2011 v11n7 - SMARTPHONE INNOVATIONS by Gadgets Magazine

Michelle Ng

THE PHILIPPINES’ FIRST TECH LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE

Altec Lansing Mix IMT800 For excellent portable performance

Samsung Galaxy Ace Save on your smartphone

Shows us who’s the boss with the

HTC 7 Mozart

Smartphone Innovations 100 Top Phone Apps Understanding Your Mobile OS Windows Phone 7: Is it worth your while?

Far East Movement

takes over the east

+ REVIEWED

Acer Aspire One Happy Asus HD6950 Videocard HTC 7 Mozart Lenovo ThinkPad Edge 11 Nokia C7 Palit GeForce GTX 570 Samsung Galaxy Ace S5380 Sony NEX-5 Sony TRiK RDH-SK8IP

Smartphones GET “MOBILE” SMART

www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

February2011

editorsnote

a few words from our editor

t looks like mobile will become the biggest platform war EVER. More smartphones were reportedly sold than PCs in the fourth quarter of last year while sales should reach $120 billion this year. And that doesn’t count billions more in mobile services, ads and e-commerce.

From the looks of it, things will continue to be brighter in the mobile arena. Global sales of smartphones and tablets will be higher than sales of computers for the first time in 2011, said research company Deloitte. About 390 million personal computers, laptops and netbooks is forecast to be sold this year, compared with 425 million smartphones and tablets. Indeed, mobile phones have come a long, long way from just calling and texting—to practically running our lives. So in this issue, we’re giving you everything and anything in the mobile smartphone arena—top 100 apps, operating systems, new innovations—and yes, even how to give your phone that bling. We’ve even added a feature story on how to take good photos from your camera phone! The feature on the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona gives you the heads up on what to expect in the mobile world this year. This will surely be an exciting year for all of us “mobile” citizens. Armin A. Amio EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

March2011

Photographed by Nick St. James Model Michelle Ng Professional Artistry by Pilita Guadines, MAKE UP FOR EVER Pro Team Art Direction by Benjamin Arnold, Michelle Callanta & Chad Villarmino Styling by Danee Torres Clothes SM Department Store Accessories What Women Want 3-layer gold stack rings with pearl center Shot on location at PLC107 Furniture showroom, 2285 Don Chino Roces Ext. Makati

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 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.

www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

PUBLISHER Maribelle Alba EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Armin Amio MANAGING EDITOR John Nieves LIFESTYLE EDITOR Michelle Callanta EDITOR-AT-LARGE Presy Alba EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Danee Torres 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 DIGITAL/ONLINE EDITOR ADVERTISING AGENTS

CIRCULATION OFFICER CIRCULATION ASSISTANT ACCOUNTING MANAGER HR OFFICER/EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT

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

LEGAL COUNSEL Alba Law Office

www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

February2011

editorsnote

contents

Volume 11 Number 7 • March 2011

coverstory SMARTPHONE INNOVATIONS

Read on to find out how smartphones have and will continue to change your life.

March2011

photofeature THE OFFICE

Singaporean beauty and Amazing Race Asia alum Michelle Ng tells us what gadgets—like a FilipinoEnglish electronic dictionary—are on her wishlist.

www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

55 60 68 71

Get the lowdown on the latest tech announcements at the Mobile World Congress. Look no further! A modern, chic furniture store is hidden in the heart of Makati. Dissect Windows Phone 7 with Francis Tan. John Nieves gives you the skinny on the myriad of operating systems out in the market.

www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

February2011

contents

content Volume 11 Number 7 • March 2011

Tech 08 parade

Take a glimpse at lots of exciting devices that have just been released

24 gadgetslab Back in the lab testing the latest gadgets from the HTC 7 Mozart to Sony’s new product, the TRiK.

Mobility 40 41 41

Take the new Isuzu Alterra Urban Cruiser on the journey that matters. Isuzu kicks off their 2011 Family Challenge. Honda promises a more relaxed and serene trip on the CR-V Modula Sports Plus.

Lifestyle

Team Land Rover is first runner-up at the Rainforest Challenge in Malaysia 2010. Manila gets a visit from FIA president Jean Todt.

Prep for the heat with these light, summery products

Taking great pictures with a camera phone 101

44 apps After painstakingly going through thousands, we’ve finally narrowed down the best 100 apps for you.

79 lifestylefeature Embellish, print and stud. See how you can get your smartphone to reflect your personality.

Music 82 listen

The age old battle between Macs and PCs moves to the mobile music arena.

84 featuredartist 54 gaming

March2011

Here’s 10 more reasons to love the Suzuki Swift.

74 lifestyleparade

37 snapshots

Bored? Race on the track with Android’s Need for Speed Shift. | Crackdown 2 lets you defend your neighborhood from the big bad with help from Bing Maps. | iOS4’s game, Dead Space, gives you your daily dose of dismembered aliens. www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

Free Wired artists Far East Movement tells Gadgets their gizmo wishlist.

86 cdreview Far East Movement keeps up the Asian invasion. | Roc Nation artist Rihanna amps up the sassiness in her new album, Loud. | The Black Eyed Peas bring back what works in The Beginning.

80 beautylab Michelle and Ben try the rigorous Kiehl’s Anti-Wrinkle Regimen.

Bits&Bytes 87 88

events

Canon captures emotions with their project for PWD called Reach For the Sky. Globe Tattoo Torque upgrades your browsing experience by speeding up your broadband connection.

89 newsbits&bytes Check out the freshest news bits hot off the presses.

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

www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

February2011

contents

techparade

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

ASUS Eee PC 1015PW NETBOOK

Who says you can’t have it all? The new ASUS Eee PC 1015PW gives users style, portability and performance in a netbook that breaks design barriers and boundaries. Available in Purple Rain, Glamorous Gold Dust or Warm Angel Skin, the ASUS Eee PC 1015PW is a stylish netbook that combines the power of Dual Core Intel Atom N550 processor with the dashing good looks of a fashion notebook. It also has the endurance to keep up with your busy schedule, and is even rated to last up to 10 hours away from the socket.

HTC 7 Mozart SMARTPHONE

There’s no finer way to experience Microsoft’s newest mobile OS offering than with the HTC 7 Mozart. Armed with SRS WOW HD technology, the HTC 7 Mozart delivers excellent virtual surround sound and redefines mobile entertainment. Built from a single piece of brushed aluminum, the HTC 7 Mozart is solid, sturdy and oh so drop-dead gorgeous. Together with Windows Phone 7, the HTC 7 Mozart allows you to keep track of what your friends are doing and gives you access to a wealth of information when you need it the most.

Kingmax PD-71

March2011

USB FLASH DRIVE

To satisfy the one seeking for a USB flash drive with visual and functional capability, Kingmax offers its latest USB flash drive, the PD-71, with a characteristic tiny size and fancy look. It uses a 360° rotation capless design, making it lightweight and protectable for gold finger connection interface. It also features a water-proof, dust-resistant, light and thin design. The appearance has a metallic shine and matte surface, supplemented with geometric symbols and with a charming strap design. Available in 16GB (olive green), 8GB (orange) and 4GB (blue) variants.

www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

March2011

techparade

techparad

Genius GHP-400S HEADPHONES

Genius offers a new stylish headphones for listening to music. The GHP400S headphones provide clear sound quality when you listen to any type of music. It has a stylish diamond cut surface available in shiny blue or pink hue, giving it a trendy look. The adjustable headband features soft ear cups that swivel to provide an extremely comfortable feel for long time listening.

Php 595

Genius Mini Navigator 900 OPTICAL MOUSE

Experience BlueEye tracking technology with the Genius Mini Navigator 900. BlueEye tracking is a powerful optical engine featuring high laser precision that lets you work on almost any kind of surface while the lens design reduces power consumption. The 2.4GHz anti-interference RF technology extends the operating range up to 10 meters, allowing you to enjoy wireless freedom. The Mini Navigator 900 is available in four colors: Steel Blue, Black, Blue and Ruby.

Php 990

Genius Ring Mouse

March2011

Genius, known for its innovative input devices, has once again proven that form, function and style can go hand in hand when it created a ring-shaped device designed to be worn on the finger, but provides the functionality of a mouse. The ring mouse slips right onto your finger and works with an optical trackpad, similar to those currently used by mobile phones. Under the trackpad are two buttons for left and right click functions. With 1000 dpi movement sensitivity, the Genius Ring Mouse uses a USB interface for PC connection and communicates via radio waves at 2.4GHz, with a range of up to 10 meters. The device weighs only 12 grams, uses a rechargeable Li-ion battery and comes with a portable USB charger.

Php 2,495 10

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March2011

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Audio-Technica ATH-M50 HEADPHONES

There’s a right set of cans for the right job, and for professional mixing and monitoring, there’s only the Audio-Technica ATH-M50. Providing an exceptionally accurate response combined with long-wearing listening comfort, the Audio-Technica ATH-M50 is designed especially for professional monitoring and mixing. Circumaural ear pieces swivel 180° for easy one-ear monitoring, and luxuriously padded ear cushions create an outstanding seal for maximum isolation. The adjustable headband is generously padded for the ultimate comfort during long mixing sessions. A coiled cable at the left earpiece terminates to a gold-plated mini-plug with included screw-on 1/4-inch adapter.

ME32

LG Optimus 2X SMARTPHONE

It seems like LG wants to give the competition a run for its money—well at least when it comes to raw horsepower. Meet the LG Optimus 2X, a smartphone the South Korean firm claims is the fastest in the world. Equipped with a Dual Core Nvidia Tegra processor running at 1GHz, the Optimus 2X is brutally fast. It’s so darn fast that you can enjoy full 1080p TV-out via HDMI and video capture through its 8-megapixel camera. A 4-inch WVGA screen gives you enough real estate to enjoy viewing content and data and with Android 2.2 (Froyo) on board, you can expect some wild times with it.

ME320

Epson ME32 & ME320 INKJET PRINTERS

Epson has introduced a fresh lineup of incredibly cost-saving and efficient inkjet printers to help you lower your running costs. Dubbed the Epson “Max Economy” series, new printers are designed for home and office use, with extra high capacity ME inks to help reduce your printing cost in the long run.

March2011

The Epson ME32 single-function inkjet and ME320 all-in-one inkjet printers are specifically designed to suit home users with lower monthly print volumes. Uniquely designed in white color, the printers fit perfectly on your desktop and offer unbeatable, long-lasting prints with the Epson DURABrite Ultra pigment inks. Additionally, this set of printers come with the highly cost-efficient ME 141 inks which enable you to print a black and white document with as low as Php1.36 and a color document/photograph with as low as Php2.12. High-end features like the built-in duplexer and WiFi connectivity help you to save paper by printing on both and networking multiple computers to a common printer.

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March2011

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techparad

Lenovo IdeaPad Y460p & IdeaCentre K330 PERSONAL COMPUTERS

The powerful and stylish IdeaPad Y460p is a high-performance notebook that comes packed with top multimedia features. With up to 750 GB HDD and up to 8GB DDR3 1333 memory, consumers now can store more movies, music and games while enjoying enhanced-application performance. Lenovoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s RapidDrive feature combines 32GB SSD and HDD capacity to speed up system performance. The Y460p, which comes with 16:9 widescreen, also meets Lenovoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Windows 7 Enhanced Experience certification, providing up to 33 percent faster boot up and 50 percent faster shutdown time as well as rich multimedia capabilities and easy system maintenance tools. The all-new IdeaCentre K330 desktop is the ideal PC for consumers who want the most thorough computing experience and desire the very best in aesthetics and high-performance capabilities. Boasting a sleek and powerful design with a metallic and vibrant color scheme, the K330 features up to Intel Core i7 processors with Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0. This ultimate desktop experience comes with up to 16GB DDR3 memory, increasing user multi-tasking capabilities, twin RAID0-configured hard disk drives and up to 4TB HDD storage, providing plenty of space for multimedia.

IdeaPad Y460p Php 54,000 IdeaCentre K330 Php 40,900

IdeaCentre K330

IdeaPad Y460p

BlackBerry Bold 9780 SMARTPHONE

March2011

The newest addition to the BlackBerry Bold series of smartphones, the BlackBerry Bold 9780 features a premium and iconic design with an incredibly easy-to-use keyboard and optical trackpad. It is elegantly styled and packed with advanced communications and multimedia features. It is also the first BlackBerry Bold smartphone to come with the new BlackBerry 6 operating system. This phone supports 3G networks around the world, as well as Wi-Fi connectivity and GPS for location-based applications and geo-tagging. Its 5-megapixel camera comes with a full complement of high-end features including continuous auto focus, scene modes, image stabilization, flash and video recording. Inside is a 512 MB flash memory and an expandable memory card slot that supports up to 32 GB of storage.

Php 24,800 14

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March2011

techparade

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Altec Lansing PC Speakers Looking to put a bit more oomph into your home PC setup? Don’t fret because Altec Lansing has just what you need – the VS2521 and the BXR1221. These speakers are simple to use and setup, don’t take up a terribly large amount of space and give users awesome sound quality.

VS2521 This three-piece system delivers the ideal balance of powerful sound and ultimate flexibility. The satellites feature a unique design that allows you to place them upright on your desk or interlock them to fit them under your flat-screen monitor. A 5 ¼-inch powered subwoofer provides all the bass you’ll need for your favorite music, movies and games. The 2 ½-inch full range drivers are housed in a specially designed cabinet that features asymmetrical baffling for uncompromised sound quality and reduced distortion. It features 28 watts of RMS power a peak power rating of 56 watts.

BXR1221

March2011

The dynamic BXR1221 easily connects to your computer or MP3 player and delivers quality sound for music, movies and games. It features a 4-inch compact subwoofer that adds a new level in gaming realism and music reproduction. Separate satellite speakers improve perception of both gaming action and stereo recordings, and the drivers, enclosure and electronics are balanced for optimum sound. The speakers are also magnetically shielded for use near video monitors.

www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

March2011

Altec Lansing Mix IMT800

IPOD DOCK

Bring the house down with the Altec Lansing Mix IMT800. Its especially engineered tweeters and mid-range drivers deliver pulsepounding sound quality in a style that’s made for party fans. The XdB bass-enhanced 5.25-inch side-firing subwoofer packs a heavy punch, pumping thunderous bass enough to shake the foundations. Let your friends jump in by connecting up to three different sound sources. Join the crowd and still control the playlist with the clip-on remote that can be hooked onto your jeans or dress.

Altec Lansing Octiv Stage MP450 IPAD DOCK

techparade

Need to do other things but don’t want to stop looking at your iPad? Altec Lansing has you covered. The Altec Lansing Octiv Stage MP450 iPad dock lets you set your iPad in either portrait or landscape orientation for a comfortable, optimal viewing angle. Its dual speakers pump out impressive sound with no distortion even at high volume. It includes a remote control so you can sit back and relax without touching the dock or your iPad. If your other Apple products feel jealous, no problem—just plug them onto the Octiv Stage too, as it’s capable of accommodating iPods as well.

techparad

HP Pavilion dm4 & dv3 NOTEBOOKS

The new HP Pavilion dm4 Entertainment Notebook PC delivers the ultimate balance between functionality and design in a compact form. With a sleek Argento Blush metal exterior and modern etched stream illustrations, the HP Pavilion dm4 Entertainment Notebook PC lets users perform demanding tasks while looking good. Thin and light at only 2.5cm and less than 2kg, users can enjoy a truly on-the-go computing experience with a dayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s worth of battery life. It also features a 14-inch BrightView High Definition LED panel and high-performance ATI Radeon graphics support, giving amazing clarity and vibrant colors consumers need while browsing websites, playing games or watching movies. The HP Pavilion dm4 Entertainment Notebook PC leverages on the Intel Core i5 processors that offer smart and ultra fast performance to meet multitasking demands and offer an immersive multimedia experience. The HP Pavilion dv3 Entertainment Notebook PC is a compact yet power-packed powerhouse ideal for those looking for a smaller mobile companion. Consumers can count on a rich multimedia experience wherever they are with the 13.3-inch High-Definition HP LED BrightView widescreen display that provides sharper images and bold colors. Serious gamers can also play harder, faster and better with the Intel HD Graphics and the ATI Mobility Radeon HD5450 support that lets them get more out of their 3D games and action-packed HD movies.

HP Pavilion dm4 Php 48,990 HP Pavilion dv3 Php 60,990

Palit GTX 580 3GB

Pavilion dv3

VIDEOCARD

Pavilion dm4

Vestax Typhoon March2011

MIDI CONTROLLER

The Vextax Typhoon is an all-in-one bundle of digital DJ hardware and software, offering total control to mix, scratch, and play music as a DJ would right at your fingertips.The included software transforms your computer into a full-blown DJ system. Features include 2-beat and tempo-synchronizable decks, quick controller setup wizard, 4 classic DJ effects, and ultra-fast database browsing and iTunes-import.

Php 13,690

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Palit is throwing all subtleness out of the window with the GTX 580 3GB. This videocard on steroids has 3072MB of GDDR5, twice the amount thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s on a reference GTX 580. With 3072MB memory at 4020MHz, the Palit GTX580 3GB provides incredible gaming performance with the hottest titles today. On a 30-inch monitor with 2560 x 1600 resolution, the Palit GTX 580 3GB provides 2.5x faster performance than 1GB version with a blistering 44.7 frames per second.

www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

March2011

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Western Digital Caviar Green HARD DRIVE

The newest WD Caviar Green is currently the world’s largest capacity SATA hard drive available in the market at 3TB. As the latest member of its WD Caviar Green family, the new eco-friendly hard drives deliver up to a massive 3 terabytes of storage capacity on a single drive by utilizing 750 GB-perplatter areal density. To satisfy the new set of requirements of which users must be aware to successfully integrate larger capacity drives, WD is bundling its WD Caviar Green 2.5 TB and 3 TB hard drives with an Advanced Host Controller Interface (AHCI)-compliant Host Bus Adapter, which will enable the operating system to use a known driver with correct support for large capacity drives.

Western Digital My Book Live HOME NETWORK DRIVE

WD My Book Live gives consumers the fastest storage of and access to their content among consumer-grade network drives and provides a seamless setup for centralizing a home’s digital media. Users can play music and videos stored on the My Book Live in iTunes, as well as view their digital photos on their iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad and Android-powered smartphones with the swipe of a finger through the included WD Photos application. Users can also securely access and share all the content and files stored on the My Book Live from any internet-connected PC or Mac using WD’s free remote access service.

eMachines eM350 NETBOOK

March2011

The lightweight, ultra-mobile eM350 delivers high quality and the best technology at a pleasantly low price. With an upgraded Intel Atom N450 processor and a 160GB SATA hard disk drive, the netbook certainly packs inside its sleek, affordable package in the most efficient processing technologies available today. Moreover, the Intel Atom processor is supported by an Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 3150, 64 MB of dedicated video memory, and the Intel NMIO Express Chipset, all integrated to offer best-inclass capabilities.

Php 13,990 20

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March2011

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techparad March2011

Samsung Galaxy Mini, Ace & Fit SMARTPHONES

Reaffirming the ever increasing role of smartphones in our lives, Samsung has created three new Galaxys that aims to cater to different lifestyles and audiences. The Galaxy Fit, Ace and Mini are all remarkable Android-powered smartphones and, as such, have access to more than 100,000 apps from the Android Market. The new Samsung Galaxy family comes equipped with Wi-Fi connectivity and Social Hub which lets users view their contacts, SMS, IM and email together in an integrated one-page layout, keeping them constantly connected.

Galaxy Mini

Galaxy Ace

Galaxy Fit

An ideal first smartphone for trendy and sociable youngsters, the Samsung Galaxy mini is a breath of fresh air for those that want a smart device that is as fun as it functional. Characterized by a flashy color stripe that runs on its side, this mobile keeps you connected to everything that matters in your life. With a 3.14-inch QVGA display, the Samsung Galaxy mini embodies great productivity and performance in a compact design that is full of personality. The Perfect gift for smartphonerookies, it also offers Google voice actions and Quick Office document viewer, all powered by a 600MHz processor. The Samsung Galaxy mini is a fun and funky way to embrace the smartphone generation.

The Samsung Galaxy Ace is designed for trendy and sociable young professionals. With its sophisticated design, the Samsung Galaxy Ace has been created to be simple yet elegant. The Ace offers a premium experience with a 3.5-inch HVGA display on a compact and comfortable handset. However, the stylish smartphone does not compromise on capabilities, with an 800MHz processor, Google voice search and ThinkFree document viewer.

The Samsung Galaxy Fit is for the user who wants a device that meets all the challenges of a professional career and a busy social life. On a 3.31-inch QVGA display, the Fit keeps you not only on the job from anywhere with office viewer, but also on the run for fun from photos taken with 5-megapixel camera to music. It is functional and fun with a user experience that is optimized for sharing and smooth web browsing on the go with a 600MHz processor. No complications and no conflicts, the Samsung Galaxy Fit can help you lead a double life with a professional design that doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t compromise on enhanced capabilities.

Php 10,690 22

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Php 16,500

Php 12,890

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March2011

2330dn

2330d

Dell 2330d/dn DUPLEX PRINTERS

Designed as a small workgroup printer for small and medium businesses, the Dell 2330d/dn delivers high-performance printing of up to 35 ppm (actual print speed will vary with use) in a compact form factor and staggering maximum monthly duty cycle of up to 50,000 prints. With a true print resolution of up to 1200 x 1200 dpi, the Dell 2330d/dn produces razor-sharp printouts for both business graphics and text. The network-ready Dell 2330dn model enables everyone in a workgroup to benefit from the convenience of having a printing solution that prints professional-quality documents quickly. The Dell 2330d/dn features huge paper-handling capability and can store up to 850 sheets of paper when fully expanded. It comes with the Dell OpenManage Printer Manager, an easy-to-use network utility that provides a flexible and efficient means to manage, monitor, and generate reports for your printer fleet.

Samsung 9 Series (Amor) NOTEBOOK

How thin can a notebook really get? With a weight of only 1.31kg (2.88lbs.), measuring only 16.3mm in depth, and with a screen size of 13 inches, the Samsung Notebook 9 Series (codenamed Amor) is premium notebook for consumers who pursue the best of everything. It comes equipped with a vivid SuperBright Plus display (400nit) with 16 million color reproduction, all encased in the most advanced duralumin metal alloy used in jet fighters. The sophisticated beauty of the flowing line on the side of the Notebook 9 Series is a key design concept. This gives the notebook an aerodynamic and sleek style much like a premium sports car. But it’s not all looks, the Amor is equipped with Microsoft Windows 7 and the second-generation Intel Core i5/i7 Processor with up to 8GB memory plus it has a 128/256GB solid state drive (SSD) that provides more than enough space for personal and professional life; with no moving parts!

Price not yet available

LED MONITOR

Sexify your rig with the Philips Blade 234CL2SB. Measuring in at only 12.9mm thick, this absolutely stunning LED monitor delivers stylish and modern design with top of the range features in a package that’s unbelievably slim. SmartTouch controls replace protruding physical buttons which light up when you touch and disappear after you’re done. Fast 2ms response times make the Philips Blade 234CL2SB ideal for gaming and the 16:9 display combined with HDMI input make it the natural choice for watching HD movies.

23-inch Php 9,900 21.5-inch Php 8,900

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Philips Blade 234CL2SB

gadgetslab

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

HTC 7 MOZART

SMARTPHONE

Sounds great to us

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March2011

SAMSUNG GALAXY ACE SMARTPHONE

PAGE

Premium experience without the premium price tag

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ASUS HD6950 VIDEOCARD Turbocharged gaming

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SONY TRIK IPOD DOCK Tricked out boombox

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gadgetslab

tried and tested to find out whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hot and whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not

March2011 www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

gadgetsla

HTC 7 MOZART SMARTPHONE

By Francis Tan

SPECIFICATIONS: DISPLAY: 3.7” LCD touchscreen of WVGA resolution (480 x 800 pixels) PROCESSOR: 1GHz Snapdragon CPU, 576MB RAM, 512MB ROM CAMERA: 8 megapixel autofocus camera with Xenon flash, 720p video recording MEMORY: 8GB of built-in storage CONNECTIVITY: Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP WHAT’S HOT: • Stylish design • Robust specs • Premium Finish • Impressive screen WHAT’S NOT: • Poor camera performance • Limited capacity BOTTOMLINE: The HTC 7 Mozart is no doubt one of the most stylish WP7 devices right now but the poor camera performance could potentially be a deal-breaker.

