2020 v21n2 THE DIY ISSUE

President & CEO

Maribelle Alba

Sales AND ADVERTISING MANAGER Account executive

Marisa Consuelo

Accounting manager Accounting Staff

Maritess Pascua-Maulion Lorie Bernardo

HR & ADMIN MANAGER Administration Staff

Amy Christine Giray Ramil Almojano

Legal Counsel

DIGITAL CONTENT PRODUCER

Carol Agabin

Jerico Lutrania Alba Law Office

GADGETS Magazine is published monthly by Great Minds Media Inc. Address all correspondence to GREAT MINDS MEDIA INC. 14/F Net Cube Centre 3rd Avenue cor 30th Street E-Square Crescent Park, West Bonifacio Global City 1634 Taguig City, Philippines Our telephone number is: (02) 8479 5475 Our website is: www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

This month at Gadgets, we’re looking at something that has seen a very strong uptick in recent months: DIY projects. With all the extra time people have had, there are a lot of those happening all over, whether it’s people cooking, attempting carpentry, starting out with electronics, or gardening. Like everyone else, we here are dabbling in a lot of the same, and we’d like to get more people to try it too! We hope this issue is informative and entertaining, but when you need a break, you can of course head over to the regular labs, parades, and automotive sections we know you love. Thanks for joining us again, and see you next month!

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 Inc.

Ren Alcantara Editor-at-Large

Maribelle M. Alba

Presy Alba

Arnel Doria

Jay Alba

Jose Alvarez

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF @bellealba

EDITOR-AT-LARGE @presy1121

MOBILITY CONSULTANT

Digital Initiatives Lead

CONTRIBUTOR @josealvarez

Ren Alcantara

gabriel Pe

Jerico Lutrania

Carmela Birao

Zeil Romero

Chini Yu Soriano

EDITOR-AT-LARGE

STAFF WRITER @pe_gab

digital content producer @_easyo

VIDEOGRAPHER @carmelabirao

graphic artist

graphic artist @chinisoriano

@hisnameisren

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october 2020

@zeil_heyo

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OCTOBER 2020 | Volume 21 No. 2

26. Cover Story

07

4

Parade More and more devices keep coming in!

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Gadgets Lab

26

Cover Story

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Photofeature:

OCTOBER 2020

Putting in the work, so you can pick what you need.

If you want something done right...

Some of the best devices you can grab right now!

44

Mobility Feature

47

Mobility News

60

Gaming Feature

62

Gaming

Check out the new Honda Brio, Yamaha NMax, Toyota Hilux, and something new from Mazda.

Where the rubber meets the road.

Get your own gaming stream up!

Check out why everyone’s raving about Fall Guys

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Promises a clean and safe environment for customers

I

n the midst of a global pandemic, M Lhuillier Financial Services, Inc. carried on with its operations to provide its services to loyal patrons nationwide even during the lockdown period. Today, M Lhuillier continues to tread carefully in these times of adversities with the safety of its employees and customers on top of mind.

Now that the community quarantine has eased up in some major cities in the Philippines, the country enters a new normal phase where strict safety protocols must be implemented in businesses at all times.

Moving as one with the rest of the country, M Lhuillier complies to enforced measures and assures its customers that every branch meets the standard health and safety procedures that are observed by its employees and applied to its store environment.

A safe and sound transaction in M Lhuillier branches during every visit is guaranteed with regular disinfection of frequently-touched areas and objects within the store. A foot bath is also readily available to ensure that thorough sanitation is determined once customers step inside.

As soon as clients are within the premises, strict social distancing is followed in every branch. At the same time, M Lhuillier employees are ready to serve customers with their face mask on and their regularly washed and constantly sanitized hands.

Each counter area for both employees and customers in every branch is also equipped with alcohol for convenience and for further sanitation purposes.

Meanwhile in M Lhuillier Leyte branches, reminder posters are put up in stores as a refresher and a QR code is provided by Leyte’s local government units for easy contact tracing. In Cebu Central B, M Lhuillier employees are given free vitamins as a regional initiative.

“M Lhuillier commits to an altruistic act that entirely benefits our customers in return for their trust in our services as we face this pandemic at the

front lines,” president Michael Lhuillier shared in a statement.

One of Cebu Central B’s branches in UC Banilad also expressed: “The anxiety of waking up every day and going to work with a big chance of being a carrier of the virus to our families is a big challenge.

However, serving our customers’ needs during this pandemic and seeing them connect with their loved ones is a big relief. Following the safety protocols is the best thing to do as a healthy working environment generates greater productivity.”

In these times of uncertainties, the best way to fight an invisible enemy is through prevention and extra care of the body. M Lhuillier once again reassures its loyal customers that every branch is clean and safe with different protocols in place and when both establishment and customer observe proper and responsible action.

62 Gaming

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64

Gaming

66

Music Corner

68

Feature

70

Wellness

OCTOBER 2020

Have skateboard. Will fly.

Start a podcast and share your ideas with the world!

Keep calm and solder on.

Keep your personal belongings safe and germ-free.

72

Enterprise

76

Cybersecurity

79

Bits and Bytes

92

Relic

Big business keeps rolling.

It’s a dangerous world out there.

Read all about it!

Old, reliable Windows XP.

www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

PARADE

Realme C12 Smartphone

The third new smartphone from its C-series, the realme C12 brings out the best of all worlds, falling in the middle of the C11 and C15. The realme C12 has a 6.5-inch mini-drop display with HD+ resolution. It has the same powerful MediaTek Helio G35 processor with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage expandable via microSD, and a triple camera setup at the back, the main shooter is a 13-megapixel camera, a dedicated 2-megapixel B&W lens, and a 2-megapixel Macro lens. At the front is a 5-megapixel AI selfie camera. The realme C12 also has a massive 6000 mAh battery that will keep you connected and doing what you love for a long time. The realme C12 comes in two color variants, Marine Blue and Coral Red.

PHP 5,990

Realme Buds Classic Earphones

The realme Buds Classic aims to bring an enhanced audio experience to Filipino music lovers, movie buffs, and mobile gamers. The realme Buds Classic has large 14.2mm bass boost drivers that are sure to deliver uncompromising audio fidelity. The Buds Classic is also made from premium nanoparticle PET materials that realme claims makes the bass deeper and vocals clearer, making it the perfect movie, or music companion.

PHP 590

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OCTOBER 2020

7

Canon ImagePRESS C165 Printer

The Canon ImagePRESS C165, the brand’s latest addition to the ImagePRESS series of color production printers, supports a diverse output and in-house printing with a high productivity output of 65 pages per minute for A4 documents in landscape mode. The ImagePRESS C165 features an internal guide that maintains a uniform paper position, a new technology that controls paper delivery speed. The ImagePRESS C165 is compatible with paper up to 1,300mm long, and thick paper up to 350g/m2. The Multi-Density Adjustment Technology (Multi-DAT) adopted by the ImagePRESS C165 enables it to perform real-time adjustments while printing. The printer also prevents color fluctuations while maintaining productivity, producing high-quality deliverables even when printing in large volumes.

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Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 Smartphone

The second bill to the successful first edition, the Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 takes the concept of a folding phone further. The Galaxy Fold 2 has a larger 6.2-inch front display and a larger 7.6-inch foldable AMOLED display once you open it up. The Galaxy Fold 2 also has a new hideaway hinge with the new CAM technology to allow users to lock the hinge of the phone in any angle. The Galaxy Fold 2 runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865+ processor mated to 12 GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage. The Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 comes in two colorways, Samsung’s new Mystic Bronze and Mystic Black.

PHP 109,990

Samsung S20 FE Smartphone

The Samsung Galaxy S20 FE heeds the requests of the brand’s fans.

The Samsung Galaxy S20 FE has a 6.5-inch FHD Infinity-O display for that immersive screen. The S20 FE takes the new pro-triple camera of the Note 20 and Galaxy Fold 2 to the Galaxy S-series. It has a 12-megapixel main camera, a 12-megapixel wide-angle camera, and an 8-megapixel telephoto camera. Adding to the camera setup is the 32-megapixel front camera. The Samsung Galaxy S20 FE is also powerful thanks to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 processor with up to 8GB of RAM and 256 GB of internal storage, expandable via the microSD slot. Made for the fans, the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE will feature six new color schemes from Samsung including Cloud Navy, Cloud Lavender, Cloud Mint, Cloud Red, Cloud Orange, and Cloud White.

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OCTOBER 2020

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Lenovo Yoga 9i Laptop

The Lenovo Yoga 9i is the newest flagship convertible laptop from Lenovo’s Yoga line. The Yoga 9i has two variants: a 14-inch model that comes with up to Intel’s newest 11th Gen processors with the new graphics from the brand’s Xe architecture, and a bigger 15-inch variant that sports a 10th gen Intel Core-i9 HK processor with an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 Ti Max-Q processor. Both variants are equipped with up to 16GB of DDR4 RAM and up to 2TB of PCIe SSD storage.

Designed to look good, the Yoga 9i comes with either a classy leather cover, or an all-metal design that comes in multiple colors, including warm Mica. The Yoga 9i 14-inch variant has a 14-inch 4K IPS VESA DisplayHDR 400 display with the all metal design weighing just 1.37kg, the 15-inch variant has a 15.6-inch 4K IPS DisplayHDR 400 display and just weighs 2.0kg. All models come with Thunderbolt 4 ports, Wi-Fi 6, and Bluetooth 5.1.

Lenovo Tab M10 HD Gen 2 Tablet

The Lenovo Tab M10 HD Gen 2 is a tablet made for the whole family. The Tab M10 HD Gen 2 is the first Lenovo tablet debuting with Google Kid Space, a new, friendlier and safer space for your child. The Lenovo Tab M10 HD Gen 2 is powered by a 2.3 GHz octa-core processor with either 2GB of RAM and 32 GB of internal storage, or 4GB of RAM with 64GB of internal storage.

The Tab M10 HD Gen 2 also has a separate dock that turns it into a multimedia hub.

PHP 8,990 (2GB + 32GB) PHP 9,990 (4GB + 64GB)

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Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Laptop

The Lenovo ThinkBook Plus was made for millenial and Gen Z workers who want to do more with their devices. The Lenovo ThinkBook Plus has a 10.8-inch e-ink display on the cover that can be sketched on with the dedicated Lenovo Precision Pen and can also display notifications even while closed. Inside is a 13.3-inch FHD display with anti-glare technology, both display feature a Corning Gorilla NBT protection. The Lenovo ThinkBook Plus is powered by an Intel Core i7-10510U processor with 16GB of SODIMM DDR4-2666MHz RAM with up to 512GB of M.2 PCIe NVMe storage.

Lenovo Legion Slim 7i Laptop

The Lenovo Legion Slim 7i is one of the world’s slimmest RTX gaming laptops. Lenovo’s newest flagship gaming laptop, the Lenovo Legion Slim 7i is powered by a 10th gen core i9 HK-processor mated to an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Max-Q. The Lenovo Legion Slim 7i has up to 2 1TB M.2 NVMe SSD internal storage in RAID 0 configuration and up to 32GB of 3200 MHz of DDR4 RAM. The Lenovo Legion Slim 7i is made for both for content creators and gamers thanks to the versatility of the screen configuration, it can have a 15.6-inch 4K VESA HDR10 display with 100 percent Adobe RGB color gamut and 60Hz refresh rate, or a 15.6-inch FHD display with 100 percent sRGB color gamut and 144 Hz refresh rate. All models come with Dolby Vision. The Lenovo Legion Slim 7i comes with the highly successful TrueStrike mechanical keyboard with Corsair iCUE lighting.

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OCTOBER 2020

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Vivo Y30

Smartphone The Vivo Y30 can keep up to all your needs thanks to its powerful processor and an all-day battery. It is powered by an octa-core MediaTek Helio P35 processor with 4GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage expandable via microSD. The Vivo Y30 also has a massive 5000 mAh of battery which can last you a whole day on a single charge. The display of the Vivo Y30 is also big, featuring a 6.47-inch Ultra O screen with an HD+ resolution and a 19.5:9 aspect ratio. It also comes with a triple AI camera at the back featuring a 13-megapixel main camera, a 2-megapixel Super Macro camera, and a 2-megapixel bokeh camera. On the front is the 8-megapixel selfie camera. The Vivo Y30’s design is both elegant and refined, sporting a 3D curved design that fits any hands that grip it. The Vivo Y30 also comes in two gorgeous colors, Dazzle Blue and Moonstone White.

PHP 9,990

Vivo Y20i

Smartphone The newest addition to Vivo’s value-packed Y-series, the Vivo Y20i aims to deliver gaming performance for mobile gamers and yet remain stylish and lightweight. The Vivo Y20i is powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 460 processor with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage expandable via microSD. The Vivo Y20i has a 6.51-inch Halo FullView HD+ IPS display with a 20:9 aspect ratio. The Vivo Y20i has a 5000 mAh battery so you can take it with you for a day and not have to worry about the phone running out of juice. The Vivo Y20i also has a dual AI camera setup at the back with a 13-megapixel main shooter and a 2-megapixel bokeh lens. At the front is the 8-megapixel selfie camera which takes stunning selfie shots. It also incorporates a side-mounted fingerprint scanner for easier but secure locking of your device.

PHP 7,499

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NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Graphics Card

When NVIDIA announced its first generation of ray-tracing graphics cards, it has completely shifted developer’s perspectives on how light is visualized in games. Fast forward a year after the launch of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 20-series, the graphics card giant has launched the second generation of its RTX cards, starting with the RTX 3070—a graphics card that outshines the current flagship RTX 2080 Ti. The RTX 3070 is built with new enhanced ray tracing cores, new tensor cores, new streaming multi-processors, and high-speed G6 memory—it plows through the most demanding games of the current generation.

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Graphics Card

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 stands to be the flagship of the new Ampere graphics card. According to NVIDIA, the RTX 3080 doubles the performance of the current RTX 2080 graphics card. It has 8704 NVIDIA Cuda cores, a base clock speed of 1.44 GHz with a boost clock speed of 1.71 GHz, and 10GB of DDR6 VRAM. It can easily run games at 4K resolution with 120 fps while simultaneously handling a stream, without breaking a sweat.

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 Graphics Card

During the launch of the new Ampere graphics card, NVIDIA noted the need for a new generation of its highly successful graphic beast, the NVIDIA GTX TITAN, a machine that can chew through heavy workloads and gaming—hence the revival of a new beast; the Titan of the Ampere architecture, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 is the most powerful graphics card on the market. As a demonstration to its power, even NVIDIA has nicknamed the device “BFGPU” an homage to the iconic “BFG” from Doom. The RTX 3090 is capable of running games at 8K resolution at 60 fps and blows through any graphical loads that’s thrown at it.

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OCTOBER 2020

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Microsoft Xbox Series X Gaming Console

Microsoft’s next-generation console is almost upon us. The Xbox Series X is Microsoft’s contender in the next-gen console war. It features a custom AMD Zen 2 Processor and custom AMD RDNA 2 graphics that will bring the goodness of Ray Tracing to the world of gaming consoles. The Xbox Series X will feature Microsoft’s Xbox Velocity 1TB NVMe SSD with an extra expansion slot. The SSD will allow the new Xbox to load games much faster so players can enjoy playing without the annoying load screens. The Xbox Series X can also run games at 4K resolution up to 120 fps. The Xbox Series X also allows media playback at 4K UHD resolution.

Microsoft Xbox Series S Gaming Console

The Xbox Series S is the digital only model of Microsoft’s next generation gaming console. It has a smaller form-factor than the Series X, but offers the same next gen performance. It has the custom 512GB Xbox Velocity NVMe SSD for faster game loads, and can run games at 1440p at 120 fps. It offers the same Ray Tracing technology found in the Xbox Series X. It has 4K media playback capabilities, 4K-streaming capabilities, and 4K upscaling for games. All that just minus the optical disc player.

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PlayStation 5

Gaming Console Sony’s highly anticipated next-generation console is finally around the corner. The PlayStation 5 is the fifth iteration of Sony’s highly successful gaming console. It’s powered by a custom AMD Zen 2 processor mated to a custom AMD RDNA2 graphics which will deliver Ray Tracing to the console. Additionally, the PlayStation 5 can run games in 4K resolution at 120 fps. The PlayStation 5 will also feature SSD storage to load games faster than ever. Another upgrade is on the console’s controllers itself. The new DualSense controllers will feature haptic feedback which Sony claims adds to the immersion when playing on the console.

PlayStation 5 Digital Edition Gaming Console

Sony is also releasing a digital-only variant of the PlayStation 5– meet the PlayStation 5 Digital Edition. The PlayStation 5 Digital Edition has the same custom AMD Zen 2 processor and the same AMD RDNA 2 graphics onboard. It runs on the same SSD and can run games at 4K at 120 fps. The only difference between the standard is the digital edition is the lack of an optical Blu-Ray UHD drive to read and play a physical disc. However, Sony PlayStation fans can still access all the upcoming releases to the console via the PS Store.

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OCTOBER 2020

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MiLi PhonePure

UV-C Sterilizing Pouch Our smartphone is one of the most frequently handled items and it can have 18 times more bacteria than a toilet. With the ongoing pandemic, we need to be sure that our personal items are safely disinfected, and MiLi has recently introduced PhonePure, a UV-C sterilizing pouch that can keep our small essentials virus-free. The sterilization pouch has 8 main touch points that ensure optimal radiation disinfection dosage for any device or item size. With the use of UV-C technology, the PhonePure effectively deactivates and kills bacteria and viruses at the DNA / RNA level. The pouch itself is lined with a PEVA reflective lining that reflects the UVC light all around the interior, providing 360-degree coverage without leakage. It takes as little as 5 minutes for the full disinfecting procedure.

PHP 850

Xiaomi POCO X3 NFC Smartphone

Xiaomi has once again released a bang-for-the-buck mid-range smartphone in the form of the POCO X3 NFC. It is powered by the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 732G processor mated to an Adreno 618 GPU. The POCO X3 NFC has 6GB of RAM with up to 128GB of internal storage expandable via microSD slot. The POCO X3 NFC has a 6.67-inch FHD+ LCD DotDisplay with a 120 Hz refresh rate and 240 Hz touch sampling rate. The phone will also last you the whole day with its 5160 mAh battery that supports 33W fast charging. At the back is a quad-camera setup with a 64-megapixel main shooter, a 13-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera, a 2-megapixel macro camera, and a 2-megapixel depth sensor. At the front is the 20-megapixel AI selfie camera. As the name implies the POCO X3 NFC has an NFC connection that supports Google Pay. The POCO X3 NFC is available in two colors, Cobalt Blue and Shadow Gray.

PHP 10,990 (6GB + 64 GB) PHP 12,990 (6GB + 128GB)

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Pioneer DJ CDJ-3000

Professional DJ multi player The Pioneer DJ CDJ-3000 is Pioneer DJ’s new flagship multi-player. The CDJ-3000 is the most advanced player the brand has made so far. It features a new advanced Micro Processing Unit and boasts new specially developed high-quality components.

The Pioneer DJ CDJ-3000 also features a new lager 9-inch touch screen to help you access your collection easier and faster.

Pioneer has also made the jog wheels on CDJ-3000 the smoothest on their line-up. Make your DJ-ing dreams come to life with the CDJ-3000.

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OCTOBER 2020

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Apple iPad Air 2020 Tablet

Apple has once again changed the tablet game, launching the new iPad Air with a new design and a new, powerful processor. The fourth generation iPad Air is powered by the new A14 bionic chip which Apple claims to have 40 percent faster CPU performance compared to the previous generation processor, and 30 percent faster graphics than the previous generation, this allows the iPad Air to shoot and edit 4K videos right on the device. The new iPad Air also supports the second-generation Apple Pencil and the new Apple Magic keyboard. The iPad Air has 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display with a 2360 x 1640 resolution. The iPad Air 4th gen has two storage capacity options, a 64GB and 256 GB variant and is available in five different color finish: Silver, Space Gray, Rose Gold, Green, and Sky Blue

PHP 33,990 (64GB WiFi only) PHP 41,990 (G4GB WiFi + Cellular) PHP 42,990 (256GB WiFi only) PHP 50,990 (256GB WiFi + Cellular)

Apple Watch 6 Smartwatch

The Apple Watch Series 6 is the sixth iteration of Apple’s highly successful smart wearable. The Apple Watch 6 offers a new Blood Oxygen Sensor (SpO2) which monitors your blood oxygen level 24/7. The Apple Watch 6 also has a new always-on display and a new and faster processor. The Apple Watch 6 also runs on the new WatchOS 7 UI. Apple will also be releasing a PRODUCT (RED) color variant as well as a new Blue color variant for the new Apple Watch. Apple has also released new straps for the Apple Watch 6 including a braided strap for the sporty and stylish.

From PHP 22,990

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GADGETS LAB

OPPO Enco W31 Reviewed by Maribelle Alba

There’s been a slew of wireless earphones launched by different brands recently, and with all the online meetings and webinars that we’ve had to attend these days, I’m sure people are looking for that perfect pair that offers great performance at a reasonable price point. Let’s see how the Oppo Enco W31 stacks up.

DESIGN

USER EXPERIENCE

The Enco W31 is housed in a hard plastic case that looks like a large round pill. With the clamshell case open, you find the two earphones nestled in their individual grooves, to which they are magnetically attached, so there’s no worry about their falling out accidentally. At the back, below the hinge is a USB-C port for charging.

The one problem I have with the Enco W31 is that the case is quite slippery hard to open because of the strong magnet keeping it closed, and it’s slipped out of my hands a few times. I worry that one of these days, the case will take a hard fall and crack like an egg.

Each earphone itself is a nice ovoid shape with a small vertical strip containing the charging connectors. Thanks to extra eartips in the box, you can choose the one that gives you the best fit. The earphones are IP54-rated for dust and water-splash resistance, so they’re good for most activities.

HARDWARE With Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity, the Enco W31 claims to have achieved one of the lowest latency in wireless headsets, thanks to simultaneous transmission to both earphones.

Each earbud also has its own built-in microphone with an anti-wind noise chamber for improved voice call clarity. Infrared sensors detect whether you’re wearing the headphones, automatically connect to the paired device, and play/pause your audio.

Intelligent touch controls located on each bud let you control its functions. For example, a double tap on the left let’s you toggle between Balanced and Bass mode; a double tap on the right moves to the next song; a triple tap on either side activates Siri (or your phone’s voice assistant).

Rechargeable lithium-ion batteries power the Enco W31, with 25mAh on each earphone capable of delivering 3.5 hours of use. The charging case has a 350mAh battery that can deliver 15 hours of use on single charge.

Charging time is about 2.5 hours.

One of the best things I like about the Enco W31 is that instead of having a primary and secondary headphone, the transmission is simultaneous to both ears without any lag or other glitches. Unless I want to immerse myself in a particular Spotify playlist, I usually like to use just one earbud, and the Enco W31 is one of the very few headsets I’ve used that lets me just take out either earbud without being disconnected.

I usually fall asleep wearing earphones and, with some, I end up with painful ears in the morning. The Enco W31 does not fall in this category as its in-ear fit and flat surface means you can actually comfortably sleep on your side wearing these earphones and not feel any pressure.

Most importantly, let’s talk audio quality. I personally prefer the Balanced mode on this pair, with good clarity across the highs, mids, and lows. Bass mode pumps up the volume and heavy rhythms for those looking for that more dynamic sound. Audiophiles may find separation a bit wanting, but as an all-around audio peripheral for smartphone use, the Enco W31 is a great all-around performer.

Specifications: Driver: 7mm dynamic driver Driver sensitivity: 95db @ 1kHz Frequency response range: -38 dBV/Pa Bluetooth version: BT 5.0 Wireless range: 10m Battery type: Rechargeable lithium-ion battery Battery capacity: 25mAh (headphones), 350mAh (charging case) Music play time (50% volume): 3.5h (single charge), 15h (with charging case) Charging time: 2.5h (with charging case) Charging port: USB-C Dust and water resistance: IP54 Weight: 50g What’s Hot: - You can use just one or both headphones - Quick connection - Automatic wearing detection - Comfortable fit What’s Not: - Slippery case

VALUE The Enco W31 is listed at a discounted PHP 2,990 at the official Oppo store on Lazada, marked down from the PHP 3,990 suggested retail price. This is surprisingly reasonable, considering its specifications and performance which you’d expect from more premium models.

Bottomline Highly recommended!

Lenovo Legion Tower 5i Reviewed by Gabriel Pe

I have been using a budget gaming laptop for the last couple of years, and while it does have some benefits such as portability, gaming on a budget laptop doesn’t match the quality of gaming on a dedicated gaming rig. The Lenovo Legion Tower 5i is Lenovo’s new gaming station and after playing with it, it’s definitely on my Christmas list.

DESIGN The Lenovo Legion Tower 5i features a mid-size casing. The size of the unit itself isn’t that big nor is it bulky, so you can easily fit it to your workspace.

But it’s important to note that the unit itself is a mid-sized rig and won’t fit in a laptop space so you’d also want to check first. Moving the unit around isn’t much of a problem since it was not too heavy, and the added handle on the top of the device really helps in mobility.

On to the looks itself. The Lenovo Legion Tower 5i has a pretty toned-down look for a gaming rig. It has the Lenovo Legion logo on the front of the case which you can light up via the Lenovo Vantage software. The unit we had only had a cyan light and it was only on the logo, so RGB lovers out there, sorry to disappoint.

Additionally, the sides of the desktop only had metal sliders as you would find in regular cases. I actually hope that they would have a model variant that has a tempered glass panel on the side and some internal RGB just to fully bring out the gamer aesthetic.

Despite my ramblings, I actually have no qualms about the look for the device. It’s simple and fits most desk aesthetics.

HARDWARE The Lenovo Legion Tower 5i is no slouch in the hardware department, it has the latest Intel Core i510400F processor mated to an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Super. Our demo unit had 16 GB of DDR4-2933 MHz of RAM with 512GB of NVMe M.2 SSD and 1TB of 7200 RPM HDD storage. The Lenovo Legion Tower 5i also offers great connectivity having fast Wi-Fi 6 (11ax), Bluetooth 5.0, and a lot of I/O ports at the top and back.

Open the rig and you see the usual setup, the motherboard with the stock CPU cooler, the Nvidia Geforce GTX 1660 Super GPU, the 400W PSU, as well as the massive fans. There was only a single PCIe slot on the motherboard which might limit future expandability to just the Video Card.

USER EXPERIENCE To be honest, the Lenovo Legion Tower 5i is almost perfect. It can run demanding triple-A games at 20

OCTOBER 2020

an average of 60 fps. You can stream on it, with the games running a smooth 60 fps. And you can definitely do some light to moderately heavy editing on it.

Since the Legion T5i is made for gaming, I decided to test some games on it. Lighter esports titles such DOTA 2 and Valorant yielded over 150 fps. games such as NBA 2K20 and Call of Duty: Warzone ran around the 80 to 100 fps mark. Lastly, graphically demanding games such as Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey, Control, and Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Breakpoint ran in the circle of 50 to 80 fps all in ultra settings. What more can you ask for?

When it comes to benchmarks, the Legion T5i scored an average of 5817 points in PCMark 10 with 9020 points for essentials, 7677 for productivity, and 7716 for digital content creations.

As for 3DMark’s Time Spy benchmark, it scored 5994 points average with the Intel CPU scoring 7083 points the GTX 1660 Super churning out 5836. Both pretty much around the expectation for the specs it carries.

I was thoroughly impressed with the Legion T5i, especially on the acoustics and thermal department. All throughout my time with it, the device never did reach the heat level when it will thermal throttle. The fans also didn’t produce any audible noise during testing. Just note that I tested the T5i on Lenovo Vantage’s Balanced thermal mode, so I wasn’t pushing the fans all out.

pre-built rig is also the right choice, such as the after-sales support and the almost non-existent troubleshooting you’ll need compared when building your own. With that being said, the Lenovo Legion Tower 5i is a definite option if you’re finding that gaming you so desperately want.

Specifications: Processor: Intel Core i5-10400F GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Super Memory: 2 x 8GB DIMM DDR4 -2933 Hz Internal Storage: 512GB M.2 2280 NVMe SSD + 1TB 7200 RPM 3.5-inch HDD System Fan: 1x Front, 1x Rear Cooling Fan: 65W Connection: Wi-Fi: 11ax; Ethernet: Integrated 100/1000M; Bluetooth: 5.0 Power Supply: 400W Energy Star OS: Windows 10 Home What’s Hot: - 10th Gen Core i5 processor - NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Super graphics - Handle built-in the case What’s Not: - Minimal upgradability options in the future - Only two fans

As a casual gamer, the specs of the Lenovo Legion T5i will suit you for most of the things you need.

The Intel Core i5-10400F was just right for gaming and some light streaming. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Super was also great for gaming at high resolution with decent FPS numbers.

I had a lot of fun with the Legion T5i. Spending a week with the unit, it has reignited my desire for my own personal desktop because of its power and versatility.

VALUE Judging the T5i based on its value was tough on me. As someone working on his own gaming rig, the price of the Legion Tower 5i is a bit too much compared on building individual parts.

