Giveaway: Urbanears Tanto Headphones

In this time and age when most people are getting crazy with so much things to do, the only way that can help calm the soul is by listening to good music. Paring heart thumping songs or smooth sailing R&B music  with the Urbanearts Tanto might be a good idea.

Urbanears Tanto headphones delivers good sound quality in an ultra-light weight, comfortable and sleek design – simple enough to be subtle, yet bold enough to get noticed. (Review Link)

We’re so glad that Digits Trading was willing to hook Glich's Life up with 1 lucky reader by giving away the brand new (only opened for review) Urbanears Tanto. 

Mechanics:

• Follow GlennOng on Twitter and 'Like' Glich's Life Facebook page
• 'Like' Digits Trading’s Facebook page
• Share the Urbanears Tanto review found on this link and NOT this post on Facebook and Twitter.
• Answer this question in the comments section: “What's your favorite feel good music?”
• Comment with your full name and direct links to your shared posts.
• This giveaway runs from May 30, 2012 to June12, 2012. Winners will be announced here thereafter.

Note: The winner will have to meet up with us to claim the prize. As such, only residents of Metro Manila are qualified to join. Non-Metro Manila residents may still join, provided that you agree to shoulder the shipping cost if you win.

Winner Announcement

Thanks for everyone who joined the Urbanears Tanto giveaway! Thanks too to Digits Trading for the prize.

Randomizer.org has chosen the winner, and the Urbanears Tanto headphones goes to Shirley Mae Tabora! Please send me an email at glichslife(at)glennong(dot)com to know how to claim your prize. I'll be waiting until June 20. If no email is received, the next name in the list will automatically get the prize. Congratulations!

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Adonit Jot Classic Stylus Review

Long before the capacitive touchscreen devices became popular, the use of stylus has already been around. I remember having to use it when I had my HP iPaq phone. It's definitely helpful, especially when you want to scribble and doodle.

Perhaps everyone would know that not all stylus will work with capacitive touchscreen devices. In the advent of the "touch" technology coupled with applications that require writing, drawing, and what-have-you, having a stylus becomes a necessity. This is where the Adonit Jot Classic plays an important role. 

There are four elements that make up the great Adonit Jot Classic:

• Ball Point - Essentially, the ball point (tip of the stylus) of the Jot Classic gives me the freedom to position the stylus in any angle I'm most comfortable with, just like how I use a pen.
• Precision Disc - From the pictures, you'd see that there's a thin and clear disc that surrounds the tip of the stylus. This gives accuracy as I write or doodle like a digital pen.
• Heavy Metal - The Jot Classic gives a good grip, because it is made of durable aluminum and steel. It feels like an expensive pen, which therefore gives superior conductivity and craftsmanship.
• Protective Cap - Looking like a pen and functioning like a pen, the Jot Classic has a metal cap that keeps the precision disc safe from destruction when not in use. On the other hand, I am able to screw it at the back of the stylus when the Jot is in use.

I tried using it when I played Draw Something and noticed that it did help making my life easier. Not that I became better in drawing, but more of aiding me to draw with ease without the need to tire my fingers. In addition, the rate of my "artwork's" accuracy increased.

Using another app called Draw Free, writing was like it was on paper. You would notice that as compared to the text I wrote on Draw Something, the letters here are more edgy. It's not because of the disc or the Jot Classic, but it's really like that even when using my finger. And because the pen is sturdy and has more weight than a normal pen, the app had black marks already even as the stylus just rolled onto the screen.

When using the Jot Classic, I do recommend having a screen protector for sure protection. As you may notice in the picture, the screen protector got "scratches" based on how I doodled using the stylus. Jot plays well with the majority of screen protectors but, due to the large variety, there are some where Jot does not.

Jot does NOT work well with these screen protectors due to their extra grip nature:

• Zagg Glossy Invisible Shield (but Smudge-Proof Invisible Shield works well)
• Ghost Armor
• Bodyguardz
• Skinomi
• Wrapsol

Adonit Jot Classic works on all capacitive touchscreens devices, such as the iPad, iPhone, MacBook Trackpad, Magic Trackpad, as well as HTC, Samsung, Nokia, Motorola and Blackberry smartphones.

Asking if the Jot Classic is a good buy, I'd say yes for its quality and use. But again, it's still definitely dependent on how often you'll use it. Since we're all used to using our fingers to slide, tap and scribble anyway, the Jot Classic would probably only provide help and ease while doing these actions.

Do checkout Jot Mini and Pro too, which are the more expensive ones, but have more features such as having magnetic cling, rubber grip, mobile clip, etc.

