With proper driving habits, one earns the benefits of conserving fuel, minimizing harmful emissions and

maintaining safety for road users. This project is actually an evolution of HCPI’s fuel efficiency driving competition program called the Honda Challenge Cup. Established back in 1996, the Honda Challenge Cup advocates fuel economy under normal driving. With the application of correct driving style, usage of a well-maintained vehicle that is designed with fuel-saving technology and loading of

Autohub Group offers to V-KOOL

fuel with special formulation that aids better combustion efficiency, one can easily save on fuel consumption.

In celebration of HCPI’s 20 years of operations, Honda strengthens its longtime environment pledge to leave blue skies for our children, as initiated in 1966 by founder, Soichiro Honda.

Honda formed the Blue Skies Alliance by teaming up with government and non-

“V-KOOL is proud to partner with Autohub Group to bring this cutting-edge technology to consumers in Philippines and we look forward to a long-standing partnership with Autohub Group to make V-KOOL the No.1 choice of consumers,” said Tommy Yeo, deputy general manager at V-KOOL International.

The technology behind V-KOOL ‘s revolutionary performance is in its patented high-tech sputtering process of embedding multiple stacks

of precious metals onto a thin optically clear polyester film. It improves passengers’ time to comfort by 25% faster as compared to tinted glass windows. In addition, V-KOOL advanced climate control window film is spectrally selective in nature that is capable of letting in 70% of visible light through the front windscreen while cutting off up to 94% of sun’s infrared heat and 99% of ultraviolet rays.

“Autohub believes in offering its customers the very best and V-KOOL® meets all our expectations in terms of window film offerings,” said Willy Tee Ten, president of Autohub Group.

newsbits&bytes

V-KOOL Advanced Climate Control Window Films have been chosen by Autohub Group to be offered in Philippines.

government organizations in attaining sustainable mobility. Honda’s clean fleet management program is in partnership with the Philippine Business for the Environment, Clean Air Initiative for Asian Cities and the Department of Energy.

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advertisers’ row

BASIC B3450 N 14-inch LED Panel Intel Pentium T4500 2GB DDR3 1-Year 320GB Php 17,999

BASIC B2310 14-inch LED Panel Intel Celeron T3500 2GB DDR2 1-Year 250GB Php 15,999

BASIC B4109 14-inch HD LED Intel Core i3 370M 2GB DDR3 1-Year 500GB Php 31,999

BASIC B4107 14-inch HD LED Intel Pentium P6200 2GB DDR3 1-Year 500GB Php 28,999

BASIC B4109 N 14-inch HD LED Intel Core i3 370M 2GB DDR3 1-Year 500GB Php 27,999

BASIC B4107 N 14-inch HD LED Intel Pentium P6200 2GB DDR3 1-Year 500GB Php 24,999

BASIC B3375 10.1-inch WSVGA Intel Atom N455 2GB DDR3 1-Year 320GB Php 17,999

BASIC B3380 10.1-inch WSVGA Intel Atom N550 2GB DDR3 1-Year 320GB Php 18,999

BASIC B3510 12-inch display Intel Atom D510 2GB DDR2 1-Year 320GB Php 19,999

ELAN L4195 14-inch HD LED Intel Core i5 450M 2GB DDR3 1-Year 640GB Php 39,999

ELAN L4193 N 14-inch HD LED Intel Core i5 450M 2GB DDR3 1-Year 640GB Php 32,999

April2011

NEO

*Models denoted with N do NOT have OS

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Tablet

April2011

REDFOX

WIZPAD T1030IW 10-inch Backlit capacitive LED Intel Atom 455 16GB SSD Windows 7 Starter Php 31,999

WIZPAD T1032IW 10-inch Backlit capacitive LED Intel Atom 455 32GB SSD Windows 7 Home Premium Php 37,999

WIZPAD T1034IW 10-inch Backlit capacitive LED Intel Atom 455 32GB SSD Windows 7 Home Premium Php 41,999