But there are a lot of reasons why buying a

Bottomline The Lenovo Legion Tower 5i is a great prebuilt battle station for budding content makers and gamers. www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

Vivo X50 Pro Reviewed by Gabriel Pe

The Vivo X50 is a game-changer in the smartphone camera game. The base X50 showed that I could tangle with the best in the market despite lacking the best feature of the series, the gimbal camera system. The X50 Pro, on the other hand, is out to change the smartphone camera market, but does it deliver?

DESIGN The Vivo X50 Pro is the most luxurious-feeling smartphone from VIvo that I have tested. The Vivo X50 Pro has a single color variant in the country, Alpha Grey. The back looks like frosted glass which not only looks good, but also pretty good at hiding fingerprints.

It has a 6.56-inch curved AMOLED display with an FHD+ resolution. The front facing camera is on the upper left side of the screen which is great when playing games on this phone. At the side of the phone is the volume rocker and the power button.

At the bottom is the sim card tray, the USB Type C port, and the downward firing speaker. At the back is the phone’s trump card the quad-camera setup with the 48-megapixel main camera with the gimbal stabilizier.

The Vivo X50 Pro is also one of the thinnest phones I have tried, coming in at just 8.04mm thin and just 181.5g. Pretty good considering the features it packs inside.

HARDWARE The Vivo X50 Pro packs a punch. It is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 765 processor with an Adreno 620 GPU. The X50 Pro has 8GB of RAM with 256GB of internal storage. Like the X50, the Vivo X50 Pro doesn’t have expandable memory which is too bad since you’ll want to take a lot of pictures with it.

The highlight of the Vivo X50 Pro is its camera setup. The main rear camera is a 48-megapixel f/1.6 lens with the brand’s “gimbal-like” image stabilizer. The secondary camera is a 13-megapixel f/2.46 portrait lens, an 8-megapixel ultrawide angle lens, and an 8-megapixel periscope telephoto with 5x optical zoom. At the front is a 32-megapixel front camera which also capture great selfies.

Aside from the cameras the X50 Pro also has Vivo’s Flashcharge 2.0 fast charging which charges the device from 10 percent to 50 percent in just 30 minutes and full in just over an hour.

USER EXPERIENCE I’ve already tried the Vivo X50 in the previous month, and like I’ve said it is one of the best

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camera-centric smartphones. The X50 Pro has taken this a step further with its 48-megapixel camera with the gimbal stabilizer. Playing with the X50 Pro’s camera was by far one of the most fun time I had.

In terms of photos, the Vivo X50 Pro captured great images in outdoor settings with particularly good lighting. When indoors, I found that it was just a bit lackluster compared to my expectations, then again these were high in the first place. Using the phone’s 60x HyperZoom, I found that it was a bit clearer than most digital zoom photos thanks to the phone’s stabilization. The X50 Pro also had a lot of features which leverages the stabilizer such as a much better night mode photography, astrophotography while handheld, and so much more.

In terms of video, the Vivo X50 Pro, well, all I can say is that you need to try it to believe it.

Compared to the base X50, the gimbal does give a slightly better stabilization, but it’s not as much as I initially thought. Still the videos came out so smooth that if you didn’t know better you might have though it was the work of professional equipment. Like the X50, I absolutely loved the SmartZoom feature to chase my cat around home and offer movie-like videos.

As for the phone’s performance, the Snapdragon 765 got the job done. It can run heavy games such as Call of Duty: Mobile, PUBG:Mobile and Asphalt 9. During my time it didn’t really heat up when gaming. Downtime is almost non-existent with the X50 Pro thanks to the FlashCharge 2.0 fast charging. The phone just needed an hour and a half to get back to full juice.

definitely see the Vivo X50 Pro as one of the flagships you should consider if you’re in the market for a new phone.

Specifications: Display: 6.56-inch AMOLED Display, FHD+ (2376 x 1080) resolution, and 90Hz refresh rate Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 765 Graphics: Adreno 620 Memory: 8 GB Storage: 256 GB UFS 2.1 Camera: Rear: 48-megapixel main camera, 8-megapixel periscope telephoto lens Connection: NFC, WiFi, Bluetooth 5.1, USB Type-C 1.0 Battery: 4315 mAh, Vivo FlashCharge 33W fast charging

What’s Hot: - Gimbal Camera system - 90Hz refresh rate screen - Vivo FlashCharge 2.0 - SmartZoom movie recording

What’s Not: - A bit pricey - Bottomfiring speaker

The phone itself was pretty good, but there are still a few things that could have made it even better, such as stereo speakers, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 processor over the 765 (Vivo should have also brought in the X50 Pro+) and expandable memory, since you’ll definitely want to spend a lot of time shooting with the phone.

VALUE The Vivo X50 Pro is a premium device that justifies the slightly premium price. The ton of new features and one of a kind camera, I

Bottomline A definite game-changer in the smartphone camera market.

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Realme 7 Reviewed by Ren Alcantara

Smartphone manufacturers haven’t slowed down in producing devices that give exceptional value for money. Of those manufacturers, realme continues to stand out by continuously delivering phones that give exactly what users want, without unnecessary extras that inflate the price. It’s a winning strategy that has served them well, and continues with the latest in their stable, the realme 7.

DESIGN

USER EXPERIENCE

VALUE

The realme 7 is a phone that looks much more premium than its price tier might make you believe. The front of the device is dominated by a large 6.5.-inch IPS display with pleasantly thin bezels, and a slight chin at the bottom. To cut production costs, the glass is flat (which I vastly prefer for greater usability), and the display has a small punch-hole camera at the top left corner.

Coming off the success of the previous realme 6 series of devices, I had quite high hopes for this device. Cosmetically, the more toned-down bluegray sheen of the back is extremely pleasing, as is the little asymmetrical band they put on there.

It’s smooth, with the slightest bit of texture, and while you’ll probably want to put in in a case to protect the prominent camera bump, you’re going to have second thoughts thanks to that nice, if slippery, finish they gave the phone.

With a sticker price of PHP 14,990 for the 8GB RAM + 128GB storage version, this is a steal if I ever saw one. In choosing the correct things to focus on, compromise with, and balance, we have a phone that does the important things well, and doesn’t sweat the admittedly fancier, but otherwise “extra” features. A winner all around, unless maybe you’re the other brands.

The edges of the device are populated with the SIM card tray and volume buttons on the left, the power button with integrated fingerprint scanner on the right, and the speakers, headphone jack, and USB-C port at the bottom. All the edges are nicely rounded, but quite slippery thanks to the fine matte surface treatment that wraps around the rear and sides.

The back of the phone has a curious, almost iridescent sheen to it, and is broken up by a band that spans the last sixth of the rear, cutting through the camera module. The camera cluster houses four lenses and the flash in a rounded rectangular bump that sticks out quite significantly from the rest of the phone’s back. Aside from that, there’s just a bit of subtle branding at the bottom left corner, just so you don’t forget.

HARDWARE Making the realme 7 tick is a Mediatek Helio G95—one of the new SoCs from the manufacturer that’s designed for higher-end 4G gaming devices. It’s a great choice that delivers great performance, without breaking the bank, so it’s no surprise that realme went this route. This is backed by 8GB of RAM, and the equally fast Mali-G67 MC4 GPU. this is a great combination of CPU and GPU that clearly has a slant towards gaming. To further push the gaming agenda, Realme has included a 90 Hz display, for smoother-than-average visuals. 128GB of storage rounds the whole package out nicely.

Another ace up realme’s sleeve is super-fast 30W charging for its already large 5000 mAh internal battery. More on that later.

The brand didn’t skimp on the camera, choosing to go with 4 snappers, the primary one having a 64 MP sensor, with 8 MP and two 2 MP sensors for ultra-wide, macro and depth. The camera can also record video in 4K at 30 FPS, and 1080 at up to 60 FPS. The front camera is a 16 MP affair, and can shoot 1080 video at up to 120 FPS. Not bad.

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Waking the phone from sleep is impressively fast with the fingerprint scanner under the power button. In fact, the fingerprint recognition was so fast, the phone would unlock the moment my finger hit the button, completely removing the need to give it a press. Once awake, the phone is fast, scrolling through my endless list of apps with no trouble at all, and launching each at a pace that gave my personal flagship device reason to be a little concerned.

Call of Duty: Mobile played flawlessly. While I’m far from pro-level, I’m decently good to the point that even minor stutters are more than a small annoyance. After 90 minutes, the phone did get expectedly warm, but unless I kept my whole palm flat on the back of the phone, it wasn’t hot enough to be uncomfortable.

To test the 90 Hz refresh rate on the display, I loaded a familiar, compatible title, Alto’s Adventure, and had my wife play. Even as an observer, I noticed that the game was actually smoother, and my wife agreed. Frames win games, and now, you can get that advantage on your phone.

With all the playing I did and just the factory charge to run on, I eventually managed to drain the battery pretty low. From a totally flat battery and a dead phone, I plugged in, and timed 30 minutes. Once that time was up, I booted up again, and saw that the phone had managed to get a 62 percent charge. Very impressive.

As for the camera, outdoors in bright light was no challenge for the Sony sensor that is the heart of the system. Photos are a step up from the previous incarnation of the phone, with more vivid colors, and just a bit more detail.

Low light performance was equally impressive.

With little detail lost even when zoomed into an indoor shot of a backlit keyboard, in poor light.

The camera and software balanced the bright and dark areas nicely, without muddying up the image, or blowing out brighter spots. Again, very impressive.

Specifications: Dimensions: 6.39 x 2.97 x 0.37 in Weight: 196.5h Display: 6.5 inches, 1080 x 2400 pixels, approx 405 PPI density, 90Hz refresh rate Chipset: Mediatek Helio G95 (12 nm) CPU: Octa-core (2x2.05 GHz Cortex-A76 & 6x2.0 GHz Cortex-A55) GPU: Mali-G76 MC4 Memory: 8GB RAM, 128GB storage Cameras: 64 MP, f/1.8, 26mm (wide),8 MP 16mm (ultrawide), 2 MP, f/2.4, (macro) 2 MP, f/2.4, (depth), 16 MP wide front.

Connectivity: 4g LTE, WLAN, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band Bluetooth: 5.0, A2DP, LE Battery: 5000 mAh, fast 30W charging What’s Hot: - GREAT value - Large, 90 Hz display - Capable Helio G95 SoC What’s Not: - Large overall footprint - Slippery finish

Bottomline Realme has done it again, strengthening their position as a great value brand.

www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

Xiaomi Poco X3 Reviewed by Ren Alcantara

Xiaomi’s Poco sub-brand of devices has always been about superb value. From the first hit in the F1, they’ve managed to create phones that deliver what users want, while managing to keep the price reasonable. In an increasingly value-oriented market, have they managed to make another hit in the X3?

DESIGN

USER EXPERIENCE

The X3 is solid. The front is home to the large 6.67-inch IPS display, with a small punch-hole camera at the 12 o’clock position. The screen is flat, to maximize the viewing area and minimize cost, but melts nicely into a thin bezel, and rounded sides. The right edge of the phone is where all the buttons are located, with the raised volume controls conveniently positioned above the recessed power button and its integrated fingerprint scanner. The opposite side houses the SIM card tray, while the bottom edge has the 3.5mm jack, USB-C port, and speaker. There’s also a speaker grille hidden discreetly above the top bezel of the device.

The Poco X3 is a phone that I’d been excited about for a while because of the value it brings to the table. I was eager to see what it was capable of, particularly faced with rather stiff competition from other value-oriented brands.

Once it was in my hands, I was impressed with how the device looks. It’s understated, but has enough personality to it to avoid looking like every other smartphone there, thanks to that interesting camera module, and what I will now call a racing stripe down the center back. The shimmery Poco logo might be a little much for some, but for the most part, it stays quite subdued, really only visible when the phone is moved around to catch the light.

The back is mirror-smooth to the touch, but visually textured in a soft blue-gray. There’s also an iridescent POCO logo at the bottom, inside what could be called a racing stripe that runs along the center length of the rear. At the top is the camera module that sits in a raised rounded rectangular bump that gives it a vaguely sci-fi feel, which I actually really like. It’s a very prominent bump though, so you might want to use the included plastic case to keep it safe.

HARDWARE The star of the show is that large, gorgeous screen. At 6.6 inches, this IPS LCD affair is a lot to work with. Being skewed towards gaming, on top of being large, having a tight 395 ppi pixel density, and vivid colors, the screen also features a 120Hz refresh rate for supported apps. It’s also protected by Gorilla Glass 5, just in case.

In charge of running the show is the excellent Snapdragon 732G with an octa-core processor running at a max speed of 23 GHz, and the Adreno 618 GPU, which together with 6GB of RAM delivers very compelling performance in its class. The phone comes with 64GB of expandable storage, though if you want to use a microSD card, you’ll have to give up the second SIM slot, as it’s shared.

The main camera module located on the back features 64-, 13-, and 2 2-MP sensors for all your imaging needs. The front snapper has a single 20-MP, wide-angle sensor at the top center of the phone. www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

After admiring the phone for a good few minutes (they went by pretty fast, to be honest) I decided to get to the meat of it. After booting, loading my programs, and getting my biometrics in, it was time to put the phone through its paces. The fingerprint scanner integrated into the power button was pleasantly quick, with only an almost imperceptible beat between my thumb touching the sensor, and the device unlocking.

The next thing I loved about the phone was the screen. It’s properly huge. I watch a lot of videos on my phone, and it’s hard not to get spoilt by this. The sharp 395 PPI doesn’t hurt either. It also has stereo speakers on the front, so if you have the luxury of listening without headphones, these will gladly oblige. A quick thing to note though, is that since the bottom speaker fires from the bottom edge of the phone, holding the phone in landscape mode can cause it to get covered by your hand. Not a super big deal, but it’s something to consider.

On to gaming. I loaded the ever-reliable Call of Duty Mobile. Bumped up to the maximum frame rate of 60 FPS, the second to the highest graphics quality (you can’t max both out at this point), and the game ran smooth as butter. The top of the phone, where the camera is, did get a little warm after two matches, but it stated at that level throughout the rest of my playing, well below a point I would call uncomfortable.

The phone does get perilously slippery though, and without a case to provide a little extra grip,

you run the risk of dropping quite a nice-looking phone if the action picks up.

VALUE This is among the phones with the best value you can get your hands on this year. With sticker price of PHP 10,990 for the 64 GB model, you’re going to be hard-pressed to find a device that offers this performance (and a 120 Hz screen!) in its class.

Specifications: Dimensions: 6.51 x 3.02 x 0.37 in Connectivity: WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot Bluetooth: 5.1, A2DP, LE, GSM / HSPA / LTE Display: 6.67 inches, 1080 x 2400 pixels, 120 Hz refresh rate Chipset: Qualcomm SM7150-AC Snapdragon 732G CPU: Octa-core (2x2.3 GHz Kryo 470 Gold & 6x1.8 GHz Kryo 470 Silver) GPU: Adreno 618 Card slot: microSDXC (uses shared SIM slot) Internal : 64GB 6GB RAM, 128GB 6GB RAM Cameras: 64 MP, f/1.9, (wide), 1/1.73”, 0.8µm, PDAF, 13 MP, f/2.2, 119˚ (ultrawide), 1.0µm, 2MP, f/2.4, (macro), 2 MP, f/2.4, (depth); Front: 20 MP, f/2.2, (wide), 1/3.4”, 0.8µm Battery: 5160 mAh What’s Hot: - Tremendous value - 120Hz display - Eye-catching design What’s Not: - Camera bump might get in the way

Bottomline Looking for a gaming phone that isn’t going to sap you dry? This might just be it.

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Samsung TU8000 Crystal UHD TV Reviewed by Maribelle Alba

Large-screen, smart, UHD TVs are now more the norm than cutting-edge, and prices have dropped to more affordable levels. At the same time, while we’re cooped up at home and spending more time staring at our TV screens, a lot of us might be thinking we deserve a better viewing experience.

Let’s check out the 55-inch variant of the 2020 Samsung TU800 Crystal UHD TV range.

DESIGN Right out of the box, the Samsung TU8000 Crystal TV is a slim frame with what they call a 3-side bezelless design. Because of its dimensions, setting it up is a two-man job, but the unit itself is actually not very heavy at around 14kg. You also don’t need any tools to install the feet as you just slot these into the appropriate notches at the bottom the the unit, and you’re good to go.

Neatniks will love the clean cable solution, as there are grooves at the back where you can run the various connecting wires along with the power cord and clip all these neatly together to one of the legs, so there are no unsightly wires all tangled up behind the screen.

Although slim and made mostly of plastic materials, the Samsung Crystal TV looks sturdy and well-built.

HARDWARE At the heart of this TV is a Crystal Processor 4K chip, an ultrafast processor that upscales images for ultrahigh definition viewing. The processor optimizes high contrast ratio and faithful color rendition.

Clustered toward one side at the back are the ports for three HDMI and two USB 2.0, as well as inputs for an RF antenna, RCA composite, analog audio, digital audio out, and the ethernet port. It is also equipped with WiFI and Bluetooth connectivity.

It has a 20W stereo speaker system.

The TM2050A smart remote control unit that comes with the Crystal TV is a slim curved wand with a simplified, intuitive design.

USER EXPERIENCE As with any gadget, you will need to set up and configure the Samsung Crystal TV to fully enjoy all its features. First, you need to sign into your Samsung account, install network settings (whether via WiFi or WLAN), and so on. The Bixby Voice Assistant also asks you to read out certain lines so it can set up your voice profile. You can then just press the mic button on the remote and say “Open Netflix” to watch a movie.

Complementing the smart remote controller, you access everything on the Smart Hub, which 24

OCTOBER 2020

appears as a band at the bottom of the screen with all the apps and settings you need. As an Apple user, I really appreciated that the Samsung Cystal TV had Apple TV and Apple AirPlay built-in as these are features not commonly found in other smart Android-based TVs. I wish I had a Samsung phone, though, so I could enjoy features like Tap View where you can connect your phone to the TV by just tapping it lightly on the bezel.

Now for the most important question: What about picture quality and the overall viewing experience?

Without hesitation, I would say that this model truly deserves its Crystal UHD TV product description.

Images are crisp and clear with excellent contrast and great definition. There are no fuzzy edges, no washed-out colors, no pixelation whatsoever. In fact, I cast my 14-inch laptop screen on the 55-inch display and got excellent rendering, without the blurring and pixelation, so you could actually use it as a desktop monitor or a second screen.

I also love the fact that the screen is almost a matte finish so there’s hardly any glare or reflection from surrounding light sources, and you can just immerse yourself in the visual experience.

Because the Crystal TV was installed in a location that I normally used as the backdrop for my weekly newscast, I thought I’d set up ambient mode and use it as my temporary backdrop. Choosing a single color image did not quite work as I noticed a rolling effect on the screen. However, using a photo image worked perfectly. Ambient mode is a great feature for those who want to use the TV screen to add design touches to the room as you can display your family pictures or art work images when not watching TV.

and features packed into the package, so better hurry and catch the deal while it’s on offer.

Specifications: Screen Size: 55” Resolution: 3840 x 2160 Picture Engine: 4K Crystal Processor Motion Rate: 120+ Picture Quality Index: 2100 Audio: Dolby Digital+ Speakers: 20W Operating System: Tizen Connectivity: 3 HDMI, 2 USB, 1 AV, Ethernet, 1 Optical, 1 RF In, WiFi 5 (802.11ac), Bluetooth 4.2 Power: AC100-240V 50/60Hz, 145W Dimensions (WxHxD): 1230.5 x 707.2 x 59.9mm (w/o stand) • 1230.5 x 783.3 x 250.2mm (w/ stand) Weight: 13.9kg (w/o stand) • 14.2kg (w/ stand) Remote controller model: TM2050A What’s Hot: - Ambient mode - Beautifully-rendered 4K images - Built-in Apple compatibility What’s Not: - Voice assistant is very basic - Sound quality needs improvement

To really enjoy the Samsung Crystal TV, I think a soundbar or external speakers are needed for the heart-thumping bass and surround sound effects that the built-in 20W speakers don’t deliver. Audio quality is all right, but could be enhanced.

VALUE When I saw the retail price of my 55-inch test unit, I nearly fell off my seat! It’s listed at a very reasonable PHP 41,999. If, however, you want to get the best deal, it’s going for an unbeatable PHP 31,999 net cash price—truly value for money considering the premium specifications

Bottomline A great choice if you’re looking for an entertainment center upgrade, now that everyone’s spending more time at home. www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

It begins with an idea Every great thing starts with an idea. Whether it’s your next big project, a huge creative collaboration, or something that breaks free from the norm, it starts with something that’s inside you. It’s that spark that can then be brought to life in ways that only you can, with the tools that you have. When it comes to bringing these great ideas to life, you need more than just the ordinary. Lenovo knows this, and it has created the IdeaPad Slim 5, Slim 5i, Flex 5, and Flex 5i (“i” is for Intel) to meet all your creative needs.

The IdeaPad Flex 5 and Flex 5i offer just that: flexibility. Whether it’s putting the words into your next literary masterpiece, crushing that report, or bringing your art to life, the Flex 5 and Flex 5i are there to give you the freedom you need. With thin bezels around a gorgeous 14-inch FHD display, the Flex series gives you an uninterrupted window to your creativity.

Should you need more room for your art, the display folds all the way around, thanks to a 360-degree hinge, for use with a digital pen to breathe life to your most vivid ideas, take notes, consume text, or mark documents up.

Up to either an 11th Gen Intel Core i7 with MX 450 discrete graphics or an AMD Ryzen 7 4700U means you have all the muscle you need to see your vision come to life. Even after your work is done, its 12 hours of battery

life means you’ll have enough juice left to kick back and enjoy a show or five.

To push your creativity further, Lenovo preinstalled the IdeaPad Slim 5 and 5i and IdeaPad Flex 5 and 5i with Microsoft Office 2019 that’s good for life with all the features available. Create stunning presentations, let your creative juices flow and take the world by storm with your literary prowess, or finish several worksheets and reports with ease while working or studying from home.

The IdeaPad Slim 5 and 5i are machines built with a keen eye to detail, for devices that feel every bit as good as they perform. Extras such as a USB-C power delivery port for convenient charging of your other devices and up to 17 hours of battery life for the 5i provide you all the power you need and more. Work, play, or do both at once, the IdeaPad Slim 5 and 5i have you covered. Versatile and ready to take on any task you throw at it, these devices offer up to either a 10th Gen Intel Core i7 or AMD Ryzen 7 4800U with up to 16GB of memory, and a large 15.6-inch display so you don’t miss any details. Once you’ve crushed your productivity goals, you can kick back with the massive screen, or get your game on with up to NVIDIA MX450 discrete graphics.

Both sets of devices have fast SSD storage (plus a 1TB HDD for the Slim 5 devices), 2 hours of battery life on 15 minutes of charging, and a

simple but effective privacy shutter, so you don’t have to worry about your webcam. Security is increased even more thanks to a built-in fingerprint scanner on select models, so you can keep your personal projects personal.

Of course, turning ideas into reality can lead to wear and tear damage over time. Lenovo bundled the IdeaPad Slim 5 and 5i and IdeaPad Flex 5 and 5i with its exceptional 3-Year Premium Care Warranty solution. The Premium Care warranty gives you direct access to Lenovo engineers who can also personally visit your premises on the next business day if the need arises. The experts can also guide you on the basics of troubleshooting your devices, and can even provide an annual PC Health Check.

With its presence in over 180 markets worldwide, Lenovo’s portfolio of strong, diversified businesses positions it well to lead in and enable Services-led transformation through Smarter Technology for All. It will continue to invest in the future technologies that will shape tomorrow and enable more people and businesses to unlock their potential.

You need a device that keeps up with your different passions and lets you live your most creative life. Why settle for anything less?

Contact any Lenovo authorized resellers to get your hands on an IdeaPad: http://lenovoph.com/authorizedresellers

COVER STORY

W

e’re in a world of unparalleled creation. With the tools, technology and time to make things, there’s no reason not to give it a try! In this month’s CoverSTory, we take a look at a few things you can do on your own to try to surf this wave of making things. Go out there and make something great!

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OCTOBER 2020

27

Words by Ren Alcantara

W

e did a quick article on home recording a few months back, but with the continuation of social distancing, more and more people are getting into creating content from their homes. Whether it’s for a podcast, making music, or a side-gig doing voice overs, recording at home is more possible now than it has ever been. You just need a little hardware, a space, and most importantly, creativity.

To be perfectly honest, if you have a modern smartphone, you have enough hardware to record. The microphones on these phones are surprisingly good, and as long as you’re not trying to meet some sort of recording industry standard, it should be more than capable for the task.

If you’re going to use your phone for recording, bear in mind a few things. Firstly, you’re going to want to get close to your device’s microphone.

This achieves a few things, not the least of which is capturing as much of your sound source as possible. When you get close and the microphone picks up more of the source, it also gives background sounds less of a chance to get into the recording. Remember though, that getting too close may change the quality of the audio being recorded, so experiment with distance a bit until you get the sound you want. You don’t even really need a stand—putting your phone atop a standing roll of toilet paper will do. Just increase the recording resolution to as high as your app will allow, and let your creativity shine. We’ve actually recorded a podcast this way, while the quality wasn’t the same as our regular equipment, it was surprisingly usable.

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A step up from recording with a bare phone is using a plug-in microphone. Lots of options exist here, but they are essentially the same. A dedicated mic that plugs into your phone’s 3.5mm jack will likely have better hardware than the little mic inside your mobile phone, and if you have something like a lavalier mic with a long wire, you can get it nice and close to your mouth if you’re speaking or singing, without having to talk into the buttom of your mobile. As a proof of concept, we also tried recording with my personal mobile and the Boya BY-M1 mic, and the quality was good enough that we have decided to stick with this audio for our regular Gadgets Magazine video newscasts (check those out on YouTube if you want to get an idea of the sound it manages to capture). Some lavalier microphones (like our Boya, and other similar ones) even have the ability to work with other recorders such as cameras, thanks to batteries that can provide the power that those devices need. Should your podcast evolve into a vlog or stream, you’ll be spared from immediately having to purchase new gear.

The next rung on the ladder is a standalone audio recorder. This is the setup I started with,

and I chose it primarily for the versatility. With a standalone recorder (I have the Zoom H1n and the Zoom H5), you aren’t physically tied to more than a single piece of equipment, which makes recording anywhere—even your car, if it comes to it—possible. The Zoom recorders I mentioned have their own perfectly capable microphones, and are small enough to pop in a bag. As a bonus, many of these recorders also work as audio interfaces, allowing you to connect straight into a computer or even iPad with a bit of additional hardware, giving it even more usability. The portability, versatility, and decent quality made this option a clear winner for my use case, and it continues to serve me well. The drawback here is that there are better-sounding microphones and interfaces in the market, as a device that does many things well, still probably won’t do any of those things as well as a piece of kit that’s dedicated to a single task.

Another option that’s about the same as a recorder, at least price-wise, is a USB microphone.

There has been an explosion of capable USB microphones of late, and a quick search on on your online retailer of choice will likely show

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some very compelling options hovering around the PHP 3,000-4,000 mark, so you aren’t stuck with having to buy something like the more expensive but otherwise very capable Blue Yeti.

USB microphones are as easy to use as any USB device. Just plug it into your computer, launch your recording software of choice, and you’re set.

Unlike any of the other options we’ve mentioned above, a USB mic will need a device to record into, usually a computer, which will require you to be in the vicinity of that device. If, like myself, you have to move to another space to record, this might not be the most convenient setup.

The final option available is an XLR microphone, just like studios use. This opens up a whole world of microphones, giving you the option to pick a mic that best suits your voice, instrument, or particular requirements. There are options as cheap as sub-PHP 1,000, and don’t even get us started on the upper limit of XLR mic prices. You’ll need an interface to connect the mic to your computer, or a recorder that takes XLR inputs such as the Zoom H5 I mentioned above, so depending on how you set it up, it can either be reasonably portable, or stationary.

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Regardless of the route you take with hardware, something that is of paramount importance is the space in which you will be recording. The “best,” most expensive hardware setup recording in an echo-y, reverb-y bathroom won’t give you a recording that’s as good as a decent setup in a quiet, even DIY-treated room. If you have a walk-in closet, you’re all set. The clothes in there should soak up enough of the audio bounce to deaden the sound of your recording to a manageable level. If you don’t have that, but have a cabinet, that will make for a reasonable audio booth as well. Just part some clothes, shove your mic in there, and get recording. It’s surprising how well that works. If that isn’t an option either, grab some pillows, comforters, mattresses, cushions—anything thick, fluffy and sound absorbent, and make yourself a pillow fort. It might not be particularly roomy, so it might not be an option for musical instruments, but that should work great for recording voice. Just try not to fall asleep.

Alternatively, propping some of those materials up on the walls of a reasonably-sized room might work well enough to make musical recordings.

Just keep tweaking until you get as much of the reverb deadened as you can.