BUY METER

8.5

/10

March2011

From the huge, chunky Windows PDA phones of yesteryears, Microsoft has managed to pull off a complete 180-degree turn and completely revamp its image to a new modern, trendy platform that is Windows Phone 7. HTC, on the other hand, is known to deliver some of the most fine-looking smartphones in the planet that boasts of style and performance. Combine these two and we have the HTC 7 Mozart, the first Windows Phone 7 device to be released in the Philippines.

The HTC 7 Mozart is complete eye candy, built from a dark aluminum unibody construction. The 3.7-inch LCD touchscreen is as beautiful as it gets, occupying the entire front of the phone, which lacks any physical keys. The multitouch-enabled screen is one of the most responsive we have tested thus far, and the Windows keys are no exception. It has a 480x800 WVGA resolution that is satisfyingly bright. This makes the display absolutely clean and crisp down to the last pixel. Conversely, the volume rockers are in an www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

awkward position; a bit too low compared with the standard, which makes it especially hard to reach for people with a predominant left hand. Overall, the phone feels absolutely great on the hand—hold the device and you can easily tell that it’s not one cheap gadget. The back of the phone is just as sexy with a unique design that is truly captivating. There are three partitions, the bottom being a detachable rubber cover with a removable Li-ion 1300 mAh battery and

a standard SIM card slot underneath. The memory is not expandable so the micro-SD card slot is nowhere to be found. The camera and flash are completely exposed which makes us hesitant to lay this phone on its back without protection. The speakers are located on the back of the unit as well so naturally, sound gets a bit muffled. The inside of the HTC 7 Mozart impresses just as much. It runs on a decent 1Ghz Snapdragon CPU with 576 RAM and

512 ROM, which allows for smooth transitions when switching in and between different apps. It also has 8 GB of storage that—unless you’re a media buff with an elaborate collection of music and video—would pretty much suffice. It has built-in Dolby Mobile and SRS sound enhancement which makes listening to music a real charm—it’s loud and crisp, which is highly commendable considering this is just a phone. The same could be said when making calls. All other standard connectivity features are present: Wi-Fi,

www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph Bluetooth, HSDPA, and GPS.

ASUS HD6950 VIDEOCARD

By John Nieves

WHAT’S HOT: • Excellent performance • Factory overclocked • Good TDP WHAT’S NOT: • Expensive BOTTOMLINE: Looking for a top-tier card? Then you might want to give the ASUS HD6950 a spin. A bit pricey yes, but it’s got all the things a gamer needs.

HTC is fond of creating a custom user interface for its devices. But due to the Windows Phone 7 restriction against skinning, HTC had to compromise and came up with the HTC Hub app instead. This is a standard for all Windows Phone 7 devices. This isn’t nearly as remarkable as its Android counterpart as this one is more like a cool-looking weather app with a portal to a handful of HTC apps rather than that the widget-filled custom user interface we are familiar with. There aren’t exactly any note-worthy bundled apps on the HTC 7 Mozart, save for the Photo Enhancer and the Sound Enhancer.

BUY METER

9.0

/10

Among the first batch of Windows Phone 7 devices that have been released, the HTC 7 Mozart has one of the best cameras, boasting an 8-megapixel autofocus camera with Xenon flash, geo-tagging, and 720p video recording. With specs of this magnitude, it deserves a dedicated shutter key for the trigger-happy photographers, which can be found on the lower right side of the phone. Sad to say that it couldn’t impress us beyond what is on paper. The images from the camera are completely washed-out, even when used on good lighting conditions. The camcorder disappoints as well, suffering from frame rate issues and poor color reception.

AMD has come out with a new videocard architecture in its never-ending quest to push graphical boundaries. This time around the new architecture is code named “Cayman,” and has two principal flavors—the Cayman XT which forms the 6970 line and the Cayman Pro which forms the subject of this months’ GPU review, the 6950.

We managed to get an average of 7 to 8 hours of battery life with standard use, which is pretty much a standard for a smartphone with these specs. Take note, however, that this is without support for third-party multitasking yet. When the update for multitasking arrives, it may or may not affect the battery life; but based from experience, I’m more skeptical rather than optimistic on this one.

The HD6950 has all the right things in all the right places. It’s slightly factory overclocked with a clock speed of 810MHz compared with the default of 800MHz. It also has 2048MB of GDDR5 memory, and is Direct3D 11 and OpenGL 4.1 capable.

When it comes to releasing videocards based on a new architecture, ASUS isn’t far behind. In fact, you can count on the Taiwanese manufacturer releasing their own interpretation of a new GPU architecture the day after the initial announcement; sometimes right along AMD or Nvidia themselves.

Probably one of the nicest features of the Cayman line is PowerTune. Essentially what PowerTune does is it adjusts the clock speed in real time so the card won’t use more power than its designed TDP (thermal design power, max power consumption for reliable use). While most cards are designed to not exceed its TDP, there are some applications (outlier applications according to AMD) like the benchmarking software Furmark can make them exceed their limit.

Physically, the ASUS HD6950 looks like a monster. It’s a pretty large card and some cable management might be in order before you mount it in your rig. Its design is pretty simple—just a rectangular box with the appropriate Radeon stripes running along the body with a single large fan for cooling. There’s a hefty metal back plate to further aid in cooling. The HD6950 comes with 3-way and 4-way CrossFire support. After mounting and the requisite software install, it was time to run benchmarks. I primarily use three programs to gauge a card’s performance: Futuremark’s 3D Mark Vantage and Unigine Heaven to asses the raw power of a card and Stone Giant to evaluate a card’s DirectX 11 performance. To evaluate real world performance, I use DICE’s multiplayer extravaganza Battlefield Bad Company 2 and the newly released Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit. Right off the bat the ASUS HD6950 showed its mettle in 3D Mark Vantage, scoring an impressive 11619 points with the settings set to extreme and

the resolution cranked up all the way to 1920 x 1080. It’s pretty much the same story in the Heaven benchmark, with the ASUS HD6950 scoring 1180 score with an average FPS of 46.9 with all the settings maxed out and the resolution set on 1920 x1200. It blazed straight on through the DX 11 benchmark Stone Giant, posting an average FPS of 42 with the resolution set on 1920 x 1200. Of course no videocard review would be complete without real world tests. I started up EA’s Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit, and ran a couple of races with it, and together with Fraps (a program that captures in-game video and counts the frames of the game) managed to get a nice and buttery 58 FPS. It’s pretty much the same story for Battlefield Bad Company, with the card posting a nice 56 FPS average for most multiplayer games with the settings all on high. Of course, you’ll be paying a premium for this kind of performance, and while this particular card has not been priced locally yet, its projected SRP when compared to the US is around $350 or about Php 15,280.

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Currently, the HTC 7 Mozart is only officially available as a bundle with a Smart subscription (free at Plan 4000). It’s not unlikely that this phone will be sold as a prepaid device in the future but we have yet to confirm the actual date of its availability. Interestingly, the device that we tested is not operator locked so we have high hopes for subscribers of different networks as well.

March2011

The performance of Windows Phone 7 is simply phenomenal on the HTC 7 Mozart. It’s fast and snappy. I couldn’t feel any noticeable lag whatsoever. There are however, considerable delays when it comes to loading some third-party applications, which I believe is more of a flaw in the OS rather than the hardware. There is much to talk about with the new Windows Phone 7 operating system; it deserves an article of its own so be sure to check our features section for an in-depth review right after. For what it’s worth, it runs splendidly on this device.

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NOKIA C7 SMARTPHONE

By Michelle Callanta

SPECIFICATIONS: FORM FACTOR: Candybar DISPLAY: 3.5-inch OLED Physical Dimension: 117.3 x 56.8 x 10.5 mm WEIGHT: 130g BAND: Quadband INTERNAL MEMORY: 350MB; expandable microSD WHAT’S HOT: • Battery life • Good sound quality • Great design WHAT’S NOT: • Camera isn’t great • Sluggish • Texting is a bit of a chore BOTTOMLINE: Though we wouldn’t recommend it for business users, the C7 would make a very capable everyday phone for many people.

BUY METER

8.3

/10

March2011

I thought the Nokia C7 was beautifully crafted, the moment I unboxed it and held it in my hands. Its simplicity in design—a sturdy aluminum candybar phone with a sleek black finish, a generous 3.5-inch screen encased with a mirror-like bezel, only 10.5mm thick and weighs 130g made the C7 an absolute wonder to behold (and hold). Of course, as I am naturally averse to anything that doesn’t have a tactile keypad, I was a bit intimidated having to work with a touchscreen. But the UI wasn’t all that unfamiliar and accessing the menu had simply been reduced to just one wide button below the vibrant AMOLED screen and in between the call and end-call buttons.

On top is the On button, a 3.5mm jack for head/earphones, and a USB port with cover whereas on the phone’s right side (as there’s nothing on the left) is a voicecommand button snuggled in between a volume adjustor, a phone lock switch, and a camera button which activates the C7’s 8-megapixel camera capable of HDquality 720p video and equipped with a dual-LED flash at the back. The battery, microSD card and SIM card slots are safely kept within a thin, aluminum cover that is www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

just as sturdy as the rest of the phone. However, despite the phone’s external beauty, it still has a bit of a way to go if it wants to compete with more sophisticated smartphones. The performance and response is a bit slow, even though I wouldn’t say it’s too significant a lag. The web browser takes a while to load and refreshing it can be a bit tedious. The design of the Symbian system and its core applications make it hard to recommend

the C7 as a smartphone for someone with a busy email and social media life. We would recommend it to those who want a basic phone with a good web browsing experience and who likes to listen to music (the C7 makes for a pretty good music phone) especially since it’s got a great battery life that can last you almost two days. Despite Symbian^3 being a clear improvement over its predecessors, it’s still

evident the OS hasn’t been designed to maximize the benefits of a touchscreen. There is no QWERTY keyboard in portrait mode, the keys are fairly small and there are no intuitive, context-sensitive buttons. Symbian^3 also brings up a new screen when you have to enter text so you can’t see the messages you are replying to as you are typing despite already being able to see your messages in “conversation” form.

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March2011

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LENOVO THINKPAD EDGE 11 LAPTOP

By Steven Vea

SPECIFICATIONS: DIMENSIONS (WXDXH): 284 x 190 x 15.6 mm WEIGHT: 1.33 kg (system weight) PROCESSOR: Intel Core Processor i3-380UM (1.33GHz) MEMORY: 250GB HD; 2GB DDR3 RAM (expandable up to 4GB) OPERATING SYSTEM: Windows 7 Professional 64-bit DISPLAY: 11.6-inch, HD (1366× 768 resolution) color, VibrantView (glossy), LED backlight WHAT’S HOT: • Excellent keyboard • Good battery life • Stays relatively cool WHAT’S NOT: • Small touchpad surface • No optical drive BOTTOMLINE: The Thinkpad Edge 11 is truly an ultraportable notebook, and packs impressive specifications that can satisfy the needs of any consumer.

BUY METER

8.5

/10

March2011

One of the best attributes of Lenovo’s Thinkpad Series is the sleek and simple design of the chassis. The ThinkPad Edge 11 is available in the classic professional black (either glossy or matte finish) and the more daring glossy cherry red. On the front lid, only the ThinkPad logo and red power LED are visible, contributing to its overall tidy physical appearance. While the overall design of the exterior is very simple and neat, this reviewer did not particularly favor the protruding battery pack in the laptop’s rear. However, this does provide a nice grip to hold the laptop and makes the external casing slim, measuring at only 1-inch in thickness and weighing a mere 1.5 kg. With these physical dimensions, The ThinkPad Edge 11 redefines the very meaning of ultraportable. The clamshell form factor lacks a lock to

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keep the front lid closed, which might be a point of concern for those who carry their laptops in a purse or sling bag. Nevertheless, the ThinkPad Edge 11’s construction is undeniably solid despite its light weight, and Lenovo’s trademark metal hinges ensure that the lid and base remain firmly attached. On the left side of the unit is a USB port, HDMI port, a single combo jack for the mic/headphones, LAN port and the cooling vent. On the right side are two

additional USB slots (which are generously spaced apart), and the multi-card reader. On the rear of the laptop are the connections for the AC adapter and the VGA port for external display.

webcam, which is always a great addition to small notebooks, as it can provide a generous amount of mobility when video conferencing, whether for business or pleasure.

Upon opening lid, the ThinkPad Edge 11 is revealed in all its glory. The 11.6-inch display with a resolution of 1366×768 pixels is bright and vivid, although some users might find it quite reflective especially when used outdoors in daylight. Above the display is the 0.3-megapixel

We have finally arrived at what makes the ThinkPad Edge 11 a great piece of hardware: Lenovo’s keyboard design. Granted, while it’s assumed that an 11inch notebook will have quite a small workspace, Lenovo utilized the small surface fairly well. The individual keys

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SONY NEX-5 MIRRORLESS CAMERA By John Nieves

Lenovo’s trademark Trackpoint sits in the middle of the keyboard, between the G, H and B keys. If you are unfamiliar with Lenovo, this is a red pointing stick which is used in conjunction with the three mouse buttons located directly beneath the space bar. This allows users to scroll and navigate without taking their hands of the keyboard, which this reviewer finds particularly intuitive.

WHAT’S HOT: • Compact size • GoodDSLR-like performance • Can use Konica Minolta lenses via A mount adapter WHAT’S NOT: • Autofocus is inconsistent at times

As with most small ultraportable notebooks and netbooks, the surface area of the touchpad usually suffers. On the ThinkPad Edge 11,it is rather cramped. Using a different mouse would be highly recommended if possible. However, one advantage that Lenovo has over its competitors when it comes to ultraportable notebooks is the presence of their Trackpoint, which provides another option for users to easily navigate.

BOTTOMLINE: The Sony NEX-5 is a great step up for beginners who want a camera that’s more challenging and versatile.

BUY METER

So, now you probably want to know what the Thinkpad Edge 11 is hiding under the hood. This reviewer received the Intel version, which was packing a 1.22GHz Core i3 processor, 2GB DDR3 RAM, Intel GMA HD and running on Windows 7 Professional 64bit. AMD versions are available as well, costing slightly less than the Intel version.

In summary, the ThinkPad Edge 11 is a great addition to Lenovo’s line, and outclasses other ultraportables in its range. It is lightweight, powerful and looks great.

8.4

/10

While Panasonic and Olympus have been building a cult following with their compact, Micro four thirds mirrorless camera system, Sony has quietly been plugging away, developing their own interpretation. The result is the NEX-5 and it’s a bit different from other mirrorless designs currently in the market because it’s not being marketed as a second SLR, rather as an upgrade to folks who are used to point-and-shoots who want to enjoy SLR features with the control layout of a point-and-shoot and don’t want to settle with a prosumer type camera. At first glance the NEX-5 looks like your typical point and shoot, especially when equipped with wide-angle pancake lens. The body is compact but has a positive feel to it, and all the relevant controls are within reach. The body is constructed out of magnesium alloy and, as is with most Sony products, build quality is superb. Surprisingly enough, there’s only a few buttons on the body of the unit. Sony has opted to use buttons that change context depending on the current shooting mode. The LCD is a tiltable 3.0 XtraFine TruBlack LCD that goes 80 degrees up and 45 degrees down. The camera uses a 23.4 x 15.6mm Exmor APS HD CMOS Sensor that delivers 14.2 million effective pixels. The NEX-5 naturally uses a proprietary

mount for the NEX-5’s lenses, dubbed E-Mount or electronic mount. The NEX5 has three lenses available for it: the E16mm F2.8 wide angle lens, E18-55mm F3.5-5.6 standard zoom lens and E18200mm F3.5-6.3 telephoto zoom lens. Users will also be able to use A mount Konica Minolta lenses by way of a mount adapter, but take note that you won’t be able to enjoy the autofocus feature this way. The NEX-5 also does not have a built-in flash unit like other cameras, relying instead on a bolt on flash solution that neatly attaches on top. Though small, the flash accessory gets the job done, although it uses the NEX-5’s battery to power it.

The NEX-5’s performed well during the time that I had it. The lenses were quiet, and overall picture quality was good, although there are some issues. Colors weren’t as accurate as I’d like, and the autofocus was a tad inconsistent for my liking. It did have good picture response and had minimal shutter lag—traditionally one of weaknesses of mirrorless cameras. The camera also features HD recording and has built-in microphones to capture sound, although it’s prone to being overwhelmed by wind noise in especially windy environments.

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For an ultraportable, this laptop definitely has a wealth of processing power, more than enough for your basic computing needs. Media fanatics will have no problem watching 720p and 1080p videos as well, but don’t expect this laptop to support your gaming habit. Furthermore, system start and shutdown of the Edge 11 is fairly quick (less than 30 seconds), which should find favor with a lot of users. When it comes to power, the ThinkPad Edge performed surprisingly well, providing an average of 3-4 workable hours unplugged, which is ample time for typing a document on its fantastic keyboard or making a presentation. Moreover, the Edge 11 brings back the defining characteristic of a laptop, as this ThinkPad could actually stay on this reviewer’s lap for several hours without getting too hot.

SPECIFICATIONS: SENSOR: 23.4 x 15.6 mm Exmor APS HD CMOS Sensor MEGAPIXEL COUNT: 14.2 million effective pixels FILE FORMATS: RAW, RAW + JPEG Fine, JPEG Fine, JPEG Standard LCD MONITOR: 3.0 XtraFine TruBlack LCD, 920,000 pixels CAPACITY: Memory Stick Pro Duo, Pro-HG Duo, SD/SDHC/SDXC BATTERY LIFE: 330 shots approx. DIMENSIONS: 111x 59 x 38mm WEIGHT: 287g (with battery and memory card)

March2011

are isolated and spaced apart at just the right length. Each individual key has a curved design, and was crafted with such expertise that the keyboard will seem to have been custom-made specifically for its user. Lenovo has also redesigned the layout of the function keys and have omitted the rarely used Scroll Lock and Pause/Break keys. As if it that weren’t enough, the keyboard is spill resistant.

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SONY TRIK (RDH-SK8IP) IPOD DOCK

By Paolo Toledo

SPECIFICATIONS: DIMENSIONS: 605 x 190 x 165m WEIGHT: 8kg SPEAKER SYSTEM: Two Way, Coaxial OUTPUT POWER: 75W INPUT: iPOD, LINE IN HEADPHONES: 3.5mm jack COMPATIBILITY: iPod Touch, iPod Nano 1st-3rd generation, iPod Classic, iPod 4th & 5th generation, iPod Mini WHAT’S HOT: • Interchangeable skins • Great audio quality • Durable build WHAT’S NOT: • Sound lacks bass • Bulky and heavy BOTTOMLINE: An iPod dock speaker that delivers great sound quality, and the ability to customize and interchange the front panel skins according to your taste and need.

BUY METER

8.2

/10

When I was younger I’ve always wanted to own a “boombox”. During the age of cassettes and compact discs, nothing was cooler than having that steel box blare out your favorite album, or self-made mixtape. And back then, those things were already considered “portable” just because you could operate them on about 6 to 8 D-sized batteries, and carry them to the street or to wherever the party was popping. A decade later, the same proverbial boombox evolved to the iPod—together with all the countless variations of docks and speakers we have seen in the market.

March2011

Enter Sony’s latest harvest in the iPod speaker dock category: the SONY TRiK (RDH-SK8iP). Given the aforementioned vast catalog of speaker docks of every size, shape, form and use, I was rather curious as to what the TRiK had to offer and how it would fare against everyone else. Upon receiving the test unit, what first struck me about the TRiK was its size. This bad boy was huge and hefty. It was about as big (or even longer) as a standard microwave oven, clocking in at 605 x 190 x 165m and weighing approximately 8kg. Needless to say, it was pretty obvious that this was meant to be more of a homebody than an easily portable boombox. What I liked about the size and build though was that it gave the TRiK a durable and sturdy feel, making you feel like you are handling a kickass sound system that won’t easily conk out.

But the main “draw” of the Sony TRiK, and perhaps what separates it from others, is its visual customization. The graphic design of the unit immediately strikes an aesthetic chord that appeals to the young—even the artistic—user base, with the front panel of the device featuring especially-designed graphic art skins. What’s makes it even sweeter is that these skins are interchangeable depending on one’s preference to mix-and-match. You can choose from the four skins already available and housed within the front panel: hip hop, street, chic or urban logic. Sony has even provided a download channel on DeviantArt for user-made designs, and a blank template is also available for download (.psd or .pdf format) if you want to do your own designs. Switching from one skin to the next is also

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pretty simple and easily executed. Just twist open the speaker rims that serve as locks, pop out the clear front panel, and change designs as you please. There is no internal assembly which will endanger the other performance features of the unit, which is good. Just be careful when locking and unlocking the speakers so you don’t accidentally snap off those pegs (and make sure got the right and left speakers correct)!

punch in the bass—plus its inability to adjust the treble/bass levels on the device.

Sound quality of the TRiK is decent, if not great. The two-way coaxial speakers deliver 75 watts of audio which powerfully amplifies your music to almost-insane levels. Since the unit is also quite long, the speakers are well separated from each other and helps solve distortion problems present in other smaller iPod dock speakers. My only gripe with the sound was that it was pretty weak on the low end—which meant it doesn’t have enough

Overall, the Sony TRiK dock speaker is quite the interesting and well-performing option. In the sea of docks and speakers, it may offer just quite enough to be noticed with its interchangeable skins, and brilliant audio quality. It may not be as portable as some, but when used at home or in any room, its sturdy build offers a very pleasurable listening experience. It might as well be the boombox I’ve always wanted.

The Sony TRiK also has a 3.5mm headphone jack for quiet listening, and an AUX input for connecting any other external audio sources such as laptops, DVD players or other music devices. It also comes with a small remote control that works to the standard, but can sometimes be unresponsive and uncomfortable.

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March2011

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SAMSUNG GALAXY ACE S5380 SMARTPHONE

By Steven Vea

SPECIFICATIONS: FORM FACTOR: Candybar DIMENSIONS: 112.4 x 59.9 x 11.5 mm WEIGHT: 113g DISPLAY: Color TFT capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors, 320x480 pixels, 3.5 inches, Accelerometer sensor for UI auto-rotate CONNECTIVITY: GSM 850/900/1800/1900, HSDPA 900/2100, WI-Fi 802.11b/g/n, DLNA, Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP CAMERA: 5 megapixels, Digital Zoom, Auto Focus, LED Flash OS: Android OS, v2.2 (Froyo) WHAT’S HOT: • Bright, responsive touchscreen • Packaged with Android 2.2 (Froyo) WHAT’S NOT: • No Flash support BOTTOMLINE: The Samsung Galaxy Ace should find its way into the palms of any consumer looking for a relatively affordable Android smartphone.

BUY METER

9.2

/10

March2011

The Galaxy Ace’s candybar form factor is quite the eye candy, sporting a minimalistic and elegant physical design, and users will immediately notice its obvious similarity to a more popular touchscreen smartphone. However, the Galaxy Ace is not only lighter (weighing approximately 113g), it is astoundingly cheaper, making it a more “pocketable” product.

The 3.5-inch TFT capacitive touchscreen dominates the smartphone’s body, and can hold its own in terms of quality against other heavyweight competitors. It is accurate, responsive, and images on the display are clear and vivid. Furthermore, the minimally reflective screen will pose no problems when using it in broad daylight. However, you will probably want to cover the display with a protective screen, and you may also be inclined to carry around a wipe cloth, as the Galaxy www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

Ace is quite prone to retaining latent fingerprints. On the left hand side of the unit is the physical Volume Key, while on the right you will find the Power/Lock/Standby Key and the microSD card slot. On the top of the unit, are the headset and the “multifunction” jack (a connector for the power adapter and computer via microUSB) and on the rear are the phone’s camera and the speakers.

