Speed January-February 2021 by speedmagph

TECHNOLOGY FOR THE FAST-PACED LIFESTYLE

JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2021

The Great Indoors

Stay on top of your game

All the tech & tools you need to master life at home

5 must-download apps for 2021

Young director on the rise Immanuel Portus

Beyond AAA 10 indie games to look forward to in 2021

ain’t your typical 21-year-old

h it w y a d y r e v e n o Catriona takes

JAN-FEB 2021

ISSN 1655-9827

, e g a r u o C , e r a Cand e c n e d i f Con

ISSUE.194

CONTENTS

01-02.21

Cover Girl Catch up with the newest member of the Santé family, Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray, and learn how she’s navigating her everyday life with courage and confidence.

Geek-spotting Get to know this month’s experts and enthusiasts who have an overflowing passion for a certain field, topic, or activity.

57 hotspot

EVERY MONTH 6 Outbox 8 Contributors / Staff box 10 Inbox 84 Billboard 88 Store Directory 89 Mobile Buyer’s Guide 96 Before You Go

Form Factor

Not all speakers are boring, boxy things.

TECHNOLOGY FOR THE FAST-PACED LIFESTYLE

JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2021

Motoring

Find out all the tech and tools you need to master your everyday as we resettle into the old frontier we know as home.

What’s all the hype about electric vehicles? Nissan Philippines drives the conversation on EVs as it prepares for the arrival of the Nissan LEAF in the country.

JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2021

Press Play Check out the best movies and series to watch on your favorite streaming platforms this first two months of 2021.

Stay on top of your game 5 must-download apps for 2021

Young director on the rise Immanuel Portus

Beyond AAA 10 indie games to look forward to in 2021

ain’t your typical 21-year-old

e, Canadre,Couernacge Confid yday with Catriona takes on ever

JAN-FEB 2021

Catriona Gray for Daily-C Image courtesy of Santé International, Inc.

ISSN 1655-9827

Cover Story

The Great Indoors All the tech & tools you need to master life at home

ISSUE.194

trending

Tech Frontiers

A wheelchair with collapsible wheels, finger-prick-free blood sugar monitoring, and carbon-neutral jet fuel

Click Here Fake or replica? The Legit App will tell you if you’ve been duped. Check out, too, Restflix (a ‘Netflix’ for sleep) and Halide Mark II.

Games 10 of the hottest indie games to look forward to in 2021.

Arsenal All the latest gadgets and cars from leading brands, including the vivo X60 series, Apple AirPods Max, Samsung’s The Terrace, the new Toyota Yaris, MINI Convertible Sidewalk Edition, and more. 4

JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2021

CONTENTS proving ground

01-02.21

columns

80 manual

All About the UX Apple’s transitioning its PCs to its in-house Silicon chips. How do these M1-equipped Macs fare compared to previous models and what does this mean for the future of Apple computers?

How To

Tips on getting the most out of your new smartwatch or fitness tracker and apps to help you stay on top of your game this 2021.

Game On K-fever is taking over! Columnist Trixie Reyna-Benedicto shares eight Korean series on Netflix that even non-K-drama fans will enjoy streaming.

Tested

Ask the Editor

Hot products we tested this month.

We answer any tech curiosity, trouble, or query you have in mind.

Game on Got a lot of back-logged games on your to-play-list? Jovi Figueroa spills her practical list of games she’s playing this 2021 amid her busy adulting life.

OUTBOX

GET YOUR HOME-WORK DONE

echnology affords us the flexibility to accomplish a lot of things. For instance, this issue of Speed was done in various locations and situations: while I was in line at the supermarket cashier, sitting in the waiting room at the doctor’s clinic, and waiting for my turn at the bank. Of course, the team also worked on this issue while sitting comfortably from our respective work desks at home, but the point is this: tech tools and gadgets allow us to do what we need to do from virtually almost anywhere. This is one of the reasons why we celebrate technology. And in this issue’s cover story, we share with you the tech and tools you’ll need to master your life at home. With the virus still out there, we won’t be going out the way we used to anytime soon—and so while staying in the great indoors, we have to equip ourselves with the apps we need to work, learn, and even manage our household. Meanwhile, we also feature four individuals who inspire us with their attitude and actions. There’s our cover girl, Miss Universe 2018 and Daily-C ambassador Catriona Gray, who, like you and me, is continuously learning to navigate her everyday life with courage and confidence. Read our short but sweet interview with this multi-hyphenate woman on page 66. Get to know, too, Immanuel Portus, a 21-year-old director who’s already making waves in the commercial film industry in California. He talks about film school, the gear he uses, and how he considers 2020 the turning point and the best year of his career so far. And then there’s Arlyn Corpuz of Santé International and Mark Parulan of Mitsubishi Motors PH, who share with us how they prioritize their health and what they’re looking forward to in 2021. But don’t let me spoil the rest of the content for you. Just go ahead, flip the digital pages, and enjoy the issue!

JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2021

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF katrina@speedmagazine.ph

MEET THE GEEKS CONTRIBUTORS What’s one thing you want to learn this year?

EDITORIAL

How to bake and ice cakes

editorial@speedmagazine.ph EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Katrina Rivere-Diga | katrina@speedmagazine.ph ONLINE CONTENT PRODUCER Anthony Sierra | ant@speedmagazine.ph EDITORIAL ASSOCIATE Ayie Licsi | ayie@speedmagazine.ph CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Val Gonzales, Andy Leuterio, Gadjo Sevilla

How to drive!

Pat Calica writes for a living, which, if you ask her, is one of the coolest things she can do in life. This twenty-something loves books, everything and anything Harry Potter, good food, beaches, and sunsets.

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Earl Manalansan, Anjon Galauran, Jovi Figueroa, Trixie Reyna-Benedicto

How to drive!

DESIGN

SENIOR GRAPHIC ARTIST John Paul Dizon | jp@speedmagazine.ph FINAL ARTIST Arnaldo G. Santos

How to draw

PHOTOGRAPHERS Dookie Ducay, Marlon Pecjo

SALES & MARKE TING SENIOR SALES MANAGER James B. Orlanda | james@speedmagazine.ph

Carmela Maraan Fernando is a freelance copywriter who has returned to two of her many first loves: art and cooking. She’s currently engrossed with vegan food preparation and photography.

ADVERTISING ACCOUNT MANAGER Mia C. Morales | mia@speedmagazine.ph

marketing@speedmagazine.ph

ADMIN | PRODUC TION PRODUC TION OFFICER Kate Villareal | production@speedmagazine.ph HRD OFFICER Lala Nañola-Talob | lala@speedmagazine.ph CIRCUL ATION MANAGER David R. Domingo Jr. | circulation@speedmagazine.ph

PUBLISHER

Airo Media International, Inc. CEO/PRESIDENT Marcos A. Sosmeña | nmsosmena@speedmagazine.ph

Jovi Figueroa started making ruckus in the media industry in 2014, fresh from snagging a bachelor’s degree in Journalism from the University of the Philippines. When she’s not encumbered with work, she is playing violent shooting games, running around the ice, or musing over Murakami.

CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER Susan M. Sosmeña | smsosmena@speedmagazine.ph LEGAL COUNSEL Tolentino Corvera Macasaet & Reig C TP AND LITHOGRAPHY Megatone Printhauz, Inc.

MAGAZINE

Speed is published monthly by Airo Media International, Inc. Address all correspondence to 123 Gen. Ordoñez St., Marikina Heights, Marikina City 1810. Our telephone numbers are (02) 8374-6771 to 73. All rights reserved. Speed is a registered trademark of Airo Media International, Inc. (AMII). Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission from the publisher is prohibited. The views and opinions expressed in this publication are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of AMII and its officers and management. While every care is taken to ensure that the content of Speed is accurate, the publisher and printer assume no responsibility for any effect from errors or omissions arising therefrom. Likewise, the advertisers in this magazine are separate and independent from AMII. AMII does not in any way warrant or guarantee the accuracy or genuineness of the contents provided by the advertisers and AMII shall not be responsible for any false information or misdeclaration provided therein.

JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2021

Earl Manalansan is a selfconfessed car enthusiast. Although his passion lies in ‘60s-’70s American muscle cars, he appreciates all makes and models, and will drive an 18-wheeler if given a chance. He’s always on the prowl for good street food when biking. His typical day is listening to ’80s music while working on his laptop. Ultimately, he wants to build his own man-cave, if and when his wife permits him.