Free recording software is all over the place and some, like Bandlab, even let you record different tracks to stitch together later on, right on your phone. If you have an iOS device, you’ve got it even easier. Garageband is a great, easy-to-use piece of software that will allow you to do a LOT of stuff, even more so if you have a large device like an iPad. Other Digital audio workstations include the free Audacity, Reaper, and a whole host of others that offer varied prices and features. All these take varying amounts of time to understand and use effectively, but the basics of stitching tracks together should be straightforward enough to grasp in one sitting.

To sum up, really the most important thing you can do if you want to record is be creative.

Whether it’s making a demo for a voice over, rendering a song, or playing a musical instrument, recording at home is something that requires creativity more than anything.

In practical terms, the next thing you’ll want to have is a space to record, and once those are set, then you can start worrying about the hardware you will need. Now, go make something great!

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Words by Gabriel Pe

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don’t know if I said this before, but as a computer nerd I am extremely ashamed that I don’t have my own PC. For the last five years or so, I have been content with gaming and working on my laptops.

Don’t get me wrong, laptops are neat gadgets that help you bring your work on the go without massively compromising on power. Being a writer and a student, I still prefer to work on a laptop compared to a desktop, but as a gamer, I have found myself needing more power than my laptop could currently offer. This is the reason why I decided to start building my own gaming PC.

Building a PC is actually quite easy and surprisingly not that expensive. But you still need to consider some things before getting started.

Knowing what exactly you need The first and foremost thing to consider when building your own PC is knowing what you really need. As much as we want the fastest and most powerful processors and other components, chances are you really don’t need all that. Most of the most powerful processors are also the most expensive, so if you have a tight budget, you might want to step back.

Another thing to note here is the compatibility of parts. As much as we want to believe that computers are exactly the same, they’re not.

Computer parts often have compatibility support that you need to know prior to

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getting them. One of the common instances in knowing compatibility is choosing motherboard and CPU. Before starting your build you need to know whether you’re using an AMD Processor or an Intel Processor before you can proceed to buy a motherboard. AMD and Intel processors use different chip sockets and are not interchangeable, and these CPUs are sensitive and can break when you insert them to a different socket than what’s intended.

Budgeting Like knowing what you need, you also need to know how much you want to spend. Now, I won’t lie, building your own PC is cheaper than buying a pre-built one, but it isn’t all that cheap either. Depending on what you need, a full PC build can cost as low as PHP 15,000 or up to PHP 100,000 or even more.

One of the most important aspects when it comes to budgeting is knowing which parts to prioritize over the other. If you want a gaming rig, you may want a mid-range motherboard with a mid-range CPU and spend the rest of your budget on a fairly expensive video card.

If you just want a computer for daily working you can spend for an APU processor instead of having a separate processor and graphics card.

Here’s a tip: never skimp out on a power supply.

These guys are the lifeblood of your whole build, and once something goes wrong with it, it can also damage other components within your PC. The second thing you want to have is a good cooling system, you won’t have the great performance you want if your CPU is always thermal throttling.

Budgeting is also important in the next consideration.

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Upgrade Path One of the great things about a desktop is the versatility of its components. You can easily take one out and replace it with another compatible part. When doing your build, you should also consider your upgrade path.

Higher end parts are expensive but they do offer better performance most of the time, so it’s better to start out somewhere in the midrange and upgrade parts if you want to in the future.

It is important to do your research first when upgrading your parts. While it is true that more expensive is better, some low-end parts will also drag down your machine. This is called a bottleneck and is usually caused when you have an imbalance in performance in parts.

Most light users don’t need to worry about bottlenecks since they don’t squeeze out 100

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percent of their rigs power, but power users might notice it.

The trick in preventing components from bottlenecking is to research what part might hold certain parts back. Some of these include a lower-end CPU holding back a high-end graphics card, or a lower RAM frequency slowing down your processor’s performance.

Building Itself The last thing I wanted to touch on is building the PC itself. There is still a lot to know when building your PC. First is to have most of your parts ready when you want to build. Chances are there are a number of you just like me, who order the part one by one as the budget permitted. It is important to have everything ready before

starting your build just to avoid broken parts messing up your rhythm. Take note that buy everything with warranty so you have an opportunity to have it either replaced or service if it doesn’t work.

Second, always be careful. Computer parts are sensitive, and a simple drop or static shock on these parts means the end. Always take the necessary precautions such as an anti-static wristband for first time builders and working on a sturdy table surface.

Always read the instructions (yup, no shortcuts here) or research guides on how to property plug components on the right connectors to avoid breaking it. When in doubt, the Internet has a treasure trove of video guides or just picture guides on how to build a computer properly.

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Words by Ren Alcantara

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o go along with the theme this month, we decided that it wouldn’t be a bad idea to take all the projects we’ve come up with for this issue, and complement it with a general piece on the DIY mindset. It’s not a particularly difficult or mysterious thing, but it’s something that can carry over across different projects or tasks.

The main reason I got started with DIY in general was that there were some things, either outright devices, or certain features, that I needed or wanted which weren’t available in off-the-shelf offerings. This leads us to the first part of this mindset: Anything that exists can be made better. Whether it’s a wall that needs an extra shelf, a phone that could use a better holder, or a computer that needs more RAM, everything can be made better. If you have a device that you wish could do something more than was built into it, think about what might be needed to add the functionality you’re looking for. Whether or not you can actually apply those changes is for later in the process. This step is all about looking at your things differently from most people.

Let’s say you have something in mind. For example, I used to use one of those pop-out

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socket things for my phone. It was extremely convenient and technically could be repositioned on the back of the device, but the “temporary” adhesive on the socket was extremely inconvenient to deal with. After some thinking, I realized I could modify the accessory with strong magnets and stick a metal plate on my phone so I could keep the convenience of the holder, and be able to move it to a more effective position depending on my needs. After a quick trip to an online retailer for magnets, some epoxy, and a little trial and error, I had exactly what I was looking for, and it served me for years until I finally replaced my phone. It of course might not be the best idea to modify a tourbillon timepiece (though that might be a heck of a thing to attempt), but if the result you’re after is worth the risk, and it’s your property anyway, I say go for it.

Next up, if you can’t find what you need, make it. This is a big one. Every device that is sold everywhere is made of parts put together in a certain way. What parts those are and how they go together dictates what the device does.

If none of the devices you can buy does what you need, it might be time to consider getting the parts, and building the thing yourself. This will of course be subject to a lot of fumbling, broken components, and frustration, but that comes with the territory, and I can more or less guarantee that the next iterations are going to get better and better. You will need to make an honest assessment of your own skills, and if you find them lacking, you’ll have to decide if you’re willing to mess up enough to learn, and attempt it anyway. The latter is generally the better idea, though be aware that some projects can be more dangerous (read: Potentially fatal) than

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others. It will happen that some projects will be beyond what you can learn in any reasonable amount of time, and that’s ok too. Keep making, and you might just surprise yourself one day.

money than I would have paid, AND with more skills and knowledge in my toolkit that I can use for the rest of my life. That’s a pretty sweet deal any way you want to look at it.

To illustrate this, before the lockdown, I needed a light that could be powered by a powerbank or wall outlet, be bright enough for work, and have a high enough color rendering index for photo and video duty. I couldn’t find anything like that online that I could afford, so I did the next logical thing: Build my own. I didn’t have that much experience with electronics at that point, so it was off to YouTube to see what I needed. I did all the research while waiting for the components to arrive, made a plan, and was able to get started once everything I needed arrived. The result: I ended up with the light that I needed, that would do everything I wanted, for FAR less

Related to the previous point is that things are made of parts. These parts can be taken and used for other things should you need them.

Displays, motors, fans, lithium cells—they all live inside devices, and once they stop working well together (ie: the parent device is broken), they’re all fair game. Whenever something I own stops working, the first thing I do is check if I can fix it myself. Generally, it’s something simple, like a dead cell, loose solder joint, or burnt component, in which case it’s an easy fix.

If it’s something serious that I can’t get repaired, I check for usable components, and save them for other purposes. It helps to be organized,

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and you’ll definitely need the space for it, but I can’t even count the number of fans, lights, and switches I’ve been able to reuse for different projects. Even little speakers can be brought back to life with a few new parts. Just be neat, and be mindful about keeping yourself from being a hoarder, and you’ll have most of what you need to make things.

The next bit is something of a paradox. While a big part of the whole making and DIY thing is being able to work with what is available, you’re going to want to have the right tools to work with. Can you solder with an induction cooker and a screwdriver? Sure, you can! But will it be easier with a temperature-controlled soldering iron? A hundred times so. I spent a lot of my childhood making do with the tools I could find: wrong-sized screwdrivers, old saws, blunt drill bits, and I was able to get stuff done, if slowly and with lots of errors along the way.

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One by one though, I got the correct tools or the different things I was trying, and the work became much MUCH easier and way more fun. There’s no need to splurge on the most expensive tools for everything, but the ones that will do the most work will obviously have to be up to scratch. I’m not blaming the lack of quality tools for shoddy work, but it’s just so much easier to do clean work quickly when you have the correct tools at your disposal.

When I was making the first prototype for the worklight I mentioned above, I had an old soldering iron that was far from great even when it was brand new. That iron left me struggling, cursing, and redoing so much of the task that I was beginning to wonder if it was worth the effort. To be fair, a lot of the difficulty sprang from poor technique, which the cheap uncooperative iron actually taught me to fix.

Still though, it’s easier to focus on doing things

right when you’re not also fighting your gear in the process. Fast forward to today, and I have a USB-powered, variable temp iron with custom firmware, and soldering has never been easier.

A caveat here: as with anything, good gear isn’t going to instantly be good at a task. I can honestly say I “earned” this iron by using the stuff I had before. A good place to start is: work with what you’ve got, figure out if there’s anything wrong with it, and replace it if you have to.

You have to be honest with yourself and really determine if it’s you, or your hardware that’s lacking, and work from there.

This next little gem is something any DIYer will know, and every maker will invariably learn on their own. You’re going to suck A LOT. There will be projects that just won’t come together, and there will be times that you’ll need to call in the pros. As with anything there’s a bunch of learning as you go that just comes with the

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territory. Sometimes that lack of experience will manifest in work that’s a little off, a little rough, or a little crusty. Other times, everything will grind to a halt. Before you start any project, particularly something you haven’t executed before, that there’s a chance you won’t complete it. I have a box of shame where I put all the scrapped projects I’ve attempted, and it gets bigger every year. It won’t be a total loss though. In any execution, there will always be an opportunity to learn. Even the items in the box of shame taught me things the hard way, and those are the lessons that stick. So even if you don’t finish the project but you’re attentive, you’re probably not going to make those same

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mistakes again, and you still walk away with more knowledge than when you started.

To help increase your chances of success, make as detailed a plan as you can. After doing your research, make your plans as detailed as you can. Try to look at all the angles, see where there might be pitfalls, and make plans to avoid them.

I have a workbook where I put all my notes, plans, and ideas. This has proven invaluable in making things, as strokes of genius as well as lapses in memory can be taken care of with a few notes. All the same, don’t be afraid to go off-script. Sometimes, things have a will of their own, and don’t care about your plan, so you’ll

have to go with it. That’s fine, and is part of the fun. Just be kind to your future self, and take notes on those changes as soon as you can.

You’ll thank yourself when it comes time to make another, or if you need to troubleshoot something later on.

Doing things yourself is a rewarding, fun experience. It might even save you a buck, though there’s no guarantee. You will, however, learn a lot from it, and these skills will stay with you. Is it for everyone? Probably not. Can everyone do it though? Absolutely.

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PHOTO FEATURE

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The ramp to the holidays has begun, and the increasing number of devices being released is a testament to that. Take a look at some of the hardware you can get your hands on right now!

Mili Phonepure Keep your belongings germ-free on the go with the Mili PhonePure’s UVC-disinfection technology.

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realme 7 realme 7 pro The first devices to feature the powerful Helio G95 chipset, the realme 7 and realme 7 Pro deliver astounding performance, without breaking the bank.

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Lenovo Legion Tower 5i Big, bad, and ready for anything you throw at it, the Legion Tower 5i can take on rigorous work, and even more rigorous gaming tasks.

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Pioneer CDJ-3000 The Pioneer CDJ-3000 is the brand’s flagship multi player, evolved. With a new MPU and advanced features, it’s everything you need to level your DJ experience up.

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MOBILITY

HONDA BRIO 1.2 V CVT Reviewed by Maribelle Alba The second-generation Honda Brio has been in the Philippine market for over a year now, but after months of staying indoors due to the community quarantine, it was refreshing to find a canary yellow test unit on my doorstep. With transport options still rather limited in Metro Manila, this snappy little hatchback seems just the thing for zipping around for those quick grocery runs, or for safely commuting to work.

DESIGN The smallest car in Honda’s line-up, the Brio is a sub-compact hatchback targeted at emerging markets. The second-generation Brio, launched in the Philippines in April 2019, takes its design inspiration from its big brother Mobilio, a 7-seater MPV. The Brio has a single-bar chrome grille with the Honda emblem in the center, resting on black plastic mesh. The headlamps with an LED light guide as well as projector fog lamps integrated into

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the huge bumper complete the bold, aggressive design. Departing from the previous glass back, the Brio now has a conventional rear hatchback tailgate with a built-in high mount rear spoiler.

can fold down to create up to 710-liters of cargo capacity.

Dimension wise, the Brio is actually longer and wider than competitive models, with a surprisingly spacious interior. Its 137mm ground clearance, though, is quite low and could prove worrisome during rainy days. As mentioned earlier, the interior is roomy, with seating for 5 adults. The rear seats

The Brio 1.2 V CVT variant is powered by a 1,199cc SOHC i-VTEC engine mated to a continuously variable transmission. Maximum power output is rated at 90ps @ 6,000rpm and maximum torque is 110Nm @ 4,800rpm—easily the best performing vehicle in its class.

EQUIPMENT

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The suspension system consists of a MacPherson strut with stabilizer in front and a torsion beam for the rear. Brakes are front ventilated discs and rear drums. It has the basic safety features, including anti-lock brakes and dual airbags for the driver and front passenger. Additionally, it has a security alarm and built-in immobilizer.

The audio system consists of a 7-inch capacitive touchscreen with Bluetooth, audio streaming, and USB 2.0 connectivity. There’s also a 12V accessory socket for charging mobile devices. The airconditioning system has manual controls with a digital display.

USER EXPERIENCE There’s one thing I love about Honda cars—no matter which model, each one feels and behaves predictably like any other Honda. The linear

acceleration when you step on the accelerator, the depth of the brake pedal, the solid road feel—if you’ve ever owned a Honda, the drive instantly seems like a homecoming.

The Brio 1.2 V CVT, despite being an entry level model, is undeniably built according to Honda standards. The engine is powerful and responsive, while the continuously variable transmission is smooth and jerk-free. The electric power steering system makes Brio a breeze to maneuver while retaining driver control, and together with the Brio’s compact dimensions, makes for a nimble, agile vehicle that’s fun to drive.

Amenities are basic but sufficient. The audio system with 4-speakers quickly paired with my phone and allowed me to stream my playlist. I also appreciated the speed-sensing door locks for that extra security on the road.

VALUE The Honda Brio 1.2 V CVT is the lowest end automatic transmission variant, with a PHP 658,000 price tag—competitively priced for its category. Plus, with all the promotions and special deals being offered, you’d probably be able to get a good deal with special low downpayment plans, free comprehensive insurance, LTO registration, etc.

Moreover, if you were to do your due diligence and compare specifications, I believe that the Brio comes out ahead of competition particularly in terms of performance. Also given the overall build quality and generally higher resale value of Hondas, you’re getting a car that will keep its worth over time.

What’s Hot: - Looks and drives like a Honda - Good trim level for its category

What’s Not: - Nothing major

BOTTOMLINE: In my humble opinion, the Honda Brio is under-appreciated, but could actually be best in class.

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Yamaha launches New NMax

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amaha Motor Philippines, Inc. revealed the new NMAX in a virtual launch on YouTube Live last September 5. The event, which happened in the augmented reality Yamaha Rev Stadium, showed off the brand’s latest scooter in all it’s gorgeous glory, while keeping everyone in the audience safe.

The new NMAX is powered by a refined 155cc engine, a liquid-cooled, 4-stroke SOHC, singlecylinder, 4-valve fuel-injected engine with CVT, and VVA. The bore and stroke deliver excellent power and torque characteristics. A new cylinder head and a compact combustion chamber achieve a higher compression ratio that boosts combustion efficiency. It also optimizes the coolant pathway to improve reliability. The model also carries additional features to give customers everything they need in a daily ride.

The Smart Key System, when detected, enables the rider to start the machine using the main switch knob without needing to insert the key.

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It is equipped with the multifunction full digital speedometer for bigger and easy-to-read LCD instruments that include a bar-type fuel gauge, speedometer, clock, and fuel economy data. For additional convenience, a 12V electric power socket is in the left-hand storage pocket for charging digital devices. The right-side storage pocket comes with a waterproof lid and can fit a large 7–8-inch smartphone or tablet. In addition to this, both the ABS and non-ABS models come with 230mm discs at the front and rear for better stopping power.

The underseat storage, on the other hand, has enough space for a full-face, XL helmet,

with a capacity of 23.3L. For additional convenience, the New NMax has a 7.1L fuel tank that can be accessed without having to pop the seat.

The all new NMAX is designed to deliver the satisfaction of unparalleled mobility.

It is available with ABS version with three color variations: tech camo, matte red, and midnight black. The standard version has the same set of colors plus phantom blue. You can get yours in the Yamaha Flagship Shop, the YZONE, as well as Yamaha Rev Zones, and 3S Shops nationwide with an SRP of PHP 119,900 for NMAX and PHP 134,500 for NMAX ABS.

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Mazda PH celebrates centenary with Mazda3 and MX-5 100th Anniversary Special Edition models

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azda Philippines commemorates the iconic Japanese brand’s 100th Anniversary this 2020 with the limited release of Mazda3 and Mazda MX-5 100th Anniversary Special Edition models in the country.

Only 700 units of various 100th Anniversary Special Edition Mazda models will be produced and sold around the world. Only 15 examples for the Mazda3, and 24 for the Mazda MX-5, will be made available to customers in the Philippines to mark this historic milestone. With the coming arrival of these commemorative models in the Philippines, the privileged few who will revel in the honor of celebrating a century of engineering innovation, design heritage, and driving passion with Mazda will surely be rewarded with a stunning collector’s masterpiece that is a hundred years in the making.

Inspired by the Mazda R360 Coupe, the marque’s first passenger car model, the 100th Anniversary Special Edition models sport a snowflake white pearl finish with red seats and floor carpets. The two-color retro motif represents the brand’s dream and Never Stop Challenging spirit that have been passed on from one generation to the next since the company’s inception as a cork manufacturer a century ago.

“For 100 years now, Mazda has remained true to its promise of making cars that defy convention,” shares Mazda Philippines president and CEO, Steven Tan. “As we celebrate a century of manufacturing, design, and engineering expertise, we also would like to thank our customers by letting them commemorate this milestone with us.”

Tan adds, “By making these 100th Anniversary Special Edition models available in the Philippines, Mazda acknowledges the passion of our loyal customers. We wish to thank them for allowing us to create unique products that continue to brighten their lives.”

A special Mazda 100th Anniversary Logo combines the original corporate logo layout of Toyo Cork Kogyo and today’s modern Mazda wing brand symbol. This logo is embossed on the seat headrests, the wheel center caps and the key fobs of each commemorative model. Mazda 100th Anniversary badges embellish the fender wings and floor mats.

With these commemorative details, owners will surely be reminded of Mazda’s rich heritage and its long-time commitment to contribute to the world through engineering.

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Toyota PH releases 2020 Hilux upgrade

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eading mobility company Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) has officially introduced the 2020 update on one of the most popular models in its lineup – the Toyota Hilux.

With its rugged looks and powerful performance, combined with Toyota’s signature quality, durability, and reliability, the Hilux further establishes its position as the country’s best-selling pick-up.

The hardworking Hilux has been a dependable road companion for Filipinos for city driving and off-road adventures, whether at work or at play. In 2019, it captured a commanding 30.5% segment share, a lead that TMP is looking to maintain through the introduction of the world-renowned pickup badge’s latest version.

“This 2020, the new Toyota Hilux and Toyota Hilux Conquest arrive with an impressive new look, that is more rugged and exciting than ever.” said TMP president Atsuhiro Okamoto during the online launch of the new vehicle. “The new Hilux is designed to meet the tough demands of Filipino drivers and the country’s varying roads. I am confident that the Hilux would once again prove why it is the Philippines’ pick-up of choice. Tough on every road, every inch a HILUX,” he added.

The New Hilux comes with improvements on its looks, performance, and features, and is available in 4x4 Conquest and 4x2 Conquest variants, G AT and MT, and E MT. Combining the improvements and competitive pricing, Hilux customers get more value for money on their vehicle with the E variant starting at PHP 1.1M.

information display, and easily accessible controls with the steering wheel switches and Apple CarPlay/Android Auto compatibility for Conquest, G, and E grades. Enjoy an easier drive with cruise control for Conquest variants.

Tougher Performance The New Hilux 4x4 variants are powered by 2.8L 1GD-FTV engine which gives 201HP (204Ps) output, 500Nm torque for the AT variant, and 420Nm torque for the MT variant with intelligent manual transmission. Meanwhile, the 4x2 Conquest, G, and E variants get the 2.4L 2GD-FTV engine with 148HP max output, and 400Nm torque.

Both the 1GD and 2GD engine are improved for the MC Hilux and enjoy 4-5% improvement in fuel efficiency versus the previous generation Hilux.

Made More Rugged and Exciting

Safety in Every Drive

Made tougher, more rugged, and even more exciting, TMP introduces the New Hilux in emotional red, a color exclusive to its Conquest variants. Also exclusive to Conquest variants are the bi-beam LED headlamps and LED rear combination lamps with line guide, and sports bar with LED lamps. The tailgate gets the signature Hilux branding, with an over fender garnish and Conquest decals on both sides of the cargo bed. The deck space offers plenty of cargo room with tail gate assist and bedliner for Conquest variants.

Toyota puts utmost priority in safety to guarantee the driver’s and passengers’ peace of mind. All three grades come with SRS airbags (7 for the 4x4 Conquest A/T variant), 3-pt. ELR seatbelts, anti-lock brake system with brake assist and electronic brakeforce distribution, vehicle stability control, and hill-start assist control. Conquest 4x4 variants also have downhill assist control and active traction control.

Full Control in Every Adventure Ingress is smooth and easy with keyless entry available for Conquest, G, and E grades, with Conquest variants getting smart entry and push start system. All three grades also have power adjust with auto fold for side mirrors and speedsensing door locks.

Get full control when taking on any road with easily accessible information on the 4.2” TFT multi46

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In addition to this, TMP is also introducing the Hilux Cargo – a rear seat-less, windowless, and more affordable variant powered by the same 2GD engine.

The new Hilux Cargo is specifically designed for the more demanding needs of mobilizing goods and services.

Pricing The New Hilux will be available in all of TMP’s 70 dealerships across the country by September 14, 2020 for the Conquest, G, and E variants, while the Hilux Cargo variant will be available on October 26, 2020.

The New Hilux is also available for safely-distanced viewing in their virtual showroom. Get the full dealership experience online and check out the Hilux product highlights, view the interior and exterior in 3D, calculate payments, and submit inquiries direct to any preferred dealer via https://toyota.com.ph/hilux.

Variant

SRP

Colors Available emotional red (+PHP 20,000) super white gray metallic attitude black mica nebula blue metallic super white silver metallic gray metallic attitude black mica crimson spark red metallic nebula blue metallic orange metallic

2.8 4x4 Conquest AT 2.8 4x4 Conquest MT 2.4 4x2 Conquest AT

1,830,000 1,755,000 1,455,000

2.4 4x2 Conquest MT

1,380,000

2.4 4x2 G AT

1,295,000

2.4 4x2 G MT

1,220,000

2.4 4x2 E MT

1,113,000

super white silver metallic gray metallic attitude black mica crimson spark red metallic

1,148,000 952,000 1,057,000 1,029,000 936,000 843,000

super white

Reliable and Hardworking

2.4 4x4 J MT 2.4 4x2 J MT 2.4 4x2 FX w/ Rear Aircon MT 2.4 4x2 FX w/o Rear Aircon MT 2.4 4x2 Cargo MT 2.4 4x2 Cab & Chassis MT

The Hilux is designed to take on the toughest tasks, not just for adventures but for work and business as well. Aside from Conquest, G and E grades, TMP continues to offer the Hilux J in 4x4 and 4x2, Cab and Chassis, and FX for its fleet and business partners.

For more information on the New Hilux, visit TMP’s official website at www.toyota.com. ph and follow the official social media pages at ToyotaMotorPhilippines (Facebook and Instagram), @ToyotaMotorPH (Twitter), and Toyota PH (Viber and Telegram).

Clearance sonars are available for Conquest while back sonars are available for G grades, and the reverse camera is available for Conquest variants.

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The Geely’s 1.5TD engine gives some hints for the future In 2010, after Volvo joined Geely, the two saw the future trend in the automotive industry where sustainability would be key. Emission regulations and rising fuel costs would result in demand for more efficient engines and a transition to electrification. To meet this demand, Volvo, with Geely’s support, developed its latest VEA – Volvo Engine Architecture, a new modular engine architecture for three and four-cylinder engines developed from the onset to support electrified powertrain systems. Developed with sustainability in mind, the 1.5TD has the potential to meet even the most stringent future Euro 7 emission standards.

Moving towards lower displacement engines The move towards lower displacement, smaller engines came naturally as they’re more efficient and, with modern engine technology, provide the same power as larger engines. Modern day turbocharger and supercharger technology can turn a well-designed four-cylinder 2.0L engine into a world-class race-winning powerhouse as Volvo and Polestar have shown in the WTCC and WTCR. After developing a four-cylinder 2.0L engine, they began work on a smaller even more efficient three-cylinder 1.5TD engine for compact and hybrid models.

For compact models, a three-cylinder is perfect for a variety of reasons. The smaller size leaves room for hybrid systems and gives designers more freedom.

The lighter weight improves fuel economy and makes it easier to achieve a more balanced chassis in front-wheel drive models, improving drive performance.

The main concern consumers have with oddnumbered cylinder engines is perceivable engine vibration. However, Geely and Volvo did not think this was an unsolvable problem. For years, Volvo has utilized a five-cylinder engine and has extensive experience developing engines for the premium market segment.

Attention was paid to NVH performance from the very start of VEA—Volvo Engine Architecture— development. Each component of the modular engine architecture had natural frequency targets set from the beginning, with the aim of preventing NVH problems in future vehicle applications. In addition, the latest engine technologies in the Geely 1.5TD engine such as counterweighted crankshafts, dual-mass flywheel with centrifugal pendulum absorber damper, single balancing shaft, low noise timing belt, high stiffness oil pan, asymmetric oil pump impeller, engine compartment vibration dampener, etc. have effectively eliminated perceivable engine vibrations by driver and passenger inside the vehicle. NVH in models utilizing Geely 1.5TD engine is on par or better than some equipped with four-cylinder engines.

With support of electrified systems, perceivable vibrations can be reduced even further. Most vibration is felt during the engine start-up period and at lower engine speeds, however with the

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addition of hybrid electric systems, engine start-up can be made near-instantaneous and low-speeds drive can be assisted by the electric motor.

Smaller engines don’t mean less power Powertrain technology today is very mature. Today’s state of the art technologies such as low-inertia turbochargers, superchargers, continuous variable valve timing, direct injection, intelligent engine heat management systems, low-friction camshafts, electric power assist, etc has made it possible to offer low displacement engines that provide similar power to V6s.

All VEA engines are designed to accommodate a variable combination of turbochargers, superchargers, and electric systems, which allow Volvo and Geely to offer consumers different levels of power output within the same engine family. VEA supercharged and turbocharged engines can reach 300hp and 420Nm of torque and when combined with electric power systems those figures can easily exceed high-performance V6 levels.

However, engine power is not the key criteria of a good engine. Having the right amount of power available at the right time and being able to control it is more important. In the process of developing its new engine family, the development team looked at the leaders in the industry for state-of-the-art technology and benchmarked against them. Based on a new engine architecture, the team had the opportunity to make a fresh start without any past baggage opening the door to new innovations. This gave them the opportunity to develop an engine with the best balance in performance, fuel efficiency, refinement, and cost.

With the 1.5TD, they set out to create a highly responsive, compact, and powerful premiumquality three-cylinder engine. When tuned for urban driving, the 1.5TD provides a quick response from low speeds especially when combined with electrified power systems. With its low inertia turbocharger, traditional turbo lag is minimalized and nearly unperceivable while giving the engine the endurance it needs at higher speeds. The 1.5TD provides smooth linear power output similar to much larger displacement naturally aspirated engines.

1.5TD engine production and development Geely 1.5TD was jointly developed by Geely and Volvo at Volvo R&D Centre in Gothenburg, CEVT China Euro Vehicle Technology in Gothenburg, and Geely Research Institute in China. The VEA – Volvo Engine Architecture developed by Volvo under Geely Holding form the foundation of the 1.5TD. Being based on a new engine architecture, Volvo and Geely tested and validated the 1.5TD above and beyond the industry standard. The 1.5TD engines are designed to last 15 years or 350,000 km, much higher than the industry standard 10 years or 200,000 km.