Below the touchscreen is a physical rectangular home key flanked by two LED touch keys (menu and back) that light up on contact. While the two latter touch buttons add useful navigation options, this is probably the only weakness in the Galaxy Ace’s design. Firstly, the LED lights automatically fade out, making the buttons’ existence misleading for newbie users. Furthermore, they were quite sensitive to unintentional grazes,

especially when using the phone in landscape orientation. An option to perhaps temporarily disable these two buttons would have been an intuitive addition. With the minor drawback out of the way, the Galaxy Ace shines in almost every other characteristic. If you’ve owned a Samsung product in the past, then you’ll already be accustomed to the Touch Wiz 2.0 interface. The home screen or idle

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PALIT GEFORCE GTX 570

SONIC OVERCLOCKING EDITION VIDEOCARD

John Nieves

What makes the Galaxy Ace a remarkable product in its class is that it comes with Android 2.2 (Froyo), which provides users a wealth of free applications to download. Social network fanatics will never again be lonesome and app addicts will no longer suffer the dregs of boredom, as the Galaxy Ace fulfills any user’s entertainment needs. Some of the most popular applications are free and fully functional via Android Marketplace (i.e.: Angry Birds, Sound Hound, Photoshop Express, etc.), but expect the presence of advertisements within the apps.

To conclude, the best thing about the Galaxy Ace is its budget-friendly price tag, as mid-range spenders finally have access to a feature packed touchscreen Android smartphone. There’s no need to compare the Galaxy Ace to other products, because in its class, it is quite possibly the cream of the crop.

WHAT’S NOT: • Can only accommodate 2 monitors simultaneously • Pricey BOTTOMLINE: Gamers that have the cash to spare should definitely give the Palit GeForce GTX 570 Sonic Overclocking Edition the once over.

BUY METER

8.5

Running on an 800Mhz processor, rest assured that the Galaxy Ace is quite the performer, and you should experience no problems running any of your downloaded applications. After all, a special Apple branded processor of Samsung was used in the first gen iPhone, so expect a similar technology to be found within the Galaxy Ace. To utilize this smartphone’s processing power however, you’ll probably want to download task-managing applications to effectively allocate memory usage and prolong battery life. Touchscreen phones are notorious for consuming a lot of power, but the Galaxy Ace was able to last a good number of hours. Under constant use of apps and Wi-Fi, the battery lasted for approximately one and half days before needing to be recharged.

WHAT’S HOT: • Factory Overclocked out of the box • Better twin cooling solution • Excellent performance

March2011

screen provides side swipeable panels or pages wherein users have ability to place widgets, shortcuts and even folders for their favorite and most used applications for quick access. On the bottom of the idle screen are fixed quick shortcuts for calls, contacts, messaging, and the application vault.

/10

Although it has been in service for a relatively short amount of time, Nvidia has announced that the GeForce GTX 480 GPU series is officially entering EOL (end of life). Nvidia’s shifting away from the GF100 GPU and is now utilizing GF110 GPUs, which offer better TDP than its predecessor. Ever predictable Palit has seen fit to loan us their latest card built with Nvidia’s newest tech. The Palit GeForce GTX 570 Sonic Overclocking Edition gives gamers excellent value for money—assuming, of course, you can rationalize spending more than $350 (about Php 15,400) for a video card. Like most enthusiast cards, the Palit GeForce GTX 570 Sonic Overclocking Edition will take up considerable space in your rig. Unlike the reference GTX 570, the Palit GeForce GTX 570 Sonic Overclocking Edition uses a 6 + 8 pin setup to accommodate the higher power draws of the factory overclock. Like any large card, cable management is a must. MultiLCD junkies might be saddened to know that this card can only accommodate up to two monitors running simultaneously. Additional monitors will require you to connect another card. Good news is you can connect up to four of these monsters in SLI. Of course, any card that comes our way is sure to be benchmarked to some degree or another and the Palit GeForce GTX 570 Sonic Overclocking Edition is no exception.

Unfortunately for some reason one of our main benchmarking tools, 3D Mark Vantage decided to mysteriously crap out during the review, leaving us only with Unigine Heaven as our GPU dyno. Of course, no review would be complete without real world performance and in that regard EA’s multiplayer masterpiece Battlefield Bad Company 2 lends a hand for some real world numbers. After running Unigine Heaven with the resolution on 1920 x 1080 and settings cranked up, the Palit GeForce GTX 570 Sonic Overclocking Edition posted an excellent FPS of 51. With video software capture FRAPS running in the background, the Palit GeForce GTX 570 Sonic Overclocking Edition managed to nab a blazing 68 FPS, not bad for a card running on stock factory settings.

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As is the norm nowadays, Palit’s interpretation of Nvidia’s latest and greatest comes pre-overclocked out of the factory. The card hums along at 800 MHz on the core and on the 4000 MHz memory front compared to the stock speed of 732 MHz for the former and 3800 MHz for the latter. Heck, even the Shader got bumped to 1600 MHz. Faster speeds isn’t the only thing Palit included with this particular card. They also saw fit to deviate from the reference design and used their own interpretation of the card dubbed Mercury, with twin fans that improve overall cooling and temperature management. Other notable features include 480 CUDA cores (the same number that’s in Nvidia’s GTX 480) and 320-bit GDDR5 memory interface that connects to 1280 MB of memory.

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ACER ASPIRE ONE HAPPY NETBOOK

By Michelle Callanta

SPECIFICATIONS: SCREEN SIZE: 10.1-inch (1024 x 600) 200-nitere TFT LCD MEMORY: 250GB CPU AND CHIPSET: Dual-core Intel Atom N550 processor WIRELESS USED: 802.11 b/g/n PHYSICAL DIMENSION: 10.2 x 7.3 x 0.9 inches WARRANTY: 1-year Limited Warranty WHAT’S HOT: • Refreshing colors • Battery life WHAT’S NOT: • A bit sluggish BOTTOMLINE: The Acer Aspire One Happy is perfect for business users, students and basically anyone who is always on the go but wants a most fashionably refreshing companion.

BUY METER

7.8

/10

March2011

I suppose many people associate pure happiness with images of sunshine and bright, refreshing colors that are easy on the eyes and soft on the visual palette. Acer must have had the same idea when they came out with the Acer Aspire one Happy, a range of netbooks that come in an array of yummy colors such as lime green (the review unit), lavender purple and candy pink.

The Happy definitely had a lovely vibrancy to it (although it would appear that the colors are too feminine). It feels sturdy as you carry it around and maneuver it despite its plastic exterior. The inside finish (particularly the entire width of the trackpad) is smooth and smudge-free while the rest of the netbook—from the keys to the underside (save for just the cover)—is matte-white. The small, 10.1-inch screen means it’s very portable and certainly small enough to carry around in a backpack or a large handbag. At just 1.3kg, it won’t weigh you www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

down either. But this doesn’t mean that it can’t please or perform. The Happy packs a 250GB hard drive alongside a high-speed version of Bluetooth, as well as 802.11n Wi-Fi. You also get three USB ports as well as an SD memory-card reader. The screen resolution is a pretty good 1,024 x 600 pixels. The LED backlighting helps produce very bright images and, thanks to the glossy coating, colors are impressively rich and dynamic. The Happy uses an isolated keyboard so you get a nice flat surface. Although

this may look sleek, you may have a bit of trouble comfortably typing on the keys they feel too close to one another. However, the keys are quite large and responsive. The trackpad is spacious and the single rocker-style button responds immediately. The Happy comes with two operating systems: Windows 7 Starter and Android 2.1. The latter is more commonly found on smartphones and doesn’t quite work well on this netbook. Although Android loads much faster than Windows, I wasn’t very comfortable using it. If you’re not used to

it, it may even slow you down. A single-core Intel Atom N450 processor is what the Happy uses and that may not make you all that happy as it really just allows you to do simple tasks smoothly like web-surfing or typing. But it tends to slow down when you have to multitask. Surprisingly, this netbook can last you quite a while, roughly 8 hours from with average use. That way, you won’t be scared to leave the charger behind and bring it along with you outside for some sunshine.

snapshots digital photography in a snap

Take great camera phone pictures We are living in a time where convergence is everywhere. These days, you only need to reach for your mobile phone to take a good photo. Camera phones are one of the fastestgrowing segments of the digital camera market and with the improvements in the quality of what is being offered in some phones (higher megapixels, better lenses, high capacity storage) some believe that they are beginning to win market share away from the low end offerings of many digital camera manufacturers

March2011 www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

snapshot

While can be fun to use your camera phone’s inbuilt editing and effects, editing pictures later on your computer produces much better quality images.

As any camera phone photographer will tell you, talent beats equipment almost every time in photography. A talented photographer can produce a stunning image with a pinhole camera given enough time, whereas many amateurs struggle to produce even average photographs using top-of-the-line camera gear. But how can you extract the best out of your camera phone? Here are a few tricks: Buy a good phone. More important than the megapixels (which are still nice to have) is the lens. Read the reviews to find out how a device really shoots. A good in-store test is to frame a shot with something in the foreground and something else farther away. A good lens should keep both subjects in focus. Instead of trying to arrange that one perfect shot, snap a bunch and see what you get. Don’t afraid about taking too many bad pictures. This simply increases the chances of snagging a good one. If possible hang onto your shots until you can get them on your PC. You might just find that they come alive on a quality monitor. You’ll also find that even ‘mistakes’ and blurred shots can actually be quite usable.

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Keeping the phone steady is pretty important, given a camera phone’s shutter delay. Hold the device with two hands and tuck your elbows into your stomach. Then exhale. If possible, rest the camera on an external surface, like a car or the ledge of a building. This is especially important in low light situations where the camera will select longer shutter speeds to compensate for the lack of light. Keep in mind that many camera phones also suffer from ‘shutter lag’ (that is, the time between when you press the shutter and when the camera takes the shot can be a second or so).

Maximize camera resolution. Many recent camera phones come with the option to increase or decrease the resolution of the camera. If you plan to be taking a lot of artistic shots then it’s obvious that you are going to have to jack the resolution up as high as possible for most scenarios. www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

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March2011

Don’t zoom. The zooms on cell phone cameras are digital, not optical, which means you’re not really zooming; you’re merely taking a small frame in the center of your shot and enlarging the pixels. It is much better to get up close to the subject than to use the zoom on a camera phone.

Some phones allow you to choose what resolution you want to take photos at. It almost goes without saying that the higher your resolution, the clearer your shot will be. This is especially true for camera phones which often have sensors of under 1 megapixel. Keep in mind that the higher the resolution, the larger the file size of the images you take. Some cameras come with a built in flash or light— this can really lift a shot and add clarity to it, even if you’re shooting outside. If your camera doesn’t have a flash or light you should avoid shooting into bright lights as you’ll end up with subjects that are silhouetted. Many camera phones deal with low light quite poorly. In general, if you can get a well lit subject then you are going to get better results with your camera phone. Sunlight or during the beginning or the end of a day are best picture-perfect conditions. For middle-of-the-day shots, switching to black and white is recommended. Cell phone cameras also handle reflections and silhouettes very well. An increasing number of camera phones come with adjustable white balance which allows you to modify color balance in your images based on shooting conditions. Experiment with this feature to get a good feel for the impact that it has on your shots. Play around with this setting to achieve the effect that you want. You may even need to adjust this depending on the type of shots you are trying to take so get used to using one of the few controls that you have over the image making process on a camera phone.

Keep in mind that the higher the resolution, the larger the file size of the images you take.

Own your machine. Once you commit to a shot, don’t be afraid to nuzzle right up close to your subject— whether inanimate or otherwise. If you’re already blatantly pointing your phone at someone, you should be comfortable enough to approach them for a better shot. While can be fun to use your camera phone’s inbuilt editing and effects, editing pictures later on your computer produces much better quality images. Take your shots in color at high resolution to keep your options open on how to treat it later. You can always make it black and white on your computer, but you can’t make it color if you take it in black and white mode.

One of the challenges with many camera phones is keeping them maintained and clean. Phones spend a lot of time in pockets, in bags and being used in all manner of weather and conditions. As a result they get dirty and can easily become damaged. Fingerprints are a common problem on camera lenses, especially if your phone doesn’t have a lens cover. Clean the lens of your camera using a soft cloth.

snapshots

Learn some basic composition ‘rules’. Simple tips like the ‘rule of thirds’ can bring life to your photos. You can also break all conventions. Some of the best shots around break all the rules. So shoot from the hip, the floor, up high or up close.

mobility

the hottest machines that take you places

Isuzu Alterra Urban Cruiser:

All-Terrain Wonder

ISUZU Philippines Corp. (IPC) has a new nickname and a new tagline for its awardwinning sport-utility vehicle. The popular diesel SUV is now officially called the Alterra Urban Cruiser, and it now goes by the catchphrase, “For the Journey that Matters.”

“For successful individuals, not all trips are ordinary,” said IPC president Ryoji Yamazaki. “There are journeys in life—particularly those taken with loved ones—that are truly significant and worth preparing for. These excursions demand only the best in comfort, space, luxury and in-car entertainment. All these the Alterra Urban Cruiser can provide.” All Alterra marketing campaigns for 2011 will be based mainly on this tagline. The new Alterra retains the tried-and-tested 3.0-liter CRDi turbocharged 4JJ1-TC i-TEQ diesel engine. With a generous supply of torque and power, this engine enables this SUV to pamper its occupants and make every trip memorable. For 2011, the Alterra Urban Cruiser has been given new front and rear sporty chins. New exterior colors have also been made available: Nautilus Blue for two-tone variants, and Mineral Gray, Silky Pearl White, Sterling Silver and Starry Black for monotone units.

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Inside, a high-tech entertainment system features a motorized 7-inch touchscreen and the dealeroption I-Navi system. Other interior highlights include more legroom, ceiling-mounted airconditioning vents, map lights, sunglass holder, and second-row reading lamps. To demonstrate that the Alterra is a perfect fit for people with active lifestyles, Isuzu partnered with Reebok, Teva, Thule, 199 Off-Road House and Unilab to organize a biking competition among six teams each made up of four journalists. Caltex Diesel with Techron D was chosen as the official fuel due. Before the actual contest, the

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participants underwent a mountain-bike clinic conducted by Elite Multi-Sport Resources.

The journalists did precision time trials on a fivekilometer pavement course and a seven-kilometer dirt trail. They were required to complete various exercises such as bike assembly and mounting. The trick was to finish the challenge within the closest possible time to the set target time. In the end, IPC was able to show the participants that the Alterra Urban Cruiser is a lifestyle vehicle that perfectly complements a sporty regimen. It’s perfect, too, for transporting mountain bikes, either with the use of bike racks or with the vehicle’s spacious room at the back.

Isuzu Kicks-Off 2011 Family Challenge

The Isuzu Challenge has evolved from its original inception back in 2002 that consisted of an 89.6-km run from Alabang to Nasugbu in Batangas where Isuzu vehicles clocked in impressive fuel efficiency mileages at 36.48 km/ liter for the Crosswind M/T), 26.01 km/ li for Crosswind A/T, 33.01 km/li for Fuego 4x2 M/T and 30.82 km/li for the Trooper 4X2 A/T. Eight years later, Isuzu plans on making waves with both its vehicles and family activity. In one of two clusters, a maximum of four family members will be in one Isuzu unit which can either be a Crosswind, a D-Max 4x2 M/T (2005 model onwards) and an Alterra 4x2 A/T in a fuel efficiency competition. The second cluster is an Isuzu Dance Contest which calls for a three to four family members dancing to the Isuzu jingle a month prior to the event. The event will kick off on February 8 and culminate on November 28. Families will have their schedules full with the game booths and activities in the dealerships: Game stations will be put up, such as a videoke corner, a kiddie corner including a miniplayground, arts and crafts and video games. Everyone will love the food stations and other activities like face painting and balloon twisting.

CR-V Gets Spruced Up

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This year is bound to be extra exciting because Isuzu Philippines Corp. (IPC) has decided that valued customers and their family members will be part of a nine-month campaign called the 2011 Isuzu Family Challenge. In addition, recreational activities are planned and incorporated into the challenge for better family bonding moments in this nationwide event.

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Honda Cars Philippines, Inc. has come out with the CR-V Modulo Sports Plus that transcends one’s driving experience. The first Modulo edition in the country, the CR-V Modulo Sports Plus delivers bold and aggressive styling, blended with an air of refinement. It is carefully designed to keep up with diverse lifestyles and lets you cross over to life’s different adventures. Fitted with a 2.0 liter i-VTEC engine and an automatic transmission, the CR-V Modulo Sports Plus variant boasts of front/rear lower garnish, fog lamps and sports pipe finisher to bring out a more muscular and tougher stance. It also comes with a base carrier that can tow loads of cargo for one’s dynamic lifestyle adventures. In enhancing the vehicle’s already polished interior, the CR-V Modulo Sports Plus edition presents steering wheel audio controls with metallic accents, sun visor vanity light, 6-disc audio system with 6-speakers, dual automatic air conditioning controls,

outside temperature indicator, front seat rear under tray and double deck cargo tray. Modulo, being an original Honda accessories brand retains the CR-V’s high quality performance. Honda designers cleverly put together their expertise in manufacturing cars and skills in styling to create distinct accessories that have perfect fit and finish. Modulo accessories make use of only premium materials and applies precision styling in its designs in order to enhance the over-all form and function of Honda vehicles.

Sold in 160 countries throughout North America, South America, Europe, Asia and China, the CR-V is a staple brand in the area of sedanlike comfort, superior performance, ample space and distinctive styling. The CR-V Modulo Sports Plus retails for Php 1,390,000. For an additional amount of Php 65,000, the CR-V Modulo Sports Plus comes as a real treat considering its array of packaged accessories. Available in Brilliant White, Urban Titanium and Crystal Black colors.

Teams are given ample time from up to two months to prepare themselves for the challenge, and for good reason. For the dance contest, each team will be given free rein on the concept and theme that includes costume and presentation based on how they interpret the three characteristics of Isuzu vehicles—sporty, stylish and innovative.

mobility

“I am confident that once again, we will be able to convince the commercial-vehicle market that Isuzu vehicles are truly fuel-efficient. I believe we will be able to prove also that our vehicles are very much compatible with Philippine roads. Their legendary durability is what makes them very popular among Filipinos, who value their hard-earned money down to the last peso,” says Ryoji Yamazaki, IPC president.

mobilit

10 The Suzuki Swift is loved for many reasons. Here are just 10 of them.

1. Body shape.

The Swift’s two-box exterior is reminiscent of the classic European two-box compact autos of the 1960s. The fact that it’s a compact hatchback (with pronounced side haunches and flat pillars hidden under wide wraparound bonded glass), it greatly aids in handling.

2. Cabin conveniences.

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Anything and everything is within easy reach and within quick sight of any occupant—from the placement of the cup holders/storage bins to the three large air-conditioning knobs (in the lower middle part of the waterfall dashboard) to the latches that aid in folding the rear seats.

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Reasons To Love Your Swift

3. Loading ability.

The Swift can handle five passengers in comfort and can fit in even oddshaped loads as well—thanks to the 60/40 split folding ability of the rear seats. Making cargo loading even easier is the rear door which has a low outside latch.

4. Audio entertainment.

You definitely won’t get bored on those long jaunts with the Swift’s audio entertainment system which has a head unit with buttons and knobs that are easy to read and reach, and six speakers placed in optimal listening pleasure spots. Plus, you have infinite ways to listen to music—whether it’s from the 18 FM/6AM radio presets, the CD/MP3 player, or via an external MP3 player using the auxiliary jack. The driver need not take away his sight to fiddle with the audio entertainment,

as there are volume, station search and listening mode toggle buttons on the steering wheel.

5. Powertrain.

All its 1.5 liters of displacement—aided greatly by a DOHC 16 valve setup and Variable Valve Timing (VVT)—puts the Swift’s 110 hp and 143 NM of torque at the driver’s disposal instantly.

6. Gas, not diesel.

Gasoline engines have a better balance between fuel efficiency and outright grunt, as they require fewer gears than diesel engines in order to keep the engine in the power band. Likewise, gas engine parts aren’t as big (or as heavy) as those of diesel engine parts. This makes a gas engine easier to start even in cold weather, not to mention that it accelerates better. There’s no clatter from the engine bay, a characteristic all too often observed

in diesel engines. Gasoline engines usually have lower maintenance cost compared with diesel engines.

7. Handling.

The Swift’s MacPherson strut setup (front) and torsion beam/coil springs (rear) which, when matched with electronic power-assisted steering, make it easy to maneuver on the twisties.

Safety. ABS and electronic brake force distribution provide serious stopping power. And should you experience an accident, dual airbags and side impact beams protect any occupant from serious injury.

Price. It is now even easier to own one because dealers are offering sweet deals on the Swift.

10. It’s a Suzuki.

Much like the other vehicles in the lineup (the Alto, Celerio, SX4 Crossover/SX4 Aero, APV, Jimny, Grand Vitara and Carry Pick-Up), the Suzuki Swift is known for reliability.

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Team Land Rover Philippines marked its strongest and best finish yet, returning home first runner-up in the overall standing at the recently concluded Rainforest Challenge (RFC) of Malaysia 2010.

extreme competition in the world and arguably, the hardest and most unpredictable. Given the further improvements from the proven 2009 format, participants from all over the world had high expectations. Along with the Philippines, the Russian team also had a strong presence throughout the competition.

Led by father and son veteran off-roaders, Hilario “Typhoon Larry” Mendiola (driver) and Hirryan Mendiola (co-driver/winchman), the team included mechanic Dennis Javier and photographer Igor Maminta.

“Year after year the competition in the RFC has gotten tougher and competition stronger. For our team to place as first runner-up is nothing short of a landmark victory and is hopefully a step towards getting the championship someday. I have always said—unlike other motorsports, off-roading is a sport in which the Filipino can dominate,” noted Marc Soong, executive director of LRPhils Motors Inc.

The Rainforest Challenge 2010 edition in Johor Baru was held from December 4-13, 2010 officiated by the Sultan of Johor. From Johor Bahru, the competition led 35 teams through Segamat, Labis, Kelaung, Jemaluang and back to Johor Bahru. The 10-day event is the longest 4x4 off-road

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Team Philippines Gets Runner-Up Award in Rainforest Challenge

Team Land Rover Philippines is supported by LRPHILS Motors INC., Formula Sports, Inc., Cebu Pacific, Rudy Project, Timberland, Summit Natural Drinking Water and Spot Messenger.

FIA’s Jean Todt visits Manila The Automobile Association Philippines (AAP) recently hosted Jean Todt, president of the Federacion Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), during his first visit to the country. Having been elected resident in November 2009, Todt plans on visiting during his four-year term all the affiliate motoring and sporting clubs worldwide.

As incumbent FIA president, he heads an organization composed of 227 motoring and sporting clubs from 132 countries in six continents, representing a total of some 100 million individual motorists and their families.

The UN proclamation is seen to be very timely considering that in the Philippines, some 10,000 die every year from road crashes. AAP hopes that Todt’s visit generates more interest in road and motoring safety. Todt, a Frenchman, is well known in the motor sport world for being, among his many accomplishments, the Team Principal that brought Peugeot to five World Rally Championships; and Ferrari, also to five Formula One World Championships. The FIA, with headquarters in Paris, is a non-profit association founded in 1904. It has been dedicated to representing the rights of motoring organization and motor car users throughout that world via campaigns, and activities that defend their interests. On issues such as safety, mobility and tourism, the environment and consumer law, the FIA actively promotes the interests of motorists at the UN, with the European Union and through other international bodies.

mobility

Todt’s Philippine visit is also aimed at promoting the United Nations’ proclamation of 2011 to 2020 as the Decade of Action for Road Safety. The event will be launched in May 2011. About 1.3 million people are killed on the roads each year. About 50 million get injured; a lot become disabled as a result. Road crashes kill more people than malaria, and

90 percent of these casualties occur in developing countries like the Philippines.

apps

thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an app for that

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Smartphone Apps

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Smartphones are incredible devices that can do just about anything. If you want to make the most out of it, apps will be your best friend. With over 500,000 apps available in different app stores combined, anyone can truly say that thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an app for just about anything. After all, what good is a smartphone without apps, right? We here at Gadgets Magazine compiled 100 handy apps for both the iPhone and Android, which ranges from photography, utilities, social networking, and even games.