SAMSUNG

SAMSUNG GALAXY ACE S5830 3.5-inch TFT capacitive touchscreen Android 2.2 (Froyo) 800 MHz ARM 11 processor, Adreno 200 GPU, Qualcomm MSM7227 chipset 112.4 x 59.9 x 11.5 mm GSM 850/900/1800/1900, HSDPA 900/2100 Php 16,500

SAMSUNG GALAXY MINI S5570 3.14-inch TFT capacitive touchscreen Android 2.2 (Froyo) 600 MHz processor 110.4 x 60.8 x 12.1 mm GSM 850/900/1800/1900, HSDPA 900/2100 Php 10,690

SAMSUNG GALAXY FIT S5670 3.31-inch TFT capacitive touchscreen Android 2.2 (Froyo) 600 MHz processor 110.2 x 61.2 x 12.6 mm GSM 850/900/1800/1900, HSDPA 900/2100 Php 12,890

HTC

HTC DESIRE Z 3.7-inch S-LCD capacitive touchscreen Android 2.2 (Froyo) 800 MHz Scorpion processor, Adreno 205 GPU, Qualcomm MSM 7230 chipset 119 x 60.4 x 14.2 mm GSM 850/900/1800/1900, HSDPA 900/2100 Php 30,800

Desktop

ICITIZEN EZ100-16AW 15.6-inch LED monitor AMD Athlon Processor LE-1640 1GB DDR2 1-Year 250GB Php 16,000

EVOLVE ET18510ANW 18.5-inch LCD AMD Athlon Processor X2 215 2GB DDR2 1-Tyear 320GB Php 28,499

ICITIZEN IC1040I 10-inch LED Intel Atom N450 1GB DDR2 1-Year 250GB Php 15,000

ICITIZENW1040I 10-inch LED Intel Atom N450 2GB DDR2 1-Year 320GB Php 17,990

HTC DESIRE HD 4.3-inch LCD capacitive touchscreen Android 2.2 (Froyo) 1 GHz Scorpion processor, Adreno 205 GPU, Qualcomm MSM8255 Snapdragon 123 x 68 x 11.8 mm GSM 850/900/1800/1900, HSDPA 900/2100 Php 33,500

HTC HD7 4.3-inch LCD capacitive touchscreen Microsoft Windows Phone 7 1 GHz Scorpion processor, Adreno 200 GPU, Qualcomm QSD8250 Snapdragon chipset 122 x 68 x 11.2 mm GSM 850/900/1800/1900, HSDPA 900/2100 Php 36,900

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Notebook

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HP MINI 110-3101TU 10.1-inch LCD Intel Atom N475 1GB DDR2 1 year warranty parts and labor 250GB HDD Php 18,990

CQ42-357TU 14-inch LED Intel Pentium P6200 2GB 1066DDR3 1 year warranty parts and labor 320GB Php 26,990

April2011

CQ42-268TX 14-inch LED Intel Core i3 350M 2GB 1066DDR3 1 year warranty parts and labor 500GB Php 33,990

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AGFA

HP

G42-368TX 14-inch LED Intel Core i3 380M 2GB 1066DDR3 1 year warranty parts and labor 500GB Php 39,990 www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

MINI 210-2005TU/ 2025TU BLACK/ RED 10.1 LED flush display Intel Atom N475 2GB DDR3 1 year warranty parts and labor 320GB Php 22,990

CQ42-254TU 14-inch LED Intel Core i3 350M 2GB 1066DDR3 1 year warranty parts and labor 320GB Php 29,990

CQ42-263TU 14-inch LED Intel Core i5 450M 2GB 1066DDR3 1 year warranty parts and labor 320GB Php 34,990

G42-370TX 14-inch LED Intel Core i5 460M 2GB 1066DDR3 1 year warranty parts and labor 500GB Php 40,990

MINI 210-1102TU/1103 RED/BLUE 10.1 LED flush display Intel Atom N475 1GB 667DDR3 1 year warranty parts and labor 250GB Php 21,490

PRECISA 1430 14.1 Megapixels 2.4-inch Auto Brigthness LCD 20 MB internal memory, expandable via SD card 3x Optical Zoom with Image Stabilization 92 x 60.5 x 30.35mm Php 2,995