VEA engines are used by all the brands under the Geely family with each brand optimizing the engines to their specific market. Volvo engines and Geely engines are produced in powertrain plants around the world following Volvo Global Manufacturing System. The engines share over 90% of the same global suppliers through Geely global joint procurement system.

Both Geely and Volvo are convinced that electrification is the future and Volvo has promised that every model it sells will come with an electrified option. While the future is electric, the present is still very much powered by internal combustion.

In a transition period, different levels of electrification are needed in different markets.

Having predicted this outcome when the idea of VEA was conceived, all VEA engines are designed to support electrification. As a modular engine architecture, VEA engines are essentially designed with plug and play support for electrified systems.

The 1.5TD has native support for MHEV, REV, HEVs, and PHEVs powertrains.

Geely and Volvo have so far developed three base variants of the three-cylinder engine. Additional tuning has also been made to meet the localized needs of different markets. The three-cylinder engines are all turbocharged and include port fuel injection (PFI) or direct injection (DI). The latest variant, 1.5T Miller has been designed specifically for HEV application by adjusting variable valve timing to enable the engine to run on the fuel-efficient miller cycle.

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Honda opens virtual dealership Honda Cars Philippines Inc. (HCPI), Honda’s automobile business unit in the Philippines, recently announced the official launch of its firstever online dealership facility for sales and aftersales services, VIRTUAL@Honda.

Easy to navigate and user-friendly, VIRTUAL@Honda is accessible through HCPI’s official website at www.hondaphil.com. Upon entering the website, customers will see the VIRTUAL SHOWROOM tab and once they select it, they will be directed to its home page where they will find the three major parts that contain essential customer needs when visiting a showroom: Virtual Showroom, Shopping Tools, and After-Sales.

Virtual Showroom Using their computer or mobile devices, through the virtual showroom, customers will be able to see Honda’s full model lineup, as well as their suggested retail prices. Once the customer chooses their desired vehicle, select models present a 360-degree view of the exterior and interior features of all Honda models, as well as the colors and variants available. More features

will be continuously developed to enrich digital customers’ experience.

Shopping Tools In the Shopping Tools section, customers may be able to select and chat with their preferred dealership, compare different Honda models, download a brochure, and get an estimated quotation through the loan calculator. Moreover, those who are ready to take it to the next step may submit their inquiries, apply for an auto loan, schedule a test drive, and request for quotation.

Customers may also make an online reservation and monitor the status of their reserved model.

Afterwards, bank details will be provided for their reference in paying the reservation fee.

Another advanced feature of VIRTUAL@Honda is customers now have the capability to see the sequence of dealerships that have available stocks.

After-Sales For current Honda customers, VIRTUAL@Honda also provides a more convenient way for them to have their vehicles serviced. They can now

schedule an appointment for vehicle service and maintenance. Moreover, the online virtual dealership has different features such as service cost guides, parts checking and replacement guide, current programs and promotions available, and service frequently asked questions.

“Honda’s top priority remains to be the safety of our customers. Through VIRTUAL@Honda, we aim to provide a more convenient car purchase journey for our customers right at the comfort and safety of their homes,” said Masahiko Nakamura, president of Honda Cars Philippines Inc. (HCPI).

To learn more about VIRTUAL@Honda, visit www. hondaphil.com.

SMC Tollways ready for cashless toll collection San Miguel Corporation (SMC) will implement cashless toll collection effective November 2 following the Department of Transportation’s (DOTr) order mandating contactless and cashless payment transactions in tollways to help prevent the transmission of Covid-19.

Based on DoTR Order 2020-012 dated August 13, 2020, cashless toll collection will be implemented at the Skyway system, the NAIA Expressway, South Luzon Expressway, STAR Tollway, and the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEX).

According to SMC president and chief operating officer Ramon S. Ang, systems reconfiguration and the setting up of additional lanes have been implemented already at its expressways, as is the free installation of RFID stickers for all types of vehicles.

“We have completed the reconfiguration of these cashless lanes to help ensure a smooth transition and hopefully, minimal delays for motorists. Implementing this measure is a priority for us because it is in line with government health regulations and it will better protect both our motorists and expressway employees,” said Ang. “We support government policy to go cashless.

We also believe it will stem the spread of the virus even as we keep transportation and 48

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mobility open and efficient. I would like to remind the public: For your added convenience and safety, please avail now of your free RFID stickers at our toll plazas. There are no requirements, so it will be very quick and easy,” he added.

At the Skyway, Ang said that there are now 130 Electronic Toll Collection (ETC)-capable lanes.

At SLEX, 134 lanes are ETC-capable. All 36 lanes at the NAIAX and 58 lanes at STAR are already ETC capable. The TPLEX, meanwhile, has 37 ETC lanes being upgraded to 52.

Meanwhile, toll tellers who will be affected by lane automation will be reassigned to other areas of the tollways, including the new Skyway Stage 3 and the SMC Tollways’ RFID department.

“While this transition is necessary to help fight the spread of the virus, the welfare of our employees remains a priority for us, especially at this critical time. Our employees will not be displaced. Instead, we will find postings for them that are suited to their skills and competency,” Ang said.

SMC has introduced a scheme called “RFID To Go” where the sticker can be installed at the lanes with a minimum P200 load for Class 1 vehicles, and an amount equivalent to the farthest toll for Class 2 and 3 vehicles.

Public utility vehicles (PUVs) and fleet accounts may visit www.autosweeprfid. com and follow the steps listed on the website. www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

Mitsubishi Motors opens “MI-Playground” showroom at Japan HQ Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) opened its new headquarter showroom, also known as “MI-Playground” (pronounced “My Playground”), near its headquarters in Tamachi, Tokyo, on September 1, 2020.

Working in concert with its global brand message “Drive your Ambition,” Mitsubishi Motors is committed to making vehicles that answer the needs of customers who want to expand their area of experience and take on new challenges. The new headquarter showroom serves as a field of interaction and inspiration that presents Mitsubishi brand’s identity, culture, and technologies.

“MI-Playground” refers to an idea that everyone can experience and enjoy this platform, where “M” stands for Mitsubishi Motors, and “I” stands for intelligent, inspiration, ingenious and interaction.

“MI-Playground” marks the company’s dedication to continuously enriching customer experience that feels personal, adventurous, and progressive.

The facility is set to bring visitors an enjoyable experience to test the latest Mitsubishi models

and feel closer to the brand. The overall design honors the brand history and presents a clean and modern design with the brand’s corporate colors, white and black, which are used as base colors and accentuated with wood pattern to provide a sense of warmth and familiarity.

Ground floor: Showroom area The latest Mitsubishi models will be on display at the spacious and clean showroom area on the ground floor, where visitors can get hands-

on experience with these models. Concept car displays and workshops are planned in the future.

Second floor: Satellite area The satellite area is on the second floor, containing a lifestyle space. It can be reached by the pedestrian deck which is directly connected with the JR Tamachi Station Shibaura Exit. Visitors can relax and enjoy some refreshments such as organic fruit tea and desserts.

Hino Balintawak and Hino Pasig dealerships get upgrades Staying committed to providing highly reliable products and services, Hino Balintawak and Hino Pasig dealers stay abreast of the needs of its customers by upgrading their facilities. This initiative is supported by Hino Motors Philippines (HMP), the exclusive distributor of Hino trucks and buses in the country, as it cements the brand’s Total Support promise.

With different parts of the nation adopting varying state-mandated community health protocols, transportation has become a common concern among commuters and enterprises.

Taking into account the rising need for modes of transportation, local market assessments and route considerations, HMP, has extended full support to both the Balintawak and Pasig dealerships in enhancing its overall service to be able to provide its consumers a more seamless experience in these trying times.

The renovated Balintawak showroom is strategically located along #5 EDSA, Brgy. 95 East Grace Park, Caloocan City 1403, easily accessible to motorists and commuters traversing the North Luzon Expressway (NLEx). The area is also convenient for those planning to go to Baguio and other nearby northern provinces through the newly completed Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEx) as soon as travel is allowed and safe. Furthermore, the Balintawak showroom has Hino’s Full Line 3S complete with sales, spare parts and after-sales services, guaranteeing a smooth and easy access for consumers. The showroom also

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houses Hino’s light, medium and heavy-duty truck lineup from the 300, 500 and 700 series.

Meanwhile, to enable more customers to access Hino’s 3S offering, Hino Pasig moved to #80 E. Rodriguez Jr. Ave. (C5), Brgy. Ugong Norte, Quezon City, a few kilometers away from its previous #100 E. Rodriguez Jr. Avenue location. The Pasig dealership is housed in a 4,940 sqm. property, providing a bigger space for the light, medium and heavy-duty trucks and the mini, midi and big buses on display. The branch was also recognized as Hino’s 2017 Dealer of the Year because of aggressive and innovative sales programs and continuous, stable, dynamic and seamless business operations.

The renovation of the Balintawak showroom and relocation of the Pasig dealership are aligned with Hino’s Dealership Total Support Standardization program, which not only further strengthens HMP’s 45-year foothold in the country but also ensures continued high-quality service in all Hino dealerships nationwide. This move reinforces both the dealers’ and HMP’s promise of bringing highcaliber service to its customers, especially at a time when transportation is most crucial.

“As a company dedicated to contributing to local communities where we do business, HMP stands by its promise, in full support of our dealer-initiated movements, in providing more accessible products and quality services to our customers, considering how crucial a seamless transport of people and

goods is these days. Our Total Support promise also led us to provide free shuttle rides to medical frontliners and other commuters as well as in launching an online shop through our official website for a safer platform for use by Filipinos across the country,” HMP president Mitsuharu Tabata shares.

Hino ensures its customers and employees that their health and safety are always the top priority for the company. All Hino dealerships and showrooms comply with the health and safety measures mandated by the Department of Health.

Regular checking of temperature and sanitation are strictly observed to maintain a safe and clean environment.

Everyone entering the dealerships is required to hand sanitize with alcohol and wear face mask during the entire stay inside. Only a limited number of customers are allowed at a time in compliance to the community quarantine guidelines for each area across the country.

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Nissan celebrates production of the 500,000th LEAF In celebration of World EV Day last September 9, 2020, Nissan marked the production of the 500,000th LEAF, the world’s first mass-market 100% electric car. The milestone was achieved at Nissan’s plant in Sunderland, England, almost a decade after the model first went on sale. The plant has built more than 175,000 LEAF cars since it began producing the model in 2013.

Nissan’s manufacturing facilities in Sunderland continue to craft the LEAF to the highest standards to ensure that every LEAF embodies innovation and excitement while striving to make advances in sustainable mobility.

The Nissan LEAF has won accolades around the world including Car of the Year 2011 in Europe, World Car of the Year 2011, and Car of the Year Japan in 2011 and 2012. More importantly, the car has earned the trust of hundreds of thousands of customers.

The 500,000th LEAF found its happy owner, Maria Jansen, in Norway.

“My husband and I chose to buy a Nissan LEAF back in 2018, and we loved it,” Jansen said. “We’re very excited to become the proud owners of the 500,000th Nissan LEAF. This car really meets our needs with extended range and enhanced technologies.”

The LEAF offers customers advanced technologies to enhance safety, comfort and control on the road.

These include the award-winning ProPILOT – a “hands-on, eyes-on” system that allows the car to stop, restart and stay centered in its lane – and e-Pedal technology for one-pedal driving.

Paving the way for an electrified future With more than 14.8 billion clean-air kilometers driven since 2010, LEAF owners around the world have helped prevent more than 2.4 billion kilograms of CO2 emissions.

During recent lockdowns, air quality improved around the world due to a decrease in CO2-emitting activities.

In Europe, studies show that 68% of people support measures to prevent a return to previous levels of air pollution.

“Consumers have seen what cleaner air and reduced noise pollution feel like during lockdowns,” said Helen Perry, head of electric passenger cars and infrastructure at Nissan Europe. “Now more than ever, they’re looking to take positive steps towards a more sustainable future and the Nissan LEAF contributes to these efforts.”

AVID sales drop by 7% in August due to lockdowns; expects stronger recovery in the coming months After two straight months of strong recovery from the pandemic, 200% in June from May and another 40% in July, the Association of Vehicle Importers and Distributors Inc. (AVID) announced they have experienced a 7% drop in August equivalent to 4753 units sold compared to 5100 sold in July.

AVID has pointed out that the slight decrease was due to the stricter lockdowns from August 4 to August 18 in Metro Manila and outlying provinces.

However, the 21-member group representing 26 global vehicle brands said despite the minor setback, it expects to sustain its recovery in the “BER” months.

“There are encouraging indicators of a sustained recovery for auto with the gradual reopening of businesses. Still, we remain vigilant since a key aspect of the industry’s revival is the restoration of consumer confidence through strict health and safety guidelines and rapid digital transformation.

These ensure the well-being of our stakeholders, continuity of operations, and preservation of livelihood,” said Ma. Fe Perez-Agudo, president, AVID. Demand for Passenger Cars (PC) continued to recover as customers are looking for affordable and safe means of personal mobility. PC sales increased by 6% to 1,865 sold in August compared to July. Hyundai remained a top contributor in this segment followed by Suzuki and Ford.

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Another bright spot is the Commercial Vehicle (CV) segment where sales grew by 95% monthon-month growth. CV sales are expected to rebound sooner rather than later with the continuation of the BUILD BUILD BUILD program and Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP).

AVID recorded a 14% drop in August for the Light Commercial Vehicle segment equivalent to 2,851 units sold compared to the previous month. Ford, Hyundai, and Suzuki were the top three sellers in this segment.

“AVID is one with the auto industry in calling for government support so we can recover

from the impact of this pandemic. We welcome government initiatives that further open opportunities for investment, create jobs for our workers, provide reliable and affordable mobility for Filipinos,” Agudo said.

“However, we are particularly concerned about the proposal to impose ‘safeguard’ taxes on imported vehicles. Prior to the lockdowns, we have conveyed our position that penalizing imports will not trigger investments nor address pressing issues faced by the local manufacturing sector. Rather, it is a disruptive measure which will further inhibit the growth of the automotive industry and reduce our competitiveness in the region,” Agudo added. www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

Eleven Volvo cars get NHTSA 5-star safety ratings for 2021 Eleven Volvo car models have earned five stars, the highest possible safety rating, from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s New Car Assessment Program for 2021.

Volvo has a long history as a leader in passenger vehicle safety innovation. In 1959 the company introduced the three-point safety belt, one of the most important pieces of safety equipment ever invented. Since then Volvo has introduced many more world firsts in safety, including the rearwardfacing child seat (1972), side impact protection system (1991), whiplash protection system (1998), the inflatable curtain (1998), roll stability control (2002), pedestrian detection with full auto brake (2010), run-off road protection (2014) and more.

It is estimated these innovations have saved more than one million lives.

The following Volvo models received 5-star ratings: • • • • • • • •

2021 Volvo S60 T5 2021 Volvo S60 T6 AWD 2021 Volvo V60 T5 2021 Volvo XC40 T5 AWD 2021 Volvo V60 T5 AWD Cross Country 2021 Volvo XC40 T4 2021 Volvo XC60 T5 / T5 AWD 2021 Volvo XC60 T6 AWD

• 2021 Volvo XC90 T5 / T5 AWD • 2021 Volvo XC90 T6 AWD • 2021 Volvo XC90 Recharge T8 eAWD Models the NHTSA has not tested are the 2021 S90, V90, and V90 Cross Country, T8 Recharge plug-in hybrid variants of the S60, V60, and XC60, and the XC40 P8 Recharge pure electric SUV. “Volvo has always been and always will be about people, which means safety is our number one

priority,” said Anders Gustafsson, senior vice president Americas, and president and CEO, Volvo Car USA. “These NHTSA 5-Star ratings confirm Volvo Cars’ continued commitment to protecting what’s important to our customers.”

Consumers can learn more about all the safety features and technologies in Volvo cars by visiting www.volvocars.com

Suzuki PH now lets you book service appointments online Suzuki Philippines Incorporated (SPH), the country’s pioneer compact car distributor, has introduced a new feature on their website that will make booking service appointments more convenient. This much-needed innovation may be done through a mobile phone or computer that, given our current situation, is the best route to take as it reduces physical interaction between customers and sales representatives.

Staying true to its mission of finding more ways to connect within the Suzuki community even during these trying times, Suzuki launches the new Service Appointment Feature. This allows customers to request for a service appointment schedule with their preferred dealership by simply filling out an online booking form.

To ensure that the process has been successfully completed, customers who accomplish the online booking form will receive an email that reflects the details of their requested service appointment.

A reminder email will also be sent to the customer to confirm and secure their appointment service schedule.

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Along with the introduction of this newest feature on their website, SPH is also happy to announce their latest promo offering, The All-In 4999 Heavy PMS package promo! The package includes products and essentials—Suzuki genuine mineral oil (5W30), oil filter, drain plug gasket, spark plugs, air filter, brake fluid, engine coolant, brake cleaner, manual or automatic transmission fluid—to make sure that your reliable Suzuki vehicle is able to perform at its optimum level. All these inclusions are priced at only PHP 4,999.00 until September

30, 2020. This promo is applicable at all Suzuki authorized automobile dealerships nationwide, for vehicle owners due for Heavy PMS, and Suzuki vehicles that reached the required kilometer reading.

For more information about Suzuki Philippines and its automobiles, please visit www.suzuki. com.ph and like them on www.facebook. com/SuzukiAutoPH.

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AC Motors introduces interactive website for 6 brands AC Motors, the automotive and motorcycle distribution and a retail group of Ayala subsidiary AC Industrials, has harnessed the power and potential of technology and the digital revolution to create an online store for all of its six brands—Honda, Isuzu, Volkswagen, KTM, Kia, and Maxus with the ACMotors. com.ph website.

In light of the upcoming Christmas season, the buying public is now on the hunt for the best vehicle based on their own specific needs, and what better way to conveniently shop for your best match than in the comfort of your own home. A safer and more convenient alternative than a face-to-face dealer visit, ACMotors.com.ph is designed as an integrated webpage for vehicles under the six AC Motors’ brands that provides a comprehensive and interactive touchpoint for customers to gain information about its products, have their queries answered, offer feedback, and ultimately make reservations—all within the digital space, without the risk of actual physical contact.

Simply by logging on to ACMotors.com.ph, users can already accomplish the following: • • • • • • • •

Shop by brand or body type Find a dealer Request for a quotation Apply for financing Request for a test drive Make a reservation E-mail inquiries Interact through live chat.

It’s practically an AC Motors’ dealership at your service, right in the palm of your hands or on your desktop!

The ACMotors.com.ph site is designed in a way that would guide the user into a helpful and informative online experience. The Home Page welcomes the users and presents the six global brands. When users click their brand of choice, the site then takes them to the brand’s vehicle landing page, where specifications and pricing of each model’s variants are shown.

Additionally, filtering options located at the leftmost portion is added for customer convenience of shortlisting their options by price, seating capacities, and even by body type in which brand filter preferences will be revealed. Other pertinent functions such as “Add to cart for reservation,” “Request a quote,”“Request a test drive,”“Apply for Financing,” and “links to test drive reviews” are also available.

The “Find a dealer” page also helps users determine the nearest dealerships and their contact details.

The ACMotors.com.ph site also features information and news about AC Motors, which helps customers and browsers gain a better appreciation of the company, its advocacies, and its achievements. It also features news and test drive reviews, gathered from various media platforms to help potential buyers make informed purchasing decisions. The site even has a Careers section for applicants who wish

to join one of the country’s dynamic automotive and motorcycle companies.

Log on now and discover the almost 30 years of automotive and motorcycle expertise of AC Motors—raring to transport you to your own exciting motoring future.

Tracing back its roots to Ayala Automotive Holdings Corporation with its first Honda dealership in 1991, the company has grown into one of the country’s leading innovative mobility distribution and retail groups. It has also seen a rapid expansion of network across the nation. With six brands under its name, AC Motors continues to transform itself into an enterprise that serves the diverse mobility needs of the Philippine market. AC Motors has joined hands with small and large communities in different sectors and continues to evolve with the times and grow with society.

Cebu businessmen find the Maxus G50 MPV their ‘perfect Max partner’ Barely a day after Maxus Philippines launched online on August 25 its latest light commercial vehicle, the G50 MPV, a businessman in Cebu City was already holding the key to his brand new polar ash Maxus G50 1.5L Turbo DCT Premium.

Jaime A. Pogoy Sr., thus, became the very first G50 owner.

When he saw the G50 displayed at the Maxus dealership at the North Reclamation Area in Cebu City, “it was love at first sight.” He wasted no time and immediately arranged for a test drive.

Needless to say, he was swept off his feet by the time he gave the G50 a spin. He gushed: “Nindot gyud and Maxus G50 kay pang family use gyud, ug mulakaw mi wala nay mabilin kay kuyug na namo tanang pamilya.

Aside sa top of the line siya mas comfortable gyud kaayo siya drivan.“ (The G50 is perfect because it’s really for family use.

So, when we go on trips, no one will have to be left behind; everyone in the family can now tag along.

Aside from offering top-of-the-line features, the G50 is also comfortable to drive).

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Pogoy’s G50 can certainly be called the ‘Perfect Max Partner.’

A few days later, another Cebu-based businessman bought a warm white G50 1.5L Turbo DCT Premium from the same dealership. This buyer, who requested his name be withheld, also chose the G50 for his family’s use, citing that the 8-seat configuration and turbocharged 1.5-liter gasoline engine assured that the MPV provided both space and power to transport his entire household. The G50 can now be that businessman’s ride to “Max quality time” with his family.

Like these two gentlemen from Cebu, you, too, can discover how the Maxus G50 can fulfill your

special requirements in an MPV, be it for personal, business, or family use. The G50 epitomizes the “do-it-all” attitude of multi-purpose vehicles, and is infused with Maxus’ 124 years of British-bred heritage, global expertise and experience in LCVs, making the G50 the MPV that can do “Max more” at a value-for-money proposition, as Maxus Philippines offers introductory prices of its G50 variants, ranging from PHP 1.088M for the 1.5L Turbo DCT Pro, to PHP 1.168M for the 1.5L Turbo DCT Elite, and PHP 1.288M for the 1.5L Turbo DCT Premium.

For more information on Maxus vehicles, and to inquire about available financing packages, log on to www.maxus.com.ph and book a test drive. www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

Customers have two new chat channels to reach Toyota Motor PH Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) customers now have more ways to connect with the brand online with the launch of two new chat channels — its official Viber Community and its enhanced Facebook Messenger chat.

Anticipating the need of more people to use online touchpoints to access information and send inquiries, TMP continues to explore more ways to provide customers efficient, convenient, and safer ways to engage and transact with Toyota and its network of dealers across the country. With social distancing requirements and quarantine guidelines in place, Toyota is giving customers easy options to get updates or send inquiries, without leaving the safety of their homes.

Viber Community Toyota PH, the official Viber Community for all Filipino Toyota owners, future customers, and aficionados can be accessed by searching for the verified Toyota PH community on Viber or by visiting https://bit.ly/toyotaviber via mobile or desktop internet browsers.

Upon joining the Toyota PH community, members will start receiving the latest news and updates straight from TMP, car care tips, special deals and promos, exclusive content, and more. Soon, members will also get to use the 2020 edition of the official Toyota PH Viber sticker set for free.

Facebook Messenger Meanwhile, Facebook users can start using TMP’s enhanced Facebook Messenger chat to send inquiries and be connected with the official Facebook Messenger chat of their preferred Toyota dealer. To start, users can go to http://m. me/toyotamotorphilippines or search the verified Toyota Motor Philippines account (with the blue checkmark) on Facebook (www. facebook.com/ToyotaMotorPhilippines) and tap on the Messenger icon or link.

A Messenger chat bubble is also available while browsing TMP’s official website www.toyota. com.ph so that users can immediately fire up the chatbox while reading vehicle information.

The enhanced Messenger chat allows users to select their preferred vehicles and dealers with just a few taps. Dealer representatives will then contact the customer to assist them to make their car purchase process quick and seamless.

Automatically connecting the customer to the Facebook Messenger account of official dealers also lessens the chances of communicating with unauthorized accounts, protecting them from fraudulent transactions.

Virtual Showroom Aside from these chat apps, TMP has also launched its virtual showroom (www.toyota.com.ph/

showroom) where customers can explore a 360-degree exterior and interior views of Toyota vehicles, calculate payments, and send their online inquiries. Existing Toyota customers can also conveniently book after-sales services like periodic maintenance online through www.mytoyota.ph.

TMP will soon launch more digital solutions to continuously help its customers enjoy the best possible car purchase and ownership experience as they navigate the new normal.

The 2020 Petron Ultimate Driving Collection promo brings BMW toy cars to Petron loyalty cardholders Industry leader Petron Corporation is bringing back its highly anticipated toy car collection promo with the Petron Ultimate Driving Collection, this time featuring BMW supercars.

The BMW M4 has become one of the most recognized vehicles from the brand’s legendary performance division, BMW M GmbH. This model was designed to uphold BMW’s long tradition of building sports cars that can certainly make an impression whether it’s on the racetrack or the road. The Petron BMW M4 toy car comes in yellow with racing decals.

The BMW M6 GT3 has seen success in GT championships around the world. It has a 4.4L M TwinPower Turbo V8 engine that can produce up to 585hp. The Petron BMW M6 GT3 comes in blue with a wing spoiler and racing stripes.

The BMW 3.0 CSL Hommage R is a concept car unveiled by BMW in 2015 to mark 40 years of BMW Motorsport’s successful debut in US racing. The Petron BMW 3.0 CSL Hommage R is a miniature replica of the original concept car, complete with a rear spoiler, white body color, and the eye-catching red and blue BMW Motorsport livery.

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The Petron Ultimate Driving Collection toy cars are BMW-licensed originals and come in a 5-side see-through display box. They are larger-scale 1:24 models, made from high-quality die-cast metal with detailed parts. Features include door opening alarm sounds with lights, as well as hood press-activated start-ups with engine and acceleration sounds.

Petron loyalty cardholders will have the exclusive privilege of collecting the BMW toy cars making up the Petron Ultimate Driving Collection. For every Php 500 single or accumulated purchase of Petron Blaze 100, Petron XCS, Petron Xtra Advance, Petron Turbo Diesel, Petron Diesel Max, Petron Blaze Racing, Petron HTP, Petron Ultron, Petron Rev X, or Petron Sprint 4T, the customer may purchase one BMW Big Toy Car for only Php 800. Petron loyalty card points can also be used as payment.

For those who want to complete the collection faster, there is a bundling option that also lets you get the entire set at a discounted rate. A Php 1,000 single receipt for any Petron fuel or lubes product entitles the customer to purchase the complete set, or three units, of the BMW Big Toy Car for Php 2,200.

The Petron Ultimate Toy Car Collection is available at participating stations nationwide and is valid

for same-site redemption only. Promo runs from October 1 to 31, 2020, and is not valid in conjunction with other promotional offers and discounts.

The offer is valid for cash, credit card, and eFuel transactions by Petron loyalty cardholders which include the Petron Value Card, Petron Super Driver Card, Petron PMiles Card, Petron Pag-IBIG Card, and Petron Homeowners Card. All existing Petron loyalty card guidelines will also continue to apply.

No Petron loyalty card? For only Php 50, you can sign up for a Petron Value Card right at the station to enjoy perks and benefits like earning points which can be exchanged for free gas, free towing in case of emergencies, and also free accident insurance.

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The SM Malls are going bike-friendly

SM Mall of Asia’s newly installed bike racks offer secure and convenient parking for cyclists.

Convenient, safe, and accessible bicycle parking is an important component of the initiative. SM will ramp up its bike parking capacity in MOA by fifty per cent, with additional bike racks and new street-level bike parking zones.

way to commute during the recent pandemic.

With bicycles becoming more widely used, SM Supermalls through SM Cares is creating bikefriendly infrastructures and facilities to give the growing number of bike commuters and enthusiasts a safe, convenient, and enjoyable experience.

The Bike-Friendly SM initiative will roll out at the SM Mall of Asia this September, and across all SM malls nationwide in the coming months.

“By transforming our malls into bike-friendly establishments, we hope to support inclusive and safe mobility, and promote a culture of cycling,” says Hans Sy Jr., president of SM Engineering, Design, and Development, who conceptualized and spearheads the project.

“It is part of a comprehensive plan to make communities where SM malls are located, more inclusive, livable, and sustainable.”

The SM Mall of Asia (MOA) is leading the way with bicycle lanes in the MOA Complex complete with bike-centric street signs. In addition, SM will enhance its bike parking capacity, install repair stations, a helmet depository, and bike supply and refreshment stations.

“We have designed our bike facilities to be enjoyed by all members of the community across all ages and biking abilities, whether it be for utilitarian or recreational purposes,”

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24/7 Bike Support. SM will install vending machines offering a range of essential bike supplies and gear, as well as energy-boosting snacks and hydration.

Sy remarks, adding: “SM hopes that this will encourage more people to take up biking as a healthy and environment-friendly mode of transportation”.