Standard Retail Price of Adonit Jot are as follows:

• Jot Classic (Turquoise, Green, Purple, Red) - Php950.00
• Jot Mini (Turquoise, Green, Purple, Red) - Php1,050.00
• Jot Pro (Gun Metal, Silver, Blue, Red) - Php1,350.00

Adonit Jot Classic, Mini and Pro are available at the following stores:

• Beyond the Box
• Digital Hub
• Digital Hub - Limketkai Center
• E-Central - Cebu
• iBook - SM Clark
• iCenter - Cebu
• iCenter - Iloilo
• Podworx
• Podwrox - SM Calamba
• Power Mac Center
• Power Mac Center - Abreeza Mall
• Technoholics
• The Inbox Store - SM Clark

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Samsung Galaxy S3 officially launched in the Philippines, Available by June

Shortly after the global launching of the Samsung Galaxy S3 in London, the Samsung Galaxy S3 (Galaxy SIII) has made its way to the Philippines. The official launch was held at the NBC Tent yesterday, May 28, where it was attended by press, media, bloggers, dealers, celebrities and popular personalities.

The Samsung Galaxy S2 and the Samsung Galaxy Note have definitely brought Samsung's presence to the top not only in our country, but worldwide. With the launch of their newest flagship smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy S3 is on its way to be one of the most wanted smartphones in the market today.

Samsung Galaxy S3 is made for humans, because it understands the needs of humans. “The phone is designed to be both effortlessly smart and intuitively simple. The Galaxy SIII has been created with our human needs and capabilities in mind.” Says JK Shin, President and Head of IT and Mobile Communications.

Here are the features that cater to us humans:

Smart Stay: It waits till you fall asleep

Samsung Galaxy S3's front camera identifies the eyes of the user, which recognizes if the user is still using or looking at the phone for whatever reason. With the 'Smart Stay' feature, the phone maintains a bright display for continued viewing pleasure. And as soon as the phone detects that the user has closed the eyes, the phone also goes into idle mode seconds later.

S Beam: It shares what’s in your heart

Sharing is one of the most common activities smartphone users do nowadays. What a better way to share audio, video, and other files from one smartphone to another smartphone by simply putting two Galaxy S3 phones back to back, even without a Wi-Fi or cellular signal. The ‘S Beam’ of the Galaxy S3 enables a 1GB video file to be shared within three minutes and a 10MB audio file within two seconds.

Pop-Up Play: It lets you do two things at once

Multi-tasking at its best, the ‘Pop Up Play’ feature of the Samsung Galaxy S3 allows the user to play a video and drag it anywhere in the screen while simultaneously running other tasks (e.g. texting, checking emails, surfing the web, etc.).

Burst Shot: It sees your best side

When capturing living objects, movements are not in the control of the photo taker. As such, wouldn't it be good to have an 8MP camera that features a zero-lag shutter speed? With this, it lets the user to capture moving objects easily without delay. The ‘Burst shot’ function instantly captures twenty continuous shots (3.3 frames per second), and goes a step further by selecting the best of eight photographs.

Smart Gestures: It follows what you naturally do

The Galaxy S3 is smart enough to follow the gestures that we usually do. Here are some of the uses of 'Smart Gesture' feature: (1) Putting one hand on top of the screen when the video is playing will automatically pause the video; (2) Swiping one hand sideways from right to left will already get a screenshot, therefore no need to push any buttons; (3) Turning the phone over when the phone is ringing or playing an audio will automatically set the tone into silent mode; (4) Raising the phone close to the ears when in messaging mode will automatically call the contact.

The Samsung Galaxy S3 provides an ergonomic and comfortable experience through its human-centric design. Its comfortable grip, gentle curves, and organic form deliver a rich human-centric feel and design.

Available in Pebble Blue and Marble White colors, the Samsung Galaxy S3 will be available in the Philippines this June 9, 2012 with the price of Php32,990. However, you can get it with a plan from either Globe and Smart, which will be released on June 1.

Samsung Galaxy S3 (Galaxy SIII) Specifications

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Singapore: Master Crab Seafood Restaurant, The Crab Specialist

I was in Singapore a few weeks ago for an official business trip. I didn't like much of the food there, except for a very few dishes - yeah, I know many of you may wonder why. Anyway, I felt very fortunate that on our last dinner, our Project Manager (PM) treated us at Master Crab Seafood Restaurant located in Ghim Moh Road. 

Master Crab has 10 branches, but this is the one familiar to our PM. Since it is quite far, we just took a cab from  Novena to save our efforts and energies after a tiring day. However, if you want to take the train, you can opt to go down at the Buona Vista MRT station, then walk to the restaurant, which is about 0.57KM away.

Singapore is known for having several hawker-type of eateries. You'd see a common area for eating (tables and chairs are on a first come first served basis) and several stalls around selling different types of dishes. Order whatever you like and they'll bring it on your table. 

Since all of us were first timers and didn't know what to order, the task was delegated to our PM. To make everything easier, he then decided to order from the set menu. Without further ado, presenting to you our dishes for the night...

The star of the night, Salted Egg Crabs. The sauce, colored golden-yellow from the egg's yolk, is very much rich and tasty. As the famous Filipino line goes, "sauce pa lang ulam na," this dish really had the praises of everyone. I love how the texture of the salted egg and the crab meat goes together so harmoniously, as if eating is singing. 

You might wonder why we didn't get the usual chili crabs. Well, our PM said the salted egg variant is more delicious. He didn't disappoint. It was indeed yummy and fresh!