CQ42-292TX 14-inch LED Intel Core i3 350M 2GB 1066DDR3 1 year warranty parts and labor 320GB Php 38,990

OPTIMA 145 14.1 Megapixels 2.7-inch Auto Brightness LCD 64 MB internal memory, expandable via SD card 5x Optical Zoom with Image Stabilization 97.7 x 60.5 x 21.58mm Php 4,995

G42-366TX 14-inch LED Intel Core i3 380M 2GB 1066DDR3 1 year warranty parts and labor 500GB Php 35,990

OPTIMA 147 14.1 Megapixels 3-inch Auto Brightness LCD 64 MB internal memory, expandable via SD card 7x Optical Zoom with Image Stabilization 99.5 x 56.9mm x 21.23mm Php 5,995

G42-372TX 14-inch LED Intel Core i5 460M 2GB 1066DDR3 1 year warranty parts and labor 500GB Php 43,990

SELECTA 14 14.1 Megapixels 2.7-inch Auto Brightness LCD 13.7 MB internal memory, expandable via SD card 15x Optical Wide Zoom with Optical Image Stabilization 103 x 74 x 68mm Php 8,995

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April2011

CANON

DIGITAL IXUS 310 HS 12.1 megapixels 3.2-inchPureColor II Touch LCD screen SD card, SDHC card or SDXC card 4.4x Optical zoom 100.6 x 55.4 x 25.0 mm Php 19,950

EOS 1100D 12.2 Megapixels 2.7-inch LCD with Live View shooting SD card, SDHC card or SDXC card EF-S 18-55mm f.3.5-5.6 IS II (Kit lens) 129.9x 99.7x 77.9mm Php 31,950

EOS 600D 18 megapixels 3-inch wide LCD with vari-angle SD card, SDHC card or SDXC card EF-S 18-55mm f.3.5-5.6 IS II (Kit lens) 133.1 x 99.5 x 79.7 mm Php 49,950

DIGITAL IXUS 220 HS 12.1-megapixels 2.7-inch PureColor II G LCD SD card, SDHC card or SDXC card 24mm, 5x zoom, Optical IS 92.2 x 55.9 x 19.5 mm Php 16,950

POWERSHOT A3300 IS 16 megapixels 3.0-inch TFT LCD SD card, SDHC card or SDXC card 5.0 – 25.0 mm, 5x optical zoom 95.1 x 56.7 x 23.9 mm Php 9,950

NIKON

ASUS

EEE PC 1215T 12-inch LED AMD V105, 1.2 GHz 2GB DDR3 1 year warranty parts and labor 320GB HDD Php 19,995

COOLPIX L120 14.1 megapixels 3-inch TFT LCD 120 MB, expandable via SD card NIKKOR 4.5-94.5mm lens, 21X Optical Zoom 109.9 X 76.5 X 78.4 mm Php 15,999

COOLPIX L23 10.1 megapixels 2.7-inch TFT LCD 22 MB, expandable via SD card NIKKOR 4.0-20.00mm lens, 5x Optical Zoom 96.7 X 59.9 X 29.3 mm Php 4,699

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K42N-VX057O 14-inch LED AMD V140, 2.3 GHz 2GB DDR2 800 MHz SDRAM 1 year warranty parts and labor 320 GB HDD Php 20,995

links Technology

Mobility

ASUSWORLD

Intermec

Showroom & ASUS Notebook Service Center Cyberzone, 4TH Floor SM Megamall, Bldg. B Mandaluyong City Tel. 638 2955

MSI-ECS Topy II Building 3 Economia Street, Libis, Quezon City Tel. 688 3999

Brother International Philippines

JVC (PHILIPPINES), INC.