ISSUE.194

CONTENTS

01-02.21

It’s a wrap! Dear Speed,

I always look forward to your Hot List issue and your Nov-Dec 2020 issue didn’t disappoint. Great recap of the year that was (and oh what a year it was!). I totally agree with (most of) the “Top” things you listed. And while it’s been a challenging year, I’m just glad you’re still coming out with one good issue after another. Oh, and thank you for making Speed downloadable for free! Marilou Pascual

A GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING Thanks to your Holiday Gift Guide for 2020, I was able to buy thoughtful essential gifts for my mom and sister. Got my mom a MediXserve gift voucher so she can just teleconsult with her doctor (and not risk going out) and my plantita sister a soil moisture meter so she doesn’t have to guess if her monstera plant is thirsty or not. Of course, I got myself a gift, too, haha! That shiatsu massage pillow you included in your list is awesome! Seryoso, your gift guide is like a gift that keeps on giving. Thanks again, Speed! Emil Cheng

THE ‘GRAM SAVED MY SANITY Hi, Speed! Your article “How the ‘Gram saved Christmas” saved me and my sanity. Lol. Thanks to you, I was able to order baked goods, potted plants, and cool dinnerware for family and friends from the IG accounts you mentioned. The best thing is seeing the smile on their faces—even if only virtually for some. And it’s also a great feeling to support small local businesses :) Cookie Bonifacio

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM

YOU! 10

JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2021

Talk to us. Share your story. Tell us what matters to you. We value your views. Send us an email at editorial@speedmagazine.ph or drop us a message on our Facebook page (@SpeedMagazinePH).

REINVENTING THE WHEEL Wheelchairs have made a difference in people’s mobility and independence for decades. Sadly, traveling and commuting is still a challenge because of the wheelchair’s size—yes, even those that can be folded down to the size of a carry-on luggage. Well, that’s not a problem with Revolve Air, a wheelchair with innovative collapsible wheels. Designed by Andrea Mocellin, a German designer who created the original patented design for the folding wheel in 2015, Revolve Air features a wheel with a central hub, six folding aluminum structures that take the place of traditional spokes, and an aluminum rim that's divided into six interlocking sections. Each of these is clad in a length of foam-filled tire. A locking mechanism keeps the whole thing securely in the form of a conventional wheel when it's in use. When it's time to stow the wheel, simply release the mechanism to fold down the spokes and rim. A capsule-like component houses both wheels when they’re folded down. When folded, Revolve Air saves almost 60 percent more space because of its folding wheels. This means you can easily squeeze it in the trunk of your car, or if you’re flying anytime soon, in a plane’s overhead bin as it fits the standards of a universal cabin luggage size restriction.

TRENDING

JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2021

TECH FRONTIERS

TAKING FLIGHT INTO CARBON-NEUTRAL TERRITORY The aviation industry is responsible for about two percent of manmade carbon dioxide emissions, but a newly developed chemical process offers hope that someday, riding a plane and jetting off to your dream vacation will no longer come with the associated guilt of leaving a heavy carbon footprint.

A team at Oxford University has come up with an experimental process that might be able to turn carbon dioxide into jet fuel. The method involves heating a mix of citric acid, hydrogen, and an iron-manganese-potassium catalyst to turn CO2 into liquid fuel. However, the experiment was conducted in a laboratory and still needs to be replicated at a larger scale. But the scientists are hopeful that it could be a climate game-changer and that the method could produce a competitively priced fuel that could potentially eliminate the high emissions burden of air travel.

NEEDLE-FREE BLOOD SUGAR MONITORING? SWEET!

If you’re a diabetic, you either need to take regular finger-prick blood tests or wear an implanted glucose monitor. But what if we tell you there’s a device that allows you to monitor your blood sugar levels without having to stick needles in? Well, a Japanese startup called Quantum Operation Inc. claims they’ve come up with a prototype wearable that can accurately measure blood sugar from the wrist. It says that this is possible due to the presence of a spectrometer in the watch and its band. It uses the principle of the Raman Spectroscopy technique, which is an interaction of light with the chemical bonds of a material. To use this wearable, the user simply needs to press the monitoring option from the menu, and after about 20 seconds, the data will be displayed on the watch screen. Quantum adds that the watch is also capable of reading other vital signs, including heart rate and ECG. It’s worth noting, though, that there isn’t yet any peer-reviewed science to support the company’s claims.

JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2021

CLICK HERE!

Pro-grade camera Spot the fake

LEGIT APP

Android, iOS | FREE Real or replica? If you want to check if that pair of Air Jordan 1s you’re eyeing is the real thing, you might want to check out the Legit App. This authentication platform uses a team of “professional fashion veterans” to legit-check sneakers, bags, streetwear, and limited-edition collectibles. According to the team behind the app, whether you are looking to resell or buy a pre-loved item, they can help authenticate and detect replicas. Simply upload the required product images on the app and the item will be manually authenticated by at least two experts for maximum accuracy. Depending on the risk level of your item, results can take as little as 1 hour and last up to 24 hours, with each verification coming with an authenticity card or certificate for proof. While the app itself is free to download, the authentication service isn’t. Service pricing for verifying if those sneakers are legit starts at $1.

Netflix for resting

RESTFLIX

Android, iOS, Apple TV, Smart TVs, Roku, FireTV | Starts at $7.99 If you’re finding it difficult to sleep after a full day of work, home management, social media, and TV, you might need Restflix in your life. This sleep streaming service—compatible with iOS, Android, and other devices—helps relax your restless mind and lull you to sleep with soothing content. The app has over 20 channels filled with hundreds of hours of snooze-worthy bedtime stories, music, guided meditations, and dark screen videos. According to Restflix, they use a proven technology called binaural beats to harness the brain's responsiveness to sound and help create a restful state. Hopefully, these will help you easily drift off and stay asleep through the night. Plans range from $7.99 a month to $59.99 annually.

JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2020

HALIDE MARK II iOS | FREE

Cameras receive “Mark” upgrades—and now, camera apps do, too. Halide Mark II is a new version of the popular 2016 original and comes with a host of new features. It boasts of a redesigned interface for better one-hand use (photo controls are now within your thumbs reach), plus its labels, typeface, and overall aesthetic match the curvature of your iPhone’s screen. Halide Mark II also introduces Coverage, a new capture mode that takes two photos: one with Smart HDR 2/3 and Deep Fusion, and one in RAW.

OUR FAMILY IS GROWING

[we aren't picking favourites]

NEW

yellowtailwine.com Enjoy Responsibly

TASTES LIKE HAPPY

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GAMES

Beyond AAA 10 indie games to look forward to in 2021 WO RD S J OV I F I G UE R OA

Indie games have always had a special place in many gamers’ hearts because of the uniqueness of their concept, that almost handmade feeling, and the heart that goes into the production of the game. Nowadays, indie games already push the envelope in terms of innovation, quality, and storytelling. And with Hades winning in the Game Awards 2020, you should probably double back on that indie game you’ve been seeing on Steam. Here are our top indie picks you should consider adding to your 2021 list.

Dordogne

(Windows, macOS, Nintendo Switch) Immerse yourself in this watercolor world made by French artistic Swiss knife company, Un Je Ne Sais Quoi Studio. In this narrative adventure game, you play the role of a young woman named Mimi. You visit the house of your recently departed grandmother to solve the puzzles and letters she left for you. Dip your toes in the game' visual delight as you whip out your recorder and camera and revisit Mimi’s childhood memories. The full audio is in French—so you’ll feel like you’re watching an art film—but subs are available in English. 16

JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2021

Little Nightmares II

Chaotic Era

(iOS) Sci-fi fans, listen up! Flex your god-mode in this strategy mobile game where you play as an AI tasked to keep humanity from extinction. Explore the edges of space, grow your civilization, build a fleet of starships, and gather resources—all so you can preserve the last embers of humanity. Chaotic Era is an exciting technological marvel that lets you experience the magic of a procedurally generated universe a la No Man’s Sky.

(Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch) This game is bordering indie (it’s already distributed by Bandai Namco) but it’s just too good a game to let pass! A sequel to the critically acclaimed Little Nightmares in 2017, Little Nightmares II is a suspense adventure game that will keep you at the edge of your seat. Along with Six, a girl in a yellow raincoat as your guide, you will play as Mono, a young boy trapped in a world that has been distorted by an evil transmission. Just watching the trailer is already giving us the creeps! Can you handle the suspense and thrill of this game? Only one way to find out.