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005

Category: Reference Platform: Android/iOS (free)

Category: Games Platform: Android (free) /iOS (0.99)

Google Translate

Translate words and phrases between more than 50 languages on the go using Google Translate for your mobile. For most languages, you can even speak your phrases and hear the corresponding translations. This can be handy for research or when travelling to other countries.

Angry Birds

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Bakery Story: Valentine’s Day

Category: Games Platform: Android/iOS (free) The concept is pretty simple—use a slingshot to shoot birds at pigs stationed on or within various structures, with the intent of destroying all the pigs on the playfield. Unlock extra birds and secret levels as you progress through the hundreds of levels of Angry Birds. it’s one of the most popular mobile games in the world.

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Design your own dream bakery to show off to your friends. Don’t forget to make sure your customers are happy and well-fed by choosing stunning decoration and tasty new pastries! New content is released every week so the game continually gets even better!

009

JellyCar 3 Category: Games Platform: iOS ($0.99)

Facebook

Category: Social Networking Platform: Android/iOS (free) Soar over obstacles and reach goals with the Balloon ability, climb walls with Sticky Tires, tap your car to make it grow and play along with great music and sounds effects in this 2D sidescrolling driving/puzzle game. It features all new levels, all new car customization, all new ghost racing and so much more.

006 NESoid

Category: Games Platform: Android ($3.98)

003

Gmail App Category: Utilities Platform: Android (free)

The Gmail app: push, sync, conversations, integration, search, and more. The dedicated Gmail application integrates itself neatly with your Android contacts. It functions just like Gmail for browsers including the following features: Email pushed automatically to your phone, search all your messages, access synched messages when offline, view messages by conversation, stars, labels and many other features.

004

Infinity Blade Category: Games Platform: iOS ($4.99)

Classic gamers rejoice! NESoid is a Nintendo ROM emulator for Android that actually works. The app itself can interpret ROM files, which allows for quick, smooth gameplay. Now you can play all the 80s favorites on your mobile phone.

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Bejeweled 2 + Blitz Category: Games Platform: Android (Free)/iOS($0.99

The goal of Bejeweled Blitz is to match gems and Multipliers in order to get the highest score possible in one minute. It gets really addicting when you start to face-off with your friends on Facebook in the electrifying Bejeweled Blitz!

010

Plants vs Zombies Category: Games Platform: iOS ($2.99) Our favorite zombie-killing game finds its way to our handhelds. A mob of funloving zombies is about to invade your home and you have an arsenal of 49 different zombie-zapping plants with different abilities to destroy 26 types of zombies before they break down your door and eat your brains.

apps

Infinity Blade offers both quick action and satisfying gameplay, with short combat segments and a satisfying loop of selfimprovement and challenge. It has an interesting combat style and amazing cut scenes to keep you immersed in the game. Moreover, leveling up and collecting all the items and achievements can be pretty addicting.

Facebook for iPhone makes it easy to stay connected and share information with friends. Use your iPhone to start a conversation with Facebook Chat, check your friends’ latest photos and status updates, look up a phone number, or upload your own mobile photos to Facebook while on the go.

app

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018

Category: Reference Platform: iOS (free)

Category: Utility Platform:Android (free)

Chomp

Chomp is designed to show you the best of the App Store by gathering user input and reviews. With its Facebook-like UI and strong feature set, it’s makes app downloads and discovery quick and easy. The more apps you review, the more accurate the recommendations become.

015

Android Task Killer Category: Utility Platform: Android (free)

011

Hipstamatic Category: Photography Platform: iOS ($1.99) The Hipstamatic brings back the look, feel, unpredictable beauty, and fun of plastic toy cameras of the past! It keeps quirks of shooting old school but gives you the ability to swap lenses, film, and flash settings all with the swipe of a finger. This surely beats having to bring all your lomo cameras around.

012

Sky Burger Category: Games Platform: iOS (free) Catch the right ingredients as they fall from the sky, and don’t forget that top bun when you’re done! Build over 50 unique burger orders that grow taller and taller the more orders you complete. Complete enough orders in a row and build an unlimited SkyBurger!

013

Wunderlist

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Category: Productivity Platform: iOS (free)

The Wunderlist mobile app for your iPhone and iPod Touch will boost your productivity. It’s a beautiful-looking to-do list that simply works. Organize your schedule on the go and synchronize it with the free Wunderlist desktop app for Windows and Mac.

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This one goes without saying. It’s a simple tool that lets you maximize your Android’s performance by killing unused applications that are running on your phone’s background. Not only will it make your phone run faster, it also helps conserve batter life.

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WhatsApp Messenger

Astro File Manager

This one is a free Android file manager with robust features such as backup, image and text viewers, Networking, SMB, Bluetooth, SFTP, Zip Tar, downloader, thumbnails, search files, application manager, task manager, attachments. You’ll definitely be missing out if you don’t have this on your Android.

019 Skype

Category: Social Networking Platform: Android/iOS (free)

With Skype on your smartphone, you can make and receive calls, and instant message anyone else on Skype, wherever they are in the world. You can also save on international calls and text messages to phones if you have Skype credits. Skype is free to download and easy to use. With the latest version, you can now call over 3G, and keep Skype running in the background.

Category: Social Networking Platform: Android (free) /iOS ($0.99)

WhatsApp messenger is a cross platform smartphone messenger currently available for iPhone, Android, BlackBerry and Nokia phones. The application utilizes push notifications to instantly get messages from your contacts. With this app, you can send and receive messages, pictures, audio notes, and video messages at no cost. Well, except for the $0.99 you have to pay to get the app if you’re using an iPhone.

017

AP Mobile Category: Information Platform: Android/iOS (Free) Get all your news with AP Mobile—the award-winning mobile news application. Stay updated with the latest news anywhere in the world with AP Mobile! Tap into breaking stories, browse dynamic photos and videos, customize your news categories and share articles with friends. With more than 1,200 trusted local sources, national and international coverage, AP Mobile is the News you choose.

020

Opera Mini Web Browser Category: Productivity Platform: Android/iOS (free) Enjoy a fast and efficient Web browsing experience with the Opera Mini Web Browser. Use its powerful servers to compress data by up to 90% before sending it to your smartphone, so page-loads are lightning fast. Opera Mini is a breeze to use, and can synchronize data between your phone and computer.

025

Category: Games Platform:Android (free)/iOS ($0.99)

Category: Games Platform: iOS (free)

Doodle Jump

In Doodle Jump, you guide Doodle the Doodler—using some of the most subtle and accurate tilt controls in existence— on a springy journey up a sheet of graph paper, picking up jet packs, avoiding black holes, and blasting baddies with nose balls along the way.

Chop Chop Tennis

Chop Chop Tennis is a unique action tennis game using intuitive controls that let you hit the ball by simply flicking your finger on the screen. Chop Chop Tennis is one of the most frantic, intuitive and enjoyable tennis game for your iOS device. It even supports local multiplayer mode that let’s you challenge friends nearby.

026 022 Tetris

Category: Games Platform:Android/iOS ($2.99) If you don’t know what Tetris is, you’re missing half your life. Well, not really but come on! Discover why millions around the world have made TETRIS the biggest blockbuster in mobile gaming history. Play Tetris with touchscreen ease in Marathon Mode, or get a new twist in Magic Mode. It’s the same old game that has been rocking the world since the 80s, with improved graphics and features on a new device.

023

Words With Friends Free Category: Games Platform: Android/iOS (free) Words with Friends is just like Scrabble, but with a social twist. It has a cleverly designed turn-based system that lets you play up to 20 games simultaneously. It supports online chat messaging and push notifications that tell you when it’s your turn. You can even invite friends through Facebook and Twitter.

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Google Mobile App Category: Reference Platform: Android/iOS (free)

UNO

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Tap Tap Revenge 4 Category: Games Platform: Android/iOS (free) Tap Tap Revenge 4 is easy to learn rhythm game that takes a lifetime to master. Simply tap the targets on your touchscreen to the beat of the music, scoring points for accuracy and timing. Add in multiple difficulty levels, hundreds of available songs, and live online battlegrounds, and you’ll never have the same experience twice.

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029

doubleTwist Category: Music Platform: Android (free) doubleTwist Player is a feature-packed allin-one music, radio and video app. It finds all the music on your phone and syncs music & video with the free doubleTwist app on Mac/PC. It imports iTunes music playlists, music ratings & play counts; sync music, play music & video podcasts!

030

Foursquare Category: Social Network Platform: Android/iOS (free) Foursquare helps you explore the world around you while keeping up with friends, getting insider tips, and unlocking discounts and rewards. While on the go, you can easily tell friends where you are, share pictures, get their comments. Tons of places offer discounts and freebies to foursquare users, and you earn points and badges for doing the things you love.

Category: Games Platform:Android($2.99)/iOS ($0.99) Play UNO, the classic card game of matching colors and numbers, on your phone against computer opponents or friends on a single device! Enjoy the customization mode which lets you choose between 9 different rule sets, including 7-0 and Jump-in. It’s an awesome game to play with your friends or family.

031

Find My iPhone

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Category: Utilities Platform: iOS (free)

Mega Jump Category: Games Platform:Android/iOS (free)

The Google Mobile App is a one-stop app that lets you search in so many ways. It has features like Google Goggles, Search by Voice, My Location, Google suggest, search history, contact search and vertical search.

apps

Get ready to blast off on an epic jumping journey with Mega Jump! Collect coins, grab crazy powerups, and evade monsters to boost yourself to the edge of the Universe and beyond! With eye-popping cartoon graphics and beautiful multi-layered backdrops, users can unlock all kinds of awesome new characters to play with.

If you lose your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch while on the go, simply install the Find My iPhone app on another iOS device, launch it, and sign in with your Apple ID. You’ll see your devices location on a map and you can choose to have it display a message or play a sound, remotely lock the device, or wipe it to permanently delete all of your data if you think that it won’t be returned. Definitely a must-have for any iPhone user.

app

032 Viber - Free Phone Calls Category: Social Networking Platform:OS (free) Viber is an iPhone application that lets you make free phone calls to other iPhone users that have Viber installed. It’s surprising because with a good wi-fi connection, the sound quality is actually much better than a regular call. You can call any Viber user, anywhere in the world, no strings attached.

033 Twitter

Category: Social Networking Platform: Android/iOS (free)

035

039

Category: Social Networking Platform: Android/iOS (free)

Category: Books Platform: iOS (free)

Chikka Messenger

Chikka Text Messenger for the iPhone allows users to chat with other Chikka Text Messenger users, as well as send free text messages (SMS) to the Philippines, as well as other supported countries. Replies are routed directly to the app (if online) or via Apple Push Notification if the user has suspended the App.

034

Texas Poker

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Category: Games Platform:OS (free)

Come and join the club where poker fans from all over the world gather to play and chat about the best gambling game in the world—poker. Texas Poker holds plenty of exciting poker action for players of all levels. Play, bluff, win, chat with others at the table, or even buy them gifts. Gain levels by winning hands; check out other player’s stats and level trying to guess how good they are

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iBooks is an amazing way to download and read books. iBooks includes the iBookstore, where you can download the latest bestselling books or your favorite classics anytime, anywhere. Browse your library on a beautiful bookshelf, tap a book to open it, flip through pages with a swipe or a tap, and bookmark or add notes to your favorite passages.

036

040

Category: Social Networking Platform: Android/iOS (free)

Category: Games Platform: iOS (free)

Bump

Bump makes sharing with people as simple as bumping two phones together. Just pick what you want to send, then hold your phones and gently bump hands with another Bump user. And now, you can message with your friends who aren’t near you -- just add them as a friend inside of Bump and start messaging immediately – just like a longdistance “virtual bump”. Share photos, music, messages, locations, contacts, and calendar events; become friends on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn; compare mutual friends, and more.

Discover what’s happening right now, anywhere in the world with the official Twitter for iPhone/Android app. Check out real-time search, top tweets, trending topics and maps that can show what’s happening at this very moment with real-time updates. Tweet, send DMs, share photos, videos and links to your friends and the world.

iBooks

037

Talking Tom Cat Category: Entertainment Platform: Android/iOS (free) Tom is your pet cat that responds to your touch and repeats everything you say with a funny voice. You can pet him, poke him or grab his tail. Record your own videos of Tom, save them to your library and send them as MMS, share them on YouTube & Facebook or send them by email.

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Textfree with Voice Category: Social Networking Platform: Android/iOS (free) Send and receive unlimited texts and pictures, plus earn free calling minutes in yet another free texting app. With Textfree, you’ll even get your very own US number which friends and relatives abroad can text to. No catch, no hidden anything, Textfree is as free as it gets!

Lyric Legend

Play to learn the lyrics to your favorite songs. Earn free song packs through the virtual currency system. Choose a song, hit the orbs in time with the lyrics, and learn what your favorite artists have been singing all along. The game is fun, easy to understand, and exciting to play for any music fan. Learn more or see your scores against the world at LyricLegend.com.

041

eBay Mobile Category: Lifestyle Platform: iOS (free) The eBay application for the iPhone is specially designed to run natively on the Apple iPhone and the iPod Touch. Using a streamlined interface that’s as elegant as it is practical; eBay members can search, bid, and check their activity on the go. Buyers can sneak in that last-minute bid on a hard-to-find item, sellers can check on their sales, and act on time-sensitive information on the spot without a computer.

042

Fruit Ninja Category: Games Platform: Android(free)/iOS ($0.99) The simple yet incredibly satisfying gameplay of Fruit Ninja is ready for action in Fruit Ninja Lite, which features a sample of Classic Mode, the exciting first game that started the phenomenon. Simply swipe the screen to deliciously slash and splatter fruit like a true ninja warrior—but be careful of bombs, which will put a swift end to your juicy adventure!

043

Google Maps

Download the latest release of Google Maps, and never carry a paper map again. Get Google Maps with Navigation (Beta), Places with Hotpot, and Latitude. The Android version even supports offline map browsing.

044

Google Voice Category: Productivity Platform: Android/iOS (free)

Access your Google Voice account right from your iPhone. Receive push notifications for new text or voicemail messages. Send free text messages to U.S. numbers and make international calls at cheap rates. Listen to your voicemail, read transcripts and manage your Google Voice inbox. A Google Voice account is required to use this app. To sign up go to www.google.com/voice. Google Voice is only available in the United States but you can look around to find a way to download it in the Philippines.

045 Meebo

Category: Social Networking Platform: Android/iOS (free)

PageOnce Category: Productivity Platform: Android (free) Pageonce automatically organizes and tracks your money and bills. See your banks, credit cards, bills and investment accounts in one simple place. Control where your money goes and get real-time alerts and reminders. Track your frequent flyer miles, rewards, mobile minutes, text and data usage. Pageonce is safe and secure.

048

Fragger Desert Strike Category: Games Platform: iOS (free) One of the most popular games at Miniclip. com has finally arrived to the iPhone! The world of Fragger is at risk, and he needs your help to explode all enemies! Unleash your shooting abilities to kill all the enemies and unlock 3 different perks! The paid version of Fragger, features 70 challenging levels, and 2 different worlds. Fragger guarantees you many long hours of explosing fun!

049

050

Radio Philippines Category: Music Platform: iOS (free)

March2011

Category: Utility Platform: Android/OS (free)

047

www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

Enjoy unlimited accesses to the radio broadcasts and internet music. It covers most of stations in Philippines.

051

Chomp SMS Category: Productivity Platform: Android (free) ChompSMS is an android app for texting with an interface that looks like the iPhone’s. It’s got a great user interface, chat style SMS bubbles, touchscreen keyboards and many other great features!

052 Shazam

Category: Music Platform: Android/iOS (free) Start your music journey and enjoy Shazam to discover and buy music, identify tracks immediately, learn more about music, and see what’s hot and popular.

Photoshop Mobile Category: Utilities Platform: Android/iOS (free)

Meebo is an integrated, all-in-one instant messaging that connects you with your friends everywhere. It has been the leading platform for multi-protocol IM on the web since 2005. It supports all the major IM networks: AOL/AIM, Yahoo!,Windows Live Messenger, Gmail / Google Talk, Facebook, MySpace, and 100+ other networks!

053

046

Hungry Shark - Part 2

iOKi Karaoke

Category: Games Platform: Android/iOS (free)

Category: Music Platform: iOS (free)

Edit and share photos virtually anywhere. Touch to crop, rotate, adjust color, and add artistic effects. Access all your photos and videos directly from your free Photoshop. com account. Quickly share with family and friends.

Chomp your way to the top of the food chain in this fast-paced aquatic eat ‘em-up. Binge on the beach, trawl the depths and raid the Antarctic to satisfy your voracious appetite. Pick-up-and-play fun with beatyour-buddies and online hi-scores will surely keep you playing.

apps

Now Introducing iOKi Karaoke, which is not your typical Karaoke iPhone Application. With this app, you can create your own versions of songs and share them with your friends. There are also some vocal effects to change your voice.

app

054

058

Category: Games Platform: iOS (free)

Category: Productivity Platform: Android/iOS (free)

Kick Buttowski: Loco Launcho

Play Loco Launcho with Kick Buttowski from DXDs hit show! Go the farthest distance, reach the highest heights and perform the most death-defying stunts! Fly through rings, collect stars and earn WOW points to upgrade your vehicle! With each new stunt, you can build your Confidence, Awesomeness and learn sweet new Tricks! Unlock new parts for your vehicle in Customizer! This game features 10 levels of easy touch controls, rocking music and game center achievement and leaderboards.

055

TowerUp! Plus Category: Games Platform: iOS (free) Create your own 5 star hotel in TowerUp! Plus. Rent rooms, collect your money, and build up to see if you can turn a meager motel into a magnificent tower.

056

World War Category: Games Platform: Android/iOS (free) It’s the year 2012. A nuclear war has broken out. Most countries in the world have fought and many have been vanquished. 5 countries have emerged as the major superpowers in the devastating war. Which one will you be? Start as a general defending your base from the enemy and fight to become the dominant military presence in the world as you march your way to victory in World War.

057

Androidify

March2011

Category: Entertainment Platform: Android (free)

Just as you would create your very own “Mii” to play on your Nintendo Wii, Google has just released its own rendition, Androidify. You can personalize your own Android with various outfits, shoes, hair, hats, and other accessories. Even stretch or shrink the arms, legs, body, and head as you see fit.

www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

Evernote

061 Dropbox

Category: Utilities Platform: Android/iOS (free)

Evernote has a home screen widget for quickly searching out notes or recording new text, image, or audio notes. You can send any text, image, or audio on your phone to Evernote through the “Share” menu. And with offline caching and speed improvements, Evernote offers an impressive, seamless thoughts-into-notes experience.

059

Mint.com Personal Finance Category: Entertainment Platform: Android/iOS (free) Track, budget, and manage your money from your phone with Mint for Android. This personal finance app provides users with an easy & intelligent way to manage money. See all your accounts in one place, set budgets, see where you spend, and find personalized savings—all for free.

060

Deer Hunter Challenge Category: Games Platform: Android/iOS (free) Deer Hunter Challenge takes the most popular and realistic hunting franchise to extreme wilderness environments in search of the biggest, most prized game around the world. Go from rookie to master sportsman as your experience level increases, and upgrade to greater weapons, equipment and clothing. The more successful hunt trips you take, the more you’ll be able to enhance your hunter’s skills. Use the GPS map to track and train your sights on black bear, reindeer, cougars, axis deer, moose and more. Animals’ behaviors have never been more true-tolife, so exercise extreme caution as these wilderness inhabitants will sometimes charge right at you! Relive your greatest kills in the interactive trophy room—animals’ vitals are recorded as well as bullet trajectory and kill locations.

Dropbox syncs your files online and across computers for access anywhere. Sync your files between your computers and your mobile device. Now you can browse the files in your Dropbox folder from anywhere!

062

Tango Video Calls Category: Social Networking Platform: Android/iOS (free) Tango brings you free, high-quality mobile video calls over 3G and Wi-Fi! Tango is an entertaining video calling service that connects people around the world in an exhilarating new way. It’s easy to use and it works.

063 Bible

Category: Reference Platform: Android/iOS (free)

This free Bible app lets you read different versions of the Bible in different languages. Choose from dozens of daily reading plans to help you read the Bible consistently. Track your reading progress, sync your changes back to YouVersion. com where you can join millions of other YouVersion users and discuss what you’ve read. Connect your Twitter and Facebook account to easily tweet and post verses.

068

Category: Games Platform: Android/iOS (free)

Category: Utilities Platform: Android/iOS (free)

Gun Bros

The Freakishly Rugged Advanced Genetics Galactic Enforcement Division (AKA F.R.A.G.G.E.D) specializes in the development and deployment of superhuman special agents. Headed since its formation by the brilliant soldier-turned-scientist Mother Gun, its current roster consists of only two active field operatives, code-named Percy and Francis Gun. Their lifelong mission: to protect the cosmos from the Tyrannical Oppressors of Life known as T.O.O.L.

065

Super Mega Worm Category: Games Platform: iOS (free) Mother Earth is on the brink of extinction and has released her last defense, the Great Death Worm, Wojira. Wojira is on a revenge mission to destroy all the Human parasites. Crawl and eat your way through waves of humans and their robots of destruction. Grow and evolve into the ultimate weapon of destruction. You are the last line of defense, can you save the world?

066 CNN

Category: News Platform: Android/iOS (free) The power of CNN is in your hands. NOW you can get live streaming video of breaking news, the most important headlines of the day with location-based news, weather and traffic from the palm of your hands. With the CNN App for the iPhone and iPod Touch, you can also iReport directly from your phone using the phone’s advanced photo and video capabilities.

Swype

Swype is a great keyboard idea, especially for one-handed text jobs. Simply run your finger over the letters of a word, and for the vast majority of entries, Swype gets it. If it doesn’t get it, its suggestion list almost always has the right word. If it has no idea, you type out the word manually, and Swype stores it for next time.

069 Ringtone Maker—Make free ringtones from music! Category: Music Platform: iOS (free)

072

TextPlus 4 Free Text + Group Texting, Pic Sharing, Meet People Category: Lifestyle Platform: Android/iOS (free)

Get free and unlimited text, picture messages to US and Canada numbers. You will also get a real, unique US phone number for friends to text you at!

March2011

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073

Call of Duty: Zombies Category: Games Platform: iOS (free)

Call of Duty: Zombies brings the classic Call of Duty: World at War zombie-slaying game mode to the iPhone and iPod Touch. Featuring ALL 4 Zombie maps, you’ll need to bring along your friends to help push back the endless waves of attacking zombies!

074

Dungeon defenders

070

Legendary Wars Category: Games Platform: iOS ($0.99) Join Lucas the knight on a heroic quest to fight back the undead forces of the Netherworld. Along the way discover the secrets surrounding the mysterious Sunstones and the fabled Phoenix. Build up massive armies with seven unique heroes, including Elven Archers, Hulking Golems, Powerful Wizards, and Magical Unicorns. Your journey will put you toe to toe with over 20 different monsters and 12 evil bosses bent on your demise. It falls to you to protect Legendaria.

071

Category: Games Platform: Android ($4.99)/iOS ($0.99) Epic Online Action-RPG meets Tower Defense: battle by yourself or with up to 3 friends! Adventure through a massive Campaign, compete in a new online PvP mode and shop for tons of goods and services, as you build the strongest hero in all Etheria!

075

Dolphin Browser Category: Utilities Platform: Android (free)

It’s a powerful, simple, elegant mobile browser for Android. It is arguably the best-looking among the bunch.