Stewed Abalone with Black Mushroom wasn't bad at all. The pieces of broccoli were cooked just right, stewed together with succulent, huge black mushrooms and topped with abalone. This resembles a popular Chinese food we usually order in Manila, sans the black hair and other vegetables.

Their Steamed Fish with Garlic and Ginger was a bit shocking in size. Lying on a light mix of soy sauce and mixed with garlic and ginger, this fish dish was a good ball breaker from all the other viands that had much stronger taste.

Several pieces of prawns were buried under this Cereal Prawns dish. It wasn't as yummy as that of Wee Nam Kee's popular prawn dish, but it wasn't that bad as well. Just okay!

Sauteed Asparagus with Scallops was one of my favorites for the night. To start with, I love asparagus and scallops, so mixing them together in one dish made me really happy. The scallops tasted very fresh even if we dined in at late night already. In addition, the asparagus was cooked to perfection, still a bit crunchy just the way I like it. It was more on the asparagus and less of the scallops in terms of pieces, but it's all good.

This is the so called Salad Fitters. I heard it has thinly chopped, mixed seafood formed into a cube or ball. But what? I didn't like it very much. I wasn't able to determine if it's pork, chicken, seafood or what. Blah! But I'd eat it anytime I feel terribly hungry. It's still food anyway, lah?

The Pork's Ribs dish had several pieces of pork cooked in tenderness. It comes with a special sauce that tastes a bit sweet. I find it a bit too oily though. Another just-okay dish.

We ended the meal with the menu's inclusive dessert, which I don't know the name. It was a mixture of sweet soup, longan fruit, and some brownish jelly. Some of my colleagues didn't like it, but I did. It resembles the taste of gulaman with additional flavors.

We were all smiles after dinner, because we really enjoyed the food! To recap, the set menu had 9 items all in all - all those I've mentioned above plus Seafood Fried Rice. The whole set is good for 10 pax, priced at 368 SGD (~Php12,581 or Php1,258/pax). We had to add a couple of bucks for the peanut appetizer and wet towels.

And oh, we added about 5 SGD for the Mantou, which we dipped onto the sauce of the Salted Egg Crabs. Yummy!

By the way, you can also order ala carte menu. Each dish usually comes in different sizes. The price range of all their menu items are from 6 SGD to 46 SGD, depending on the size and type of food. Meanwhile, crabs and fish prices may vary per day.

This is how our table looked life after dinner. Woooohooo! Thanks again to our PM for the treat at Master Crab Seafood Restaurant. It was definitely a worthwhile wait and a great cap off to the two-weeks business trip.

Master Crab Seafood Restaurant - Ghim Moh Road
Blk 19 Ghim Moh Road #01-229
Singapore 270019
Phone: 6314 1868
Business Hours: 3pm - 1:30am (Monday-Sunday)

Other Master Crab Branches:
Master Crab Seafood Restaurant - Punggol Field
108 Punggol Field #01-01
Singapore 820108
Phone: 6425 8079

Master Crab Seafood Restaurant - Punggol Dr
639 Punggol Drive #01-07
Singapore 820639
Phone: 6425 9435

Master Crab Seafood Restaurant - Compassvale Link
277C Compassvale Link #01-13
Singapore 544277
Phone: 6555 6515

Master Crab Seafood Restaurant - Choa Chu Kang
Blk 475 Choa Chu Kang Ave 3 #01-31
Singapore 680475
Phone: 6764 9487

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Urbanears Tanto: Tantalizing Enough, A Review

I’ll be honest with you – I’ve never really been a fan of the Urbanears brand. Ever since they came out on the market, I have always seen them as a colorful waste of money. I have gone through many a new product line of the same class and have been disappointed by the sound quality for the price I paid.

I won’t bother mentioning those brands here, but just to give you an idea of my biggest disappointment: I spent Php1,899 on a pair of headphones and used them exactly once. The sound quality was terrible – very little bass, no mid-tones to speak of, no highs to get me excited listening to my songs. It was like listening to a pair of headphones I could’ve easily purchased for PHP 500 or less. To this day, that pair is just rotting away in my room somewhere.

**BREAKING NEWS: Want to win this Urbanears Tanto headphones? Head on to the mechanics page.**

Coming into this review, I approached the package before me with an understandable apprehension. I wanted to challenge the brand to break my prejudice and make me believe they weren’t just another pretty face with an indulgent price tag. This is where the story of my experience with the Urbanears Tanto officially begins.

Design, Make and Package

Let me start with the main focus of the product – it’s simple yet eye-catching design. To be fair, the Urbanears line did pique my interest because of its colors. The bold range of colors they have is unheard of compared to the traditional blacks and whites that dominate the market.

Pictured below is the Urbanears Tanto with a color dubbed as Sage (sort of a greenish hue not too different from moss). The package stays consistent with the color of the headphones and feels like a lot of thought was put into it.

The Tanto line boasts to be “constructed for maximum mobility without the compromise of performance, adorned with a sleek and minimalistic look.” Maximum mobility here means that they tore away everything except the thin metal band that connects the two small ear cups on either side of your head.