BEYOND AAA

Nuts

(Windows, macOS) A game about tracking squirrels? Are you nuts? Maybe a little! Nuts is an interesting simulation adventure where your task is simple: set up cameras, watch the footage at night, and track those squirrels. Made with a fresh art style that mixes flat vibrant colors with 3D-like elements, it’s gonna be interesting to find out what this game’s ultimate goal really is.

Chinatown Detective Agency

(Windows, macOS, Nintendo Switch) Enjoy this budget Cyberpunk 2077 made as a homage to the classic Carmen Sandiego games of the 80s. Play as Amira Darma in this point-and-click adventure that will push you to solve mysteries using real-world research, allow you to build your own agency, and unravel a global conspiracy. Time to put on our detective hats!

Season

Raptor Boyfriend: A High School Romance

(Windows, PlayStation 5) Season takes you on a breathtaking poetic fantasy world through the eyes of a young woman, on a mission to discover and protect a world unknown. Bike around, photograph and draw and record life, and meet a diverse cast of characters who will change the course of your story. Based on the initial drawings and footages, this looks like a game made to celebrate the beauty in diversity.

(Windows, macOS, SteamOS) If you loved the quirkiness of Hatoful Boyfriend, maybe it’s time to fall in love this time with a conflicted magical Fairy, a sensitive loner Sasquatch, and a bold and unpredictable Velociraptor. Check out this indie dating sim where you play a socially anxious teenage girl who’s looking to make new friends and find love. It’s basically a ‘90s teen drama-cross-fantasy land! Will you be team Wings, Fur, or Scales?

She Dreams Elsewhere

(Windows, macOS, Nintendo Switch, Xbox)

It’s 8-bit but psychedelic! Dive into this surreal adventure RPG where you must traverse the dreamscape and confront your nightmares—only to find out that some nightmares are harder to confront than others. It’s easy to learn, comes with customizable characters, and features vibin’ tunes by American singersongwriter Mimi Page. Demo is now out on Steam so you can take it out for a spin before the full game releases this year.

Good Knight

(Windows, macOS, SteamOS)

Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion (Windows, Nintendo Switch)

After failing to pay your taxes and getting evicted from your home, you—Turnip Boy—turn into a fugitive with a massive debt to Mayor Onion. In this action-adventure puzzler, make friends along the way, solve puzzles, and maybe rise enough to tear down the corrupt vegetable government!

Good Knight is one of the most awaited Filipino-developed games of the year, after being dubbed the Best Indie Game of ESGS 2019. This game pushes the envelope with its orbital-arena shooter mechanics, heavy metal soundtrack, and what promises to be a butt-clenching experience. Imagine fighting Filipino mythical creatures with your friends (since it will feature multiplayer). It’s ambitious, it’s exciting, and we just can’t wait for its release! JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2021

ARSENAL

Epic unpacked Samsung Galaxy S21 series

Samsung’s latest flagship series—the Galaxy S21, S21+, and S21 Ultra—is a trio of devices that sport plenty of camera prowess, 5G support, and an immense amount of power.

JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2021

SAMSUNG GALAXY S21 SERIES

ultrawide, 108MP wide, and 10MP dual tele-lenses).

While the three phones differ in specs, they all sport the same bold, new style—that is, they all have a contour cut camera housing that blends into the device’s metal frame.

Meanwhile, the S21 and S21+ feature a triple camera setup consisting of 12MP wide, 64MP telephoto, and 12MP ultrawide lenses.

All three phones also come with an intelligent Dynamic AMOLED 2X Infinity-O display with an adaptive refresh rate and the latest Gorilla Glass Victus protection. Samsung has dropped the curved edges, giving the new series a flatter, sleeker look. The S21 comes in with a 6.2-inch display, while the slightly bigger S21+ has a 6.7-inch display. The S21 Ultra, the most premium of the bunch, comes with a massive 6.8-inch screen. Interrupting the display is a single hole-punch cutout at the top-center. The Ultra also supports Samsung’s famed S Pen—a first for the Galaxy S series.

clearer and steadier shots even at 30x zoom.