RedLaser

067 Movies by Flixster, w/ Rotten Tomatoes -Free Category: Entertainment Platform: Android/iOS (free)

076

Angry Birds Seasons

RedLaser is an impossibly accurate barcode scanner. RedLaser searches for low online and local prices from hundreds of thousands of retailers. It features product results from Google (US & UK), TheFind, eBay, Milo.com and Half.com! Even without autofocus, this app uses state-of-the-art barcode recognition that can read virtually any product barcode. Works great on the first-gen, 3G and 3GS!

Category: games Platform: Android(Free)/iOS ($0.99)

From now on, every season is an Angry Birds season. After the special treats of Halloween,and holidays, we are yet again treated to another FREE update! Angry Birds Valentines!

apps

Movies by Flixster is a robust movie app that lets you watch movie trailers, find show times, get critic reviews from Rotten Tomatoes, and share movie ratings with your friends.

Category: Utilities Platform: Android/iOS (free)

app

077

080

Category: Games Platform: Android/iOS (free)

Category: Sports Platform: Android/iOS (free)

Monopoly

Lay the original board game where you can own it all! Take a ride on the Reading Railroad! Buy Boardwalk! Go directly to jail! Enjoy classic MONOPOLY play in the tradition of the beloved, best-selling board game. It’s “GO” time!

078

Google Earth Category: Travel Platform: Android/iOS (free)

ESPN ScoreCenter

ESPN ScoreCenter brings you scores, news, and standings from hundreds of sports leagues around the world. Never miss another goal, pitch, basket, try, touchdown or wicket. Whether you follow the NFL or the Premier League, the Ashes or MLB, MMA or Formula One, ScoreCenter offers the most comprehensive global sports coverage available on your iPhone or iPod Touch.

081

084 Yelp

Category: Travel Platform: Android/iOs (free) Yelp for iPhone is an amazingly feature packed, incredibly useful app for finding services and entertainment in your urban bubble. If you need to find a cafe, restaurant, tire changing station, drug store, or other establishments that are approved by the community around it, Yelp is here to help!

085

Smurfs’ Village Category: Games Platform: Android/iOs (free)

SoundHound

Hold the world in the palm of your hand. With Google Earth for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch, you can fly to far corners of the planet with just the swipe of a finger. Explore the same global satellite and aerial imagery available in the desktop version of Google Earth, including high-resolution imagery for over half of the world’s population and a third of the world’s land mass.

Category: Music Platform: Android/iOS (free)

SoundHound, the famous music search and discovery app, now has unlimited music recognition for all users! You can ID songs blazing fast, search by singing, see lyrics, and browse artists to your heart’s content.

Gargamel found the Smurfs village and scattered the Smurfs far and wide. With Papa Smurf’s guidance, it’s up to you to build a new village for the Smurfs to call home. Based on the original cartoon and comic art, players begin the game with only a single mushroom house and a lone plowed plot of land. From there, things quickly progress, allowing players to build specialized houses, elaborate gardens with colorful crops, bridges to span running rivers, trodden paths, and more.

086

The Moron Test Category: Games Platform: Android/iOs (free)

082

Pocket Frogs Category: Music Platform: Android/iOS (free)

Discover, collect, trade, and breed over 10,000 unique frogs on your iOS device, anytime, anywhere! Enthusiasts can trade frogs and habitat items with friends, breed a diverse and unique collection of frogs, and customize and decorate each of your frog habitats.

079

NBA JAM

March2011

Category: Games Platform: iOS ($4.99)

NBA JAM is ready to rock your iPhone or iPod touch with all the over-the-top, highflying, 2-on-2 arcade basketball action just like you remember it—and like you’ve never seen before! So go to the hole. Go strong. Go for the monster jam.

www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

083

Cut the Rope Category: Games Platform: iOS ($0.99) A mysterious package has arrived, and the creature inside has only one requestCANDY! Get a taste of the highly innovative and addictive Cut the Rope. Try out 18 full levels combining outstanding physics, devilishly tricky levels, and bright colorful visuals, Cut the Rope is one of the most original and funfilled games on the App Store.

Prove you’re a genius with The Moron Test, the App Store’s leading brain-teaser! Graduate from Moron to Genius as you tap, twist, and shake your way through these fun and tricky challenges! Master the test, then share it with your friends and family!

087

Backbreaker 2: Vengeance Category: Games Platform: Android/iOs ($0.99) Backbreaker is an intense arcade football game. Score touchdowns, juke and spin your way to the end zone. Now with 90 waves & 9 challenges! Join

088

Robot Unicorn Attack Category: Games Platform: Android/iOs ($0.99) The goal of Adult Swim’s ROBOT UNICORN ATTACK is to gallop, leap and dash through the sky in pursuit of your dreams, all to the tune of “Always” by Erasure. Once the magic of ROBOT UNCORN ATTACK takes hold of your heart, you’ll never want it to let go. Share your high scores with your Facebook friends, and make your dreams come true!

093

Category: Reference Platform: Android/iOS (free)

Category: News Platform: iOS ($2.99)

Dictionary

The free Dictionary.com app delivers trusted reference content from Dictionary.com and Thesaurus.com. The app also features audio pronunciation, voice-to-text search and a Word of the Day.

090

Click the City Category: Information Platform: Android/iOS (Free) Take ClickTheCity with you anywhere you go! Specifically designed for touch screen, it is a breeze to browse through the content, especially when used with the phone’s GPS capability. It contains local information on Movies, TV, Restaurants, Events, Privileges, Updates on News, Tech, Traffic & more, Lotto Results & Forex.

091

Paper Toss Category: Games Platform: Android/iOs (free) Have you ever been bored at work, crumpled up a piece of paper and counted how many times you can make it in a small trash can? Has your boss ever gone out for a quick bite while you and your co-workers see how far you can move the trash can away and still make the paper shot? Have you ever brought in electric fans to make the shot even harder? Backflip Studios is happy to announce that we have brought this amazing and hilarious experience to the iPhone.

092

Ubertwitter Category: Social Networking Platform: iOS (free)

Reeder is the best, most-functional RSS reader client for iOS that syncs with your Google Reader account.

094 iMovie

Category: Productivity Platform: iOS (4.99) Make beautiful HD movies anywhere with iMovie, the fun, feature-rich video editing app designed for Multi-Touch. Create a video postcard of your day at the beach and publish it to the web—without ever leaving your spot in the sand. Or make a movie of your child’s birthday party and send it to your parents— while the party is in full swing. With iMovie, you can start several projects and finish them whenever you want and wherever you are.

095

Amazon Mobile Category: Lifestyle Platform: Android/iOs (free) The Amazon Mobile app allows iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch users to quickly search, shop, compare prices, read reviews, and make purchases on Amazon.com using a simple, yet elegant, interface. Amazon customers have full access to their existing cart, wish lists, payment and shipping options, order history, 1-Click (R) settings, and Prime membership benefits. All purchases made on Amazon Mobile are routed through Amazons secure servers just as they are on the web. All prices are in US Dollars, and show products from the US Amazon store.

096

097

Skyfire Web Browser Category: Utilities Platform: iOs ($4.99) Skyfire is the best way to browse your favorite web sites, be in touch via Facebook and Twitter and enjoy millions of videos, including FLASH VIDEOS (Flash Games and Apps not supported). Access the content that matters to you: funny clips, sports and news updates, the video link your friend sent you. In addition, the innovative one-click access to Facebook and Twitter and extensive sharing options makes Skyfire a more social browsing experience.

098

Camera+ Category: Photography Platform: iOS ($0.99) Whether you’re a seasoned photographer or someone who’s barely touched a camera, Camera+ will make you love taking photos. Everybody has a creative side… Camera+ will help bring that creativity out in you, all with a fun, innovative, and beautiful design.

099

Emoji Free! Category: Utilities Platform: iOs (free) Add emoticons to you text messages, notes, and emails! Express yourself in new and creative ways!

100

Instagram Category: Photography Platform: iOS ($0.99)

Gravity Guy FREE! Category: Games Platform: iOs (free) In a world where gravity laws were broken, a brave guy was held captive for defying the rules. Not happy, he decided to escape, being the first one to run for his life flipping gravity at will. Being chased by Grav-troopers, Gravity Guy can’t stop, he has to keep running and it’s your job to guide him through an impossible world of mazes, flipping gravity when needed. This fast paced and frustratingly addictive adventure features 12 challenging levels, and guarantees you many long hours of fun!

Instagram is an amazingly fun & simple lifesharing app for your iPhone. Snap photos wherever you go to show the world what’s going on in your life. Follow your friends photo updates as they move through the world. Select from photo filters that transform regular old photos into works of art you’ll want to keep around forever.

apps

The number 1 Twitter client of BlackBerry comes to the iPhone! UberTwitter is a full featured Twitter client application to interact with Twitter. Users can connect the app with their Twitter account in order to view the posts of the people they follow, see any posts mentioning them, create new posts, send Direct Messages, and search Twitter. Additionally, any links that are included in any posts that the user readers can be previewed within the app either by tapping on the post or turning the phone into landscape mode. The content of the link is then displayed in a separate pane next to the tweet.

Reeder

www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

March2011

089

gaming

where playing around is considered a good thing

By John Nieves

Need for Speed Shift ANDROID

When you feel the need for speed and you’re nowhere near your PC or console, you can always whip out your Android device and download Need for Speed Shift. Just like its bigger brothers, Need for Speed Shift for Android lets you race exotic cars on racetracks set in different locations. Controls are dead simple—tilting the device left or right steers your car, pressing the screen applies the brakes and the car automatically accelerates once the race starts. The visuals are excellent, so is the soundtrack. You can work for better vehicles and upgrade your car as you win more races. The controls are customizable to a certain degree. $4.99 from the Android Marketplace or about Php 220

Dead Space iOS4

Not content strategically dismembering alien baddies on the console or PC? Want to bring EA’s latest horror title wherever you go? Then you’re in luck, as Dead Space, EA’s hit dismembering game is now available on your iPod/ iPhone/iPad. The game is probably has the best graphics of any iOS4 game currently out, and all the core gameplay that you’ve come to expect is still there—strategic dismemberment, bench upgrades, creepy atmosphere and more. The game also allows you to purchase in-game upgrades and other goodies through iTunes to better fight the necromorph horde. $6.99 from iTunes or about Php 307

Crackdown 2 March2011

WINDOWS PHONE 7

While it’s the newest kid on the block, Windows Phone 7 users still have their fair share of games to choose from. Case in point is Crackdown 2 which mixes the traditional elements of tower defense with satellite data from Bing Maps. This essentially makes your game more personal as you’re defending your neighborhood from incoming hordes. The mobile game also ties in to your Crackdown 2 game in your XBox360 if you have it, unlocking achievements and bonus content. $2.99 from the Windows Marketplace or about Php 132

www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

March2011

Mobile World Congress

Every year, industry leaders and virtually all mobile phone manufacturers converge in Barcelona, Spain for the Mobile World Congress. It’s the mobile industry’s “must-attend” event that is usually the stage where companies like HTC, Samsung, LG and Nokia unveil their newest products for the coming months. This year’s MWC is no exception, and while there were very few surprises, judging from the products on display it’s going to be an exciting 2011.

Samsung

Most technology pundits already correctly predicted that Samsung would unveil the successor to its flagship Galaxy S smartphone and the Galaxy Tab. The Galaxy S II has drool-worthy specs that any geek would be proud of—4.27-inch 800 x 480 super AMOLED display, dual core Samsung 1GHz chip, 8-megapixel primary camera with 1080p video capture accompanied by a 2-megapixel front-facing cam and Gingerbread with TouchWiz 4.0. All of that hot hardware is housed in a package that’s only 8.49mm thick. The new Galaxy Tab, meanwhile, gets a bigger screen (10.1-inches as opposed to the original’s 7-inch one), dual core Tegra processor and most importantly, it’ll be running Google’s newest version of its OS for tablets, Honeycomb.

3D is on LG’s mind this MWC, specifically, 3D on its smartphones. The LG Optimus 3D will have a 4.3-inch 3D display that you can watch sans glasses. All the other applications will be able to run on 3D, and the Optimus 3D will have stereoscopic camera with two lenses for 3D pictures. It’s going to be powered by a 1GHz OMAP4 dual-core processor and will have four times more video decoders than the industry standard, which would mean that there isn’t a video file format in the planet that it can’t handle. Of course, LG isn’t going to be left behind in the tablet gravy train and has also announced its own version via the LG Optimus Pad. This 8.9-inch device is a departure from the normal 10.1 and 7-inch form factors that other manufacturers have favored so far. The Optimus Pad will be powered by Android 3.0, 1GHz dual core Nvidia Tegra 2 CPU and will have the ability to record 3D video and take pictures via its 3D camera at the back.

HTC Tablets continue to be big this year as even HTC has one slated to come out soon. Dubbed the HTC Flyer, this particular tablet sports a 7-inch screen, 1.5GHz single core CPU, 1GB of RAM plus 32GB of storage. What sets this particular tablet apart from the literal hordes of “me too” tablets is the inclusion of a stylus—a gadget appendage that was once thought to be relegated to Palm Pilots of yesteryears. Aside from the Flyer, HTC also unveiled two new phones that bring something unique to the table. The HTC Chacha and Salsa brings Android 2.4 to an otherwise regular smartphone and a dedicated Facebook button that allows users to easily share texts, pictures, websites and the like with a single press of a button.

Smart

HTC Flyer What sets this particular tablet apart from the literal hordes of “me too” tablets is the inclusion of a stylus—a gadget appendage that was once thought to be relegated to Palm Pilots of yesteryears.

feature

Our very own Smart Communications was also in Barcelona during MWC to unveil its latest project: the Smart Netphone. It’s an Android 2.2-enabled smartphone that’s designed for the emerging markets. What makes the Netphone stand out from the crowd is that it’s designed with Filipinos in mind, and will come with a variety of Pinoy-centric apps when it launches locally, including a Jollibee delivery icon. It also provides simultaneous access to Facebook, Twitter and MyGroups social networks. Beyond that, the device combines Yahoo Messenger, Facebook Chat and other chat services in one seamless interface. All of that is made possible because of WAC or Wholesale Applications Community, a global alliance of the world’s leading telecoms operators, applications developers, handset manufacturers, and operating system owners that is defining open industry applications standards. Applications developed with WAC defy the traditional limitations of applications built for a particular version of an OS, and will work across a variety of versions and devices.

cover stor

Smartphone Innovations

March2011

By Danee Torres

Technology is simply amazing. Just a few years ago, smartphones were found only in the pockets of corporate warriors and early adapters. Today, just about any Tom, Dick, Harry, Mary and Juan has a powerful smartphone on hand.

www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

erek Callow, Google Southeast Asia head of marketing, said the newest smartphones in the market now are more powerful than the computers we had when man first went to the moon and the combination of powerful mobile hardware and

a good data connection means that today you can put the power of a million computers in your pocket. Smartphones are much more than just small, powerful computers, and it is their differences from computers that help make them even more extraordinary. A smartphone is portable, it fits in your hand, with software that easily makes use of

its hardware features while the apps can turn these features into a new kind of mobile experience; the camera becomes the phoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s eye (with Google Goggles), the microphone the ears (with Google Voice search), speakers are the voice (Maps Navigation), the touchscreen like skin, and the GPS and compass are an innate sense of direction (Google Maps for Mobile).

www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

March2011

Gadgets spoke to Mae Moreno, Windows client product manager for Microsoft Philippines about the moves Microsoft has taken in the past couple of years as a player in the smartphone industry. “Microsoft is proud of its experience in mobile computing going back over a decade. As the capabilities of handheld hardware grew over time, mobile devices became a natural fit for Microsoft’s expertise in software and operating systems. The company helped pioneer the smartphone market with the release of Pocket PC 2002, which combined data and voice functionality with PDA features, such as tasks and appointments. Pocket PC preceded Windows Mobile and Windows Phone,” she said.

Microsoft has come a long way since its 2002 device, and has recently launched Windows Phone 7, an OS designed to integrate what the users need and allow them access to the essentials quickly. The Start screen and Live Tiles can be quickly customized and constantly updated depending on the user’s preference and the home screen is able to show pending messages, new appointments as well as weather and news updates refreshed wirelessly through web access in a data connection. Moreno said Microsoft has taken steps to revamp the Windows Phone 7’s interface, and one of its most prominent and useful development is the customizable Start screen with Live Tiles—a series of small boxes or tiles, if you will, that give the user quick access to different applications.

“The People Hub is a social central where users can stay connected and in the loop with everyone”

cover story

Live Tiles—a series of small boxes that give the user quick access to different applications.

“Windows Phone 7 is the only mobile technology that gives users the option to combine phone contacts and Facebook friends all in one hub, paving the way for a seamless integration of connections. The People Hub is a social central where users can stay connected and in the loop with everyone, making it easy to make status updates or share photos across multiple social networking sites from the camera, as well as adding comments and “liking” photos—right from the device. The Live Tiles are integrated in all the hubs, providing the user with real-time updates from the Web such as news, appointments or the status and profile pictures of friends, and new Live Tiles can be easily created from whatever content users want, such as applications, websites and music,” added Moreno.

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TC, on the other hand, has been making quite a few impressions on technophiles with their sleek, powerful phones especially the more recently launched HTC Desire HD—a smartphone that packs so much under the hood it could render a human personal assistant ineffective. Mark Sergio, country manager of HTC Philippines, tells us that HTC has been making noise in the smartphone arena for quite some time, even before their production of the Google Nexus One. “HTC has been around for 14 years now. It started with an idea and a dream. HTC saw the potential of handheld devices that function like computers and thought that these devices would be more useful if they had wireless capabilities. It was founded in 1997 and in the same year HTC had its first prototype of a personal digital assistant (PDA). It was that device that caught the attention of Microsoft at Comdex, which later on started HTC’s strong partnership with the software giant,” he said. The first big partnership in the country was with Smart Communications in 2003 with the Smart Amazing phone. Since then, HTC has become a key driving force in the handheld market but has kept a low-profile—making its name as the company behind many of the most popular operator-branded devices on the market until June 2006 when it launched its own HTC brand with the release of a powerful device with a groundbreaking form factor: the HTC Advantage, the world’s most powerful office, boasting a 5-inch screen and full detachable QWERTY keyboard. One of the reasons why consumers prefer HTC is HTC Sense, a UI that makes the consumer’s life easier with maps that show you the road ahead, an option to switch your phone to silent mode when calling with just a flip and more. “Creating our unique HTC Sense is one of the major steps we have taken to drive the growth and capabilities of smartphone technology. HTC Sense places the smartphone user at the center by simply making the phone works in a more personal and natural way. We also recently launched HTCSense.com, a series of HTC services that provides customers an additional capability to control, manage and customize their experience from their phone or from their PC,” said Sergio.

March2011

“Creating our unique HTC Sense is one of the major steps we have taken to drive the growth and capabilities of smartphone technology.”

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HTCSense.com allows the user to remotely control the phone even when lost or stolen. For example, making the device ring when it’s lost in the clutter of your house or actually checking its location on the map. It also lets the user lock and erase sensitive data from a PC. Sergio declined to comment on what consumers can expect from HTC but made a promise that customer needs always lie at the heart of all HTC product design and development and that they aim to broaden their range of devices by introducing units to support specific applications and produce new form factors. “HTC has pioneered many new designs and product innovations. It has a rich heritage of many ‘firsts’, including the world’s first touch screen smartphone and first Microsoft-powered smartphone both in 2002, the first Microsoft 3G phone in 2005 and the world’s first Android phone in 2008. This year we have the first 4G LTE smartphone—HTC Thunderbolt.” Google and Microsoft also have big plans for the future. “Our goal is to build innovative mobile applications that work seamlessly across multiple devices and platforms,” said Callow. While Microsoft says consumers should expect a growing market of apps in Microsoft’s Marketplace as a solution to optimize users’ experience of technology.

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“HTC saw the potential of handheld devices that function like computers and thought that these devices would be more useful if they had wireless capabilities.“

March2011

“HTC has pioneered many new designs and product innovations. It has a rich heritage of many ‘firsts’, including the world’s first touch screen smartphone and first Microsoft-powered smartphone both in 2002, the first Microsoft 3G phone in 2005 and the world’s first Android phone in 2008. This year we have the first 4G LTE smartphone—HTC Thunderbolt.”

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PLC107 Showroom: Reasonable comfort March2011

By Michelle Callanta

After a long, stressful day, nothing beats coming home to a place that’s refreshing, beautiful, and most of all, comfortable. A place where you can be yourself, kick off your shoes, and enjoy the harmony that comes with a great design, a stylish piece, and a quality make. Because definitely, being able to feel good in your home (or even at your work place) is a luxury in itself. www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

Of course, not all ideas begin as childhood dreams or ambitious conquests. Some are borne from as simple as a shared interest among friends or as small as a serendipitous find. In the case of PLC107, the story was exactly that, as Christine Coscolluela, marketing director of PLC107 shares, “It started with a group of friends who play badminton weekly and travel together occasionally. In one of our trips to Hong Kong, we stumbled across a furniture mall with all kinds of home products. Camerich was among the handful of brands that stood out from the rest—for its design, generous proportions of its pieces and quality of leather and fabrics. Then we found their prices were very reasonable. We all agreed that someone should bring this well-priced luxury brand back home. And we jokingly challenged ourselves to be the one to do just that. So we got in touch with Camerich and initiated negotiations, attended a furniture fair (only to confirm that indeed we had the right brand to bring in), found a showroom venue in Manila, ordered our first shipment and then opened our store.” The name PLC107 may sound more like a building number than an actual name for a showroom. But the

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March2011

name behind it actually has a significant meaning for the owners. “PLC actually started off as ‘text speak’ for the word ‘place’ as a reflection of modern times. We dropped the A and E as is often done when you write SMS. 107 represents 10-7 or October 7, which was about the time we decided to pursue this venture. We realized later, however, that PLC also stood for all our initials - Pimentel, Lim/Limpo, Coscolluela, so we decided it was the perfect name for us.” The PLC107 showroom, located at the ground floor of the Solid House Building, 2285 Pasong Tamo Extension in Makati, opened just last year. Camerich, a European brand known for its stylish, modern designs and quality materials, thus found its place in the Philippine market. “Camerich has a wide selection of sofas, accent chairs, tables and case goods,” Christine continues. “In choosing which pieces to showcase, we take into consideration the needs of our clientele, based on feedback from customers and designers alike. As much as possible, we try to bring in pieces from every collection in the catalogue. On sofas alone, we currently have about 16 different styles. We also take note of which styles seem more popular to customers who browse our catalogue and make sure we feature them on the floor. Many clients actually like to pick the pieces on the floor so there’s a constant need to replenish our showcase.”

She added that, “We like to say, our prices are as comfortable as our pieces. In testament to this, a lot of the new customers who walk into our showroom find out about us through recommendations from their friends who are satisfied clients. We also get a lot of inquiries via our Facebook page (PLC107 Furniture Showroom) from customers who love how our pieces look. We encourage them to come to the showroom and experience the pieces for themselves because they don’t just look good, they feel good. Style aside, genuine leather and rich fabric aside, luxury is manifested in the proportions of our pieces. Our sofas are deep and have cushions which are full and generous. The pieces are a reflection of the European market standards that Camerich caters to. When new customers come into the showroom, some expect to be floored by the prices. But instead are pleasantly surprised. The luxury we offer does not come with hefty price tags.” PLC107 describes its pieces as “comfortably priced, luxury furniture,” which only goes to show that living comfortably need not make you feel uncomfortable about spending for it.

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As Camerich provides such a wide selection, one is sure to find something that would suit any type of home or space. “What seems to be popular are sectionals and smaller sofas for condominiums, both of which we have a wide range to offer. Camerich sectionals are quite flexible—each style can be configured to different sizes to fit your space. If you want something to sink into, we have styles that are down-filled and perfect for family rooms and dens. If you’re looking for

something more formal for a living or receiving area, we have styles to suit those as well. As such, one of the considerations in choosing pieces to feature in our showroom is to capture this flexibility and give our clients plenty of options. We also play with accent pieces in creating vignettes for the showroom like chairs in rich leather in an unexpected color or texture. This gives customers ideas on what can work in their own spaces,” Christine said.