Through this initiative, SM will build a connected network of bike lanes on all roads in the MOA Complex stretching up to 18 kilometers, including a dedicated bike lane along J.W Diokno Boulevard. Future plans consist of connecting SM’s network of bicycle lanes to major roads in the metro.

Likewise, clearly visible bike-centric road signs will also be installed to provide riders and motorists with easy and orderly routing within the Complex. SM’s road signage is based on NACTO (National Association of City Transportation Officials) US Standards implemented by member cities such as Boston, Los Angeles, New York, and Washington, DC. Here’s what cycling enthusiasts can look forward to as SM goes bike-friendly: • Convenient, safe, and accessible bicycle parking. SM will ramp up its bike parking capacity in MOA by fifty percent, with additional bike racks and new street-level bike parking zones steps away from mall and shop entrances.

• Bike repair stations will be placed in strategic locations to assist the

24/7 Bike Support. SM will install vending machines offering a range of essential bike supplies and gear, as well as energy-boosting snacks and hydration.

pedaling public for their emergencies and maintenance. Each Repair Station is equipped with a bike stand, floor pump, and essential tools that customers can also use for free.

• A helmet depository for a worry-free, end-of-ride experience. Bikers can simply leave their helmets at no cost at the Helmet Depository located at Ocean Drive for their trips to the mall.

• Bike vendo machines carrying ride essentials such as bike tubes, lights/ blinkers, bike locks, repair kits, tire patch kits, hand wipes, ponchos, gloves, and multitools. A separate vending machine for hydration and energy snacks will also be available. A Seaside Bike Kiosk offering a wider range of accessories and gear will be available for sale.

In addition to bike infrastructure, SM will spearhead information sessions on road safety, first aid, basic bike repair, and biker and motorist etiquette in partnership with biking communities.

With the Bike-Friendly SM initiative, customers can now look forward to a safe, convenient, and enjoyable riding experience. The project is also one of the highlights of SM’s Green Movement campaign promoting environment-friendly initiatives for sustainable communities.

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Hyundai modern jeepney receives Class 3 DOTR certification Hyundai Asia Resources, Inc. (HARI), the official distributor of Hyundai Trucks and Buses in the country, received from the Department of Transportation (DOTr) the Certificate of Compliance (COC) from the Department of Transportation for its HD50S Class 3 Modern Jeepney, marking another milestone in the company’s staunch support for public transport modernization.

With COC’s already given to Hyundai H-100 Class 1 and Hyundai HD50S Class 2 last year, this latest certification gives HARI the distinction of being the first and only brand with a full lineup of modern jeepneys that meet Philippine National Standards (PNS).

The Hyundai HD50S Class 3 Modern Jeepney, which first debuted in February this year, is powered by a 2.9-liter Euro 4-compliant CRDi engine that provides better fuel efficiency, reliability, and cleaner emissions. It is designed for enhanced stability and power-to-weight ratio, boasting a 3,415-millimeter wheelbase.

The vehicle also features roof-mounted air conditioning, AFCS, Wi-Fi, GPS tracking, CCTV cameras, a 7-inch monitor, and a speed limiter. It can accommodate 22 seated passengers as well as up to 10 standing commuters.

“The pandemic has stressed the need to modernize and fortify public transport in the country. Using our modern jeepney platforms, we were the first to roll out Ligtas Biyahe (COVID-ready) variants that were utilized and proven effective in the government’s Libreng Sakay for front liners. We need to reach a critical mass so we can keep the majority, if not all, of the riding public safe and secure,” HARI president and CEO Ma. Fe PerezAgudo said.

Since then, Hyundai’s new commuter workhorse has been field-tested almost on a daily basis in support of the government’s COVID-19 mobility programs.

The Hyundai Modern Jeepney’s Ligtas Biyahe variant boasts of the most stringent safety features, such as contactless payments, social distancing with individualized seating, and plastic dividers.

Since their launch last year, HARI has been receiving numerous orders for the Modern Jeepney shuttles, not just from the country’s major transport groups, but also from private companies and LGUS. “Filipinos require more mass mobility options to get to their workplaces, get essentials, and to reach out to their families in these trying times. Gradually and with stricter protocols, public transport capacity must be increased to revive the economy.

We strongly believe that Hyundai Modern Jeepneys can be part of that solution,” Agudo added.

NLEX to hire 1,500 workers to accelerate construction of Connector project The NLEX Corporation announced that it is hiring more than 1,500 technical and skilled workers to accelerate the construction of the 8-kilometer NLEX Connector.

NLEX President and General Manager Luigi Bautista said the priority is being given to overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who have been displaced and unemployed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Being a government partner in infrastructure building, NLEX Corporation and the entire Metro Pacific Tollways group are keen on helping the economy recover from the adverse effects of the pandemic. With our ongoing projects, we can create more opportunities for people thus propel growth in the country,” Bautista added.

Recognizing the ability of infrastructure projects to spur economic activities, the tollways company is also mobilizing more construction equipment to improve productivity at the site and speed up the construction of the NLEX Connector.

This all-vehicle class elevated expressway will traverse the Caloocan Interchange, 5th Avenue/C3 Road in Caloocan City pass through España, and www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

eventually link up with the Metro Manila Skyway Stage 3 at PUP Sta. Mesa in Manila.

“We are currently working on the first five-kilometer section of the NLEX Connector from Grace Park, Caloocan City to España St., Sampaloc, Manila. As projected, more than 1,500 workers are needed to accelerate the construction works,” said Bautista.

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) advised companies involved in the government’s “Build, Build, Build” program to extend employment assistance to repatriated OFWs especially those who were previously employed in construction.

“We are looking at our massive infrastructure projects as key employment generators. Apart from building roads and bridges to spur economic development, this administration’s “Build Build Build” program is also geared towards providing livelihood to fellow Filipinos,” said DPWH Secretary Mark Villar.

In his previous statements, Villar said that the yearly increase in infrastructure budget has generated 6.57 million jobs in four years. In 2016, 911,034 jobs were generated and this figure surge to 1,196,555 jobs in

2017; 1,714,905 in 2018; 1,226,023 in 2019; and an estimated 1,525,342 jobs will be generated from the 2020 budget.

Targeted for completion in 2021, the PHP 23-B NLEX Connector aims to significantly cut travel time from NLEX to South Luzon Expressway from two hours to about 20 minutes, and provide improved accessibility for cargo trucks bound for the Manila Ports (North and South Harbor) and the international airports such as NAIA and Clark.

It is also seen to benefit 35,000 motorists who will be spared from using Metro Manila’s congested city roads since they will traverse their routes mostly above the alignment of the Philippine National Railways.

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Honda gives you 5 benefits of riding motorcycles

In the Philippines, commuters see motorcycles as one of the most reliable and convenient modes of transportation amid the current health crisis.

Some, however, still see these rides as unsafe, especially for a long drive in highways and busy streets around the metro.

What most do not know are the surprising benefits as to why many Filipinos continue to consider motorcycles as one of the best vehicles they could ever have in their lives. It may have its downsides, but in truth, motorcycles bring unparalleled joy, excitement, and adventure to its riders.

Honda Philippines Inc. (HPI), the No.1 motorcycle manufacturer in the Philippines, lists down some of the surprising benefits of motorcycles, and why people rely on them for their daily commute.

1. It gives you a good workout People notice how motorcycle riders maneuver around traffic and creep around every corner to get to their destinations faster. The maneuvering engages the rider’s neck, core, arms, and thighs, which is why they sometimes feel like they got a workout at the end of the day.

It also makes motorcycle riding seem like a low impact workout that helps burn calories and improves muscle endurance. Experienced riders may not notice it anymore since their muscles have become developed to be comfortable sitting and maneuvering on a motorcycle.

2. Improves mental health and awareness Maneuvering around every street corner or amid heavy, slow traffic also benefits the rider’s mental health. Motorcycle riding requires riders to be constantly vigilant with their surroundings.

Engaging the many obstacles like pedestrians and even trucks require agile mental faculties.

The concentration required while riding keeps the brain functioning at its best and can even establish higher levels of cognitive function. Since riders have more outdoor exposure their time spent outside can also help relieve stress and anxiety, improve moods, and boost feelings of happiness and well-being, according to heart.org.

3. Great long-term investment Since buying and maintaining motorcycles are more economical and stays in top shape, this shows that its value remains high or near its original price regardless of age.

Riders can also expect motorcycles to have a longlife expectancy since it has a low maintenance cost. This further shows how motorcycles are more affordable for commuters to own, making it a fantastic long-term investment and a wise financial decision.

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4. Environmentally friendly Motorcycles use less fuel, needs fewer resources to build, takes less space, and emits less carbon than other means of transportation. This makes it completely efficient for commuters and less harmful to the environment.

And given the health crisis commuters need to face today, motorcycles help people arrive at their destinations faster while staying at a safe distance from other people.

5. Express yourself more Motorcycles are easy to customize. You can be creative with it at a reasonable price, and you get to show off your aesthetics to the public.

Riders can also customize their protective gear to match the design of their motorcycles, giving you the best swagger to stand out on the road.

However, always remember that safety should come first, regardless of how beautiful your ride is. You can’t show off your bike if it has a busted engine.

If you want to experience these surprising benefits, you can start riding with HPI’s The AllNew AirBlade150, which boasts of its powerful 150cc SOHC liquid-cooled engine for prime acceleration superiority in stop-and-go situations.

Not only will you go through all of these benefits, but you also get to have a whole new experience

with The All-New AirBlade150’s cutting-edge features like the front-wheel Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) which prevent wheels from locking up, All-LED Lighting System including headlight, position light and tail light, Smart Key with Answer Back System & AntiTheft Alarm, spacious 22.7L Utility Box that can accommodate helmet with enough room for personal belongings with a Power Socket and LED Lamp inside. It also includes features such as the Digital Meter Panel that keeps track of your riding with an easy-to-read display system, Park Brake Lock that gives added safety and convenience when on a standstill and a Fuel Tank with a fuel efficiency rating of 47 kilometers per liter.

The All-New AirBlade150 also lets you choose how you want to express yourself with its three unique colors: Matte Galaxy Black Metallic, Candy Caribbean Blue Sea, and Candy Ross Red. It is available at all of Honda’s dealerships with a suggested retail price of PHP109,000.

The All-New AirBlade150 is only one of HPI’s wide array of cutting-edge motorcycles for motorcycle enthusiasts, newbie riders, and long-time riders to experience every benefit a motorcycle can give.

Motorcycles are all about adventure, a whole new experience, and joy. For Honda, these factors inspire them in their motorcycle innovations. It is also in line with HPI’s “ONE DREAM” campaign, which aims to fulfill every Filipino rider’s dream through the joy of mobility.

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Caltex expands retail presence with new stations nationwide Caltex, marketed by Chevron Philippines Inc. (CPI), continues to expand its retail footprint across the country as it opens five new service stations in Cavite, Bacolod City, Tagbilaran City, and Puerto Princesa City. Fifteen new Caltex stations have opened just this year, even during enhanced quarantine periods.

Chevron recently opened a new Caltex station in Trece Martires-Indang Rd., Trece Martires City, Cavite. Located in the heart of Cavite Province, Trece Martires is the trading center of various agriculture produce, such as coffee and sugar cane. The 12-pump fueling station is also expected to serve neighboring cities and municipalities in Cavite. This station operates from 6 AM to 6 PM during the modified general community quarantine (MGCQ).

Chevron has also opened two new Caltex service stations in the country’s famous tropical paradise—Palawan. Both located in Puerto Princesa City, the 12-pump fueling station in Brgy.

San Jose operates 24 hours, while the service station in Brgy. Sicsican is open from 6 AM to 9 PM. The two sites are now ready to further improve the journey of locals.

In the Visayas area, the new Caltex service station stands along Alijis Rd., Bacolod City, Negros Occidental. The eight-pump fueling station will supply the fuel needs of Bacolodnons. Located in

the Sugarbowl of the Philippines, Bacolod City is also a sweet spot for trade in the entire province making it the most populous urban area. This station operates from 5 AM to 7 PM during the general community quarantine (GCQ).

Across the Negros island region is the third new Caltex service station. It is situated in Brgy. San Isidro, Tagbilaran City, Bohol. Serving one of the largest barangays of Tagbilaran City, this six-pump fueling station operates from 5 AM to 7 PM. during the MGCQ. CPI country chairman Louie Zhang says, “We continue to provide uninterrupted fuel supply to the country’s needs and grow our retail network to help in the steady recovery of the economy.

More businesses are starting to open up and more vehicles are filling the streets. They will need access to safe and quality fuels which Caltex offers in our growing retail network in key urban centers and thoroughfares across the country.”

needs and provide other vehicle or motorists support,” added Zhang.

The 15 new Caltex service stations in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, with more underway, attest to the strength of the Caltex brand and its business model for entrepreneurs.

Caltex stations nationwide remain open amid the implementation of quarantine in some areas.

Hygiene standards, regular temperature checks, observance social distancing, and frequent sanitation of areas with high human touchpoints are implemented in the stations. Customers can use contactless payment methods and are welcome to make use of the disinfectants or hand sanitizers located at the cashiers.

“Chevron remains committed to making the Filipino motorists’ journey a wonderful ride. We will continue to open Caltex stations across the country to serve more customers with their fuel

Motorists can find the nearest Caltex station using the Caltex Locator app, available on both Google Play and App Store. Find out more about Caltex at http://caltex.com.

LRT-1 commuters can now use the ikotMNL app for contact tracing and Sakay.ph for trip planning LRT-1 private operator and maintenance provider, Light Rail Manila Corporation (LRMC), continues to pioneer digitalization for rail transport and find ways to enhance the commuting experience in Metro Manila.

Using the ikotMNL mobile app, LRT-1 passengers on trains and at the stations may activate the contact tracing feature via Bluetooth LE technology that allows the detection of other passengers nearby. The contact tracing feature is automated, anonymous, and privacy-first by design. With the integration of this feature, LRT-1 passengers who may have come into close proximity with a fellow passenger who reports or tags himself later on as diagnosed positive with COVID-19 will be notified by government authorities when the respective contact tracing procedure begins. This is part of LRMC’S initiatives to reassure the public of a safe railway, as well as help government authorities in preventing the spread of COVID-19 by addressing the challenges of manual contact tracing and providing safe and anonymous log interactions.

Meanwhile, LRMC has also partnered with Sakay. ph for easier trip planning, faster navigation, and

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best commute directions in the metro. Sakay. ph app offers transit directions in Metro Manila whether riding a jeepney, train, P2P bus, UV express, shuttle, Pasig River Ferry, and more.

The integration of ikotMNL app with Sakay.ph provides commuters complete information on the estimated time of travel, as well as directions and instructions on how to reach destinations by taking LRT-1 along with other modes of transport including walking.

LRMC president and CEO Juan F. Alfonso shared that despite the challenging times, LRMC continues to provide a safe and comfortable journey to Filipino commuters. “We continue to challenge ourselves everyday on what we can do for the Filipino commuter. By leveraging on technology and exploring innovation solutions, we hope to continue raising the bar for rail transport in the Philippines and achieve our vision of integrated mobility,” said Alfonso.

The ikotMNL mobile app which was launched in November 2019 is the first railway and tourism app in the Philippines. It aims to offer one-stop information for commuters and tourists traveling

along the route of LRT-1 in Metro Manila. It can be downloaded for free on the App Store and Google Play.

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FEATURE

Words by Gabriel Pe

For the past few years, I have been trying to find the perfect hobby to match with my gaming needs. Initially, I found that prepping to build a PC relaxing, yet expensive. Fortunately, I found another less expensive hobby that was still exciting and relaxing at the same time—DIY mechanical keyboard building.

Mechanical keyboard building has been around for quite a while now building a niche community of keyboard builders and enthusiasts. Keyboard modding and building has gained popularity in recent years, with content creators promoting the craft and gamers and streamers highlighting their custom-built keyboards either on stream or on social media.

Additionally, keyboard parts have become more accessible—mechanical key switches have flooded the market thanks to the expiration of Cherry’s patent. Shipping from China where these parts come from has become cheaper, and the desire to have another peripheral tailor-fitted to your own preferences are just some of the reasons why keyboard building has piqued my interest for the last couple of months.

I have just started my journey in customizing keyboards. Starting with basic modifications such as replacing keycaps and adding sound dampeners inside the keyboard case, there are a lot more things to do, from finding the right mechanical key, the right keycap, to achieving the ear tingling “thonk” sound that most enthusiasts craves.

Start your keyboard journey To start your keyboard customizing journey, you need one crucial tool – a keyboard. While you can buy components for building a keyboard from scratch, it is still better to buy a cheap pre-made one for you to experiment on.

When getting a pre-made mechanical keyboard, there are a lot of things to consider, such as its layout which includes the foreign keyboard layouts and the size of the keyboard (60%, TKL, or the standard full keys); the mechanical key switches from different and how they feel (tactile, linear, and clicky); and the keycaps which include the type of keycap, build, and even lighting. When modding keyboards, it’s also a good idea to consider whether the keys are soldered or hot-swappable.

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Key switches are the bread and butter for all mechanical keyboards Key switches are the most important element in the keyboard. It’s the component that hits the keyboard PCB to register key hits and start typing. Key switches have different feels which are subjective to the user. You definitely need to experience them first since this is the cause of debate for most people.

Linear switches are the smoothest key switches, without the bump that gives a mechanical keyboard that more tactile feel. These switches are usually the most preferred by gamers since they are the lightest and most useful when gaming.

Tactile switches are the opposite of Linear, in that they have a bump which registers actuation when pressing keys. Tactile keys are the go-to for most people since they offer the most balanced feel and noise for many. The tactility also allows for half presses to be recognized which gives the person faster typing speeds (or so I feel) rather than linear which requires the keys to be pressed completely down to register a stroke. Currently, I have some tactile brown switches on my keyboard, and I have loved every minute of using it.

Clicky switches are usually tactile keys that provide the iconic “thang” sound from mechanical keyboards. While I do love my blues, these switches are a no-go for office spaces as these are usually the loudest switches since their main purpose is producing the sound above all else.

Personalizing the keyboard.

Once we have the keyboard body, and the key switches, it’s now time to personalize your keyboard. There are a lot of ways to modify your keyboard starting with replacing the keycaps for ergonomic purposes. Keycaps have profile and characteristics which lead to better typing feel and better typing speed. There are also keycaps that depend on the style of the keyboard itself: whether it’s angled or not, an important consideration for better ergonomics.

Or you can just replace keycaps for aesthetic purposes such as novelty key designs for some of the keys or keycaps which highlight the RGB of your keyboard.

Another way to personalize your keyboard is by replacing the key switches. This is where the style of PCB comes in. Does the keyboard have hot-swappable keys meaning you just need to take out the old keys and insert the new ones with no problem? Or is the keyboard soldered on which needs some desoldering of the old switches and soldering in the new ones? Be sure to check out our soldering guide if you’re new to soldering since this is a sensitive step.

Once you’ve chosen the right key switches for you, you might want to lube the switches. Lubing is a process in which you add lubricant to the spring and other parts of the key switch. Lubing makes a switch smoother and is essential in producing that glorious “thonk” sound we all love. Part of the lubing process is also lubing the stabilizers (the stands to stabilize the longer keys such as the space bar) since these are usually the cause of the tin can like sound in most keyboards.

And lastly, adding dampeners inside the keyboard. Dampeners will absorb the sound of key hits from the inside of the keyboard. This makes the keyboard much more silent to type on since some of the cause of keyboard sound is from the hollow space between the PCB and the case itself.

There are a lot more aspects in keyboard customization such as the material of the case and the plate to hold the keys to the PCB. I leave these out in the meantime since this is just an intro to keyboard modding. For those who want to learn more, the internet has vast resources for how to build and customize a keyboard. But take note that keyboard preference is subjective so you’ll want to try to build as much as possible to achieve your own end game.

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GAMING

Starting up your Stream

Words by Gabriel Pe

Video game streaming has grown exponentially in the last couple of years, following the rise of esports. Esports has a unique landscape, with viewership coming from the official games themselves and from the players’ own personal gaming streams.

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Aside from players streaming in their downtime, a new breed of content creators has also come from the streaming world.

Some provide an almost pro-like level of gameplay, while others simply stream for fun and entertainment. Whichever they may be, streaming has grown to become one of the pillars in the gaming industry and the streamers its new breed of superstars.

viewership records during the first few months of streaming, clocking over 2 billion hours of watch time.

Streaming became a way to connect with people during the quarantine. Some try to stream their games to friends, while others simply want to connect with other gamers.

When the COVID-19 pandemic struck the world, streaming also got bigger. Twitch, the biggest streaming platform broke

If you’re one of the few people who want to try to stream for fun, here are some few things you need to know.

OCTOBER 2020

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Streaming doesn’t mean having a decked-out PC.

One of the most common misconceptions about streaming is that you need to have a baller gaming rig with the latest specs and high-end processing; you don’t.

It’s true that it’s difficult to stream on a lower-end device, your stream might drop frames but that is easily fixed by lowering resolutions and other software related fixes. I have tried streaming on my three-year-old laptop and, honestly, it was a bit difficult at first due to the complications of having two graphics processors (the Intel integrated graphics and the discrete NVIDIA graphics) but after troubleshooting some issues, it was smooth sailing from there.

Additionally, Open-source Broadcasting Software (OBS) or the software you need to stream already has a device optimization feature that checks the device’s hardware and finds the optimal settings for the device.

I have to put a disclaimer though, running a stream is also dependent on your computer specs and the game you want to stream. The games I tried on stream were lighter esports titles such as League of Legends, DOTA 2, and, most recently, Fall Guys. Games that demand more resources such as Call of Duty Warzone, Apex Legends, and triple-A titles will definitely affect your stream as they drain more resources from your PC.

You don’t need a lot more equipment than just a computer

One of the other concerns for novice streamers is the overwhelming amount of equipment needed to stream: camera, mic, mixers, etc.

Like the first one, you really don’t need a lot when streaming.

Many great streamers (at least in terms of gameplay) don’t actually use a webcam nor a camera when they stream. But if you really want to use one, you can use your smartphone as an alternative webcam.

Smartphones can download IP cameras which can easily connect to your choice of OBS. As for mics and audio solutions, a headset with a decent mic will do you nicely as a starting point. If you really want to pursue a career in streaming, there are cheap USB microphones in the market that

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will suit your initial needs. As for the audio mixer, you can actually make do with the dedicated mixer in your OBS, since it’s more of a convenience tool than hardware improvement per se.

Many suggest that having a second monitor for streaming is a must since you can transfer the OBS, chat, and other open windows to the other screen. While I do know the convenience of it, (yes I have seen the wonders of a dual monitor setup in all aspects) it’s not entirely a must for streaming. The years-old trick of Alt-Tab will do you nicely, and as for reading chat, your smartphone will be more than enough for you to read your messages as you play.

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Words by Gabriel Pe Developer: Innersloth | Publisher: Innersloth | Platform(s): PC, iOS, Android

The COVID-19 pandemic has raged on for too long now and boredom created from lockdowns, self-isolations, and delayed game releases have made gamers worldwide try to find ways to entertain themselves. Among Us, is a social deductive party game by Innersloth, released back in 2018, and thanks to quarantine, has taken the internet by storm.

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Taking the internet by storm Two years after its release, Among Us, is now in the center of the internet’s largest game streaming platform, Twitch. The game has recently caught the attention of some of the platform’s biggest stars such as xQc, the Offline TV crew, Shroud, and so much more. The hype surrounding Among Us eventually reached Filipinos which flooded the game, eventually InnerSloth created a dedicated Tagalog language option for the influx of new Pinoy players. Additionally, the team has already announced that they are working on a sequel game.

What makes Among Us especially fun, is that games are not the same. There are different variables such as who the impostors are, what tasks need to be done, and the players’ attitude towards one another; making players constantly guessing who among them are the real impostors. Add in the ability to play with up to 9 friends makes Among Us one of the best games to catch with friends during the continued

Winning by deceiving

The rules of the game are simple, there are two teams a majority consist of normal people or in case crewmates, and the impostors or the killers. The crewmates must complete their give set of tasks or find out who the impostors are. The impostors need to kill as many crewmates as they can before they could finish their given set of tasks.

The game takes inspiration from other social deductive types of games such as Mafia, and One-night Werewolf. The game needs 4 to 10 players in order to start and can have up to 3 imposters depending on how you and your friends want to play.

Crewmates’ tasks involve playing mini-games which they either need to complete right away or go back to later. The impostors need to kill the crewmates without being caught. There are two ways a crewmate can win the game, they need to identify and off the impostors, or a majority survive and finish their tasks. The impostors can disrupt the crewmates by initiating sabotages that can either win them the game if the crewmates failed to do stop the sabotage or give them an advantage in helping them isolate a crewmember and kill him.

Once a crewmate finds a body of a fellow crewmate, he can immediately initiate an emergency meeting wherein players can vote off a player who they think is the imposter. Players can also initiate an emergency meeting by using the emergency button on the middle of the map to either strategize or give important information to the team. It’s during these meetings that everyone must prove themselves that they are innocent.

Complexity and Simplicity balanced

Playing the game is a mix of easy and complicated, first time players will grapple on what they need to do and how to do some of the tasks at hand. This will be worse for first-time impostors who need to learn what specific sabotages do and how to properly utilize them to get kills. The game does not provide any tutorial mode, so before you get in you better watch some streamers try out the game. Or better yet, play with friends who had already played the game before.

Among Us does get easy the more you play it, especially with friends on third party voice chat. Tasks design is pretty much intuitive and can be done immediately even if it is the first time you’re doing it. Each game is also customizable, the host is able to add easy tasks and remove difficult ones (randomly though), and increase or decrease the innocents and impostors’ vision to help them see more mistakes or just increase difficulty.

As much as I can sit here and continue discussing the nuances of the game, it’s better for you and your friends to try it out for yourselves. But be warned though, once you get the hang of it, the game will be your ultimate boredom buster.

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Developer: Vicarious Visions Publisher: Activision Platform(s): PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC

Words by Jose Alvarez

In my childhood, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater (THPS) was one of the most fun and engaging games on the PlayStation. The idea of skating around the world in classic levels such as the School, New York City, and the ever-so-classic Warehouse in THPS brings back a wave of nostalgia. Since many games from the 90s are being remastered, why not bring back two of the most iconic skateboarding games in existence? Enter Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2.

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Fans were excited for a new THPS entry after the franchise took severe hits in the late 2000s and early 2010s. The switch from Neversoft to Robomodo in 2008 and a poor attempt at reinventing the wheel in the skateboarding game world brought the franchise down a slippery slope it could not recover from. On top of this failed innovation, THPS 5 came out in 2015 only months before Tony Hawk himself ended his partnership with Activision. However, that didn’t stop fan interest in a reboot or remaster of the series. A mobile game not involving Hawk came out in 2018 and that was allegedly the last of the THPS series— until Activision announced the remaster of the first two THPS games with Vicarious Visions as developer using the Unreal Engine 4.

The game comes with all the original levels remastered for 4K resolution. Most of the original music returns with 37 new tracks added to introduce the game to a new generation of skateboard video game fans. Every skater from the first two games also returns, with new skaters such as Tony Hawk’s son Riley Hawk, Nyjah Huston, and Lizzie Armanto also appearing in the game. Actor Jack Black also lends his voice and likeness to the secret character Officer Dick.

The gameplay is similar to the first two games: rack up as many points as you can in two minutes. You can also achieve other level objectives such as collecting items, stat points to make your character better,

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secret tapes, and collect the letters S-K-A-T-E. Completing more and more objectives will unlock more levels. The key to maintaining a high combo is to chain together kickflips, grabs, grinds, lip tricks, and more to boost your high score. You can also do tricks from later THPS games such as reverts, spine transfers, and wall plants. Of course, you can add your own personal touch by creating your own skater and your own skate parks.

One of the perks that really got me interested in the remaster is online multiplayer, which seems to be a staple for all games today to be truly successful. What good is nostalgia if you can’t enjoy it with your friends online, or with complete strangers from all around the world? You can climb the leaderboards if you really want to be the best THPS player of all time. You can even do local multiplayer as well, but looking at the other person’s screen is still cheating (yes, even 20 years later).

Overall, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2 brings nostalgia where it is needed most: one of the best skateboarding games of all time. Vicarious Visions’ remaster puts the 4K graphics front and center while maintaining the nice late 1990s and early 2000s feel of grabbing a controller and skating around open-world environments for the highest scores. Overall, this is a home run for the series and breathed some much-needed life into the genre.

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MUSIC CORNER

Words by Ren Alcantara

The opportunity we have to create things right now is unparalleled in our generation. We have more technology, and for many of us, more time than ever before. And if, like everyone else, you have some great ideas knocking around in your head, this is an excellent time to share those ideas with the world. One of the simpler ways to do this is with a podcast. Done properly, it’s engaging, informative, and convenient--all things you want to have when you’re trying to get some information across to an audience. If you want to get started with podcasting, here’s a quick and dirty guide that might help you out.