Delivering performance and connectivity The Samsung Galaxy S21 series delivers next-generation performance and seamless connectivity courtesy of the Exynos 2100 chip built on Samsung’s own 5nm EUV process. This gives the trio power to process photos, record highres videos, enjoy a cloud gaming marathon, and crunch more tasks without any hiccups.

Equipped with Samsung’s bestin-class camera, the Galaxy S21 Ultra takes stunning, studio-quality photos in various lightings and settings. It has a quad rear camera (12MP

The S21 (P49,990) and S21+ (P57,990) both ship with 8GB RAM and 256GB of storage, while the Ultra is available in 12GB + 256GB (P69,990) and 16GB + 512GB (P79,990) configurations.

SAMSUNG GALAXY S21 ULTRA IN PHANTOM BLACK AND PHANTOM SILVER

Pro-grade cameras The phones also vary in the camera department, but all three are able to pull 8K photos from videos as well as shoot photos and videos simultaneously with the new Best Shot Mode. Space Zoom also sees improvements, giving users the ability to shoot

JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2021

ARSENAL

TECH LOOK

ILLUMINATE AND DOMINATE You’re entering 2021 embodying Pantone’s two colors of the year: Ultimate Gray and Illuminating. These two shades were chosen for their warmth and dependability—two qualities people know you so well for.

Stay on top of everything with a (3) Xiaomi Mi Watch (P4,990), which features multiple sports modes, GPS, heart rate monitoring, customizable watch faces, sleep tracking, and blood oxygen monitoring.

Stomp around in (4) World Balance Valetta Women’s Lifestyle Shoes (P1,299).

Capture all of the year’s precious moments with a (5) Leica SL2-S ($4,895, body only), a hybrid shooter with a 24-megapixel CMOS-BSI sensor with capabilities for filming and photographing and the latest Maestro III processor.

JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2021

W O R D S AY I E L I C S I

Dazzle any room you’re in with an (1) H&M Knitted Jumper (P599) paired with (2) Sunnydaysweety High Waist Loose-Cut Harem Pants (P2,320).

ARSENAL

TECH LOOK

LAID-BACK LOUNGER The fact that you’re spending 2021 stuck at home isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Just think of all the awesome stuff you can accomplish as you spend your time in your safe space.

Equipped with a (1) Cherry Mobile Aqua S9 Max (P9,990), you can crush tasks like browsing through social media and playing your favorite mobile games all-day, thanks to this device’s large 5,130mAh battery.

Couple this handset with the (2) realme Buds Air Pro (P4,490), which you can use to watch and listen to up to 25 hours of content.

W O R D S AY I E L I C S I

Look cool as a cucumber with a (3) Pull & Bear J.M.W. Turner T-shirt (P1,295), (4) Bershka comfort jogging trousers (P1,495), and some cozy (5) Uniqlo Room Shoes (P590).

JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2021

ARSENAL

TECH LOOK

FORTUNE FOR THE BOLD Someone’s coming in the new year on fire—and it’s you. You’ve never been one to stray from making bold choices and this new season in your life won’t be different.

Make the (3) Infinix Hot 10 (P6,990) your best buddy wherever you go. This budget gaming phone features a 6.78-inch display and a chic rear cover that comes in stylish Obsidian Black, Ocean Wave, and Moonlight Jade.

Wear the (4) realme Watch S (P4,990) with a large 1.3-inch display, 16 sport modes, and smart notifications.

When you head out, slip your soles into some classic but highly versatile (5) Onitsuka Tiger Mexico 66 Slip-On Sneakers (P4,349). Don’t forget to wear your (6) Penshoppe Face Mask with Filter (P80).

JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2021

W O R D S AY I E L I C S I

Look sleek and suave in a comfy (1) Banana Republic Don’t-Sweat-It Shirt (P3,250) matched with breathable (2) H&M Chino Shorts (P1,190).

ARSENAL

MOBILE DEVICES

PHONETOGRAPHY MASTERS

vivo X60 series

It looks like vivo’s really serious about its goal to be a pioneer in mobile-photography technology. Its latest flagship phones—the vivo X60 series—are equipped with stellar camera setups crafted in partnership with German optics manufacturer Zeiss. The X60 is equipped with a 48-megapixel Sony IMX598 gimbal main camera with 4-axis OIS, a 13MP 120-degree ultrawide lens that doubles as a macro camera, and another 13MP telephoto lens. Meanwhile, the Pro packs an extra 8MP periscope camera capable of 5x optical zoom and up to 60x superzoom. For selfies, there’s a 32MP front camera.