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The Office

The Amazing Race Asia 4 contestant and Singaporean beauty gets off the road and into the office to show us who’s boss with a visual presentation of this month’s latest gadgets.

March2011

Photographed by Nick St. James | Model Michelle Ng | Professional Artistry by Pilita Guadines, MAKE UP FOR EVER Pro Team | Art Direction by Benjamin Arnold, Michelle Callanta & Chad Villarmino | Styling by Danee Torres | Clothes, shoes and accessories from SM Department Store | Shot on location at PLC107 Showroom, 2285 Don Chino Roces Ext. Makati | Special thanks to Arlene Castro of SM

Samsung Galaxy Ace A premium experience need not carry a premium price tag. That’s the whole premise behind the Samsung Galaxy Ace, the newest Androidpowered smartphone from Samsung. It has all the features you need—an 800MHz processor, Google voice search and ThinkFree document viewer—at a price you can afford. www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

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On Michelle is a Lady Grace leopard print bra with ribbon detail (Php 349.75) and a beige, animal print-lined Alexane blazer (Php 1,099.75) paired with Soiree string-up harem cut-offs (Php 599.75), Naccara black pearl stack necklace (Php 749.75) and What Women Want three-layer gold stack rings with pearl center (Php 249.75).

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Sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s seated on a Lazytime 2-Seater sofa in rich black leather. The Lazytime sofa is deep and cushion are filled in down, making it perfect for a den or game room.

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She's seated on a Peace 3-seater sofa in Mocha fabric wearing a Gigi Amore purple push-up bra (Php 199.75), Alexane white long-sleeved button-down (Php 849.75), Shopaholic! high-waisted shorts (Php 499.75) with Naccara white pearl necklace and pearl bracelet (Php 899.75) and silver charm bracelet (Php 749.75).

March2011

HTC Mozart

Bring music to life with the HTC Mozart. Aside from being an awesome smartphone powered by the newly released Windows Phone 7 OS, the HTC Mozart is also a great media platform where you can watch movies and listen to music thanks to its impressively loud speakers.

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Floral hook-andLG Wink Dual X330 eye dress from

Lead your life easier with the LGTopshop, Wink Dual floral X330. This four-line QWERTY fabric keypad is a necklace (wornyou as cuff), dual-SIM mobile phone, and allows to fabric rosette manage two phone providers easily. Among necklace and its features include a 1.3 megapixel camera printed bangles with video recording, social from networking Promod with tie-up, services like Facebook and Twitter, FM printed radio dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Orsay platforns with recording facility, and MP3 player. from Janylin

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March2011

Sofa: Brooks sectional in a combination of creamy beige leather (for the base) and snow fabric (for cushions and pillows). Minimal steel accents for legs make give it a modern edge. Coffee table: Hanna coffee table with a natural marble top in a nonconventional, organic shape.

On Michelle is a Gigi Amore red lace bra (Php 199.75) with detachable straps, Alexane black and white cotton tweed blazer (Php 1,249.75), Classics @ SM white textured skirt (Php 699.75), What Women Want two-layer gold stack ring and Naccara gray pearl stack necklace (Php 749.75) and gold charm bracelet (Php 749.75). Beside her, a white sequined Janylin peep-toe.

Samsung Wave 525 Black chiffon bandage dress from Topshop and black pumps from Janylin. Accessories from the collection of Veronica Callanta.

Catch the latest wave of innovation â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the Samsung Wave 525. With the latest version of Samsungâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mobile OS Bada, the Wave 525 gives users choice, functionality and connectivity in a small and slim package.

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Nokia C3 Connect to the people that matter with the Nokia C3. Sporting a QWERTY keypad, Wi-Fi connectivity and home-page customization options, you can make the Nokia C3 uniquely your own.

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MICHELLE NG:

Woman On Top One-half of the Singaporean team and second-place winners of the recently concluded The Amazing Race Asia (TARA) Season 4, Michelle Ng has decided to see if sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s got what it takes to make it out here. What gives her an edge? Find out as we take a closer look at this feisty 22-year-old and see just how determined she is to come out on top. BEING ONE OF THE YOUNGEST CONTESTANTS (NEXT TO PARTNER CLAIRE) IN TARA HISTORY, WERE YOU THE LEAST BIT INTIMIDATED BY YOUR OLDER COMPETITORS? Of course we were intimidated! Even before we met the racers, we knew for a fact that we were going to be the youngest racers in the history of TARA. Racing with older competition meant competitors with more life experiences and knowledge, more wisdom, probably have traveled to more countries and also were bigger in size. Claire and I are tiny to begin with. But we like to believe that we're way more mature for our age and we like proving ourselves and others wrong; we want to make a difference. Just because we're young and small in size, doesn't mean that we can't do as well. I always believe that "There's no such thing as can or cannot, it's all about whether you want to try or not."

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The human mind does magical things, and with that determination, anything CAN be achieved. Even though we didn't get first place, I'm glad Claire and I went as far as we did, and am very proud of our teamwork.

WHAT WERE SOME OF THE THINGS YOU DISCOVERED ABOUT YOURSELF BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER THE RACE? There are a few. One is that Claire is a friend I'll keep for life no matter what happens. Two is that sometimes working as a team is essential. Three is how much I want to make my parents proud of me. Four is how much I love acting because I

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was truly getting withdrawals from not acting. (I kid you not!) And five is that life is short, so live it now or never. Hence my move to the Philippines! Mahal ko ang Philippines! I love it so much, I even learned the Lupang Hinirang as well as Maging Sino Ka Man. I liked that song. IF THERE WAS ONE GADGET YOU THINK COULD'VE HELPED YOU WIN THE RACE, WHAT WOULD IT BE AND HOW WOULD IT HAVE HELPED? Any electronic device with 3G connectivity wherever. I can download language translators, GPS and search engines, EVERYTHING. Go-figure! We'll breeze through the race! The Internet is my best friend! But just because the race is how it is, I still prefer us racing without electronics the way we did because we used our brains more. WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE GADGETS? My BlackBerry Bold 9000 and 9700 are my two loves. Ok, not really. My Mac Powerbook is also a favorite. WHAT GADGETS ARE ON YOUR WISH LIST? I always wanted an all-in-one kick-butt Sony surround sound stereo system with a huge 47inch LED TV with all the movies and songs I've ever wanted stored in it with PS3 and endless games then I can have game night and movie night with my loved ones at my place. Well, under my gadget wish list now is probably just a Tagalog/English digital dictionary that can also form phrases. I need that these days.

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March2011

Desk- Betty Desk in grey oak. This compact desk with 2 drawers is perfect for a little corner in the bedroom or a small home office. She is seated on an Edge Armchair wearing a Soiree jersey animal print dress (Php 649.75), gold beaded bangle (Php 349.75), black bangles from set of 7 (Php 399.75), black bangles from set of 5 (Php 399.75) all from What Women Want and a beige faux croc skin clutch (Php 349.75) .

ASUS Eee PC 1015PW The ASUS Eee PC 1015PW is an elegant netbook that gives users the opportunity to express themselves without breaking the bank. This gorgeous little number is available in several colors, including purple rain, glamorous gold dust and warm angel skin.

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Windows Phone

By Francis Tan

If looks could kill

The Windows Phone 7 OS has been around since its debut last year and we here at Gadgets Magazine have finally gotten our hands on one. This review is based on our experience with the HTC 7 Mozart.

March2011

Almost a decade since the inception of Windows Mobile, Microsoft has taken its newest iteration into a completely different operating system. Aside from the logo, it is nothing like its predecessor, the Windows Mobile 6.5.

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Windows Phone 7 has a trendy, magazine-like look that is almost oversimplified, but in a good way. The result: a clean user-interface that is easy to navigate. The very essence of the phone has been reworked from the ground up. All menus have this distinct Windows Phone 7 look, even third-party apps like Twitter and Facebook, which really feel like browsing through a magazine. I have to say that I am completely blown away with the UI of Windows Phone 7. The operating system managed to seamlessly include all of the best from Microsoft. There’s Bing for search and maps, Xbox Live with multiplayer support for gaming, Zune for audio and video playback, and Office with SkyDrive support for productivity. Talk about all in one! What’s lacking is a system-wide file manager, but iOS managed to pull it off, so it’s not really a big deal. In that light, you won’t be able to transfer files via Bluetooth as well.

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Overall Look and Feel

One exceptional thing about Windows Phone 7 is the keyboard which, I think, surpasses even iPhone’s and Android’s in terms of responsiveness and functionality. It’s very accurate plus it emits a satisfying vibration every time the keys are pressed. Surprisingly, there is no support for copy and paste, which seriously makes us wonder how Microsoft could have missed something that basic. Despite the presence of a search button, Windows Phone 7 does not have a system-wide search. Everything searched on Bing is done online. The search button lets you do a search on specific apps such as email or marketplace but it’s a guessing game since not all apps support search. Nope, you can’t search through your text messages, sorry.

“Surprisingly, there is no support for copy and paste, which seriously makes us wonder how Microsoft could have missed something that basic.”

The Windows Live Tiles Windows Phone 7 took on a different approach for its home screen. There is no Start button to be found on this device; instead, it uses a unique interface called Live Tiles. It has a “magazine” look that is easy on the eyes. The icons also act as live widgets, which lets you literally see everything going on your phone in a glance. Any app, photo, video, website, or song for that matter, can be pinned to the home screen as a shortcut, while some apps even allow for inscreen notifications. Swiping to your right or clicking on the small arrow toggles the list of all apps and hubs, which is one of the things I don’t like about the OS. It is displayed in a list view that can’t be changed to grid view, sorted by folders, or arranged in any other way aside from alphabetical order. The lack of a search function also makes navigating through apps a bit tedious.

Windows Phone 7 has a trendy, magazinelike look that is almost oversimplified, but in a good way.

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Syncing the device to my computer didn’t give me any problems at all. It requires the Zune software, which is available both for PCs and Macs. The software acts almost like iTunes—select the files you want, and leave the ones you don’t. If you sync a video that is not supported, Zune automatically converts the file for you. I got disappointed, however, with the lack of support for drag and drop of files.

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Social Network integration to your heart’s content Windows Phone 7 doesn’t have a phonebook; it has what it calls the People Hub, which integrates itself to your social networking accounts if you decide to sync it. Facebook profile pictures and status messages will be displayed on your contacts and will automatically be updated whenever you’re online. With the People hub, not only will you be able to call or text your contacts, you will also be able to post on their wall or visit their websites as well. Similarly in lieu of the gallery, you have the Pictures hub, which collates all images stored on your phone, including and downloaded images from online photo services like Microsoft Live and Facebook. Any image can be attached on emails or uploaded directly to Facebook or some other service but it will be resized automatically, meaning no hi-res photo uploads. Of course there’s also the built-in browser, Internet Explorer,

which isn’t as bad as its desktop counterpart. Page rendering is actually fast, and it supports multiple tabs. Like iOS, it doesn’t support flash and Silverlight. Windows Phone 7 has a lot of nifty cloud services and syncing that need an Internet connection to function. If you don’t subscribe to an unlimited data plan, you may end up paying a huge amount for data, or you simply won’t be able to full utilize your phone’s features. Of course there’s also the option to connect via Wi-Fi but you might have trouble connecting to secure places with the lack of manual IP address assigning under the Internet settings. Nevertheless, if you’re not subscribed to unlimited data, just be sure you switch cellular data to off because the Windows Phone 7 is always connected and it eats a lot of bandwidth.

Marketplace and Third Party apps The Marketplace looks pretty awesome, naturally, as it sports the same “hub” look. It is segregated in three sections—applications, games, and music; each of them having different categories under. Downloads over 40mb will require a Wi-Fi connection, but everything else is pretty much seamless. Currently there are around 10,000 apps available for WP7. One thing I noticed is that there aren’t as much free apps in Windows Phone 7 compared with the other operating systems. Moreover, there are apps that simply cost more—case in point: Fruit Ninja, which is free on

Android, $0.99 on the iPhone, but a whopping $4.99 on Windows Phone 7. Now for the downsides: first of all, third-party apps have a very noticeable delay when loading, especially the games. Another major drawback is the lack of multitasking, which Windows admits is by design to maintain performance and battery-efficiency. This will be lifted when Microsoft comes out with an update, but only for apps that adhere to their battery-efficiency standards.

Bottomline I can see a lot of potential with Windows Phone 7 but it’s not quite there yet. It looks fantastic to say the least and updates are sure to roll out in the near future but for now, I just feel like the operating system has been prematurely released with the absence of a lot of minor features that would have made the OS a lot more functional.

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Windows Phone 7’s shift to a more user-friendly and consumer-focused platform is a good, refreshing turn for the brand. The clean, flat, no-nonsense “magazine-style” interface is visually appealing for me, but it really boils down to preferences. The direction where Microsoft is going with its strict imposition of hardware requirements is admirable. The push for a consistent user experience is definitely a plus, especially with Windows positioning itself as a high-end OS.

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It may be unfair to compare this baby OS to the veterans, but that’s also why our expectations are high—we’ve seen Android and iOS implement features that are still lacking on WP7, and we were hoping that Windows learned from those by now. In its current state, the competition simply clobbers Windows Phone 7 out of the picture. The future looks bright for Microsoft with Windows Phone 7 but they have to hurry before the other operating systems eclipse its existence. Microsoft is a real fighter and I’m sure they won’t take this beating sitting down. Let’s just hope the updates are good enough to bring the software giant back on its feet.

Mobile

March2011

Know your

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OS By John Nieves

With the proliferation of smartphones today, it’s easy to assume that each of them—regardless of the manufacturer— is pretty much the same. While some do have equivalent features as that of their competitors, the ways these features are implemented vary wildly from manufacturer to manufacturer. In that regard, you get a completely different user experience depending on the smartphone you buy and the OS that comes with it.

Android

Android was first unleashed to the public with the release of the HTC Dream in 2008. A number of revisions, codenames and version numbers later, it has emerged as one of the fastest-growing OS for smartphones today. The fact that it can be found on entry-level smartphones such as the Huawei IDEOS and on top-of-the-line flagship units such as the HTC Desire HD speaks volumes of its versatility and adaptability. Built using Linux, Android has enjoyed its spectacular success partly because of its open source nature. The OS is virtually free to use and is utilized by a wide range of manufacturers including Samsung, Sony Ericsson, LG and HTC to name a few.

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There are two main reasons for Android’s runaway success—its open source nature and the constant version updates. Android has also enjoyed multiple software updates since its release, adding more functionality and features as each version rolls past. It’s so versatile that some manufacturers have even successfully shoehorned Android into tablets, like what Samsung did with the Galaxy Tab. There’s also the fact that almost anybody can create applications for it and, as a result, there’s more than 100,000 applications available in the Android Marketplace.

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iOS 4

Of course no talk about smartphone operating systems would be complete without iOS 4. This versatile OS powers Apple’s iPhones, iPads and iPods, and has access to a rich library of applications that covers everything from productivity, entertainment and everything in between. Since it’s an Apple-designed product, the user interface is elegant and easy to use, allowing even the most novice of users to be master of his own devices in no time flat. iOS 4 also has a slew of proprietary features, most notably Facetime and Gamecenter. And since Apple is a notoriously anal about the quality of its products and the way it interfaces with its software, it’s also one of the most stable and secure mobile operating systems out there.

Windows Phone 7

Up until Windows 6.5, every iteration of Microsoft’s mobile OS was built on mainly the same framework and—from the styling cues and interface—felt like bringing a miniaturized PC along with you. Realizing that the phone is not always anybody’s PC, Microsoft took a drastic step with Windows Phone 7. Phone 7 does not carry any of its predecessor’s genes—it’s a brand-new OS built from the ground up to compete in today’s web-connected world. The interface is highly stylized, and there’s a big emphasis on negative space in the GUI’s design. It’s also built with the social media in mind, as Facebook integration is done at the code level, not with an application like in Android. Microsoft has also cleverly tied in Xbox Live into Phone 7, allowing you to access your Xbox Live achievements and awards. Additionally, games that are available on both the Phone 7 and Xbox 360 nets you additional achievements and unlocks if you have the two versions.

March2011

BlackBerry OS 6

BlackBerry OS 6 is the latest operating system for BlackBerry’s line of smartphones, including its recently released Torch. The BlackBerry OS 6 has a number of enhancements from the previous version of the OS, including deeper integration of social networks. Like other mobile platforms, this one has its own app store, though the selection of apps isn’t as numerous as say, the Apple App store. To be honest, Blackberry OS 6 isn’t as flexible or as powerful as its contemporaries. To be fair, the new version seems to fare better than the previous iteration in terms of optimization for touchscreen models.

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March2011

Bada

Samsung has also made its foray into creating its own mobile OS in the form of Bada. Bada (which is Korean for Ocean) made its debut on the first Wave smartphone, the S8500 roughly a year ago, and since then has expanded into an entire line of smartphones. Bada’s ultimate goal is a smartphone for everyone, and that it’s not out to compete with existing smartphone platforms. Instead, the main aim is to convert regular phone users into smartphone users by providing cost-effective, yet powerful smartphones powered by Bada. Like Android, Bada is an open platform and has its own library of apps, although it isn’t as numerous as the ones in the Android Marketplace or iTunes.

Symbian

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While possibly the oldest mobile OS in this list, used in countless products in Nokia’s roster, Symbian’s future is uncertain to say the least. The Symbian platform is the successor to Nokia’s S60 OS that appeared on a majority of its phones, and strives to integrate features like social networking into the core experience of the OS. Other features include new 2D and 3D graphics architecture, UI improvements, and support for external displays through HDMI. Unfortunately, Symbian’s day under the sun may be up, as the latest version, Symbian ^3 currently exists only in one smartphone, the N8. Couple that with Nokia’s unprecedented move to use Microsoft’s Phone 7 OS in its upcoming models, pundits and industry experts are predicting a slow death for Symbian.

lifestyleparade

simplify your lifestyle decisions

CALVIN KLEIN ETERNITY SUMMER

Eternity summer opens into a fresh muguet bouquet surrounded by violet leaves and an exhilarating accord of cilantro. The heart is full of watery lotus lily and blossoming gardenia, finishing with a seductive drydown of creamy musks and sparkling mimosa evoking the refreshing sensation of relaxing in a breezy summer field. Eternity for men summer opens with a burst of ocean air accord and invigorates with a blend of citrus mint coriander. Within the heart lies the crispness of star anise, easing into the warmth of cedarwood and patchouli invoking the sensuality of summer.

CREED

30ml – Php 4,600 75ml – Php 7,700 125ml – Php 8,800 The Creed Millesimes colognes are fresh and hot with different variations for men. Imperial is a light scent evoking citrus fruits mixed with sea salt and musky marine notes. Himalaya is a more ruggedly masculine scent with top notes of grapefruit, bergamot and lemon, middle notes of sandalwood and base notes of ambergris, musk and cedarwood. For the debonair, spray some Green Irish Tweed and feel like a movie star.

Rexona Deodorants Rexona Clinical Protection Anti-Perspirant Deodorant has a specially designed formula that acclimates to the body building up a protective layer while you sleep that lasts throughout the day. You may opt to reapply in the morning after bathing but even if you don’t it will still give you up to 3 times more protection against sweat and body odor. It also offers 48 hour protection for even the most excessive sweaters.

March2011

Rexona Skin Light, on the other hand, is an underarm whitening deodorant that reduces melanin production deep in the skin layers; it even promotes increased skin renewal so whiter underarms can be yours in just as short as two weeks. With Rexona Skin Light, you can feel the confidence that the protection of a hardworking deodorant provides—and enjoy the limitless fashion choices that are possible when you have whiter underarms.

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Davidoff Cool Water Woman Summer Dive EDT 100ml – Php 3,398

March2011

DAVIDOFF

Davidoff Cool Water Man Summer Dive EDT 125ml – Php 3,398

Cool Water Man Summer Dive is an invigorating wave of oceanic and aquatic notes that blends with a citrus cocktail to plunge you deep into a powerfully fresh, masculine scent. Zingy lemon peel mingles with mandarin and grapefruit for a new zest of energy and basil, sage and juniper bring a stimulating verdant freshness to soothe sun-kissed skin. Cool Water Woman Summer Dive has fruity top notes of melon and pineapple refreshed by mint leaves that give way to a transparent oceanic heart of water violet and lotus flower. A beachy base of soft iris and warm woods completes this sensual scent.

KIEHL’S Kiehl’s extensive line of face, hair, and body care products includes several perennial favorites, with many formulations that have been a part of the collection for decades. Original Musk Oil, which is a special blend of unique fragrance notes, has never contained natural musk in any form but nevertheless became a signature scent of many customers both male and female around the world. Its legendary lip treatment, Lip Balm #1, helps protect lips from the drying effects of wind and cold weather. Spiked with menthol and camphor, the Ultimate Brushless Shave Cream provides an incomparable skin effect for “close shavers.” The youngest of the Kiehl’s icons, the Amino Acid Shampoo is formulated with gentle amino acid cleansers to provide a mild cleansing of the hair while the pure coconut allows a creamy shampooing experience. Amino Acid Shampoo 248ml – Php 975

Original Musk Oil 50ml – Php 2,350

Lip Balm #1 – Php 475

Ultimate Brushless Shave Cream 5 fl. Oz. – Php 1,075

Health and beauty store Watsons starts the year right with their newest deals in personal care items and more. Cetaphil facial cleanser has non-irritating formulas that moisturizes and gently removes what your skin doesn’t need without stripping away natural oils. Care for your tresses with Sunsilk’s co-creations most advanced Purifying Scalp Care formulation for a restored dandruff-free scalp and beautiful hair. Lastly, bathe in Watson’s own line of collection of personal care products in a gorgeous GrapeBella scent that is sure to leave you feeling refreshed and ready for anything.

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WATSON’S

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PAULA HERMANNY SWIMWEAR Every woman’s dream to be a vision of loveliness wherever she may be, even when she’s at the beach, is now made so much easier with SWIM Boutique’s impeccable VIX brand by Paula Hermanny. Using materials such tortoise shells, jade stones, leather, gold, resin as well as the latest clothing materials and prints, ViX presents a modern twist to the classic silhouette of swimsuits, while remaining true to a heritage of timeless sophistication. The innovative modern design with the classic shape of ViX suits has garnered the attention of the most fashionable celebrities and style icons from all over the world such as Victoria Beckham, Kim Kardashian, Halle Berry and Blake Lively.

PUMA PUMA Running is striding its way into 2011 with a fun, innovative and technologically advanced range of running shoes, the PUMA Faas Collection. Faas gets its name from the Jamaican word for fast, and the collection is grounded in performance and features a biomechanical design technology called BioRide. The Faas shoes have a horizontal groove that runs the lateral side of the shoe.

SPEEDO March2011

The Speedo Spring/Summer collection is built upon a palette of fittingly impactful key colors including Lobster, a fiery, inspiring and distinctive red; Iron Grey, a sobering but form-enhancing color; and a Pink hue—actually a violet shade that echoes romance, sophistication and nostalgia. Prints range from high contrasts to graduated segments of color to motion and movement.

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March2011

COLEMAN Ultra Light 30 pack – Php 3,264 Ultra Light 23 pack – Php 2,484 Walker 25 backpack – Php 2,283 These lightweight and multi-functional backpacks are ideal for overnights and day hikes, to urban crossover use. Available in eye-catching colors, they feature fleece-lined MP3 player pockets, mesh water bottle pockets, thermo-molded back panels with air channels to increase airflow and reduce moisture, removable 1-inch waist belts, and quick-release safety buckles on the shoulder straps. Perfect for those scaling that mountain, taking a back trail, or simply living a day in the urban jungle.

ADIZERO

Known for their spin on plastic with trendy and stylish shoes, Melissa teams up with legendary designer Vivienne Westwood for their latest fashion-forward collection. The shoes are printed in vibrant colors and decorated on the side with an oversized decorative gold buckle that’s very Dame VW.