They weren’t exaggerating about the pair being super lightweight, but I’m afraid that stripping the headphones down to its bare essentials makes it look very fragile. I’m a big guy and holding them in my hands makes me feel like I’d snap them if I moved the wrong way. The minimalist design is appealing though – there’s no screaming brand logo, no fancy design details or loud prints to distract you from the eye-catching simplicity it offers, but some may complain that it’s too minimalist.

The headphones come with a microphone and push-button control, which allows me to use them for calls or control the music. It also comes with a 120cm tangle-resistant fabric cord, which is of a fair length between my ears and the music player in my pocket.

The package also comes with a converter for larger audio ports and will allow you to plug in your headset to any music source. To round it off, the product comes with a warranty booklet, a full catalog of the Urbanears products, and a complimentary sticker that bears the company’s logo in the same color as the headphones, of course.

Sound Quality

At this point I’m thinking to myself, these are still your run-of-the-mill headphones. There’s nothing really special about the Urbanears Tanto to justify its price tag. It isn’t looking good for this pair – seems like my prejudice will still hold up after all. There was nothing left to do but to plug it in to my iPhone, scroll down to my staple test song “Drumming” by Florence and the Machine, hit play, and wear the thing. This is where I found myself eating my words.

I was literally not expecting this much sound to come from such a flimsy-looking pair. I don’t want to get too technical with you, but I could hear a full range of sounds in clear detail. The bass power wasn’t overwhelming, but you wouldn’t find it lacking either. The lows and mids were easily distinguishable and the artist’s words came across very clearly.

At only 70% volume, it was loud enough to drown out most ambient noise. Pushing the volume to 100% still made the sound comfortable enough to listen to with the same clear sound and no crackling whatsoever. It wasn’t noise-cancelling in any way as it still let the surrounding noise in, but I suppose this wasn’t really part of the product’s specifications.

The lightweight design really does come through once you wear them. I had them on for about 30 minutes and I hardly felt that they were there. The Urbanears Tanto is a pair you could wear for hours on end without feeling any discomfort.

Overall Experience

I was pleasantly surprised to hear such good quality from such a small pair of headphones, but I wouldn’t say the experience was perfect. My main complaint is that the earphones don’t fit snugly over my ears. The product boasts that the ear cups were made with a pivoting ball joint construction for optimized ergonomics, but it took me quite some time to adjust them to a comfortable position where I could hear the music clearly. I wasn’t allowed to do any vigorous movement either, because moving my head would offset the headphones and I’d have to adjust them again.

Overall, I would certainly say that the Urbanears Tanto headphones exceeded my initial expectations. It delivers good sound quality in an ultra-light weight, comfortable and sleek design – simple enough to be subtle, yet bold enough to get noticed. Has this changed my mind on the Ubranears brand? Yes, it certainly has.

The company lives up to its promise of quality without compromise and it certainly justifies its price tag. Would I recommend you to go out and buy it? In a nutshell: using them while studying in your room / working at your office desk / walking in the park? Yes, these headphones are for you. Exercising in the gym / running around a lot / a big guy like me? Perhaps you should consider its bigger brother, the Urbanears Plattan. No matter the case, Urbanears is definitely a brand I have added to my favorites list.

Standard Retail Price of Urbanears Tanto:

• Cream - Php1,950
• Grape - Php1,950
• Sage - Php1,950

Urbanears is available at the following stores:

• Beyond The Box
• Digital Hub
• Digital Walker
• Listening Room – SM MegaMall
• 8 Telcom - Davao
• GUI - Davao
• Banana Telecom - Davao
• iCenter – Cebu
• Urban Athletics - Greenbelt 3
• Complex
• Toby’s Arena – Shangri-La Plaza Mall
• Astrovision
• Egghead – Robinsons Galleria
• Astrovision
• Egghead – Robinsons Galleria

Editor's Note: This article was written by Arbi Bautista, a special writer and contributor of Glich's Life. Arbi is an IT Consultant and Project Manager in one of the biggest IT companies of the world. He is a music and photography enthusiast, and a great public speaker. Revisions to this article were done by yours truly prior to posting. You can follow Arbi on Twitter (@sowhatifimmaria). - Glenn / Glich

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RIM and Globe Launch BlackBerry 9220, 9320 with Affordable Plans

Aiming to drive more sales and pushing the Philippines to be a "BlackBerry nation," RIM has partnered with Globe as they launch the latest BlackBerry Curve smartphones, the Curve 9220 and Curve 9320. With this partnership, Globe has the rights to be the first to market the said BlackBerry Curve smartphones, coupling them with their signature affordable plans. 

From L-R: Divine Lee (Host), Peter Bithos (Globe Telecom Senior Advisor for Consumer Business), Cameron Vernest (Research in Motion Director of the Philippines), and Cliff Ho (Host)

The new BlackBerry Curve 9220 and 9320 are entry level phones that are great upgrades to the most popular BlackBerry Curve handset, the Curve 8520.