Mazda

JVC Business Center 918 Arnaiz Avenue, Makati CIty Tel. 889 7711 to 22

Ford Group Philippines FGP Bldg. #1 American Road Greenfield Automotive Park SEZ Sta. Rosa, Laguna Tel. (049) 541 5000

Ground Floor Marajo Tower, 312 26th Street cor. 4th Ave. Bonifacio Global City Taguig City Tel: 1800-10-BROTHER

Canon Marketing (Philippines), Inc. 3RD Floor, Southpark Plaza, Phase 1 Santiago Street, Paseo De Magallanes Commercial Center, Makati City 884 8000

carNAVI Enterprise 20 Sampaguita Avenue Quezon City 427 5543

Dell Electroworld Office Systems 8/F Cityland 10, Tower 1 6815 H. V. Dela Costa Street Salcedo Village Makati City Tel. 892 0407

Epson Philippines Corporation 8th Floor Anson’s Centre 23 ADB Avenue, Ortigas Center Pasig City TEL (+632) 706-2609 TOLL FREE 1800-1063-EPSON www.epson.com.ph

Hisense Digital Hub 3rd Floor, V-Mall Greenhills Shopping Center San Juan City Tel 571 4447

April2011

HTC SiSPH Technologies, Inc. Suite 3003, 30th flr.

Atlanta Center, 31 Annapolis St., Greenhills, San Juan City Tel. 728 3388

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LG Electronics Philippines Inc. No. 15 F. Legaspi St., Maybunga, Pasig City Tel. 641 4181

Mili Email: mili.philippines@gmail.com

Nokia (Philippines), Inc. 40/F Philamlife Tower, 8767 Paseo de Roxas, Makati City Tel. 886 1234

Palit PC Trends, Incorporated No. 35 1st Street, New Manila, Quezon City Tel. 727 6449

Philips Monitors EA Global Supply Chain Solutions Unit 203 2/F Taipan Place Bldg., F. Ortigas Jr. Avenue Ortigas Center, Pasig City Tel. 633 4533

Samsung Electronics, Phils. Corporation 7/F Hanjinphil Bldg., 1128 University Parkway North Bonifacio Global City Taguig City Tel. 1-800-SAMSUNG

Sony Philippines, Inc. 11th Floor Marajo Tower #312 26th Street West cor 4th Avenue Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City 1624 Philippines Tel. 860 3333

Isuzu Philippines Corporation

114 Technology Avenue, Laguna Technopark Phase II, Binan, Laguna Tel. 757 6070

Lifestyle

your gadgets directory Honda Cars Phils., Inc. 105 South Main Avenue Laguna Technopark Sta. Rosa, Laguna Tel. (02) 857 7200

adidas

Issey Miyake

3/F Shangri-La Plaza Mall EDSA Corner Shaw Boulevard, Mandaluyong City Tel. 683 0681

Luxusia 16/F P C I Bank Tower I I Makati Avenue Makati City Tel. 813 0901

Calvin Klein

Kiehl’s

2/F Robinsons Galleria EDSA Corner Ortigas Avenue Quezon City Tel. 632 0517

G/F Greenbelt 5 Legaspi Street Legaspi Village Makati City Tel. 728 9561

Coco Cabana, Redhead

MAKE UP FOR EVER

SM Department Store G/F Building A, SM Megamall Julia Vargas Avenue Corner EDSA Mandaluyong City Tel. 633 5012

B8, Bonifacio High Street 11th Avenue Fort Bonifacio Global City Taguig Tel. 856 5243

Creed

Sprint Asia Unit 302 Quadstar Building 80 Ortigas Avenue Greenhills San Juan City Tel. 744 6210

Rustan’s Department Store Glorietta 4 East Drive Ayala Center Makati City Tel. 813 3739

Dockers

MUD

2/F Robinsons Galleria EDSA Corner Ortigas Avenue Ortigas Center Quezon City Tel. 636 4918

Plains & Prints

Gold’s Gym Galleria

Salomon

Level 2 East Wing Robinsons Galleria Ortigas Center, Quezon City Tel. 634 0908

R.O.X. B3, Bonifacio High Street 11th Avenue Fort Bonifacio Global City Taguig Tel. 856 4639

Golla i-Studio 3/F Shangri-La Plaza Edsa Corner Shaw Boulevard Mandaluyong City Tel. 634 3103

5/F Shangri-La Plaza EDSA Corner Shaw Boulevard Mandaluyong City Tel. 687 1393

Speedo B4, Bonifacio High Street 11th Avenue Fort Bonifacio Global City Taguig Tel. 856 0416

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