The adiZero Feather tennis shoe is an aggressive, light and fast court shoe designed for bold athletic players. The thin TPU frame and accompanying torsion bar ensures that tennis players get all the stability they need but also the lightest possible shoe to make them quickest to the ball.

Vivienne Westwood + Melissa Croco Mary Janes – Php 7,599

adiZero Feather tennis shoe

CROCS

Hover lace-up - Php 2,900 Hover slip-on – Php 2,900 Light on Your Feet is Crocs’ all-new sneaker line from the Spring/Summer ’11 collection. Featuring ultra-lightweight designs, these are constructed with an innovative technique as they come in simple, familiar designs that remove heavy components to offer you the best comfort. Powered by the Croslite footbed, which is more compact than typical running shoes, these casual sneaks offer maximized cushioning while taking up significantly less weight than traditional sneakers.

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MELISSA

lifestyleparad CiF CREAM SURFACE CLEANER CiF Cream Surface Cleaner makes every homemaker’s all-around tasks faster and more manageable. It contains millions of micro particles, allowing it to deliver unbeatable tough cleaning and shine. It combines chemical and mechanical action to deal with even the toughest dirt without damaging the surfaces.

DELSEY Delsey luggage and its latest specialty collections: Karat, Cross Trip, Green Days, X’pert Lite and Computer Lite, are a sure fit for any lifestyle. There is no reason to compromise the need for comfort and security anymore with its luggage and latest Zip Securi Tech technology.

Main Street cardigan with black & white stripes - Php 549.75

Uberto Duranti slim-fit brown shirt - Php 275

March2011

SM MENSWEAR

Main Street flat front slacks with shadow stripes - Php 399.75

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Wharton tie and cuff-links

SM’s own menswear house brand Main Street steps up this season with their new take on smart casual. Men will surely appreciate the departure from the ordinary as Main Street presents their shadow-striped slacks that give the illusion of length on a small frame. Pair it with a slim-fit, Uberto Duranti shirt in a flattering but neutral color like chocolate brown and finish the look with a Main Street cardigan in black with thin white stripes on the front and you’re set to make an impression at work. For men who are in a more formal environment, Wharton has a collection that combines style and elegance perfectly—with a tie and cufflink set.

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March2011

By Danee Torres

Remember when you took your cellphone to a shop and fitted it with an image on acetate, had the backlight changed, customized the operator logo and bought it a cool casing? Now that cellphones have gone from “call-and-text” to “surf-call-text-chat-play music-take photos-and basically run your life,” it’s a different ball game altogether.

Some of the phones he’s transformed into luxury items are the BlackBerry Bold, the Apple iPhone, a Bang & Olufsen Serenata and a Nokia E71. He lined the E71’s body with 3-carat, internally flawless diamonds that upgraded the normallypriced Php 17,600 smartphone to Php 559,650.

Smartphones are understandably more expensive than cellphones of the past, which gives the user more reason to protect it from daily wear and tear. However, some users prefer to have a two-fold purpose for their protective gear, that being it should also reflect their personality. For users who prefer understated style combined with functionality, Case-mate provides sophisticated ways to protect your smartphone.

For the more outgoing, the Case-mate also has Gelli cases, a collection of cases in striking patterns and flashes of translucent colors that exude individuality and a collection of Artist Series originals that have patterns made by designers in thin, barely-there cases. If you want your phone to have a one-of-a-kind design, you can go to the Case-mate website for a do-it-yourself design, but it’ll take around 3 to 5 days for order processing,

A local alternative for a customized case would have to be Gmask Professional. You’ve probably seen its kiosks at the mall, and you wouldn’t exactly call their product a “case,” but more of a “wrap.” Gmask uses a 0.001-millimeter protective film strong enough to be printed on but thin enough to eliminate bulkiness. The film lasts 5 to 7 years and leaves no adhesive residue after removal and it only takes 45 minutes to an hour to apply, after that your device is protected from spills, sweat, duts and scratches. However, if you’re more into bling than patterns, Gmask can also apply Swarovski crystals on top of the film (clear or printed as preferred by the customer) so your device won’t be damaged by the glue. Swarovski crystals look nice on your phone, and it’ll surely add some shimmer to an otherwise bland device, but designer Stuart Hughes takes it to a whole new level…nay, dimension. Based in the United Kingdom, Hughes has been known to trick out some of the most sought-after electronics (he does cars, yachts and furniture too!). One of his creations, a 24-carat solid gold iPhone 4, sent luxury-lovers buzzing online when Victoria Beckham was seen carrying it in transit from London to New York. Crafted by hand, the phone is covered with 150g of 24-carat gold and costs a whopping £21,995,or about Php 1,539,650!

It all boils down to uniqueness. People are willing to spend big bucks on their smartphones and possibly even more to make the device truly their own. However, it doesn’t have to cost as much as a Stuart Hughes creation—unless you have money to burn.

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Started by a group of engineers, Case-mate’s latest products include a black carbon fiber case for the BlackBerry Torch. It’s slim but provides protective coverage to the back and sides of the Torch and doesn’t restrict access to the ports and functions. Their cases for the iPhone 4 are interesting as well, and seemingly have one for every personality. For the active and athletic user, Casemate has a decathlon sports armband case that gives the user freedom to move around without chafing the skin and it even has headphone access so you can stay in touch while literally on the go. The screen protector makes sure that the touch screen works even after sweating profusely.

and sadly, they don’t ship to the Philippines even though there are some Case-mate products here. The DIY case’s price is also a tad steep at $34, which is about Php 1,496.

The most expensive phone he has ever made is also a modified iPhone 4, with a total construction cost of £5 million, around Php 350,000,000. If you’re wondering what kind of wrongness managed to be that costly, well the bezel has about 500 diamonds which total over 100 carats and the back of the smartphone is formed using rose gold that includes the Apple logo covered in 53 diamonds. The navi key is made of platinum which holds a single-cut, 7.4-carat pink diamond but don’t worry, rich folk, it also comes with an 8-carat flawless diamond if you’re not a big fan of the pink one. You wouldn’t think Hughes would be shipping you this iPhone to rule all iPhones in a cardboard box, would you? He doesn’t. Its home to a chest made of a single block of granite weighing 7kg. At this rate, the device itself should have its own bodyguard.

beautylab

beauty secrets revealed

Powerful-Strength Line-Reducing Concentrate Enhances skin’s radiance and improve skins texture; prolong use minimizes marionette lines around the mouth, sub-orbital wrinkles in the eye area and other facial lines.

Php 3,850

Anti-Wrinkle Regimen

By Benjamin Arnold and Michelle Callanta

For centuries, people have searched for the legendary magical Fountain of Youth. The New Testament portrayed the Pool of Bethesda as a body of water with healing attributes; in the writings of Herodotus, he describes a fountain in which the Ethiopians would bath and live an exceptionally longer life than those of ordinary people, while alchemists have dedicated their lives to producing that celebrated elixir of life, panacea and philosopher’s stone—all of which are said to prolong aging. These days, chemistry has substituted for alchemy and science for magic. Since 1851, Kiehl’s has been developing its own little concoctions—and although it’s no Philosopher’s Stone, its Anti-Wrinkle Regimen is probably the closest you can get to youth in a bottle.

March2011

Double Strength Deep wrinkle Filler Instantly smoothens and fills lines and wrinkles; reduces the appearance of deep wrinkles over time.

Php 2,400 80

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BENJAMIN SAYS:

To be honest, the regimen is quite tedious, adding 4 more steps to my usual three-step facial routine in the morning and night. Not to mention the feeling of heaviness on my skin because of the amount of product I had to apply: The Powerful-Strength Line-Reducing Concentrate which has a warming effect when applied all over my face. The Double Strength Deep Wrinkle Filler, which I applied onto specific target areas such as the forehead where worry lines usually form, under the eyes where crow’s feet are often found and around the lips where smile lines usually appear. The Abyssine Cream+ with SPF 23 is applied evenly all over the face to help minimize fine-lines and wrinkles due to environmental aggressors such as exposure to the sun. The

Line-Reducing Eye-Brightening Concentrate, which is be applied along the orbital bone and on the upper eye lid by patting it gently with my finger without pulling the skin.

March2011

I have always been told that the way to perfect healthy skin is by following these three steps: wash, tone and moisturize. To this day, I find that advice to be true. Though I have never really had to worry about pimples, I never really thought about fine-lines or wrinkles at my age. But as they said, the greatest cure is prevention, so when given the choice to beat the signs of aging before they even show, I chose Kiehl’s Anti-Wrinkle Regimen as my weapon of choice.

I was loyal to the routine, never missing to apply any one of the products, even to the extent of sometimes being late for work. But, as with all routines, it became a regular practice for me to apply the products in conjunction with my usual daily routine. I was able to cope and adjust my schedule accordingly while the heaviness that I felt on my skin when I began the regiment slowly sunk into the background going unnoticed as I got used to having the products on my skin. Though I didn’t reach the ideal four weeks to the time of writing this article, one week into the regimen and I begin to notice the initial changes: my skin became smoother to the touch and there was a new brightness to the area under my eyes. With just a week down, and the effect of the products immediately evident, I look forward to the weeks to come and what improvements will take place with the continued use of Kiehl’s AntiWrinkle Regimen.

Abyssine Cream+ (with & without SPF) Protects skin from environmental aggressions; improves skin’s texture, resiliency and clarity; minimizes the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles,

Php 2,700

MICHELLE SAYS: I’ve always been a pretty nononsense when it came to skincare. And for a long period of time, I thought that washing your face with soap was enough to maintain that soft, supple, young-looking skin we had as children. But then when age begins to kick in and the environment isn’t always so friendly especially in our own tropical paradise, you realize that perhaps washing your face alone isn’t enough of a beauty regimen. So how do you combat time and its aging effects?

According to clinical observation, visible results can be seen in at least four weeks. That means less visible wrinkles and healthier, youngerlooking skin. The latter claim became noticeable in only a matter of days. Despite the initial feelings of tedium and the heaviness of all four products on my face every day (and night), the regimen did begin to take on a habit-forming effect and pretty soon, I was beginning to notice that my face had been cleared of all those annoying little blemishes I get from having oily skin and my face truly became more radiant.

*Special thanks to Lenard Tiongson, senior business development manager of Kiehl’s Philippines and Annalyn Torrenueva, Store Supervisor of Kiehl’s Greenbelt 5.

Line-Reducing Eye-Brightening Concentrate

Decreases th eappearance of crow’s feet and sub-orbital wrinkles; visibly brighten the eye area; Improves appearance of the skin around the eye area.

Php 2,550

beautylab

Kiehl’s Anti-Wrinkle regimen is in fact one such regimen that adds about five more steps after washing. For someone who’s used to dedicating only about 30 seconds to facial care, you may find the regimen a bit overwhelming at first. That’s how I initially felt when after a trip to Kiehl’s Greenbelt, Makati, I was given four products to use (in particular order and on top of my own personal facial wash and toner, which I hardly ever used). So if

step 1 was to wash; step 2 to tone; step 3 would be Kiehl’s PowerfulStrength Line-Reducing Concentrate; step 4 Kiehl’s Double Strength Deep Wrinkle Filler; step 5 Kiehl’s Abyssine Cream+ SPF 23; and step 6 Kiehl’s Line-Reducing Eye-Brightening Concentrate. As you can tell, Kiehl’s somehow describes its products by its product name.

listen

Mac or PC:

hit the right notes with the latest sound tech

The Great Mobile Music Debate

By Steven Vea

March2011

The Mac vs PC (Windows) debate has been going on for an x number of years, and it is a long drawn out topic that can be as heated as a political discussion.

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Inarguably, the quintessential tool in studios today is the computer that serves as your DAW (Digital Audio Workstation). Since the scope of this topic is very broad, let’s emphasize mobile laptops, tilting towards the Macbook Pro and PC alternatives. Throughout the years, the Mac OS has enjoyed a healthy reputation for its reliable and intuitive interface. Microsoft, on the other hand, has spent countless hours wiping various bugs that have crashed into its Windows’ panes. Despite all of this, however, a quick Google search of user operating system statistics reveals that Microsoft still dominates the market at roughly 80% share. Deciding on the platform and software is actually the easy part. When we throw a Mac and PC in the arena, it’s all about who’s packing the “harder” hardware. There’s one reason why Macs are expensive: it’s not because their design is simple yet modern. On the other hand, PC users enjoy a variety of makes and models to choose from as compared to Apple’s unilateral design, although most of them are not as solidly constructed. Versatility in PC laptops is not limited to aesthetics; they also have the advantage of upgrading internal components, which can stretch its life span well past its predicted shelf life. However, this is a great contributing factor to a buggy Windows system, as conflicts between hardware and drivers can easily arise. Apple, on the other hand, enjoys more system stability by keeping their hardware components completely in-house. However, upgrading a Mac literally means buying a new machine.

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Alternatively, PC laptops offer more USB ports than the standard Macbook Pros. With a host of audio interfaces, control surfaces and other peripherals that connect via this method, this is a definite factor to consider. In the world of digital music, connectivity is king. Now, with the basic hardware out of the way, let us take a brief look at the softer side. The question of which operating system to use is actually not as one-sided as you might think. Windows (especially good ol’ XP), is more stable than you might initially perceive, and is actually the preferred Microsoft platform in recording studios. While Windows 7 and Vista are new to the game, they are already fairly stable as well. Granted, some tedious tweaking is required with Microsoft systems, but with patience and some research, it is possible to have it run even more smoothly than OS. The choice of operating systems does limit the availability of host applications, as some of the more powerful software DAWs are exclusive to a specific manufacturer. For example, Logic is restricted to Macs (ever since Apple bought Emagic) while Cakewalk’s Sonar is limited to PC. However, Windows once again supports a broader variety of host applications for its platform, which gives it a slight edge in this regard. Furthermore, there are a number of applications that support both operating systems, such as Steinberg’s Cubase, Ableton Live and Avid’sPro Tools, which contributes to their wide user base and increasing popularity. Most third-party VST and VSTi plugins (effects and instruments) can also run on both Mac and Windows machines. While you might have heard the option to co-install Windows on a Mac via Boot Camp and/or Parallels Desktop, be forewarned: this hogs a lot of resources and is vulnerable to crash, especially with intense applications designed for music production. It’s still best to stick to the operating system your machine was designed for. If your curiosity about switching to a Macbook Pro is driven by hardware specs, there are multiple Windows machines that can best its rival, and one highly recommended alternative would be Lenovo’s ThinkPad T series laptops, such as the T410S and the T510. The build quality of Lenovo’s products is excellent and the laptops are equally efficient, powerful, quiet and cool as the MacBook Pro. HP’s Envy 14 series and the Dell Latitudes are also enjoying some notoriety as cheaper alternatives with specifications that easily stand up to par against Apple’s brainchild. They pack the same processing capability, memory, and even offer more USB ports than a MacBook Pro. While the notoriety of Apple’s allure seems to be dominating popular culture, when it comes down to it, it’s not the sole Holy Grail for music production. With a little time, research and effort, you can have a PC on par or even surpassing a Mac’s performance. Switching to a Mac simply for the supposed social status might affect your creativity. Stick to what you know. Creativity often arises from both experience and limitations. The quality of your music has never been, and will never be, dependent on the machine.

March2011

Another largely overlooked advantage of Macs when used in a recording environment is that they are extremely quiet and don’t generate too much heat. This is a valuable advantage in a studio, especially in confined spaces, where there is no room for an isolated control booth.

featuredartist

March2011

the musicians and their toys

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March2011

Far East Movement By Michelle Callanta

From the depths of the underground, Far East Movement successfully burst through the mainstream urban music scene with colorful and lively fervor and a sound that’s hypnotic and just downright beat-funky to match. Vibrant, hip, youthful, tech-savvy and with loads of bottlepopping fun, theirs is a style that defines a way of life that most club-hitting, hipster-donning, party-hearty youngsters can relate to.

Kev Nish, Prohgress, J-Splif and DJ Virman (who is a second-generation Fil-American) showcase their distinct West Coast upbringing and began a movement that’s taken them as far as the east and this side of the planet. In a phone interview, Gadgets Magazine had the chance to get to know a little bit more about this fast-rising L.A. group who has taken fashion, music, and technology inevitably forward. “The theme [for the album] is free wired,” Kevin Nishimura or Kev Nish explains. “That is because as musical fans, we weren’t defined by one particular genre of music. In our iPods we were more about our playlists. We were listening to the rock, the electronic, the hip-hop, the dance, the pop so we couldn’t be defined as artists as one genre because as fans, we weren’t defined that way. When we would go into the studio, we would make that a focus for every single song. It had to have all those elements.”

“Stay free. Live wired.” That’s the mantra behind FM’s Free Wired movement, an evolving lifestyle that utilizes technology (particularly the internet card) whether it’s through social networking or any other form of new media while sporting a dress that’s young, fresh, and urban chic and coming up with beats that push the envelope of mash-up (and hopefully future collaborations with the Beastie Boys, Daft Punk, and Rage Against the Machine, to name a few).

Check out what gadgets are on their wish list: J-Splif: “An internet roaming card. We need one that works everywhere, anywhere, in a tunnel, a bridge, it doesn’t matter. Or I don’t know if they have something like this yet but it could be like a little gadget where you can speak a certain language and it’ll translate it to you in English.” Prohgress: “I’ll need an iPhone because I got myself a MacBook, I got myself an iPad and an iPod. I need to complete my collection. I have a BlackBerry. And that’s the problem because I love it.” DJ Virman: “I actually want the iPad that comes with the camera.”

Kev: An Xbox Connect so I can get exercise in my hotel room. And I have to go back to the Blu-Ray (in response to DJ Virman’s “most regrettable gadget purchase” who answered, “An HD DVD player. Why did Blu-Ray have to take over? It was a gamble. It was like buying stock, you can invest in one or the other. It was really a toss-up. Who would’ve thought that the term DVD just stuck? It didn’t.”

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Far East Movement has not only come up with a sound that integrates a conglomeration of genres, they are also an all-Asian group that has effectively done so. When asked if there was ever a time they felt discriminated against despite their talent and passion, Kev answers, “We’re very fortunate to be living in the times we’re living in. Growing up in downtown Los Angeles, it was very diverse. It was more like a community of free wired, creative people and thinkers whether it be music, film, directing, or fashion. As we grew up in that scene it was more about the music and not about race and no one ever really felt like they were a minority. It let us experiment and try different things because of that diversity.”

So where do they think they’ll evolve to next? “When we made Free Wired, it was inspired by how it was living in LA. So when we make our next album, we don’t know when that will be, it’s really about us taking some time off, living in LA, hitting up all the clubs, doing all the exact same things we did on this first album and seeing where this takes us. So it’s hard to say since music is always changing, we’re always changing and we’re seeing things from wherever we’re going whether it be Tokyo or the Philippines. We’re gonna take something new from there and we’ll see what happens,” Kev said.

cdreview

get our take on the latest tracks to hit the market “Loud,” which Rihanna described as “really sassy and flirty” in her interview with Entertainment Tonight, is an 11-track album consisting of tracks that host a more mellow feminine feel that is full of the emotion which plays toward the opposite spectrum of where Rihanna has gone as a singer. She does, however, maintain that signature party style she has built up to over the years but with a lighter beat.

Rihanna

Loud By Benjamin Arnold FROM fun party music to rebellious dance tracks to a darker pop-rap image, Rihanna has changed her style of music and look so many times that people would think she would be losing control. But it just shows how she has evolved as a person and an artist. With the release of her fifth studio album, “Loud,” Rihanna plays off a softer set of dance tracks with a deeper seductive look into her life.

Only Girl (In the World), which is the lead single, is an up-tempo dancepop track that was written by Crystal Johnson, Mikkel S. Eriksen, Tor Erik Hermansen and Sandy Wilhelm. The song sings about commanding the interest of a man and being the sole person to know the interworking of his heart. In the song California King Bed, the track takes a more mellow yet modern turn playing with a slower beat while singing lyrics that illustrate the distance that builds between two people in a relationship. It describes the feeling of a couple being physically together and yet emotionally distant. Complicated

them was the Free Wired way of life that would define every dance floor and conquer every club.

March2011

FAR EAST MOVEMENT

Free Wired MCA Music Inc. By Paolo Toledo

There was a time when solid “club” albums meant a compiled tracklist of chart-topping hiphop-RNB and pop songs by various artists. Then came the boys of Far East Movement (FM), and along with www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

This electro hiphop quartet that is composed of Asian-Americans has been around for quite some time, but they recently showed up on everyone’s radar with the release of their 5th album, Free Wired, and its infamous club banger, “Like A G6”—a hypnotic electro track produced by The Cataracs and samples the vocals of hipster pop siren, Dev. Other heavy hitters on the list would be the 2009 smash “Girls On The Dancefloor” which opens the album with a robotic dance bump. “Don’t Look Now” is another promising anthem with a pulsating

and Fading are tracks that follow the same style of lyrics and music as California King Bed. Two tracks on the album that really caught my attention: the opening track S&M which is an indirect way of Rihanna saying that she enjoys the negative feedback that the media throw at her as it excites her to do better. It shows that she isn’t a slave to the media, but rather a master of her own life and talent. The second track to capture my interest was Love The Way You Lie (Part II) which features Eminem. This is the Rihanna counterpart to Eminem’s version of Love The Way You Lie. This version is, as the entire album, a softer more mellow continuation of the hardcore version Eminem took lead of in his own album. As a whole, “Loud” is Rihanna’s way of rising above all the noise and showing the world that she has control over her life and has managed to stand on her two feet after the struggles she has been through. Benjamin Arnold

THE BLACK EYED PEAS The Beginning MCA Music Inc. By Paolo Toledo

Gone are the days when the Black Eyed Peas spit conscious verses over straight hiphop beats. The trio of will.i.am, apl. de.ap and Taboo have long left those days behind and welcomed a new club-cultured sound along with their fourth member, power diva Fergie. Their ability to redefine their music has brought about their sixth album, The Beginning, a testament to the direction that this chart-topping quartet has taken.

The Beginning is, by title, assumed to

vibe, matched against the vocals of pop diva, Keri Hilson. Two of my personal picks would be “So What” and the current hit, “Rocketeer”—a surprisingly slow concept track that also provides the album’s best moment with Ryan Tedder (One Republic) belting out a soulful hook with FM’s crooning raps, all over a beautifully arranged song. The album itself is admittedly not some musical masterpiece made for deep listening experiences, but it perfectly serves the purpose for which it was made: to take over the dance charts and rock the nightclubs across the globe. Each track offers an innovative twist on dirty electrohiphop that will surely make you want to grind and gyrate. The term “free wired” is not only an album, but also a staple theme in every party that start at 1am and ends at daylight. Leave it to these Asians to always come out of nowhere and mount a gamechanging takeover.

be a “prequel/sequel” to their highly successful album, The E.N.D., where the Peas launched their foray into dance music with a fresh electro-hiphop sound. Filled with 15 club-thumping songs of synthesized effects, fast beats, Auto-Tune, and (sometimes tiring) repetitive hooks, this new album is indeed their version of sticking-towhat-works. Surprisingly, the album’s carrier single, the ‘80s anthem-sampled “The Time (Dirty Bit),” is actually one of the weaker tracks. Better highlights include the memorable glamour of “Fashion Beats,” rock-inspired “The Situation,” the positive-driven message of “Own It,” and the arrangement of “Do It Like

This.”