The BlackBerry Curve 9220 and 9320 are essentially the same in most of its features, except that the former is only 2G and the latter is 3G. Both models still have the usual well-loved social media communication tools and apps, a new dedicated BBM (BlackBerry Messenger) key on the side, and the most updated BlackBerry 7.1 OS. In addition, the 9220 and 9320 also features with a built-in FM radio and a battery life of up to 7 hours talk time or up to 28 hours of FM radio listening or music playback with headphones.

BlackBerry Curve 9220

The BlackBerry Curve 9220 borrows some of its looks from the Curve 8520 in terms of keypad and form factor. On the other hand, the call keys and control keys of the device have been designed like the ones in Bold 9790. It is slimmer by 1.2 mm and lighter by 4 grams than the BlackBerry Curve 8520.

The Curve 9220 is now available in Globe stores (and also online), FREE at a monthly subscription of Php598. With this plan, you get: Php499 consumable, unlimited BlackBerry Messenger use, and 2 choices of freebies (e.g., Globe-Globe/TM 10 mins calls and 200 SMS; Globe-Other Networks 5mins calls and 25 SMS; International call and text; 3 hours mobile surfing).

BlackBerry Curve 9220 Specifications

• Dimension - 109 x 60 x 12.7 mm
• Display Size - 320 x 240 pixels, 2.44 inches
• Internal Memory - 512 MB ROM, 512 MB RAM
• Card Slot - microSD, expandable up to 32 GB
• Processor - 800 MHz
• Data - GPRS, EDGE, WiFi, Bluetooth
• Camera - 2 megapixels, fixed focus, 1600 x 1200 pixels, no flash
• Video Recording - Capable of recording in VGA mode
• Extra Features - Accelerometer, Proximity, Compass, Stereo FM radio

BlackBerry Curve 9320

The BlackBerry Curve 9320 comes with additional features including Mobile Hotspot support, which allows  users to share the mobile data connection with up to 5 WiFi-enabled devices, including laptops and tablets. 

This smartphone can be pre-ordered from Globe via http://blackberrycurve.globe.com.ph/ at a monthly subscription of Php999 (BlackBerry Unlisurf Combo). With that, you can get unlimited surf, BBM, Twitter, Facebook and Email; Php400 consumable, and 1 freebie  (e.g., Globe-Globe/TM 10 mins calls and 200 SMS; Globe-Other Networks 5mins calls and 25 SMS; International call and text; Unlimited call and text to 1 Globe/TM number)

BlackBerry Curve 9320 Specifications

• Dimension - 109 x 60 x 12.7 mm
• Display Size - 320 x 240 pixels, 2.44 inches
• Internal Memory - 512 MB ROM, 512 MB RAM
• Card Slot - microSD, expandable up to 32 GB
• Processor - 806 MHz
• Data - GPRS, EDGE, HSDPA, WiFi, Bluetooth
• Camera - 3.15 megapixels, fixed focus, 2048 x 1536 pixels, with LED flash
• Video Recording - Capable of recording in VGA mode
• Extra Features - Geo-tagging, Image stabilization, Accelerometer, Proximity, Compass, Stereo FM radio, A-GPS support

BlackBerry Messenger Dedicated Key

The BlackBerry Curve 9220 prepaid kits and/or unit only are priced around Php9,990, while the Curve 9320 is at Php11,990. To know more about these two new smartphone models, visit the BlackBerry Philippines website or log on to Globe's website.

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How Friends Influence Our Purchases

When several of your friends show you the same item again and again, do you feel influenced to buy it too? This generation’s purchases, electronic or not, are highly dictated by the circle of friends and connections we have.

Online Media

Digitally, we can say that online social networks play a big part in harnessing the information at hand and making it into relevant product sales.

I have asked several PR agencies about brands going digital. Apparently, the main reason why companies and brands turn to digital media nowadays is because of what we so call “online word of mouth.”

Whether the product is new or the brand just lacks popularity, agencies tap online writers, because they are influencers in their own rights. These writers are usually part of several social networking sites, therefore being able to promote the brand or product to a mass number of people in just one posting.

There are still events for actual product launches, but these one-time ‘parties’ may be forgotten right after the guests step out of the event venue. In addition, not everyone gets to attend events due to various reasons.

On the contrary, having articles and features published online reaches more people in a shorter span of time and in a more dynamic way. Entries posted in the cloud can be referenced repeatedly anywhere, anytime, and can last for a lifetime.

Social Connections

Outside the Internet and computers, our friends are also key influencers in our choice of products and services. Examine your choice of smartphone and mobile network. Most likely, your close friends use the same mobile network on the same brand of smartphone as you do.

Those who communicate together tend to adopt together. I was a loyal Nokia user before I switched to BlackBerry. It wasn’t because I didn’t like the Finnish phone brand anymore. Several of my close friends switched to the Canadian brand specifically for BBM, and so I did too.

When the iPad launched several years ago, I actually didn’t care at all. However, when I started seeing most of the people I look up to like the pastors, doctors, and businessmen carrying their iPad everywhere they go, it appeared to me that this piece of device could be useful to me too. It stirred my curiosity and led me to believe that the iPad is a must-have gadget.

Yes, there are exceptions to the rule, because not everybody conforms according to what the society says. But it’s undeniably true that social variables have a huge influential power in our purchases.