The Idea The most important thing behind a great podcast is the idea that drives it. What’s beautiful about the world we live in is that every topic will have an audience that will be interested in it, whether it’s as broad a topic as cars, or something more niche like birdwatching, there will likely be people out there who are interested in what you might have to say. That topic is what’s going to help you get them interested. What will make them stay is an idea that will help separate your podcast from the others out there that share your topic, and also from other podcasts in general. A fresh approach, an interesting angle, or even

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a fun gimmick that helps make your show stand out from the rest is going to be immensely helpful in supporting the knowledge you have in the topic of your choice. Whatever the idea, don’t forget about the sustainability of it. If you’re in it for the long haul (and we do hope you are!), make sure you have enough of a subject to sustain the show! You don’t want to go for half a year and then run out of material. Lay out a number of topics in advance, or have themes over a course of episodes, to make things a little more manageable and organized.

The Format

Getting Down to Business

Closely related to the first, you’ll have to look at the format you’ll be using for your podcast. Will it be a single host sharing thoughts with the audience? Will it be a two-host show where both do research and together reveal more about a weekly topic?

Maybe it will be an interview type that will have experts over, with the host playing the role of the audience, and asking questions that the listeners might themselves have.

It’s usually easier to have a co-host or guest, so the show doesn’t become rambly, but a solo show is totally doable as well with enough care, though it can be a little harder to sustain in the long run.

Once you have your idea and format in place, you can start with the content creation process. While it can be extremely tempting to just hit record and capture a conversation between two people, for example, it can quickly devolve into a long ramblefest. This is even more of a concern if you’re running a solo show. It’s generally a good idea to have talking points at the very least, to help keep things on track. In our own podcast, we usually have an outline per episode with a little more detail than plain bulleted talking points. This keeps the show moving nicely, without missing any topics we’d like to cover. Leave some room to go off-road and split from the outline though. Some of the most interesting parts of podcasts are the natural interactions between hosts, or chasing down stray thoughts, if you’re running the show on your own. Some people might be more comfortable writing a whole script beforehand, which is perfectly doable, but will take a conscious effort on the part of whomever is reading to keep from sounding robotic or unnatural.

OCTOBER 2020

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Some Hardware Concerns

Because this is quite a topic to tackle on its own, we conveniently have an article in this month’s CoverStory about home recording. That will prove useful to get started on the hardware side of things, and you should totally check that out.

permit. The heart of a podcast isn’t the gear you use to make it, it’s the content.

Focus on that first! If you have great content and decent audio, it won’t really matter if you didn’t record in a studio-like setting.

There are some details that are going to be a little different from other forms of home recording. It’s immediately tempting to get hardware that’s created primarily for podcasters (We’re looking at you, Zoom PodTrak P4), but it’s not absolutely necessary. Work with what you have first, see what is lacking, and upgrade as necessary, and as resources

One last thing. Because we have to stay socially distant, if you’re doing multiple hosts/guests remotely, there are some services, such as Cleanfeed, that let you do that without too much trouble.

You’ll also need some art. You can cobble something together through free design services like Canva, go minimalist with Paint, or hire the services of a professional designer. Either way, once you have the art ready, you can move on to the next steps!

you stick to a consistent one. Nothing makes podcasts lose listeners like irregular uploads.

Once everything is ready, do any necessary research, gather your people, and hit record!

The Little Details So you have your first recording!

Congratulations! Not much more to do before you publish! To give your podcast a little polish, you’re going to want to have some intro/outro music, maybe some transition music to stitch some parts together, and cover art for the show.

For our own podcast music, I went with the quickest solution: Garageband on my iPad. You can of course record your own, get some music royalty-free, or skip it entirely, but for the effort put in to making a usable track, Garageband (or any other similar software) is impressive.

Once all the audio is ready, you can then load it into your Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) of choice (Try Audacity for PC/Mac, or Hokusai for the iPad which is Super great). It takes a little learning, but if all you want to do is trim some audio here and there, and maybe add some music, as well as normalize some audio levels, it shouldn’t be too bad.

Export that to a 192 kbps MP3 file, and put it somewhere safe.

You’ll need a name for your podcast. While it’s not an absolute deal-breaker to do otherwise, you’re going to want a name that no other podcast has used. It’s going to be easier to find yours when you promote it, and will just be much simpler in the long run. This might be the hardest part of the whole process.

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Aside from an account on whatever platform you’ll be using to distribute your podcast (Apple Podcast, Spotify, Google Play Music, etc,) you’re also going to need a hosting service where your podcasts are going to live. Fortunately, there are plenty of free services for that, such as Podbean or Buzzsprout. Check the free tiers, and see what works for you. A final note, you’re going to want to get at least about three episodes up at once, just so your potential listeners can get a good serving at the start. After that, the upload schedule can be totally up to you, just make sure

Once the file is up, just sign into the distribution channel or channels of your choosing, drop the link in there, edit the necessary descriptions and art, and you’re all done! You can do a little promoting on social media, and start thinking about your next episodes! We like to have at least a twoepisode buffer to our podcast. It keeps things loose enough to absorb any unforeseen events, but doesn’t leave too much material just sitting there at one time.

If there’s just one thing to take away from all of this, it’s this: your content is what’s important!

Focus on that, and you’ll have a great time, and come up with great material. It’s huge fun, and we need more idea sharing in this world of ours.

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DIY Skills: Soldering Basics Words by Ren Alcantara

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n a world that sees new tech hit the market daily, soldering is one of the most basic and useful DIY skills anyone can pick up. If your only experience with soldering is seeing a villain on TV solder wires to make a bomb, don’t fret! It’s easier in real life, with very little chance of blowing yourself up.

First, the hardware.

You’re going to need a soldering iron, if that isn’t already obvious. There are a lot out there, and there are a few things to consider when you start out. First, cheap irons without temperature control (plug-and-pray) will work, but can be quite frustrating to use, as they tend to run a little too hot. There are reasonably inexpensive ones with at least an attempt to have temperature regulation, so you might as well give yourself a break and start with one of those. Oh, and yes, go electric. Leave the gas ones for those who need a portable option (there are fine portable ones like the TS-80, which I highly recommend if that’s what you need). You have a more than decent chance you might ruin your first iron’s tip while learning, so bear that in mind, and don’t get too attached.

An important thing to note is that a lot of the time, these cheap AC irons aren’t isolated, so bear that in mind before working on sensitive components where this might be a problem.

Next, you’ll want a heat-resistant surface to work on. There are pads available online for that, but a stone surface should work fine. Soldering

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will cause globs of molten solder to drip onto your surface, so plastic isn’t the best idea. Wood surfaces won’t immediately burst into flame, but you’ll definitely mar the surface, and the fact that wood is easily combustible doesn’t help its case. I’ve also used a large floor tile as a movable soldering surface, but you can get creative with what you have.

You’ll also need a damp sponge to clean the tip on your iron, and if you want to get fancy, a ball of copper wool for more aggressive cleaning when it inevitably gets gunked up.

There are also a few consumables you’ll need.

Some good-quality, rosin-core solder is essential.

The brand usually comes down to personal preference, so shop around and give some a try.

Also find a thickness that’s appropriate to the soldering job you’ll be attempting. Solder that’s generally available from the closest hardware store is a good place to start, and if you’re soldering anything thicker than electrical mains cable, or smaller than the inside wires of a headphone cable, you probably already know what you’re doing and don’t need to read this article. You’ll also need flux paste both for preparing your iron, and general soldering. Make sure you avoid

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plumber’s solder and flux—those aren’t for electrical use, obvs. A set of helping hands (alligator clips on the ends of flexible arms) are also immensely useful if you need to solder anything other than through-hole components.

The best way to learn is to just get on with it. Get some old electronics, and solder stuff on. I started by replacing switches with my old mechanical claw controller, but anything that has long, wiry legs that go all the way through the board should be a good place to start.

Before you get started, it is IMPERATIVE that you tin the tip of the iron. This is meant to keep the tip from oxidizing. An oxidized tip won’t let solder stick to it, and won’t transfer heat well, which will lead you into a frustrating spiral of frustration that will probably make the tip oxidize even more. There are some ways to do this. My personal, absolutely overkill way to do this is to wrap the tip of the soldering iron in solder, and then plug it to bring it up to temperature. The solder starts to melt well before the tip can oxidize, so the molten solder will coat the tip, keeping it shielded from oxygen, thereby saving it from pitting, and the dreaded black death. Once the solder melts, give it a tap on your soldering stand, a gentle wipe on the daamp sponge, and dip the tip in some soldering paste. Then, melt some more solder on to the tip (no need to re-wrap, just melt the wire on end-first) to make sure you’ve not left any gaps, tap off any excess solder once more, and you’ll be ready! You’ll know you did it well if the tip of the soldering iron is coated with a layer of solder, leaving it nice and shiny. You can now set that down.

Once that’s done, you can finally solder on! Take the component you want to install, stick the legs through the holes in the board, and flip the

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board over so the legs are pointing up. Now, pick your iron up, apply a little solder on the tip (this helps it transfer heat to the component and pad better), and touch that to the pad and base of the component’s leg. Give it a quick beat for the leg and pad to come up to temp, and touch the solder wire onto the pad and leg, feeding it in as it melts around the base. Take the soldering wire away, followed by the soldering iron, and you’re done with that leg! Before moving on, give your iron a wipe on the damp sponge, add another touch of solder to the tip, and repeat the soldering process on the other leg. Don’t melt solder on the iron, and drip the molten solder onto the joint. Heat the joint, and melt the solder there.

When it’s time to set the soldering iron down, don’t wipe it off, otherwise it will sit in the stand without any solder protecting it from oxidation.

Just give it a wipe before soldering another component for best results.

You’ll know you have a good joint when it looks like a nice, shiny, even, tin volcano rising up along the leg. If it looks like there’s a blob of solder on the joint, you might not have made a solid connection around the leg, which might lead to intermittent problems later on—and those are the worst kinds of problems to troubleshoot. No bueno, Also it’s good practice to wipe the joint clean with alcohol after, just to keep things neat.

Soldering wires together is just as simple, with a little extra trick to make things go smoothertinning the wires. First, strip the insulation of the wires. Then dip the raw wires into the flux paste.

After that, apply a touch of solder to your iron, touch the raw wire with the tip to heat it up, and touch some solder to the exposed wire. Do the same to the wire you’re connecting. Once both wire ends are tinned, you can touch the two together (helping hands work great here), touch

the iron to the tinned wires, and touch some solder on to those once they’ve heated a bit.

Move the solder away, then move the iron away, and you’re done! GG EZ. It’s quite straightforward, but there are a few bumps you may hit along the way. If the solder refuses to stick to the tip of your iron, that means it sat hot and untinned too long. It’s oxidized and that oxide layer is keeping the solder from wetting the tip. You won’t be able to get anything done in that state, so hit it with some flux paste, scrub it on the wet sponge or copper wool.

If the solder joint isn’t a nice smooth volcano shape, the components might not have gotten hot enough, either because there wasn’t any solder on the tip of your iron to transmit heat, or you heat the joint well enough before touching the solder wire onto it. Heat it again, hit it with a solder pump, and redo.

If the component starts turning black, it may be that your iron is too hot, and/or you’re leaving it on too long (or it might just be the burnt rosin, but that’ll come off with alcohol). That might wreck your board or component, so be careful not to let it get to that point.

If you’re trying to solder wires together, and the solder won’t stick to the wires, make sure your soldering iron isn’t oxidized, make sure the wire isn’t dull and oxidized, tin your tip, flux the wire and tin that, and retry.

Soldering is a very handy skill to have. It opens up a whole world of fixing and tinkering that would otherwise be inaccessible. As with any skill though, it takes practice and patience to get right. Just keep at it, and your efforts will be rewarded.

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WELLNESS

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he “new normal” way of living has made everyone pay more attention to hygiene; applying not only to our surroundings, but most importantly, to personal cleanliness. What used to be taken for granted is now paramount in ensuring the long-term health and safety for ourselves and everyone else around us. That’s why, in line with its philosophy of powering the mobile lifestyle, MiLi has created a portable UV-C sterilizer that is designed to safely disinfect your daily essentials, and to go where you go.

The MiLi PhonePure makes it easier to disinfect personal items that are frequently handled throughout a day’s journey. As studies have shown, items such as smartphones may harbor 10-18 times more bacteria than even a toilet. The PhonePure can sterilize practically anything that you can fit into it—mobile devices, bills, loose change, car keys, house keys, credit cards, eyewear, watches, jewelry, and the like. Whatever you can think of, the PhonePure can take care of in a matter of minutes.

Keep one in your car, in your office, and in your bag, and you’ll be armed with peace of mind anywhere you go.

How does it work? Simple. Plug in the pouch to a USB power source, like a power bank. Unzip the pouch, slide in your items, zip it up—and let it do its job. When properly zipped, a beeping sound will tell you that the sterilization process has begun and another buzzer will tell you when it’s done.

The sterilization pouch has 8 main touch points that ensure optimal radiation disinfection dosage for any device or item size. With the use of UV-C technology, the PhonePure effectively deactivates

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and kills bacteria and viruses at the DNA / RNA level. The pouch itself is lined with a PEVA reflective lining that reflects the UVC light all around the interior, providing a 360-degree coverage without leakage. It takes as little as 5 minutes for the full disinfecting procedure.

For safety, the MiLi PhonePure has a built-in protection feature that deactivates the sterilization procedure if the magnetic zipper enclosure comes undone at anytime. The pouch will also not work if the zipper is not fully closed.

As the famous saying goes, it’s the little things that count. In this case, it is these details that the MiLi PhonePure takes care of for us—by ensuring that our personal essentials are always properly sterilized in the safest way possible as we move forward in this new semblance of normalcy.

The new MiLi PhonePure is now available at the official MiLi flagship store on Lazada (www.lazada. com.ph/shop/mili). To learn more, follow the official MiLi social pages on Facebook (facebook. com/MiLiPhilippines) and Instagram (@miliphil).

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PH’s top home servics app GoodWork upgrades to safer cashless transactions with PayMaya

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oodWork PH announces its partnership with PayMaya to provide its customers with safer and more convenient payment options on the GoodWork app.

GoodWork is happy to partner with PayMaya to facilitate payments within its mobile app. “With the partnership between GoodWork and PayMaya, we’re not only making life easier for Filipino households but we are also giving them more options to pay in a safe and secure manner,” said GoodWork CEO Andrew Koger.

Aside from that, customers can now also Pay with PayMaya when booking services in the GoodWork app. All they need to do is select PayMaya as payment option upon checkout and input their PayMaya-registered mobile number.

They’ll receive a One-Time Pin (OTP) via SMS to verify the payment.

The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted more and more individuals to switch to cashless transactions in order to prevent the spread of the virus as it reduces human contact. PayMaya president Shailesh Baidwan said in a statement: “We’re happy to partner with GoodWork PH in bringing payment convenience and safer transactions to its customers nationwide. As GoodWork provides various household services, the availability of PayMaya’s cashless payment solutions makes the booking experience safer and more convenient for both customer and service worker.”

Additionally, PayMaya users can get a 1%, 10%, or 100% cashback on their PayMaya app every time they Pay with PayMaya on the GoodWork app.

Using the PayMaya Checkout payment gateway, GoodWork can now accept credit cards, debit cards, and prepaid card payments from customers who want to pay with Visa, Mastercard or JCB on the GoodWork app.

As the pandemic continues, the new normal has brought about new challenges. GoodWork is here to make lives safer and more convenient together with PayMaya as we adapt with this new environment.

GoodWork.ph is the #1 mobile app for Home Services in the Philippines. Its mission is to make quality services accessible and affordable for Filipinos. GoodWork offers different types of services across a wide range of categories from home cleaning, laundry, nail services, hair services, and many more.

PayMaya is the only end-to-end digital payments ecosystem enabler in the Philippines, with platforms and services that cut across consumers, merchants, and government. Aside from providing payments acceptance for the largest e-Commerce, food, retail and gas merchants in the Philippines, PayMaya enables national and social services agencies, as well as local government units, with digital payments and disbursement services.

Through its app and wallet, PayMaya provides millions of Filipinos with the fastest way to own a financial account with over 40,000 Add Money touchpoints nationwide, more than double the total number of traditional bank branches in the Philippines combined. Its Smart Padala by PayMaya network of over 30,000 partner touchpoints nationwide serves as last mile digital financial hubs in communities, providing the unbanked and underserved with access to services.

To know more about PayMaya’s products and services, visit www.PayMaya.com or follow @PayMayaOfficial on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

ENTERPRISE

Mastercard reports: Data drives COVID-19 recovery for APAC businesses

Deep data insights are driving COVID-19 recovery strategies across all industries, including the travel and entertainment sectors where promising signs of improvement are starting to emerge, according to two reports by Mastercard that analyze how companies and consumers are weathering the pandemic and preparing for the future.

“Combined with analytics expertise, agile strategic planning, a relentless focus on the changing consumer and a sharp pivot to digital, these businesses are clearly accelerating their pace of recovery.”

Sailing Against the Wind features case studies on six sectors in Asia Pacific—restaurants, finance, mass retail, health & beauty, travel and government—that highlight effective tactics to harness the power of analytics, including performance clustering, phased benchmarking, and consumer segmentation. The specific examples also connect to broader themes for each industry on how to use the right data, tools, and expertise to understand the impact of a crisis and drive response strategies.

As restrictions on movement start to ease and economies begin showing signs of improvement, Mastercard Recovery Insights: Travel Check-In identifies key trends in the Group of 20 nations that reflect broader consumer spending patterns—in particular the shift to a smaller retail radius as people travel and spend closer to home.

“Businesses in Asia Pacific have been dealing with the pandemic longer than anywhere else.

In the midst of continued uncertainty in the operating environment and the ongoing change in consumer sentiment and behavior, businesses need a compass to chart their path to growth and many are finding that clarity through data-driven insights,” said Donald Ong, senior vice president, Mastercard advisors, Asia Pacific.

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Travel picks up closer to home

The analysis of anonymized and aggregated transaction activity across the Mastercard network shows Italy, Russia, and France are leading the recovery in travel and entertainment spending, largely as a result of the opening of European corridors. In many Asia Pacific markets, the recovery depends more on domestic sentiment than on regional travel arrangements.

Trends highlighted in Mastercard Recovery Insights: Travel Check-In include:

• Localism takes off: Consumers are getting out and spending but maintaining a tighter footprint with a “home-centered retail radius.”

• Boutique is chic: Travelers are increasingly opting to stay small—with a rise in spending at boutique hotels. Recently, the global recovery rate of small independent hotels has outpaced the recovery of large hotels by more than 50%.

• Consumer travel leads the recovery: An analysis of consumer cards compared to business cards shows that spending on consumer air travel and auto rentals is returning ahead of commercial travel.

Mastercard has been committed to helping retailers, restaurants, consumer brands and many others navigate the challenges of the pandemic—and now the recovery.

This has included making insight-driven tools available to governments and small businesses to give a timely snapshot of economic performance. Being able to make informed decisions is critical to the long-term success of companies and communities around the world.

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Bosch, Philips, launch PeopleCount a new social distancing solution for public spaces

Bosch, in partnership with Philips and local distributor Globaltronics, launched PeopleCount, a social distancing solution designed for both public and commercial spaces.

educational spaces to take immediate action when occupancy thresholds are reached, giving them peace of mind in keeping their staff and patrons safe,” she adds.

PeopleCount is an all-in-one customizable security system that lets facility managers track, control, and manage the influx of people entering or leaving a premise. The system let’s facility managers operate efficiently while at the same time encouraging people to follow social distancing protocols.

PeopleCount is customizable and can be used in different types of venues. It has three main components: a standalone application that serves as the main control, a camera to track and analyze movements, and a monitor that displays communication for customers.

PeopleCount uses the best of both Bosch and Philips technology. The system pairs Bosch’s intelligent camera solution with Philip’s powerful Android System on Chip (SoC) display to allow real-time monitoring and analysis of people flow with minimal human invention.

The PeopleCount system can be used for either a single entranceway or multiple entrances simultaneously and displays data through a simple traffic light system. The system can also be used to keep customers and the public informed through both promotional and safety-messaging on the system screen.

“As more business reopen, maintaining safe distancing especially in public areas is the utmost concern for any premise owner. PeopleCount is a solution that helps business owners implement safe distancing measures without having to change their current systems,” said Rowena Bonifacio, country sales director in the Philippines. Bosch Building Technologies.

“It also gives public-facing spaces such as retailers, food and beverage outlets, house of worships, such as mosques, churches, and temples, as well as facilities such as gym and

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The Bosch intelligent camera counts the number of people entering and exiting the facility using its video analytics feature, while the Philips Android SoC display keeps customers informed with visual alerts prior to entering.

PeopleCount users can install single or multiple cameras and monitors across different entries or individual stores. The cameras can process information and be able to generate the occupancy status in real-time which will then be displayed on any browser-enabled display such as a tablet or an Android TV. This can also be integrated in other security systems so users have the advantage of controlling access to various points in a building.

If the customer plans to use multiple cameras, the system can aggregate the count from the different cameras to monitor the occupancy in individual shops, floors, and even areas with multiple entry points. When the system detects that the maximum occupancy number has been reached, it can trigger an alert on the building’s access control system to secure the entrance until occupancy is reduced. The system can also display the information in real-time to the customers via the queue communications, alerting them whether they can enter or not.

The display can also be used in different formats.

The entire display can be used to signal whether a person must wait or can enter. The second is that it can be used 50/50, with one half used for entry instructions and the other half used for advertising. And lastly, part of the screen can be for a traffic light-like display to alert the customers while the larger area is used for other content or advertising.

“Technology plays an important part in ensuring that every individual and surroundings are safe and secure,” said Rea Manalili, senior vice president for sales and marketing, Globaltronics. “Choosing a simple solution with advanced, integrated features will be instrumental in helping merchants and establishments owner revive their businesses with confidence.

Globaltronics has unveiled a few base promo plans for PeopleCount which includes setup and installation. Package A consists of a 10-inch Philips display and the Bosch Flexidome IP micro 3000i will have an introductory price of PHP 72,000.

Package B consist of a 24-inch Philips display and the Bosch camera will cost PHP 93,000. And lastly, Package C with a 50-inch Philips display and the Bosch camera will cost PHP 177,000. The special introductory price will be available until October 15, 2020, only. Globaltronics has also noted that they have other packages that consists of bigger displays and multiple cameras.

For more information about PeopleCount and what it can do, you can contact SecuritySystems@ ph.bosch.com. For other COVID-19 related solutions, you visit the Bosch Building technology website or get updates by following Bosch Philippines on Facebook.

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Filipino businesses can add a human touch to customer communications through Infobip’s ‘Moments’

Global cloud communications platform Infobip recently launched Moments, an omnichannel customer engagement hub that enables Filipino businesses to better understand and reach today’s connected consumer.

As the pandemic accelerates the digital adoption of the Philippine market, the omnichannel environment is becoming ever more competitive with the great inrush of businesses shifting online.

With the influx of brands reaching out to customers every day, Filipinos are expecting personalized and relevant messaging from their preferred brands.

‘Moments’ helps businesses create and activate highly effective campaigns that will resonate with customers on a personal level by providing a 360 view of the customer and unifying today’s most popular communications applications onto one platform. These include chat apps (Viber, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Line, KakaoTalk, etc), SMS, email, voice, mobile apps, websites, and emerging channels such as rich communication services (RCS).

This enables businesses from different sectors, especially in e-commerce, retail, finance, insurance, transportation and logistics, and utilities to connect with their customers on their preferred channels.

“With the quarantine restrictions requiring businesses with physical stores to either close or reduce their foot traffic, many businesses are now focused on building and strengthening their online platforms and operations. As businesses digitize to

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navigate the new normal and anticipate the ‘-Ber’ month holiday preparations, they are met with unfamiliar challenges in effective omnichannel communication such as understanding which messaging will be most relevant with online audiences, what platforms do they use and how they use it, and when is the most strategic time to reach out to them. All these considerations, if overlooked, can yield low conversions.”, said Charist Montenegro, country manager, Infobip Philippines.

While customer interactions may have become digital, Montenegro emphasized the importance of still adding a human touch to attract and keep customers. “Businesses need to remember that their customers are human. They respond to being called by their name, having their context and realities understood and acknowledged, and being approached in a way that is respectful, empathetic, and compassionate. Moments can help organizations connect on a deeper and more human level across different platforms, building more meaningful relationships with customers,” she noted.

Key features of Moments include: • Easy cross-channel campaign management: Allows marketers to create, orchestrate, and run campaigns across Infobip’s vast portfolio of channels through a single interface. Messaging campaigns can be delivered and scaled at the right time on the customer’s preferred and most relevant channel.

• Unified customer data: Creates richer customer profiles by connecting and unifying data from multiple sources, enabling businesses to understand customer needs better and create personalized campaigns.

• Smarter audience segmentation: Personalize messaging campaigns at scale by segmenting audiences based on events, tags, behavior, or special occasions.

• Dynamic marketing automation: The ability to onboard, activate, and re-engage via multi-step campaign automation, and create an event and behavior-based triggers to respond instantly to customers’ actions.

• Powerful analytics: Through event and segment analytics, businesses can optimize customer interactions by setting goals to track conversions and access insight-driven funnel reports. There is also the ability to test which messages and channels get maximum engagement results with A/B testing.

“The launch signifies our goal to personalize communications in today’s connected era where most people are consuming through an app or a mobile phone. This starts by creating the moments, engaging in them, and then turning that into a relationship through conversations. We’re here to help marketers embrace the digital transformation required not just for now, but in the future.”, concludes Adrian Benic, VP-products, Infobip.

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Shell Livewire partners with government to nurture startup ecosystem From digital workflow management to contact tracing mobile apps, technology and innovation have been integral parts of overcoming the challenges presented by COVID-19. To proactively address unforeseen obstacles in the future of the pandemic, the Philippine government called upon innovators and startups to collaborate with them during the launch of Shell’s Livewire platform on Friday, September 25.

Shell Livewire is the energy company’s global enterprise development program. Since 1982, it has supported more than 1,300 businesses in 20 countries execute their innovative ideas through connecting them to mentorship, technical expertise, financial assistance, and inclusion in Shell’s supply chain.

“New ideas are what drive the future of nationbuilding, but many aspiring entrepreneurs struggle to make those ideas a reality without the right support,” said Shell vice president for external and government relations Serge Bernal.

“In many cases the resources are there, but they can be hard to find without the right connection. We want to help fill that gap through the Shell Livewire platform, not only so that entrepreneurs can successfully execute their ideas, but also so that society can benefit from the solutions that they bring to the table.”

While the launch served as the official call for collaborators for the program, Shell Livewire already has existing programs in the grassroots level helping build livelihood capacities of coconut farmers in Quezon and seamstresses in Batangas. It was also instrumental in the establishment of an EcoBrick facility in Cagayan de Oro. According to Bernal, Shell Livewire also recently gained six new participants under the program’s umbrella. The top three technology startups from the partnership with Ignite PH Innovation joined, including Nextpay, a banking services platform that aims to make financial services more inclusive to small business owners and service providers; Nanotronics, a biomaterials startup that is using indigenous plants to help reduce plastic waste in a sustainable way; and uHoo, an air monitoring system that will transform the way that businesses manage spaces.

Three community enterprises are also participating in Shell’s LiveWire program this year: MagzWheel Furnitures, who specializes in converting rubber tires into useful items, such as furniture and apparel; Green Factory by Oro Handmade Innovations Inc., who manufactures handmade paper products and is pioneering

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a Green Factory Plan that aims to fine-tune all factory processes to be environmentally friendly; and Eco Explorations PH, an ecotourism business providing sustainable livelihood to locals while taking care of the environment and cultural heritage sites.

Partners from the Department of Agriculture (DA), the Department of Information and Communication Technologies (DICT), and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) joined the launch to give their insights on the opportunity areas for innovation in the country and how the government can support startups in developing their businesses.

DA Ambassadress for food security and founder of the AGREA Foundation Cherrie Atilano said that the DA is encouraging youths to enter agribusiness through the department’s Kapital Access for Young Agripreneurs (KAYA) financing program. The digital platform offers zerointerest loans of up to PHP 500,000 to Filipinos between 18 to 30 years old who plan to start an agribusiness.

“Millions of OFWs are coming back to the country and a lot of them have invested in land,” said Atilano. “But since this is their first time in agriculture, we are working with the DTI to provide support through training. There is also a partnership with the DOST to help them if they would rather go into processing rather than production.”

DICT Director Emmy Delfin discussed the department’s plan to roll out the Innovative Startups and Acceleration Program. The initiative will develop a web platform called the Startup Philippines Portal, which will streamline

business registration, make shared services more accessible, and promote more advanced investor-and-collaborator matching.

“We know that the new normal calls for new ways of governance, and ICT is helping the way the government, the private sector, and civil society engage and collaborate,” said Director Delfin. “There is a need for new ideas, strategies, and policy considerations to meet the emerging challenges that have been caused by the crisis.”

Nelly Dillera, executive director of the DTI’s training arm, the Philippine Trade Training Center, said that aside from digitalization capabilities, Filipino firms need business skills training if they are to become competitive in international trade. She said, “The smartest and the resilient are the ones who will survive. We would like to focus on startups.”