March2011

FLYING HIGH

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Canon Marketing (Philippines) Inc. begins the year with its a project to provide special children with a once-ina-lifetime experience. Carefully selected participants from seven organizations dedicated to providing better lives for Persons With Disabilities (PWD) boarded small airplanes, ultralight aircraft and helicopters at the Angeles City Flying Club in Woodland Airpark Talimundok, Sta. Maria Magalang in Pampanga. The event named “PWD Achievers: Reach For the Sky” is the brainchild of John Chua, Canon EOS ambassador. Canon helps to make this dream a reality, along with SM Supermalls, The Philippine Air Force, and the Canon Advocacy Team or Canon A-Team which is a group of volunteer photographers who share the same vision and passion as those who spearheaded the project. This event, similar to the Photography With A Difference project that started in 2010, aims to create experiences for PWD families and allow photographers to capture

the emotion and happiness that can be treasured for years to come. The past year’s workshops show just how one day can change a life. For the Canon photographers, it allowed them to have a chance to be a part of something bigger than their own lives. When you combine their skills in imaging, Canon’s superior cameras that encapsulate these moments and imprint these shots with excellent Canon photo prints, PWDs will be reminded that they can reach for the sky and achieve even more in their lives.

events

event Tattoo Broadband’s latest slew of ambassadors Alodia Gosiengfiao, Sarah Gaugler and Rio de la Cruz

Globe’s Head of Landline and Broadband Marketing Dong Ronquillo demonstrates Tattoo Torque’s speed through a Torque Touch screen installed for the launch

Globe Head of Product Management for Fixed Broadband Miko De Vera

Host of the evening Tessa Prieto-Valdes together with Dong Ronquillo

Globe Tattoo Torque:

THE ULTIMATE

CONNECTION

Some say the only constant thing in the world is change. With everything in constant motion, would you want to be left behind? Tattoo Torque will make sure that never happens.

March2011

The newest super-powered internet hookup from Tattoo Broadband, the internet brand of Globe, places you right smack in the middle of everything you need to know online. Powered by a state-of-the-art fiber-optic technology called GPON (Gigabit Passive Optical Network), Tattoo Torque gives blazing connection speeds for the richest web media experience. Tattoo Torque takes you from 6Mbps to a whopping 100Mbps, with monthly fees starting as low as Php 2,999. Download and stream the latest music and videos in seconds, while a fulllength movie download takes just minutes to hit your screen. With this fast internet linkup, you’ll get your information in a flash, and you’ll have no trouble downloading large files or running multiple simultaneous applications without delay. “In today’s fast-paced lifestyle, time has become the ultimate luxury. Tattoo Torque gives you that

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in spades,” said Dong Ronquillo, Globe head for broadband and landline marketing. He Wadds, “Your Torque plan comes with a landline plus a Wi-Fi router so you can wirelessly hook up to every corner of your home to a single high-speed internet connection.” Tessa Prieto-Valdes recently opened her posh Forbes residence to friends and neighbors who wanted to test the new Tattoo Torque. Partygoers were given a chance to try Tattoo Torque through a host of Samsung laptops, LED TVs and Galaxy Tabs, alongside Tattoo Broadband’s striking new ambassadors including marathoner Rio dela Cruz, cosplay fanboy favorite Alodia Gosiengfiao, and Turbo Goth vocalist and artist Sarah Gaugler. Initially available in North and South Forbes, Bel-Air, Urdaneta and Serendra Clusters D&E, Tattoo Torque is sure to move the world through cyberspace in high-speed style.

newsbits&bytes the biggest news served fresh in

Nokia’s Ovi Store Continues to Soar in the Philippines Nokia continues to reach its goals in the applications game, getting over 1 million monthly downloads on its Ovi Store from users here in the Philippines. According to Benoit Nalin, general manager of Nokia Philippines, the number of daily downloads has increased since September 2010 to over 1 million last December 31, 2010, posting an impressive growth of 75% in just three months. This latest achievement could be attributed to the Ovi Store’s updated and friendlier feel as well as providing more choices for applications, themes and games for downloadloving Pinoys. These apps were also made easily available for Nokia Symbian smartphone users, which gave Ovi Store a wider edge among this increasing demographic of mobile phone users.

China, where 65.2% of the population claimed Ovi as their preferred download channel. This feat was complemented by a continuous surge in software developer support with over 400,000 new developers joining Forum Nokia in the past 12 months, and 92 developers topping 1 million downloads for their apps.

“This milestone once again reflects Nokia’s unwavering success in bringing more personalization options for mobile users. With this feat achieved by Nokia, it is safe to say that 2010 indeed was the year of applications,” said Nalin.

Popular applications on Ovi Store in the Philippines for Symbian devices were Opera Mobile Browser, a fast web browser that allows users to access full Internet on their mobile phone and features tabbed browsing, content download, skinning, and synchronizing bookmarks; Skype, which allows users to call or text for free to families or friends abroad; World Tong-its Tour, the mobile version of the popular local card game; Facebook Chat, an

FedEx Introduces Technology Enhancements FedEx Express, a subsidiary of FedEx Corp., announced significant enhancements to its FedEx Critical Inventory Logistics service, an integrated logistics solution that enables customers to more efficiently manage highvalue and time-critical inventory throughout the supply chain. Customers using FedEx Critical Inventory Logistics service

can now electronically place global orders, track inventory levels and order status at various points and maintain visibility to FedEx domestic and international shipments by simply logging on to a web application on www.fedex.com. Status updates are also supported through electronic data interchange and delivered in a common global message format.

Ovi apps were downloaded mostly from some of Nokia’s top Symbian devices like the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic, Nokia N8, Nokia 5530 XpressMusic, Nokia E63 and Nokia E71 smartphones; and top S40 devices like the Nokia C3-00, Nokia X3-02, Nokia 5130, Nokia 2700c classic, and Nokia 6300. The Nokia C3, for instance, posted a total of 347, 000 downloads from the Ovi Store last year, while the just released Nokia N8 device recorded 276,000 in Ovi Store downloads.

Globe Telecom Jumpstarts Modernization Project Emerson Network Power, a business of Emerson and global leader in enabling BusinessCritical Continuity, recently held a contract signing with Globe Telecom to formalize the latter’s acquisition of key solutions as part of Globe’s Power Modernization Project. The project, slated to run until 2012, aims to fortify the network provider’s power systems to improve energy efficiency and reduce overall operating expenses, translating to improved service for Globe subscribers. Photo shows (from left) Rey Lugtu, country manager of Emerson Network Power Philippines; Raymund Mendoza, telecoms business development director, Emerson Network Power Philippines; and Albert M. de Larrazabal, chief finance officer, Globe Telecom. www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

February2011

Apart from reaching download success in the country, Nokia’s Ovi Store globally generates 3.5 million downloads per day. Just recently, Ovi Store has been reported to lead in

application that allows users to chat with their Facebook friends on their mobile; and Hangman, an entertaining word puzzle game.

bite-sized quantities

newsbits&byte

Get Activated with Unli Mobile Internet from Sun

Have a blast with Flip Video camcorders Anyone who wants to start the year with a bang should do so with the world’s simplest shoot-and-share video camcorder. Flip Video delivers a line-up of affordable, high quality and sleek camcorders that promises fun, camaraderie and creativity. Boasting of next-generation video quality powered

by a simple interface and user-friendly technology, now everyone can create movie magic. Packed with a suite of easy-to-use features, these camcorders will help you capture every precious moment all year round. Making the easy Flip Video user experience possible is the pre-loaded FlipSharesoftware with its user-friendly simplicity, enhanced high-definition

March2011

Hottest ‘Tween Tandem Finds The Perfect Fit

VP for Sun Cellular and Digitel Marketing Ricky Pena (extreme left) with endorsers Barbie Forteza, Joshua Dionsio, and Arsi Baltazar, GMA Talent Management manager.

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video quality, hardwarebased image stabilization and an editing functionality. Only a small gadget loaded with big features such as the Flip Video camcorders can make video recording and sharing become simple, hip and even more promising through the years. Flip Video camcorders are easy to use, amazingly affordable and now available in leading retailers nationwide.

Getting online anytime, anywhere has become a necessity nowadays. But a challenge to enjoying the benefits of mobile Internet is the fee for online access. Good thing there’s Call and Surf from Sun Cellular, for unlimited mobile online connection up to 2 Mbps— minus the huge costs. Sun Cellular’s Call and Surf is the newest and most exciting thing to happen to your phone or net tablets. It consists of two unlimited mobile Internet plans which are guaranteed to be a perfect match to your Internet-connection. The Call and Surf Lite 799 Plan is perfect for netizens.

Digitel DSL appeals to the busy lifestyles of fast-rising celebrities like Barbie Forteza and Joshua Dionisio, who rely on this service to make their celebrity life easier and more exciting. As GMA 7’s lead ‘tween’ celebrity idols, Barbie and Joshua topbill the network’s high-rating ‘tween shows. With strings of TV shows and film assignments, they are undoubtedly two of the busiest young stars today. Just as they fit each other to a T, they need a perfect match to help them manage their hyper active schedules and stay connected with their friends, families and even their fans. Good thing there’s the unbeatable landline and Internet duo of Digitel DSL bundle.

For only Php 799 a month, you get to enjoy unlimited mobile Internet. You can also enjoy your occasional voice calls and texting charged on top of your plan. For those who thrive on day-and-night net life, the Call and Surf Unlimited 999 is the best plan for you. For only Php 999 a month, you get to enjoy real 24/7 surfing plus unlimited Sun-to-Sun calling and texting all FREE. For more information, log on to www. getactivatednow.com or call Sun’s landline hotline at 395-8000. Dial 200 on any Sun-powered mobile phone visit any The Sun Shop in a mall nearest you.

Digitel’s recent integration with Sun Cellular has empowered both companies to provide the best, most efficient, seamless services to their subscribers, thus helping more individuals and establishments get the most out of their data and voice subscriptions sans the high costs. Now, for as low as Php 999 a month, subscribers get to enjoy unlimited voice calls and Internet with speeds of up to 768 Kbps plus a FREE cellphone! One can avail of the latest mobile phones from Nokia, Samsung and My|Phone depending on the DSL plan that they choose. Subscribers can also opt to have a Wi-Fi modem router for free.

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Seamless Beauty at a More Affordable Price Get the Samsung Refrigerator TGV-10 RT45TSGL model or the Samsung Washing Machine WA85G5WFC/XTC and WA90G9FFC/XTC for 12 months installment at 0% interest.

ensures gentle fabric care. The wider safety glass also provides scratch-free protection and resists wear and tear. The Samsung WA85G5 (6.5-kg capacity) washing machine is priced at Php 12,995, while the Samsung WA90G9 (7-kg capacity) washing machine is priced at Php 13,495.

Powered by Samsung’s unique Eco Storm technology, the washing machines provide multidimensional agitation that offers visible cleaning and the same washing performance as conventional machines with 37% less water. Its Diamond Drum minimizes textile damage during the wash cycle and

The promos are available in all major appliance stores. Promo is valid for all major credit cards.

Run for Pasig River After breaking the Guinness World Record for footrace via the 10.10.10 Run for Pasig River, ABS-CBN Foundation’s Kapit Bisig Para sa Ilog Pasig is now gearing or this year’s biggest eco-footrace, the “Run for the Pasig River 11.20.2011.”

Representatives from schools, companies, armed services, government agencies and communities gathered at the ABS-CBN Foundation Building on January 28 to witness the launch and to pledge their support for the event.

“For a country that has been colonized for 400 years, to do this run in magnificence and peace is a great achievement,” ABSCBN Foundation managing director Gina Lopez said. “If we are to do the run again and again, this will be a major force in making the river clean,” she added. The 10.10.10 run was organized to raise consciousness for the

In a retail audit by the international and independent GfK Research Group, data gathered from retailers and re-sellers have shown Samsung as the new leader in the compact cameras with fixed lens category of the DSC market in the last two months of 2010. In the said category which comprises 91.3 percent of the DSC market, Samsung has become the top-selling brand in terms of unit sales with 21.7-market share in November, and 22.7 percent in December 2010. The success of Samsung compact digital cameras is attributed to the company’s

rehabilitation of the river and its tributaries. Proceeds of the 10.10.10 Run for the Pasig River will be used to rehabilitate Estero de San Miguel, one of the five tributaries behind Malacañang that flow into the Pasig River.

strengthened sales channels and its growing number of competitive products in the market. Among the Samsung products in the top hit list of compact cameras are the Samsung ES65, ES70 and the flagship model for Samsung 2View cameras, PL101. The ES series is Samsung’s array of entry-level compact digital cameras which offer consumers an impressive range of advanced features at an affordable price. Also among the Samsung products in the top hit list is the Samsung 2View PL101. 2View is Samsung’s breakthrough contribution in technology, the first of its kind in the realm of compact digital cameras. It offers a front LCD which allows consumers to take self-portraits with ease.

newsbits&bytes

The TGV-10’s offers innovative design, fresh storage, and convenience. With its blue glass finish and sleek design, the Samsung TGV-10 RT45TSGL refrigerator adds elegance to your kitchen, bringing it to another level of style. It has the Coolever Zone and the Evergreen Zone, where fruits and vegetables are stored to retain maximum freshness and crispness for up to two times longer than

conventional refrigerators, thanks to optimal humidity levels. To ensure all items are clearly visible, this refrigerator is also equipped with LED lighting which offers a longer life span versus average light bulbs. The Samsung TGV-10 RT45TSGL refrigerator is priced at Php 33,595.

Samsung, the world’s leader in technology innovation is now the leader in the digital still camera (DSC) market of the Philippines with its compact cameras.

March2011

Samsung is RP’s No.1 Compact Camera

newsbits&byte

Nickelodeon to Start Dedicated Philippine Feed Nickelodeon, a top entertainment brand for kids, will launch a dedicated Nickelodeon channel for Filipino viewers starting April 1. “The Philippines continues to be an increasingly important market for us, and the implementation of a dedicated Nickelodeon feed enhances commitment

to provide advertisers and cable operators’ customization opportunities in this particularly fast growing market. This also demonstrates our commitment to strengthen local programming and cater to the specific viewing preferences of the young Filipino audience and families,” said Indra Suharjono, executive vice-

The rewards of Mabuhay Miles MasterCard

March2011

Allied Bank’s Mabuhay Miles MasterCard continues to shine as MasterCard Worldwide recognizes the popular Philippine Airlines cobranded credit card for its trail-blazing promotions in delivering the most customer-friendly products and services, and giving customers a more personalized experience.

Nowhere is this more evident than in the recent awards that the prestigious MasterCard Hall of Fame Awards has been giving the Mabuhay Miles MasterCard over the past years. Case in point is the 2010 award for “Most Innovative Card Marketing Program” for the promo “Where in the World is My Mabuhay Miles MasterCard?” The promo

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required its cardholders to take a picture of themselves with their Mabuhay Miles MasterCard during any of their local or international travels and send the picture to the Allied Bank M3 offices. Entries were then uploaded on the M3 Facebook page. Ria C. Domingo, AVP for product loyalty marketing of Philippine Airlines, said: “The impact of the promo proved to be very personal and engaging. Not only did it become the card of choice when traveling, it also helped develop a personal bond with the cardholder that went with the experience of travel.” Two lucky cardholders won the prize of 15,000 Mabuhay Miles each in the process.

president and managing director, MTV Networks North and Southeast Asia. The dedicated feed targeting kids aged 2 to 14 and families will feature 24 hours of Nickelodeon’s favorite original animation titles including the top Nickelodeon programs in Philippines for kids age 2 to 6 years old as such Dora

Further proof of the M3’s consistency in providing quality products, services, and experiences to its cardholders is the 2009 MasterCard Hall of Fame Award for “Most Effective Card Marketing Program” for the 2008 Mabuhay Miles MasterCard Php 35/Mile Promo, a recognition won in Singapore Back in 2008, the Mabuhay Miles World MasterCard won the prestigious international APMEA Award in Singapore for “Best Co-Brand,” besting competitors from Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa. Thanks to these awards, Allied Bank Mabuhay Miles MasterCard has reaffirmed its position in the credit card industry as the card of choice of travelers and shoppers alike.

the Explorer, Go Diego Go!, The Backyardigans, Team Umizoomi, Ni Hao, Kai-Lan and hits like SpongeBob SquarePants, The Penguins of Madagascar, The Fairly OddParents and more. The program lineup also includes Nickelodeon’s latest liveaction sensation, Big Time Rush, as well as hits such as iCarly, Victorious and highly anticipated new series,

House of Anubis. Nickelodeon Philippines will reach over 1.6 million cable TV households. In 2010, Nickelodeon had its highest ratings in two years for CA 2-6, and also saw the highest increase in average time spent among all kids channels.

Up, up and away The 16th Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Festival was held on February 10 to 13, 2011 at the Clark Special Economic Zone in Angeles City, Pampanga. A press launch was conducted at R.O.X. on Bonifacio High Street on January 27, 2011. Present during the event were representatives of event sponsors, organizers, officials from the government. About 27 balloons participated in this year’s festivities, celebrating the centennial of the first airplane flight in the country.

The hot air balloon event will featured larger grounds, more kids’ activities and more participation from aviation schools. The event also celebrated the centennial year of airplanes in Philippine skies. It was in 1911 during the Manila Carnival when the first airplane was flown in the country. An aerial troupe composed of James C. Mars, Tod Shriver and Thomas Scott Baldwin demonstrated their aeroplanes during the event. The PATTS Class of 2011 is building a static replica of the Skylark for this year’s celebration.

buyers’guide NOTEBOOK

advertisers’ row

Mini 210-2005TU /2025TU BLACK/RED

Mini 210-1102TU/1103 RED/BLUE

HP Mini 110-3101TU

CQ42-357TU

10.1 LED flush display Intel Atom N475215 2GB DDR3 1 year warranty parts and labor 320GB Php 22,990.00

0.1 LED flush display Intel Atom N475 1GB 667DDR3 1 year warranty parts and labor 250GB Php 21,490.00

10.1-inch LCD Intel Atom N475215 1GB DDR2 1 year warranty parts and labor 250GB HDD Php 18,990.00

14-inch LED Intel Pentium P6200 2GB 1066DDR3 1 year warranty parts and labor 320GB Php 26,990.00

G42-366TX G42-368TX

G42-370TX

G42-372TX

CQ42-263TU

14-inch LED Intel Core i3 380M 2GB 1066DDR3 1 year warranty parts and labor 500GB Php 35,990.00

14-inch LED Intel Core i5 460M 2GB 1066DDR3 1 year warranty parts and labor 500GB Php 40,990.00

14-inch LED Core i5 460M 2GB 1066DDR3 1 year warranty parts and labor 500GB Php 43,990.00

14-inch LED Intel Core i5 450M215 2GB 1066DDR3

14-inch LED ntel Core i3 380M 2GB 1066DDR3 1 year warranty parts and labor 500GB Php 39,990.00

1 year warranty parts and labor

320GB Php 34,990.00

CQ42-292TX

CQ42-268TX

14-inch LED Intel Core i3 350M 2GB 1066DDR3

14-inch LED Intel Core i3 350M215 2GB 1066DDR3

1 year warranty parts and labor

320GB Php 38,990.00

500GB Php 33,990.00

www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

March2011

CQ42-254TU 14-inch LED Intel Core i3 350M 2GB 1066DDR3 1 year warranty parts and labor 320GB Php 29,990.00

Basic B3450 N

Basic B2310

Basic B4109

Basic B4107

Basic B4109 N

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

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

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

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

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

Basic B3375

Basic B3380

Basic B3510

Elan L4195

Elan L4193 N

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

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

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

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

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

iCitizen iC1040i

iCitizen W1040i

REDFOX

10-inch LED Intel Atom N450 2GB DDR2 1-Year 250GB Php 15,000

10-inch LED Intel Atom N450 2GB DDR2 1-Year 320GB Php 17,999

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DESKTOP

Basic B4107 N 14-inch HD LED Intel Pentium T4500 2GB DDR3 1-Year 500GB Php 24,999

TABLET

March2011

NOTEBOOK

buyersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;guid

NEO

iCitizen EZ100-16AW

Evolve ET18510ANW

15.6-inch LED monitor Intel Pentium T4500 2GB DDR3 1-Year 320GB Php 16,000

18.5-inch LCD AMD Athlon Processor X2 2GB DDR2 1-Year 320GB Php 28,499

Wizpad T1030iW

Wizpad T1032iW

Wizpad T1034iW

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

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

10-inch Backlit capacitive LED Intel Atom 455 32GB SSD Windows 7 Home Premium /3g

Php 41,999

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March2011

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

Samsung Galaxy Fin S5670

Samsung Galaxy Mini S5570

3.14-inch TFT capacitive touchscreen Android 2.2 (Froyo) 600 MHz processor 112.4 x 59.9 x 11.5 mm

3.31-inch TFT capacitive touchscreen Android 2.2 (Froyo) 600 MHz processor 112.4 x 59.9 x 11.5 mm

GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900, HSDPA 900 / 2100

Php 16,500

Php 10,690

Php 12,890

HTC

HTC Desire HD

HTC HD7

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

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

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 Php 30,800

buyersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;guide

GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900, HSDPA 900 / 2100

Php 33,500

links Technology Acer

http://www.acer.com.ph

Altec Lansing BANBROS Commercial Inc., 3/F BB Corporate Center 32 Pilar cor. Araullo Sts., Addition Hills San Juan, Metro Manila

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

Audiophile 2nd Floor Robinson’s Otis, Paz Guazon Street, Paco, Manila Tel. 559 6819

Audioteknica Philippe Gadgets #40 West Avenue Quezon City Tel. 926-7334

Blackberry Microwarehouse #4 United St., Kapitolyo Pasig City Tel. 637 0474 to 85

Dell

Lenovo (Singapore) Pte Ltd. – Philippines Unit 15-A,15th Floor, Citibank Tower, Paseo de Roxas, Makati City 1200. Tel. 556 3106

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

Nokia (Philippines), Inc.

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

Philips Monitors EA Global Supply Chain Solutions Unit 203, 2/F The Taipan Place 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 Tel. 1-800-SAMSUNG

Genius

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

Hewlett Packard

March2011

37/F Robinsons Summit Center 6783 Ayala Avenue, Makati Tel. 888 5900

HTC

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SiSPH Technologies, Inc. Suite 3003, 30th flr. Atlanta Center, 31 Annapolis St., Greenhills, San Juan, Metro Manila Tel. 7283388

598 EDSA, Balintawak, Kalookan City Tel. 366 5701

Isuzu Philippines Corp. 114 Technology Avenue, Laguna Technopark Phase II, Binan, Laguna Tel. 757-6070

Nissan Motor Philippines Inc. Nissan Technopark Brgy Pulong Sta. Cruz Sta. Rosa, Laguna Tel. 049-5412201 Website. www.nissan.com.ph

Land Rover Philippines Grd. Flr. ENZO Bldg., 399 Sen. Gil J. Puyat Ave., Makati City, Philippines Tel. 897 8888

40/F Philamlife Tower, 8767 Paseo de Roxas, Makati Tel. 886 1234

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

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

Mobility

Honda Car Phils. Inc.

your gadgets directory

Sony Philippines, Inc.

Toshiba Notebooks Tricom Dynamics, Inc. Metro House 345 Sen. Gil Puyat Avenue, Makati Tel. 890 6525

Western Digital http://www.wdthepowerofchoice. com/

Lifestyle

Adizero

Delsey

Adidas Performance Store Upper Ground Level Bldg A SM Megamall Mandaluyong Tel 633 8110

The Travel Club 2/F Trinoma Mall EDSA corner North Avenue Quezon City Tel. 916 7224

Coleman

Paula Hermanny

Focus Global Inc. Pioneer corner Reliance Streets, Mandaluyong City Tel 634 8587

Nothing But Water G/F Glorietta 3 Ayala Center Makati City

Creed

Puma

Rustan’s Makati, Ayala Center, Makati City

5/F Shangri-La Plaza Mall EDSA Cor Shaw Boulevard Mandaluyong City Tel. 634-2474

Crocs B7, Bonifacio High Street 11th Avenue Fort Bonifacio Global City Taguig 856 1358

Kiehl’s G/F Greenbelt 5 Legaspi Street Makati Tel. 728 9561

Davidoff, Calvin Klein Luxasia Philippines Inc., Unit 701 Net Cube Center 3rd Avenue Corner 30th street E-Square Crescent Park Bonifacio Global City Taguig Tel. 856 1853

Rexona Watsons G/f SM Mall of Asia, Edsa, Pasay City

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

SWIM 2/F Archaeology Powerplant, Rockwell

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February2011

links

March2011

links

www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

your gadgets directory