However, social connections aren’t everything. The qualities of whatever items spreading through a network still matters. Indeed, product adoption will spread like wildfire according to its quality, and not just basing wholly on the number of friends who already own it.

How many of your device purchases were influenced by the people around you? Tweet me at @GlennOng.

This article is my 62^nd contribution to Manila Bulletin -- one of the Philippines' leading broadsheets -- published on March 12, 2012 (Monday) in the TechNews Section. You can view the PDF version here (middle right portion).


Photo Credit: Google Images

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What Happened at the Nokia Lumianation Party?

Nokia Philippines threw in a grand party celebration last May 17 at the Amphitheater, Fort called "Lumianation" (Club Experience in a New Light). It was Nokia's way to market their beautifully designed Windows phones - Lumia 610, Lumia 710, the Lumia 800, and Lumia 900.

The rains didn't stop the people from partying all night. Music, lights, cocktails, and alcoholic beverages kept the people dancing and grooving all night. Booths of Nokia, Globe, and Smart were situated at the back for some phone demos, inquiries, and purchases.

Nokia's Lumianation party was hosted by VJ Kat Alano, standing in front of a huge, multi-stepper cubed stage lighted by LED screens. 

After a brief event introduction, Kat called on Nokia Philippines General Manager Dharmesh Goshalia to say a few words about the Nokia Lumianation event and of course the Nokia Lumia smartphones.

It was followed by the introduction of Nokia Philippines' Corporate Communications Manager Nikka Abes,  from whom the go signal to start the raffle came from. Nokia gave away a couple of Lumia 610, some Lumia 710, one Lumia 800, and another one Lumia 900.

Hiphop dancers jumped up and down the cubed stage as they dance to the club beats. They ended their jamming by gathering in one spot and pointing their arms towards the building on the right. That act led the people's attention to watch the surprise video shown to the audience. Watch it:



Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think this is the first time it was done by Nokia here in the Philippines. The video mapping technique has been seen in other countries, but watching it live was surreal for me. I'm happy that Nokia Philippines thought of doing it here.

The first part of the video showed the "primitive" Nokia phones before the Nokia Lumia's came to life. Nice one!

Guest performer Jumpsmokers immediately went on to the stage to sing, rap, and entertain the audience. They came all the way from Chicago to celebrate with the people at the Lumianation party.

Nokia Lumia Smartphones

From L-R: Nokia Lumia 710, Nokia Lumia 610, Nokia Lumia 900, Nokia Lumia 800

Nokia Lumia 610 - This is an affordable Windows phone for the younger audience. It provides instant access to social networks and brings all mobile, email, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn contacts into one place. The Lumia 610 features the Nokia Maps and Nokia Drive, alongside thousands of apps available for download via the Windows Phone Marketplace. This smartphone model is available in colors of white, cyan, magenta and black, and sells at the price of Php10,980.

Nokia Lumia 710 - Enjoy a colorful mobile experience with this trendy smartphone that features swappable covers and changeable homescreen colors. It has a "What's New" feature that gives updates in live integrated social feeds including Facebook, LinkedIn, twitter, and Windows Live. The Nokia Lumia 710 is exclusively available with Smart postpaid data plan 1,000.

Nokia Lumia 800 - Featuring an award-winning design, the Lumia 800 has a 3.7-inch AMOLED screen with sleek body that is great for everyday use. It has an instant-share camera experience based on leading Carl Zeiss optics. The smartphone's features include one-touch social network access; integrated communication threads that include Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Windows Live; 16GB internal user memory and 5GB of free SkyDrive storage. The Lumia 800 is sold at the price of Php23,500 in select Nokia retail stores. It is also available through Globe, free at Unli Surf Plan 1799.

Nokia Lumia 900 - The highest end of the Lumia series is the Lumia 900, which will be available in June 2012 at the price of Php27,990. It will an amazing experience of high performance, quick connections, real-time updates to social networks, and all day battery life. This smartphone lets you to balance work and play anytime and anywhere by being productive with the help of Microsoft Office programs and SkyDrive storage.

Fly all over the country for free with Nokia Lumia

Nokia and Microsoft have partnered with Philippine Airlines for an amazing promo! You can explore the country without having to worry about spending so much on airfare. Your ticket to this amazing experience? A Nokia Lumia smartphone.

Here's how you can get a chance to win:

1. Purchase a Nokia Lumia smartphone from May 18 to June 15, 2012 at any participating select Nokia, Globe, Smart Stores and retails outlets nationwide.
2. Once you have your Lumia, retrieve the IMEI number by typing #*06# on the homescreen. Then, text I CAN LUMIA <Full Name>/<Address>/<IMEI> and send to 2960 for Globe and Smart subscribers.
3. Raffle draw will be conducted on June 17, 2012, where 100 lucky Nokia Lumia users will win unlimited roundtrip PAL flights. Winners will be able to travel to top local destinations such as Legaspi, Kalibo, Cebu, Tagbilaran, Davao and Puerto Princesa for one month from July 1, 2012 to July 1, 2013. 