Director Dillera discussed the DTI’s Global MSME Academy (GMEA), which provides a number of enterprise training and development services to both MSMEs and aspiring startups. Through GMEA, the DTI not only offers capacity building for back office operations like accounting and human resources, it also provides participants office space and prototype product development.

Bernal enthused about the partnerships: “Shell Livewire seeks to be a platform for connecting entrepreneurs to the assistance that they need, and we are very excited to have all these partners work with us towards building the nation. During these extraordinary circumstances, we need extraordinary solutions. At Shell, we hope to cast a wider net in the search for these solutions through this initiative.”

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CYBER SECURITY

TransUnion Tackles Online Credit Application Dropouts and Rising Fraud Global risk and information solutions provider TransUnion is extending its data and technology expertise to help financial institutions accelerate digital transformation and be able to provide consumers with an easy digital application and onboarding experience. With the demand for digital access increasing dramatically due to COVID-19related restrictions, there is a need for finance services that can address not only consumer pain points but also the increase in fraud that comes with the rise in digital transactions.

TransUnion Seamless Onboarding has been recently launched in the Philippines to help both financial institutions and consumers experience an end-toend digital (or digital-assisted) onboarding process that delivers a friction-right experience, while increasing conversions and loyalty, reducing fraud, and driving operational efficiencies.

Delivered via a single platform and a single API that significantly reduces integration time and effort for financial institutions, TransUnion Seamless Onboarding encompasses identity verification, fraud prevention, credit risk decisioning, and service orchestration to bring a differentiated and holistic solution to the Philippine market. As an example for consumers, this means being able to instantly apply for finance products like credit cards via mobile or at a branch near the point-of-sale and getting approved soon enough to be able to snag a store promotion for 0% installment exclusive to that credit card.

“Improving customer journeys may seem like an insurmountable task. Financial institutions are often reliant upon legacy or multiple systems and have to choose between maintaining those systems and developing new platforms. At TransUnion, we have focused on designing a service that delivers a full range of solutions that are easy to integrate for our customers, and our flexible orchestration and plugand-play offering is configurable to meet evolving business needs. The service helps institutions rise above new challenges, including competition from progressive FinTechs, and help them create an environment and experience wherein the end, both the provider and the consumer win,” said Pia Arellano, president and CEO, TransUnion Philippines.

Addressing consumer pain points and risk of fraud even before the pandemic, financial providers in the Philippines faced large dropouts during onboarding both offline and online, largely due to inconvenient, confusing, and time-consuming application processes and slow turnaround. Recent studies by TransUnion Philippines found that most banks’ digital channels use application forms that are very cumbersome and provide a poor and lengthy customer experience.

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When applying via a website, the process could take over 40 minutes, as entry fields are often redundant in many instances, if applicants lose internet connection midway while filling in a form, they often need to restart the application from the very first page. Completed applications, meanwhile, require the consumer to go through a lengthy and manual verification process involving multiple interactions with the bank agents. At bank branches, queues tend to be long and the verification is done manually or sometimes over the phone. On the other hand, turnaround times from credit application to approval take eight days or longer for 42% of credit cards, 51% of installment loans, and 91% of auto loans.

Digital application processes that are not fast and easy and that don’t effectively balance the consumer experience with risk management can cause financial institutions to lose large numbers of potential customers, especially amid a fastgrowing local financial services industry driven by technology trends.

TransUnion Seamless Onboarding eases the burden of manual review and stitched-together onboarding setups from multiple providers. With this, financial institutions can deliver a streamlined experience wherein consumers can complete their application in one sitting – anytime, anywhere – without compromising their privacy or security.

Customer safety when doing online transactions is even more important now as a recent report

by TransUnion titled “Suspected Online Fraud Originating from the Philippines Doubled During Pandemic” found that suspected fraud originating from the Philippines during the period from March 11-April 28 increased by 119% compared to the pre-ECQ levels.

With TransUnion Seamless Onboarding, the Philippines’ financial services industry will be able to address the increased risks of fraud that come with the rise in digital transactions as people continue to observe social distancing.

“TransUnion Seamless Onboarding encompasses a multi-layered fraud strategy that leverages TransUnion’s vast offline and online data, insights, and analytics to not only create a great experience for good customers but also effectively trap fraudsters. This way, we enable institutions to benefit from a more accurate risk assessment and reduced false positives,” Arellano said.

“What we essentially offer is a holistic solution to the various facets of the digital journey within the finance industry, most especially in this uncertain business climate. There is a significant opportunity to support digital transformation in the finance sector to further drive economic opportunity in the Philippines. While internet connectivity is yet to reach its full potential on this side of the globe, the current reality calls for innovative ways to reach the unserved and underserved markets, and TransUnion Seamless Onboarding may just be the missing link to finally close that gap,” she adds.

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Loss of money,tarnished reputation and family conflicts possible effects of posting personal information online Research from global cybersecurity company, Kaspersky has confirmed that social media was the top activity for online users in Southeast Asia for the first few months of 2020. With the increased online time especially to social media, Kaspersky shares a few reminders about the risk of oversharing online.

The study, which was conducted last May, surveyed 760 respondents and revealed that 80% of parents in the region are spending a lot more time on different social networking apps as lockdown restrictions force them to work at home and look after kids all at the same time.

“We have to understand that the line between parenthood and professional work has been blurred tremendously as our homes now serve as an extension of our offices and our children’s schools. Social media offers a platform for mothers and fathers to take a breather and to find emotional support and advice from their own groups,” said Stephan Neumeier, managing director for Asia Pacific, Kaspersky.

“While these virtual networking platforms can be a useful source of knowledge and assistance for parent who are trying to juggle their tasks it is essential to remember that ill-minded individuals lurk around here, too. It is necessary to be careful about the information we post on our social media accounts as the biggest danger lies in the fact that information shared on social networking sites and other public sources can be analyzed and used by a whole host of complete strangers, including criminals of all stripes,” he adds.

Everything that a parent or their children publish online can be used against them - whether it’s an angry post on a random topic, an intimate photo or details of their personal lives. It is important to remember and to teach children: before you click a “Publish” button, take a minute and think. Think about any adverse consequences that may arise from the post in the future. Will this post have a negative effect on someone else’s personal life?

What will a future employer say if they see it? Is it possible to use this information, for example, to track you or your child in the real world? Who will be able to see this information?

Kaspersky notes that you nor your children should post these online: Home address or school. Armed with this information, robbers, pedophiles, bullies and other unsavory characters can easily locate you or your child. Children rarely publish their home address on social networking sites, but very often they name the school they attend. It’s important not only to post this information on the main page but also not to share it through some comments or photos that would clearly tell what school your child attends.

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Phone number. With children, a phone number is a direct means of contact that peers can use for bullying and adults for even more sinister things.

For criminals this particular piece of information is among the most valuable data they can get.

For example, since at least 2016 cybercriminals started collecting phone numbers of social network users and used stolen information to re-register for online banking services and gained access to their victims’ accounts.

Your current geolocation (‘Check-in’).

Information that a family is away from home is a signal for burglars. It also makes it easier to track someone down. Additionally, saying something like “our favorite place” and posting a geotag may endanger you even if you are not in this place at the moment - it shows bad guys that there is a place where you can easily be found.

Intimate/compromising photos and videos.

Photos that may seem like a bit of fun to adolescents could get them into trouble if published on the Internet. For example, there are numerous sites that collect erotic pictures of teenage girls that they post themselves and publish them as “hot” content. The directors of colleges and universities and potential employers may take a very dim view of compromising photos (e.g., a drunken night out).

Compromising photos of other people. Do not publish photos of other people that you would not like to see of yourself. Users of all ages should understand this basic rule. If your child understands that it’s unacceptable to post his or her compromising photos from some awesome teenage party why the photos of his or her best friend or some other guy or girl can be appropriate?

Baby photos of your teenage child. Parents very often post information on the Web about their child that the child can find unacceptable.

It is important to remember that pictures of your child that seem very sweet to you could result in bullying in the future. The principle is the same as with previous advice: you can post nice baby photos if you as a teenager would feel ok to see it.

Photos of expensive gifts. This is a demonstration of wealth or luxury to strangers. Together with your home address and current geolocation it is a gold mine for thieves searching for victims on the Internet.

Information about your personal life. Personal information can always be used against you. For example, it can be used to guess the password for an online account, to devise a scam that you are more likely to fall for, or to get acquainted with your child and gain their confidence. Publishing complaints or very personal information about your loved ones is particularly harmful as it may damage your relationship.

Critical statements on sensitive topics. Of course, both you and your children are allowed to have your own opinions. However, when it comes to contentious issues such as religion, politics, sexual orientation, etc., it is better not to share your opinions on the Internet. This may cause a conflict that can shift from the virtual to the real world, or spoil your reputation in the eyes of a potential educational institution or an employer.

What should a parent do? Kaspersky shares these tips: • Tell your children what must not, under any circumstances, be published on the Internet and why. Explain that posting on a social networking site is like speaking in public – you shouldn’t write anything on the Internet that would be considered dangerous or unethical to ‘shout’ about in the street or in a classroom.

• Explain that all the sensitive information can be shared only via messengers and only with people you know in real life.

• Register on the same social networking sites as your children and add them as friends so you can see their posts and quickly prevent any excessive openness.

• If your child is still small - remember that his or her first social networking account must be created together with parents. In this case, you’ll be able to explain all the rules and to set up all the security measures having full harmony and understanding of your child.

• Make use of parental control apps such as Kaspersky Safe Kids, which protects your children from inappropriate content and informs you about changes to their social network profiles and friend lists as well as any potentially dangerous posts.

For parents aiming to secure their children better, the latest version of Kaspersky Total Security which includes a Safe Kids feature is available in the Philippines for PC and Mac and retails for P1,390 from leading IT stores nationwide.

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Phishing scam uses Sharepoint and OneNote to go after passwords Sophos, a global leader in next-generation cybersecurity, reports new phishing scams through cloud-based platforms. This involves the use of SharePoint and OneNote to go after passwords. Instead of simply spamming out a clickable link to as many people as possible, cybercriminals would use more labyrinthine techniques.

First, crooks would send an innocent-looking email with an attachment from a sender, whose email account had evidently been hacked. The attachment takes the victim to a message with a Sharepoint link to access a OneNote file that leads to a login form. If the victim puts in a password, it goes straight to the crooks.

leading you away from your email client first to make their phishing page feel more believable when you get there. If you started from an email, stop if you hit a password demand.

Find your own way to the site or service you’re supposed to use.

• Keep your eyes open for obvious giveaways. As we’ve said many times before, the only thing worse than being scammed is being scammed and then realizing that the signs were there all along. Crooks don’t always make obvious mistakes, but if they do, make sure you don’t miss them.

Given this new phishing scam, Paul Ducklin, principal research scientist at Sophos, has provided some tips to help users and companies stay secure:

• If you think you put in a password where you shouldn’t, change it as soon as you can. Find your own way to the official site of the service concerned, and log in directly.

The sooner you fix your mistake, the less chance the crooks have of getting there first.

Don’t click login links that you reach from an email. That’s an extension to our usual advice never to click login links that appear directly in emails. Don’t let the crooks distract you by

• Use 2FA whenever you can. Accounts that are protected by two-factor authentication are harder for crooks to take over because they can’t just harvest your password and use

it on its own later. They need to trick you into revealing your 2FA code at the very moment that they’re phishing you.

• Consider phishing simulators like Sophos Phish Threat. If you are part of the IT security team, Phish Threat gives you a safe way to expose your staff to phishing-like attacks, so they can learn their lessons when it’s you at the other end, not the crooks.

For more detail on this attack, please visit this article on Sophos’ Naked Security blog.

Sophos reports a resurgence on fake alerts web scams Sophos, has reported news scams that exploit web advertising networks to pop up fake system alerts on both computers and mobile devices.

Sophos has released a new SophosLabs Uncut report which found a resurgence of fake alerts called Scareware or Malvertising. These malware lure users into thinking they need technical support which leads them to buy fake apps or fleeceware off a mobile app store.

These fake alerts now also prompt you “call back” that saves scammers from having to cold call or voice-phish victims.

“While browser developers have done a lot to make ‘malvertising’ more difficult, ad networks keep finding new ways to pop up content in your device browsers, and scammers continue to take advantage of ad networks to target more vulnerable people. Sophos’ research shows how expansive these ‘fake alert’ fraud schemes and the ecosystem that supports them still are, and how little investment and technical skill are required to run them,” said Sean Gallagher, senior threat researcher, SophosLabs.

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Sophos believes that while protection against Malvertising has improved on desktops, more scammer will focus on the weakness of mobile devices. However, these malvertising are easy to spot and remove.

Sophos recommends checking for spelling errors and strange phrasing. They also note that if there is a countdown clock or intense pressure to call back, it is more than likely to be a scam.

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BITS & BYTES

Globe fires up 5G sites in Metro Manila cities Being the pioneer in 5G service in the country, Globe is committed to making this cutting-edge technology accessible to more areas in Metro Manila and nearby locations. Check if your area is in one of the newly-fired up 5G sites.

As part of this mission, Globe is delighted to announce the addition of new 5G locations in strategic areas in the following cities: • Quezon City: Commonwealth Ave., Tandang Sora Road, Mindanao Ave, Luzon Ave. • Manila: Abad Santos Ave., Rizal Ave., Honorio Lopez Blvd.

• Marikina: Sumulong Highway, Bagong Silang • Caloocan: Quirino Highway, C3 Road, Congressional Road Ext. • Valenzuela: Pan-Philippine Highway, Tamaraw Hill Road • Mandaluyong: Shaw Boulevard; Boni Ave. • Pasig: C. Raymundo Ave., Medical City Bus Stop • Las Pinas: Alabang Zapote Road, Marcos Alvarez Ave. • Makati: Pasong Tamo, JP Rizal, and strategic areas in Magallanes Village • Taguig: Lawton Avenue, Philippine Army, McKinley Road, and Forbes Park • Paranaque: East Service Road, Dona Soledad Ave., Dr. A. Santos Ave.

Strategic areas along SLEX and NLEX Globe’s 5G network coverage expansion is a huge milestone—expanding from the central business districts of Bonifacio Global City (BGC), Makati, Rockwell Center, and Ortigas, as well as in strategic areas along EDSA and C5 to now more areas. This milestone also comes shortly after the announcement of the availability of mobile 5G to its Globe Prepaid and TM customers who have 5G devices and are within 5G areas.

With this expansion, more customers can experience faster speeds that they can use to stream movies and TV shows at the highestquality; lower latency to play immersive online games with fewer lags; and clearest resolution for video chats. Businesses, learning institutions,

hospitals, and other related industries in Metro Manila can also take advantage of the benefits of 5G’s next level connectivity.

To experience 5G to the fullest, customers have to make sure that they are on a Globe LTE or TM LTE sim paired with a 5G-enabled mobile device.

Upgrading to a 5G phone is made easier and affordable with Globe Postpaid’s selection of the latest 5G phones that can be availed at much lower prices with ThePLAN. In 2019, Globe became the first telco in Southeast Asia to launch 5G when it introduced its AirFiber broadband service for Globe at Home subscribers.

Now, the service is also available to all Globe Platinum, Postpaid, and Prepaid customers.

T.I.P. shares its EmpowerED school management solution with Baliuag University The Technological Institute of the Philippines (T.I.P.) and its spinoff company SEBI Technologies, Inc. (SEBI Tech) are all set to begin the deployment of the T.I.P. homegrown EmpowerED school management solution at Baliuag University (BU) to enable the Bulacanbased school to deliver even higher levels of student services and operational standards.

focus on ensuring that they are able to deliver quality education despite the circumstances,” remarked Lahoz.

The partnership was formalized last September 2020 through a virtual memorandum of agreement signing between Angelo Lahoz, T.I.P. senior vice president and concurrent SEBI Tech president and CEO; and Dr. Patricia Lagunda, Baliuag University president.

EmpowerED is T.I.P. ‘s homegrown school management solution that has been in active use and continuous development for over 10 years in both its Quezon City and Manila campuses. Developed by education executives, administrators, and IT specialists, EmpowerED boasts features tailored specifically towards actual school management needs. It is exclusively and dedicatedly managed by SEBI Technologies, Inc., the first spin-off company of T.I.P.

“Because of this pandemic, schools more than ever need a solution that will help them efficiently run student-related processes, from onboarding to graduation. EmpowerED offers all these and more so that students can focus on their studies, while school administrators can

“This pandemic has highlighted the need to improve, digitize, and automate common processes in the university. We are glad that through EmpowerED, we are embarking on a crucial thrust towards a technology-enabled school environment and an improved end-

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to-end solution for our students. Through EmpowerED, we can complement our existing learning management system and unify our complex school processes,” explained Lagunda during the online signing ceremony.

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PH becomes Smart 5G country with nationwide rollout

Mobile services provider Smart Communications, Inc. has pushed ahead with the initial phase of its 5G commercial rollout as it becomes the first provider in the Philippines to fire up 5G sites in key cities in Visayas and Mindanao.

As part of its nationwide 5G deployment, Smart has fired up 5G sites in select areas in Boracay, Cebu, Iloilo, and Davao.

These areas add to the live Smart 5G sites in Makati Central Business District (CBD), Bonifacio Global City CBD, Araneta City, Mall of Asia Bay Area, North Avenue in Quezon City, Taft Avenue in Manila, Ortigas CBD, New Clark City in Pampanga, EDSA, and in strategic locations in the provinces of Cavite, Laguna, Rizal, and the cities of Manila, Quezon City, Makati, Taguig, Pasig, Mandaluyong, Marikina, Parañaque, Valenzuela, Caloocan, Navotas, San Juan, and Pasay.

Moreover, Smart has expanded its 5G service to also cover all Smart Prepaid subscribers, adding to the initial Smart 5G provision for all Smart Postpaid subscribers announced in July. This step effectively makes it simpler for more Filipinos to experience significantly faster data speeds using Smart 5G-certified devices with 5G-activated SIMs. Smart 5G country The latest evolution in wireless communications, 5G offers superfast data speeds and ultra-low

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latency, which enable users to upload and download heavy files in seconds, stream highresolution videos seamlessly, play online games without lag, and benefit from other cuttingedge apps and services on their smartphone with fiber-like speeds.

Subscribers can also experience Smart 5G first-hand with the 5G-ready handsets featured at select Smart Stores in Metro Manila, including Smart Tower in Makati City, Gateway Mall, SM Mall of Asia, SM Megamall, and The World Plaza in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.

“Our initial Smart 5G rollout lays the foundation of our vision to turn the Philippines into a Smart 5G country that is at par with the world’s technologically-advanced nations. With superfast speeds and ultra-low latency, Smart 5G will unlock more powerful digital services meant to further improve and simplify the life of our customers,” said Alfredo S. Panlilio, PLDT chief revenue officer and Smart president and CEO.

To enable more subscribers to experience 5G, Smart has teamed up with smartphone manufacturers like Huawei, Samsung, realme, and vivo in offering Smart 5G-certified devices at Smart Stores nationwide and on the Smart Online Store at store.smart.com.ph.

“Our Smart 5G provision to include all our Prepaid customers could not have come at a better time because we’re also celebrating Smart GigaFest, our big way of thanking our loyal subscribers through month-long activities featuring entertainment, esports, innovations, and exclusive perks,” said Jane J. Basas, Smart senior vice president and head of consumer wireless business.

“Smart 5G fits into our narrative as a company that enables Filipinos to experience the Giga Life—that is, a digitally-empowered lifestyle with simple and easy access to all their passions,” she added.

Leader in 5G The strategy to deploy 5G has been embedded in Smart’s network planning over the past five years.

PLDT’s wireless subsidiary started conducting tests with 5G in 2016. In 2018, it fired up the country’s first 5G base stations in Makati with Huawei and the Clark Freeport Zone in Pampanga with Ericsson. Last year, Smart also launched the first Smart 5G Lifestyle hub and 5G-enabled shopping mall In Araneta City, as well as the first Smart 5G campus at the Ateneo de Manila University with Nokia. These multi-vendor collaborations bring global use cases for Enterprise customers to innovate and fast-track their digital transformation journey.

It also recently fired up 5G at the Gariath Concepts esports venue in Quezon City, the first 5G-powered esports hub in the country, and at the TV5 Media Center in Mandaluyong City, the first 5G Media City.

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Versatech is now the official distributor for Logitech video collaboration tools

Logitech Philippines has tapped Versatech International Inc. as its new official distributor for its video and conferencing room solutions.

As part of the announcement, Logitech also announced the arrival of additional models for the brand’s video collaboration portfolio consisting of professional conference cameras, webcams, and accessories for audio and video conferencing.

“We’ve tackled small, medium, and large meeting rooms with high-quality room solutions,” said Philippe Depallens, general manager of Personal Collaboration at Logitech. “Now, we’re establishing a category of products designed for the personal workspace that provides a complete personal collaboration experience, whether that’s with audio or webcams. As video collaboration continues to grow, our goal is to provide solutions that are simple to use so you can perform your best no matter where you take your meetings and calls.”

The partnership aims to tackle the market’s growing demand for professional business conferencing solutions and to streamline its delivery for personal workspace and industries such as corporate, government, education,

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entertainment, broadcast, hospitality, and BPO sectors.

To announce the partnership, Versatech International and Logitech held an online video conferencing webinar named Logitech Video Collaboration Conference via Zoom. The webinar discussed building up business resilience during COVID-19; attendees were able to ask questions about the new products and the importance of video conferencing in the era of COVID-19.

“This partnership with Logitech is a great opportunity to build value for our customers and I am anticipating a positive reception as we introduce their state-of-the-art collaboration systems that will certainly enhance our customers’ productivity”, said Stephen Yu, executive vice president of Versatech International.

“Customer success through a partnership is what defines Versatech International. Bringing together the world’s premier brands in unified communication and collaboration creates a multitude of possibilities to deliver more value to our customers. Logitech is at the forefront of solutions that address the need for remote

working environments by developing systems that enable businesses to seamlessly connect with their customers through the cloud, social, and IoT technologies. Together, we have an opportunity to fundamentally change how people work,” he adds.

New Logitech Products Among the new products that will come soon to the Philippines is the Logitech Swytch, a onecable link that allows your laptop to connect to a room’s AV equipment and run any video meeting or webinar. Another is the Logitech Zone Wired Headset, a USB headset for busy workspaces with premium audio drivers and an advanced noisecanceling microphone technology.

“Most room solutions are great and have made strides in becoming easier to use, but it’s often difficult to join meetings with any video service you want,” said Scott Wharton, vice president and general manager of Logitech Video Collaboration.

“For video to become ubiquitous, joining video calls with different platforms needs to become as easy as making a telephone call. With Swytch, we’re taking it a step beyond ‘making every room a meeting room’ and enabling a native experience in conference rooms that anyone can use and enjoy.”

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NASA’s annual International Space Apps Challenge hackathon goes virtual this October

The United States space agency, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), is inviting coders, entrepreneurs, scientists, designers, storytellers, makers, builders, artists, and technologists to participate in its global, virtual hackathon NASA Space App Challenge on October 2 to 4.

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed this year’s Space App to an all virtual event with all-events moved in an online setting. For 48 hours, participants from around the world will come together to create virtual teams and solve challenges using NASA’s open-source data. This year’s hackathon has the theme Take Action, a critical reminder that anyone can make a difference, even from the comfort and safety of home.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), France’s National Centre for Space Studies (CNES), and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) will once again be partnering with NASA for this hackathon.

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Space Apps was brought to the Philippines by developer and technology community leader Tzar C. Umang back in 2016. Since then the community has grown from a group of volunteers to forging partnerships with collaborations and stakeholders. The country has already produced global winners like the dengue hotspot predictor Project AEDES and information portal GIDEON measuring COVID-19 impact, both developed by Cirrolytix.

The Philippines also has other global finalists like the Celestial Snails from the De La Salle University addressing social isolation, and Sentinellium, an epidemic predictor using population density data, both addressing problems caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

“The Global Organizing Team is inspired by the journey the Philippines has with the Space Apps program. In particular, we appreciate the development of STEM in the Philippines and elsewhere, because one goal of Space Apps is to foster interest and learning in these fields

worldwide,” said Matt Scott, the global community director and storyteller.

While the country has gained recognition from NASA and partner agencies, lead organizer Michael Lance Domagas hopes that the country would soon realize the importance and value of giving support and assistance in the development of these winning projects so that fellow Filipinos would benefit from these technologies coming from outer space in times of emergency like the COVID-19 and dengue epidemic.

“Space Apps is a perfect venue which can arouse curiosity and interest of Filipinos to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), including space and Earth sciences. Our own country’s support should have been a way to inspire more Filipinos and further develop winning projects,” said Domagas. He also notes that Space Apps can be a program in developing “space education and promote public awareness” as stated in Section 8 of Republic Act 11363 otherwise known as the Philippine Space Act.

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PH’s top home services app GoodWork upgrades to safer cashless transactions with PayMaya GoodWork PH announces its partnership with PayMaya to provide its customers with safer and more convenient payment options on the GoodWork app.

GoodWork is happy to partner with PayMaya to facilitate payments within its mobile app. “With the partnership between GoodWork and PayMaya, we’re not only making life easier for Filipino households but we are also giving them more options to pay in a safe and secure manner,” said GoodWork CEO Andrew Koger.

The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted more and more individuals to switch to cashless transactions in order to prevent the spread of the virus as it reduces human contact. PayMaya president Shailesh Baidwan said in a statement: “We’re happy to partner with GoodWork PH in bringing payment convenience and safer transactions to its customers nationwide. As GoodWork provides various household services, the availability of PayMaya’s cashless payment solutions makes the booking experience safer and more convenient for both customer and service worker.”

Using the PayMaya Checkout payment gateway, GoodWork can now accept credit cards, debit cards, and prepaid card payments from customers who want to pay with Visa, Mastercard or JCB on the GoodWork app.

Aside from that, customers can now also Pay with PayMaya when booking services in the GoodWork app. All they need to do is select PayMaya as payment option upon checkout and input their PayMaya-registered mobile number. They’ll receive a One-Time Pin (OTP) via SMS to verify the payment.

Additionally, PayMaya users can get a 1%, 10%, or 100% cashback on their PayMaya app every time they Pay with PayMaya on the GoodWork app.

As the pandemic continues, the new normal has brought about new challenges. GoodWork is here to make lives safer and more convenient together with PayMaya as we adapt with this new environment.

GoodWork.ph is the #1 mobile app for Home Services in the Philippines. Its mission is to make quality services accessible and affordable for Filipinos. GoodWork offers different types of services across a wide range of categories from home cleaning, laundry, nail services, hair services, and many more.

PayMaya is the only end-to-end digital payments ecosystem enabler in the Philippines, with platforms and services that cut across consumers, merchants, and government. Aside from providing payments acceptance for the largest e-Commerce, food, retail and gas merchants in the Philippines, PayMaya

enables national and social services agencies, as well as local government units, with digital payments and disbursement services.

Through its app and wallet, PayMaya provides millions of Filipinos with the fastest way to own a financial account with over 40,000 Add Money touchpoints nationwide, more than double the total number of traditional bank branches in the Philippines combined. Its Smart Padala

by PayMaya network of over 30,000 partner touchpoints nationwide serves as last mile digital financial hubs in communities, providing the unbanked and underserved with access to services.

To know more about PayMaya’s products and services, visit www.PayMaya.com or follow @PayMayaOfficial on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

LG Electronics receives AHRI Performance Award for 3rd consecutive year LG Electronics (LG) continues its winning ways as the South Korean technology brand was recently recognized by the Air-Conditioning, Heating & Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) with the Performance Award for the third straight year, with all 73 tested models passing the performance evaluation.

The Performance Award is widely regarded to be an accolade that is difficult to accomplish, as all products from each category randomly selected

by AHRI must pass the performance test for three consecutive years. LG received this award for the first time in 2017 after passing the test each year since 2015.

From 2017 to 2019, a total of 73 models of LG’s airconditioning systems, representing seven product categories were tested and passed the evaluation with flying colors. They include Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF), Packaged Terminal Air-Conditioner (PTAC), Packaged Terminal Heat Pumps (PTHP), Unitary Small Air-Conditioner Equipment (VMAC), Unitary Small Heat Pump Equipment (VMHP), Water-Cooled Water-Chilling and Heat Pump WaterHeating Packages Using the Vapor Compression Cycle (WCCL), and Air- Cooled Water-Chilling Packages (ACCL).

AHRI randomly selects a minimum of 20 percent of all products from each category for annual testing.

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The institute then sends test samples to Intertek, a leading standard certification authority and an independent third-party laboratory accredited

by AHRI, to verify whether the products perform in accordance with the specifications. AHRI, a trade association founded in 1953, represents manufacturers of HVACR and water heating equipment around the globe with more than 350 member companies. The association is well-known for conducting a stringent performance evaluation, instilling consumer confidence.