For more information, visit www.nokia.com.ph or www.facebook.com/nokiaphilippines. Follow them on Twitter at www.twitter.com/NokiaPilipinas.

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Globe Galaxy S3 Pre-Order Opens on May 23, Available in Fully-Customizable Unlimited Data Plans

Globe has announced that it will be carrying the Samsung Galaxy S3, Samsung's newest flagship smartphone, with pre-orders opening on May 23, 2012. This serves as a continuation of the Galaxy S1 and S2 series, where Globe has served as the "home network" for the two models.

The Samsung Galaxy S3 may be availed through the Globe My Super Plan Unli Surf Combo, the country's only customizable unlimited data plan. Through this plan, we can mix and match unlimited mobile browsing, call and text services, and a choice of unli boosters.

As mentioned in my previous post, Globe is working on their infrastructure transformation in order to provide a better coverage and network performance to its subscribers. Couple that and their fully customizable plans, I think Globe is really showing its consumers that we can have it our way with Globe.

There's no specific mention on which postpaid brackets the Samsung Galaxy S3 will be bundled as a free handset, but let's expect it to be towards the high-end tail of the spectrum, say Php2000 and up. Globe didn't say a word about prepaid kits too, so let's hang on there for that information.

It looks like the consumers are in for another exciting smartphone launch in the Philippines, which is similar to that of the iPhone 4s in the past months.

Pre-orders from Globe will start on May 23 at www.globe.com.ph/galaxys3. Are you getting one?

Full Press Release below:

Globe Telecom announced that it is launching Samsung’s newest flagship smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy S3, under its suite of fully-customizable postpaid plans bundled with unlimited mobile internet.

Globe subscribers can avail of the Samsung Galaxy S3 under My Super Plan Unli Surf Combo, which comes with unlimited mobile browsing, bonus call and text services, and choice of unli boosters for the ultimate smartphone experience. With Globe My Super Plan Unli Surf Combo, the country’s only customizable unlimited data plan, Globe provides users with uninterrupted surfing, their gadget of choice, and freebies all in one subscription. This plan also helps maximize the features of the Samsung Galaxy S3.

Touted as the most human phone yet, the Samsung Galaxy S3 boasts of highly-intelligent features that are easy to use but exceptionally powerful. With the Direct Call feature, users can simply hold up the phone onto their ears when texting and the device will automatically call the person for them. Globe My Super Plan subscribers can enjoy this feature with the different call freebies of their choice such as free call minutes, free international call minutes or unlimited calls to a Globe or TM number.

The Samsung Galaxy S3 also comes with the Social Tag feature, which allows users to keep track of their loved ones easily. With its face recognition technology, family and friends are automatically tagged on the photos taken. The feature also enables users to view social networking statuses of the friends they tagged in the photos. Social Tag is best enjoyed with Globe SuperSurf, which gives unlimited mobile internet access for an entire month.

Multitasking also comes true to form with the device’s Pop-up Play feature, which enables users to play a movie and continuously run it floating on the screen while browsing the web or sending a text message or e-mail. Globe subscribers can watch videos all they want with Globe SuperSurf, while they can enjoy sending free text messages with a Globe My Super Plan freebie.

The Galaxy S3 is powered by Samsung’s own 1.4GHz Samsung Exynos 4 Quad processor, 4.8-inch Super HD AMOLED screen, 1GB RAM, an 8-megapixel rear camera and comes packed with the Ice Cream Sandwich version of Android’s operating system. Using a micro-SIM form factor, the combination of internal storage and expandable SD card storage sets the S3 with a maximum storage capacity of 128GB.

“As the first Philippine operator to bring Samsung Galaxy S1 and S2 to the Philippines, Globe is proud to be carrying the Samsung Galaxy S3 once again, powered by our portfolio of personalized and fully-customizable data plans and backed by a stronger and more reliable HSPA+ network which we continue to aggressively expand nationwide,” said Peter Bithos, Globe Senior Advisor for Consumer Business. “

Bithos added, “What better way to fully enjoy the exciting features of this amazing phone than to pair it with a Globe postpaid plan that you can customize based on your needs. And with the Globe Guarantee, subscribers are assured they will never experience bill shock ever again because they will never pay more than P999 as long as they are registered to any of our data plans. On top of that, we guarantee 24/7 access to all our customer service channels and after-sales support for the devices.”

Pre-orders for the Samsung Galaxy S3 will begin on May 23, 2012 via www.globe.com.ph/galaxys3. New subscribers can call the Globe Sales Hotline via toll-free number (02) 730-1010 or visit www.globe.com.ph/galaxys3 to place their orders. For Platinum subscribers, they can get in touch with their Relationship Managers for reservations.

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Four Online Resume Tools to Make CV Building More Fun

To all students who graduated this summer, welcome to the real world! As your university chapter closes, a new and exciting dimension is about to unfold.

Job hunting is fun – only if you have what it takes to be hired. Let’s start with your resume or formerly known as curriculum vitae (CV). I’m sure you would need some help in making sure it comes out as best as it can be, right?

Here are a couple of helpful sites that can help you.