Among the award-winning products, Multi V is LG’s flagship large-capacity outdoor unit. Its Ultimate Inverter Compressor, originally developed by LG, enables advanced performance and energy efficiency, making the product stand out in the commercial air- conditioning market. It exhibits excellent heating performance under extreme conditions of -30 degrees Celsius (-22 degrees Fahrenheit), which explains its popularity especially in North America where temperatures drop to a very low level in winter.

Multi V S, is a flagship small-and-medium-capacity unit built for residential use. A single outdoor unit can be connected to up to 16 indoor units, which makes it suitable for even large residential areas and condominiums. Indoor units are provided in various types from a wall-mounted configuration, a ceiling

cassette to a duct-type so that customers can make choices they want. PTAC, another certified product, is a single, self-contained unit frequently used at hotels. LG’s PTAC units boast exceptional durability, applied with special coating technology aimed to prevent corrosion of the heat exchanger.

LG’s footprint in the South-East Asian airconditioning market has been steadily growing for years based on the company’s outstanding technology competence. As of last year, sales of LG’s Air Solution Business Unit more than doubled compared to five years ago. Speaking regarding the recent award given by AHRI, LG Philippines’ managing director Inkwun Heo says “LG, as a total HVAC & energy solutions provider that’s focused on sustainability, fosters a culture of innovation.

This award by AHRI important to us because it validates our commitment in always providing the best for our customers.” www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

Microsoft launches Enabler Program to increase employability of PWDs The first of its kind, the Microsoft Enabler Program is an integrated approach that provides cloud and AI training for persons with disabilities, accessibility education for employer partners, and inclusive hiring from non-profit organizations supporting PWDs. With more than 1 billion people with disabilities (PWDs) in the world, disability-inclusive employment can lead to a 1-7% rise in GDP in the Asia Pacific through increased economic productivity. The program will pilot in five markets: Korea, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand, before expanding to the rest of the region by the end of 2020.

Skills and Knowledge Microsoft will provide online training in data engineering and programming, cloud computing on Microsoft Azure, and application development in GitHub to the PWDs. These modules will provide crucial technology skills that are globally recognized, and highly sought after in our digital-first and remote everything world, therefore providing them with a learning path for industry-leading skillsets that improve their employability. For the employer partners, Microsoft will conduct workshops on inclusive design and assistive technologies enabled through artificial intelligence on Microsoft Azure.

“At the heart of the Microsoft Enabler Program is a comprehensive accessibility model that will not only improve inclusion of people with disabilities across Asia Pacific for years to come; it also connects to local talent from underrepresented communities and improves our society,” Vivek Puthucode, chief partner officer at Microsoft in Asia Pacific.

The Non-Profit Organizations: • • • • •

Be. Lab (New Zealand) JA Korea KODAF (Korea Differently Abled Federation) SG Enable (Singapore) The Redemptorist Foundation for People with Disabilities (Thailand) • Virtualahan (Philippines) These NPOs will provide education and training to the employer partners to help them learn about working with PWDs, offer inputs on workplace modifications they may need to be an accessible employer, and guidance on mentoring PWDs. According to Ryan Gersava, founder and president of Virtualahan Inc., Philippines, “Our experience taught us that Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) are positive investments.

Together with Microsoft, we train them

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for competitive employment in the digital economy. Employers especially noted their loyalty and passion for learning; jobs liberate them from the destructive impact of poverty and low self-esteem. Unfortunately, the PWDs are already left behind because of outdated labour practices in the Philippines. The impact of 4IR and COVID-19 could push down even further unless we act now by making inclusive hiring the new normal.”

Engaging PWDs in the workplace

The employer partners:

“Accessibility starts with building a culture of inclusion in the workplace. The more you focus on it, the more your culture will improve and evolve.

The company culture and workplace environment are important elements of a successful accessibility program. At Microsoft, our vision and strategy of accessibility was to embed inclusive, accessible design into the fabric of the company.

And we want to enable every organization to be inclusive,” concluded Vivek.

• Cloocus (Korea) • Cognizant Technology Solutions (Singapore, Philippines) • Crayon (Singapore, Philippines, Thailand) • Datacom (New Zealand) • DXC Technology (New Zealand) • ePLDT (Philippines) • HCL Technologies (Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, New Zealand) • Ingram Micro Asia (Singapore) • Metanet Tplatform (Korea) • Nexus Tech (Philippines) • NTT Asia Pacific (Singapore, Philippines, Thailand) • NTT Data (Singapore, Philippines) • Tech Data (Singapore) • Wipro (Singapore, Philippines, Thailand) These organizations, in addition to receiving training from the NPOs on creating inclusive workplaces, will also accelerate their disability inclusion program by completing Accessibility Fundamentals, the course by Microsoft Learn which provides guidance on inclusive design principles and leveraging assistive technology.

Microsoft’s partners in the region commit to providing opportunities for PWDs by providing job shadowing, training, mentoring, and internship attachments in technical roles.

These opportunities will be offered in close collaboration with the NPO’s who will match the most suitable PWD profile, skills, qualifications, and ambitions with the requirements of the role.

Enabling the employment of PWDs To expand the talent pipeline for partners and connect job-seeking PWDs to tech roles, the program will also feature a virtual job fair, held at the end of the second quarter of 2021, that brings together the Microsoft partners and NPOs. PWDs can use the opportunity to showcase their skills, experience from their job attachments and interests, while businesses share roles available to connect with potential hires. In addition to job matching, the virtual event will include educational sessions about accessibility in the workplace, assistive technology as well as training, support, and tools to help organizations sustain their accessibility programs.

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MyKuya expands on-demand service offerings

In the wake of the pandemic, many non-essential businesses have either suspended operations or, unfortunately, permanently shut down. Some of these businesses include bars, movie theaters, gyms, and other recreation centers, and even salons and barbershops. But as the pandemic persisted and lockdown measures eased, more and more people are beginning to seek these non-essential businesses again.

Fortunately, on-demand service provider MyKuya has risen to the occasion and introduced new and unique offerings, including barber services in partnership with Felipe and Sons.

Users can now hire a personal barber through the MyKuya app to give them a haircut or a shave in the comfort of their own home or office. They can also request the barber to give them a quick shoulder and head massage as part of the service.

For health and hygiene purposes, the MyKuya partner barbers will attend to requests wearing their set of personal protective equipment and bringing their own sanitized equipment.

MyKuya will also offer L300 van services in response to the growing demand from business owners whose operations are flourishing amidst the pandemic. As more and more small businesses seek careful and trustworthy couriers, MyKuya is ready to meet their delivery needs.

The company also offers assistant services for business owners, namely MotoToday and BizHelper.

As the Philippines continues to operate in the new normal, MyKuya will continue to create new and unique services to serve more Filipinos, as well as provide more job opportunities for those who need it.

“We feel astounded by the amount of requests we received in the past few months. We also feel proud for being able to provide laid-off workers the opportunity to work with us and be part of a wonderful community,” Shabibi said.

”Our goal from the very start has always been to help Filipinos with their errands and other needs. With the pandemic still keeping people from doing what they need to do outside, we’re happy to be of help to them in any way we can,” MyKuya founder Shahab Shabibi said.

MyKuya is also expanding its business to cities outside Metro Manila such as Damariñas, Bacoor, and General Trias in Cavite; Lucena City in Quezon province; and Santa Rosa City in Laguna, and is looking to expand to Zambales and Pangasinan.

The partnership is beneficial to both MyKuya and Felipe and Sons—MyKuya is able to help its users get professionally-done haircuts without leaving their homes, while Felipe and Sons is able to leverage technology to reach more customers and track its barbers when they go out to complete an on-demand request.

In the early months of the pandemic with quarantine restrictions in place, non-essential workers were forced to stay at home and only permitted to go out to purchase essential items. In addition to their original range of services—which include grocery delivery, pabili, bills payment, and cleaning services, MyKuya launched home services for Filipinos those needing help with house fixtures. The company was able to hire handymen, carpenters, painters, electricians, plumbers, and aircon cleaners.

MyKuya has expanded its existing roster of ondemand offerings, such as office assistant services, to lend a helping hand with physical menial tasks in workplaces so regular workers can spend more time doing high-level work.

MyKuya also partnered with several commercial establishments—such as SM Supermalls, Robinsons Mall, Ayala Malls, Ortigas Malls, and more—to bring them closer to more Filipinos who continue to stay indoors.

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In all of these services, MyKuya partners practice safety protocols such as wearing face masks and shields and sanitizing their hands with rubbing alcohol.

In all these efforts, MyKuya is not only supporting its customers but its partners as well. With its goal of providing 1 million job opportunities by 2022, MyKuya is continuously hiring Kuyas and Ates, especially those who were laid off during the pandemic. At the beginning of the lockdown period, MyKuya hired more than 7,000 new Kuyas and Ates. As the company expands in other cities, Filipinos in the provinces will be given more chances to work and earn for their families.

“We’re happy being able to achieve so much in the past few months, but we won’t just stop there,” Shabibi noted, “We at MyKuya promise to do more as we believe we have the resources to help those in need during this difficult time. Together, we can weather this pandemic and enter the new normal strong.”

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Accenture invests USD 3-B in Cloud First to accelerate clients’ move to cloud and digital transformation

Accenture announced the formation of Accenture Cloud First with a USB 3-billion investment over three years to help clients across all industries rapidly become “cloud first” businesses and accelerate their digital transformation to realize greater value at speed and scale. Karthik Narain will lead Accenture Cloud First and join the Global Management Committee, effective October 1.

Accenture is recognized as a leading partner to the world’s major cloud providers. With approximately USD 11-billion in cloud revenue in its fiscal year 2019, Accenture’s leadership spans from Software as a Service—delivered through the company’s Intelligent Platform Service—to its migration, infrastructure, and application cloud services. More than 100,000 Accenture cloud professionals help clients shape, move, build, and operate their businesses in the cloud and realize the cloud’s business value, speed, cost, talent, and innovation benefits.

“COVID-19 has created a new inflection point that requires every company to dramatically accelerate the move to the cloud as a foundation for digital transformation to build the resilience, new experiences and products, trust, speed, and structural cost reduction that the ongoing health, economic and societal crisis demands — and that a better future for all requires,” said Julie Sweet, chief executive

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officer, Accenture. “Accenture Cloud First and our substantial investment demonstrate our commitment to delivering greater value to our clients when they need it most. Digital transformation requires cloud at scale, and post-COVID leadership requires that every business become a ‘cloud first’ business.”

Accenture Cloud First is a new multi-service group of 70,000 cloud professionals that brings together the full power and breadth of Accenture’s industry and technology capabilities, ecosystem partnerships, and deep commitment to learning and upskilling clients’ employees and to responsible business, with the singular focus of enabling organizations to move to the cloud with greater speed and achieve greater value for all their stakeholders at this critical time. Specifically, this new group integrates the company’s wide-ranging cloud expertise, including cloud migration, infrastructure, and application services and ecosystem partnerships; deep industry and cross-industry insights, data and Applied Intelligence capabilities; Accenture Interactive’s leading experience design skills; and insights from the company’s unmatched experience in modernizing and operating large IT estates and key business processes across finance, HR, marketing, supply chain and specific industries for leading global companies. This operational experience at scale is critical to ensuring companies realize value from their cloud

and digital transformation. Edge computing, integrated with the cloud, also will be a key focus area.

Accenture Cloud First also combines worldclass learning and talent development expertise; deep experience in cloud change management; and cloud-ready operating models with a commitment to the responsible business by design—with security, data privacy, responsible use of artificial intelligence, sustainability and ethics and compliance built into the fundamental changes Accenture helps companies achieve.

Accenture’s USD 3-billion investment will be used to continue advancing—often together with its cloud and broader technology ecosystem partners—industry roadmaps, data models, and solutions; cloud AI data and AI architectures; integrated full-stack infrastructure and applications capabilities; cloud tools, assets, and automation to drive lower unit cost and innovation; and research and development in edge computing and related cloud technologies.

Karthik Narain will lead Accenture Cloud First.

A technology industry veteran based in Silicon Valley, Narain most recently served as the lead for Accenture Technology in North America, helping guide Global 2000 brands in using the power of the cloud and other technologies to transform their businesses.

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AMD Powers Chromebooks With 3000 C-Series Mobile Processors

AMD (NASDAQ: AMD) announced the first AMD Ryzen mobile processors and latest AMD Athlon mobile processors for Chromebook platforms, with up to 178 percent faster web browsing compared to the previous generation.

Designed in collaboration with Google, the AMD Ryzen and Athlon 3000 C-Series Mobile Processor lineup introduces the first-ever “Zen” architecture-powered Chromebooks with systems from Acer, ASUS, HP, and Lenovo launching in Q4 2020. The AMD Ryzen 3000 C Series Mobile Processors offer up to 212 percent better performance for multitasking and content creation compared to the previous generation of AMD Chromebooks. With builtin AMD Radeon Graphics, AMD Ryzen 3000 C-Series Mobile processors include the most powerful graphics available in a Chromebook.

responsive while browsing the web, multitasking, or streaming video. The power-efficient 3000 C-Series Mobile Processors enable thinner and lighter Chromebook designs that deliver long battery life as well as Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5 capabilities for enhanced connectivity.

“Whether users are online, offline, on-the-go or at home, AMD Ryzen processor-based and Athlon processor-based Chromebooks deliver the combined CPU, graphics and overall performance needed to stay productive and breeze through the high demands of distance learning and remote working,” said Saeid Moshkelani, senior vice president and general manager, Client Compute, AMD. “We are pleased to be working with Acer, ASUS, Google, HP and Lenovo to significantly expand the number of AMD-powered Chromebooks and deliver more powerful options with the first of many AMD Ryzen-based Chromebook systems.”

• Up to 152 percent better photo editing performance than previous generation AMD Chromebooks

AMD Ryzen and Athlon 3000 C-Series Mobile Processors Built on the powerful “Zen” architecture with best-in-class AMD Radeon graphics, AMD-powered Chromebooks are fast and

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The AMD Ryzen 7 3700C Mobile Processor offers premium performance for Chromebooks, bringing: • Up to 251 percent better graphics performance compared to previous generation AMD Chromebooks • Up to 104 percent faster office productivity performance compared to previous generation AMD Chromebooks

The AMD Ryzen and Athlon 3000 C-Series Mobile Processors are coming soon in systems from major OEM partners in the consumer, education and enterprise markets.

“Chromebooks continue to be a rapidly growing market where customers are looking for appealing designs and top-notch features to power their work, education and gaming with Chrome OS,” said John Solomon, Vice President of Chrome OS at Google. “Our partnership with AMD, along with the unprecedented offering of Ryzen processorbased Chromebooks, gives consumers and businesses an even broader choice of affordable Chromebook designs that deliver blazing fast connectivity, long battery life and the ability to power through multitasking workloads.”

“Acer is continuing its history of leadership and innovation in the Chromebook market by utilizing new AMD Ryzen and Athlon 3000 C-Series Mobile Processors in our upcoming product line, which will give customers what they need to excel at school, work and home,” said James Lin, general manager, Notebooks, IT Products Business, Acer Inc. “Our new AMD-based Acer Chromebooks will deliver a heightened level of power, graphics performance, responsiveness and efficiency, allowing our customers to tackle challenging projects and take advantage of the growing range of apps and extensions in the Chrome ecosystem.”

“Today’s workforce wants powerful, secure, and easy-to-use cloud-centric devices as they adapt to the new realities of working from home or in the office,” said Andy Rhodes, global head of Commercial Personal Systems, HP Inc. “We are proud of our continued collaboration with AMD to offer business users advanced Chrome Enterprise security and manageability features to protect endpoints and unify manageability.

Powered by the latest AMD Ryzen processor, the new HP Pro c645 Chromebook Enterprise packs impressive power, enterprise-level security and manageability features, and seamless collaboration tools to address the productivity needs of business users everywhere.”

“Designed for the evolving demands on laptops, Lenovo systems powered by AMD processors will balance knockout performance with portability, enabling users to get things done remotely and on the move,” said Jerry Paradise, vice president, commercial portfolio, PC & Smart Devices at Lenovo. “Along with partners like AMD, we are able to offer customers fast and responsive user experiences in powerful and portable laptop designs.”

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Spotify unveils nine platform-exclusive Filipino podcasts

Spotify has announced that it signed nine Filipino podcasts exclusively on the platform. The nine Filipino podcasts are made by some of the country’s top content creators and will be part of the 1.5 million podcasts titles available on the platform.

The new Spotify exclusive Filipino podcasts including Adulting with Joyce Pring, Sleeping Pill with Inka, Wake up with Jim and Saab, The KoolPals, Boiling Waters PH, The Eve’s Drop, Ask Say, Ang Walang Kwentang Podcast, and Walwal Sesh.

Adulting with Joyce Pring: In her show, Joyce Pring shares tips and advice on adulting as a 20something Filipino. Topics she discusses range from mental health to love, relationships, and other life learnings.

Sleeping Pill With Inka: Voiced by Inka Magnaye, this ASMR-friendly audio show takes listeners through soothing readings of books and poems with the intention of easing one’s anxieties and helping people fall asleep.

Wake Up With Jim and Saab: Hosted by celebrity couple Jim and Saab, the duo talks about their adventures as a married couple and new parents.

Their conversations range from life musings to culture, music, and everything else in between.

The KoolPals: A clever play on the colloquial term ‘kupal,’ The KoolPals is hosted by comedy trio GB Labrador, James Caraan, and Nonong

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Ballinan. Each episode tackles a range of pop culture topics while keeping that colorful Filipino humour alive.

Boiling Waters PH: This series talks about relationships and romance—from courtship to heartbreak—with a side of humor and hugot memes. (Sawi much? ‘Yan kasi, ‘wag masyadong marupok.)

The Eve’s Drop: Hosted by broadcast personalities and certified cool moms Delamar Arias, Francesca Tobias, and Gelli Victor, this is real women talk bringing the drama, questions, and truth to light.

Ask Say: Influencer and body positivity advocate Say Tioco shares everything life has taught her about living independently, love, sex, relationships, career, travelling and more.

Ang Walang Kwentang Podcast: Popular Filmmaker Antoinette Jadaone and spoken word artist Juan Miguel Severo chat about love, hugot, all things pop culture, what’s trending and more.

Walwal Sesh: Join the hosts on conversations as they take on love, heartbreak, mental health, equality, sex and much more.

These new Filipino podcasts join the growing roster of Spotify exclusive podcasts made by some of the world’s biggest creators and storytellers including Michelle Obama, Joe Rogan, Nas Daily, and upcoming content from Kim Kardashian West, DC Comics, and more.

“We are thrilled to work with these top Filipino podcasters – storytellers in their own right – who deliver a fresh perspective and belong to a new generation of creators,” said Carl Zuzarte, head of studios for Southeast Asia, Spotify.

“We know that listening to audio content is a huge part of Filipinos’ everyday lives. And as for Filipinos are looking for ways to be entertained, stay informed, and relax while spending more time at home, podcasts can be the perfect companion.”

Zuzarte adds that these partnerships are just the beginning of Spotify’s plans for podcasts in the country. He also notes that the country is has a large music and podcast audience based on a recent Spotify survey with YouGov. “We’re at the start of a long and exciting podcast journey in the Philippines – market ripe with storytellers. We are continuously looking for the best creators that can cater to diverse listeners interest as we move into the next chapter of audio streaming in the country,” said Zuzarte.

The Spotify Survey found that 85% of Filipinos tuning in into some type of music or podcast.

Additionally, 74% of Filipinos crave more time away from their screens, which podcast listening can provide an ideal way to be entertained, informed, or relaxed.

The nine new Spotify exclusive Filipino podcasts can be accessed on Spotify now.

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Facebook Messenger Kids is now available in the Philippines

Facebook announced that it is rolling out Messenger Kids, an app designed to allow kids ages 6 to 12 to have fun video chatting and messaging with friends and family in a parent-controlled environment.

Parents in the Philippines will be able to download the app from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

As many communities are managing the response to COVID-19, with schools closed and people practicing physical distancing, parents are turning to technology more than ever to help their kids connect with friends and family, and looking to do so in a parent-controlled way.

Messenger Kids is a video chat and messaging app that helps kids connect with friends and family in a fun, parent-controlled space. For years, Facebook has been working with Youth Advisors, a team of experts in online safety, child development, and media, to help shape the Messenger Kids app. Facebook also continues to consult child safety advocates, and educators to ensure that the Messenger Kids app balances parental control with features that help kids learn how to connect responsibly online.

“Through our work with the Stairway Foundation, the Child Rights Network, and other safety partners in the Philippines, we learned that many Filipino parents are looking for ways to help their children stay in touch with friends and family during this challenging time, in a fun and parent-supervised environment. We hope that Messenger Kids will help them to continue to find ways to have fun, create, and engage with friends and family,” said Amber Hawkes, APAC head of safety, Facebook.

“In a pandemic, children are not able to explore and socialize with friends the way they used to.

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Experiencing change and restrictions in both learning and play is especially challenging for children. We are glad to see that Messenger Kids has been designed with built-in parental controls and safety in mind, and also fun features that are age-appropriate and encouraging children to stay connected even as they are staying physically apart. We shall continue working with Facebook to help make the platform safe for children,” said Ace Diloy of the Stairway Foundation.

Fun features built for kids Messenger Kids is full of features for kids to connect with the people they love. Once their account is set up by a parent, kids can start a one-on-one or group video chat. The home screen shows them at a glance who they are connected with to, and when those contacts are online.

• Playful masks, emojis, and sound effects bring conversations to life.

• In addition to video chat, kids can send photos, videos or text messages to their parent-approved friends and adult relatives, who will receive the messages via their regular Messenger app.

• A library of kid-appropriate and specially chosen GIFs, frames, stickers, masks, and drawing tools lets them decorate content and express their personalities.

• Messenger Kids gives parents more control.

Parents manage the contact list and have visibility into how their kids are using the app. Parents control kids’ accounts and contacts through the Messenger Kids Parent Dashboard in their main Facebook iOS and Android app

How to get started Every child account on Messenger Kids must be set up by a parent. For parents, setting your child up with a Messenger Kids account is done in four steps: • Download: First, download the Messenger Kids app on your child’s iPad, iPod touch, or iPhone.

Messenger Kids will also be available in the Google Play Store and on Android devices.

• Authenticate: Then, authenticate your child’s device using your own Facebook username and password. This will not create a Facebook account for your child or give them access to your Facebook account.

• Create an account: Finish the setup process by creating an account for your child, where you’ll provide their name and opt-in to any additional features. The device can then be handed over to the child so they can start chatting with family and friends.

• Add contacts: To add people to your child’s contact list, go to the Messenger Kids Parent Dashboard panel in your main Facebook app.

To get there, click on “More” on the bottom right corner in your main Facebook app, and click “Messenger Kids” in the Explore section.

More information and what’s next There are no ads in Messenger Kids and your child’s information isn’t used for ads. It is free to download and there are no in-app purchases. Messenger Kids is also designed to be compliant with the Children’s Online Privacy and Protection Act (COPPA).

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Philippines Esports Organization awaits POC accreditation

Member organizations of the Esports National Association of the Philippines (ESNAP) have merged with PeSO for a powerhouse group to elevate Philippine esports.

The country’s largest and most credible esports companies and personalities have come together under the revamped banner of the Philippine Esports Organization (PeSO). PeSO, backed by Smart Communications, is comprised of the most recognizable names in Philippine esports—Bren Esports, Gariath Concepts, Mineski Philippines, The Nationals, PlayBook Esports, Tier One Entertainment, TV5, and TNC Holdings.

PeSO also has the distinction of being the sole organization in the country accredited by the Internation Esports Federation (IeSF) since 2012.

PeSO’s member organizations had previously worked together under the banner of Esports National Association of the Philippines (ESNAP) and the Philippine Southeast Asian Games Esports Union (PSEU) who was sanctioned by the Asian Esports Federation (AESF) to hold the first-ever esports tournament in the SEA Games.

The AESF also signed a landmark agreement last March 2020 with the IeSF wherein the IeSF acknowledges and recognizes AESF as the sole federation for esports in Asia, while the AESF acknowledges and recognizes the IeSF as the sole international federation for esports.

In the 2019 SEA Games Esports Tournament, Bren Esports, Gariath Concepts, and TNC worked under the leadership of The Nationals commissioner Ren Vitug to be the National

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Technical Officials (NTOs) of the tournament, while Mineski Philippines and TV5 co-produced and streamed the event for all the participating countries. Distinguished individuals from Bren Esports, Mineski Global, PlayBook Esports, and Tier One Entertainment provided the coaching and management staff for Team Sibol, the Philippine National Esports Team. Gariath Concepts managing partner Joebert Yu was also the overall competition manager for the tournament.

PeSO has also applied for accreditation from the Philippine Olympic Committee to be the official National Sports Association (NSA) for the Philippines, giving it the main responsibility to govern and develop esports nationwide. PeSO’s application for NSA accreditation is bolstered by the unified presence of the biggest and most credible collection of esports stakeholders in the Philippines, who have tirelessly worked towards the industry’s growth and betterment since the early 2000s.

To kick off this significant milestone, PeSO will be mounting the Philippine Qualifiers for the 12th IeSF World Championship to be held in Eliat, Israel in December. This year’s Philippine Qualifiers will be an online format, featuring DOTA2 and Tekken 7. Team Sibol’s Andreij “PBE. Doujin” Albar took home the bronze medal in last

year’s IeSF World Championships, and PeSO is confident that this time, Team Sibol can match, if not exceed, last year’s contingent’s performance and standing.

“With the support of Smart Communications, there is no doubt that we are in a stronger position to place in this year’s IESF World Championships,” said Brian Lim, president, PeSO. “Smart’s commitment to support and grow esports and the national team, Sibol, is crucial and is definitely appreciated.”

“Our goal is to continue leading the way to bring glory to Philippine esports. After supporting Team Sibol in the 2019 SEA Games, Smart reaffirms its commitment to the esports industry by looking for the next members of Team Sibol who will represent the Philippines in the IESF World Championships,” said Jane Jimenez Basas, SVP and head of consumer wireless business at Smart.

The search for the newest members of Team Sibol starts this September 2020. Details on the Philippine Qualifiers for the 12th IESF World Championship will be announced through the PeSO Facebook Page. TV5 and Cignal, who have been strong advocates of esports on Philippine airwaves, will air the Philippine Qualifiers on One Sports and One Sports Plus.

OCTOBER 2020

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Words by Jose Alvarez

There is a joke that people don’t go around recommending operating systems to one another—it’s just there and you use it. Today, you use Macintosh or a PC. Windows still overwhelmingly dominates the operating system (OS) market and has been for the past three decades. But like many other things we have covered in Relic, what was the great leap forward? What made Windows the OS of choice? I believe that the answer to this is Windows XP.

Windows 95 and Windows 98 both ran on MS-DOS architecture. Microsoft themselves even said that Windows 98 was going to be no different than Windows 95 other than a “tune-up.” Following the failure of Windows Me, Microsoft had a critical decision to make: either make a new Windows or continue propping up Windows 98. Many users who had used Windows ME switched back to Windows 98 and some had moved to Windows 2000, the enterprise version of Windows. The development of Windows XP came around when “Odyssey” and “Neptune”, two projects intended to be enterprise and consumer-oriented versions of Windows respectively, were fused into one product called “Whistler” which would be announced in 2000 and unveiled in early 2001 as Windows XP, with XP standing for “eXPerience”.

On October 25, 2001, Windows XP came to retail users. While it was well received, some critics questioned the new licensing model and product activation system. Windows XP debuted to rave reviews and was seen as the great leap forward feature-wise. It

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was also the first Windows release to not use the MS-DOS architecture, instead purely using the Windows NT architecture. The task grouping feature was introduced in Windows XP, which allowed grouping windows opened by a single application, and a two-column layout that allowed people to list, pin, and display frequently used applications.

Three major service packs came to Windows XP. Service Pack 1 came out in September 2002 and added USB 2.0 support as well as fixed minor bugs and provided updated security like all patches to Windows usually do. Service Pack 2 was released in August 2004 and provided security updates and bug fixes. It also included some Bluetooth support and WPA encryption for Wi-Fi. Service Pack 3 came around in April 2008. This may have been in response to the critically panned Windows Vista, which released in January 2007, with many users still preferring to use Windows XP. Service Pack 3 also extended the lifespan of Windows XP itself, which Microsoft intended to phase out at the end of January 2009.

Some versions of Windows XP were supported until 2019, 18 years after its release. Some

countries are still using Windows XP to this day, and Windows XP is still being utilized by medical devices due to the need for approval from relevant regulators. It was reported that about half of all PCs in China ran on Windows XP as late as 2014, even though Windows Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8 had all been released between in that time frame. Automated teller machines (ATMs) still use Windows XP as well. In 2017, it was reported that 60% of ATMs in India still used Windows XP. Armenia is an interesting case in that over 40% of their PCs still run Windows XP as of this very writing, even (barely) outpacing the market share of Windows 10.

Windows XP, to me, was the “great leap forward” of Windows. It brought the personalized touch that users craved and made the PC a centerpiece of the home instead of something for an office. While Windows 10 is often considered the next leap forward due to it being available for free for existing Windows 7 and 8.1 users, I will always consider Windows XP as the great leap forward for Microsoft.

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