JobSpice (www.jobspice.com)

Most senior students waste tons of time trying to fix the formatting and spacing of resumes in Microsoft Word. Good thing there’s JobSpice, resume building becomes an ease.

JobSpice is an intuitive online tool that makes creating and publishing a well-designed, custom resume easy and fun. You can build your resume in three steps – Compose: add or remove sections in your CV; Design: format the design of your CV; and, Preview: see how your CV looks like and download it as a PDF or as a Word file.

The website is simple, good, and most of all free.

LinkedIn Resume Builder (http://resume.linkedinlabs.com)

Apart from Twitter and Facebook, one important social networking site you need to be a member of is LinkedIn. Build your resume there and connect with head hunters. Who knows, your dream job is waiting for you.

But did you know that LinkedIn has a resume builder too? You can easily turn your LinkedIn profile into a beautiful resume in seconds. Simply pick a resume template, customize the content, and print and share the results to your friends and connections.

With LinkedIn, your effort in building your resume is maximized. You now get to save it online for viewing of fellow LinkedIn contacts, as well as generate a document copy for printing.

RezScore (www.rezscore.com)

Wonder how your resume fairs? RezScore helps you improve your CV by giving it a grade. It uses algorithms that read through your resume and analyze it on over a dozen metrics.

Apart from the overall grade of A to D, they also give your resume a score from 0-100 in three categories, namely brevity, impact, and depth. In addition, Rezcore lists down what you need to remove and change in order to give it more impact.

ResumUp (www.resumup.com)

Tired of the same old outlined, text version of a typical resume? Yours may be a standout if you use ResumUp. It gives your CV more attention, since you will be able to present it in a visual manner. You can easily link it up to Facebook and LinkedIn in order to import your basic data.

After finishing up your own ResumUp, you can download it as a PDF or text format, which you may use to send out to employers. It will come out as a one-pager CV with several colors and indicators, giving interviewers a faster way to see your information, education background, achievements, skills, and wanted salary, among others.

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Davao City: Philippine Eagle Center

Davao City is the home of the Philippine Eagle Nature Center, which is approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour away from the heart of the city. This is one of the most visited tourist destinations in Davao, since this is where the symbolic national bird of the Philippines - Philippine Eagle - can be sighted.

Last March, I went to the center with fellow media men - Emmie, Alex, Ed, and Eric. Upon arrival, we were greeted with huge trees, old and tall but still very green and fresh. We had to pay Php5.00 (Php3.00 for 18 years old and below) to pass through the Water District Malagos Watershed before being able to walk to the stairway leading to the entrance of the Philippine Eagle Center.

There's an Eagle's Deck Cafe where visitors can order coffee and snacks prior to entering the Philippine Eagle Center or upon exit. Although there were a few seats available, not much people actually stays there, since it takes time to tour the center, considering also the time it will take to go back to the city.

Beside the cafe is a souvenir shop where you will also need to pay the entrance fee of Php50.00 (Php30.00 for 18 years old and below), which is used for the conservation of the facility. Aside from the entrance fees the center receives, the government also contributes Php500,000 quarterly for the expenses of the facility as well as for the implementation of programs.

We were quite time-conscious since we had to attend an event that night, so we immediately entered the center to finally see the eagles. But first, I noticed that the bricks we walked onto had names on them. Apparently, they were contributions of ~Php300 from visitors. Cool!

And another one I saw was this huge tree, which is a great shield from the sunlight, but without making it completely dark.

And then we saw the first eagle that afternoon. It took us a couple of shots before being able to capture this glorious creation of God. But it was worth it, because it looks lovely and extremely beautiful.

We  saw more birds as we walked through the park. We saw Pag-asa, the first Philippine eagle taken in and bred in captivity. Then this mighty eagle perched on a vertically standing log posing for visitors to see and observe.

Luckily, we met a long-time caretaker named Mario, who toured us around the center. He took time to explain his background and other more information about the eagles. He allowed us to get a hold of this small eagle for a photo opportunity. The claws of the bird were too sharp - good thing I didn't get any scratches afterwards.

This is probably the closest encounter I had with a huge eagle spreading the wings very near my face. I actually felt the slight wind that brushed my face when the eagle opened up its flaps. Awesome experience indeed!

Apart from the eagles, there I heard there were monkeys and crocodiles around. But we only saw a crocodile. It was lonely on that side of the forest.

Overall, this short trip at the Philippine Eagle Center was so worth it! I had a unique experience of getting closer with eagles, which I haven't done in my entire life. It made me thank God for His wonderful creation of animals and birds.

How to get there

By Car: Bringing a private or rented van is the most convenient. Going to the center will take 45 minutes to 1 hour depending on traffic.

By Bus: Buses going to Calinan depart every 15 minutes from the Annil Terminal located at corner Quirino and San Pedro Extension. Bus fare is at Php30.00. From Calinan, take a pedicab going to the Philippine Eagle Center. The ride is about 10 minutes and will cost you P6.

By Taxi: If all else fails, riding a taxi is the best solution. Although take note that you might spend a lot for this. You can always haggle and negotiate.

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