These slim 5G phones sport a smooth AG glass satin finish, giving their curved back a sleek and premium look. Topping this off is a dual-tone color that shimmers depending on how the light hits it. The two devices share similar specs, including a 6.56-inch AMOLED display with HDR 10+ support and 120Hz refresh rate. As we go to press, there’s no word yet on when the X60 series will be released globally.

JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2021

W O R D S AY I E L I C S I

The X60 and X60 Pro are also the first devices in the world to ship with Samsung’s Exynos 1080 5nm chipset and the all-new OriginOS Android skin.

MOBILE DEVICES

DARK (WORK)HORSE

Nokia 5.4

Entering the midrange smartphone market is the Nokia 5.4, which is basically a watered down, more affordable version of the Nokia 8.3 5G in a number of ways. This phone features a 6.39-inch display with a hole-punch for the 16-megapixel selfie camera. At its prominent chin bezel is the Nokia branding. It’s the phone’s rear that catches eyes the most. Coming in gorgeous colorways of purple Dusk or dark blue Polar Night, this phone’s darker hues scream solid and sturdy. On this stunning rear is a circular camera array located above the fingerprint sensor. This module consists of a 48-megapixel main shooter, 5MP ultrawide lens, 2MP macro sensor, and 2MP depth lens. Under the hood is a capable Snapdragon 662 chip paired with up to 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. A 5,000mAh battery powers the handset, charging at 10W speeds through the USB-C port. This Nokia ships with Android 10 out of the box, but it is ready for Android 11, in case you want to make the upgrade.

WILL THIS SPARK JOY?

TECNO Spark 6

With a sticker price of P6,490, the TECNO Spark 6 shapes up to be a budget smartphone worth every penny. At an entry-level price, this device packs a Mediatek Helio G70 processor paired with 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, which makes it capable of running fan-favorite mobile games. It also has enough power to ensure a stable and smoother mobile experience.

W O R D S AY I E L I C S I

The Spark 6 features a 6.8-inch display with a hole-punch cutout housing the 8-megapixel front camera. Meanwhile, at the back is a quad camera setup with a 16-megapixel main camera, AI, depth, and macro lenses. This module shoots high definition photos, AR interactions, and more. There’s also a Video Beautify feature, which adds filters to videos captured with both the front and rear cameras. This budget phone packs Bluetooth Audio Share, which allows users to listen to music at the same time by connecting two TWS earbuds to the Spark 6. JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2021

ARSENAL

TOUGH BUT SLEEK

Samsung The Terrace Samsung is taking “home entertainment” from the living room to the outdoors with The Terrace, a 4K smart TV with IP55 water- and dust-resistance and a brightness level that can be cranked up to 2000 nits to help you see everything on screen even when the sun is out. For an awesome viewing experience outdoors, The Terrace has a wide-viewing angle and an anti-glare screen, as well as Samsung’s signature QLED technology and Ultra Bright Picture Quality. Since it’s a smart TV, The Terrace can connect to the internet for your video streaming needs, and comes with pre-installed entertainment apps such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. The 65” The Terrace TV is priced at P266,999 while the 75” model goes for P335,999. Both come bundled with The Terrace Soundbar, which features Adaptive Sound, WideSound Coverage for surround-sound capability, and 210W powerful sound.

LIGHT UP YOUR WORLD

LG G1 OLED evo

The “G” in G1 stands for “Gallery,” but it might as well stand for “gorgeous” as well. The “evo” part of its name, on the other hand, signifies the evolution in OLED performance. This TV has a wall-hugging design thanks to its ultra-thin screen. The next-gen OLED panel has been redesigned to include an extra layer and a stronger emissive material for improved picture processing and brighter, punchier picture quality. Don’t want to hang this beaut on your wall? You can purchase a separate Gallery Stand that’s designed to look like an easel.

JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2021

AUDIO

SRS-RA5000

SRS-RA3000

SOMETHING SPATIAL

Sony SRS-RA5000 and SRS-RA3000 Sony goes spatial with its 360 Reality Audio-equipped wireless speakers. Both the Sony SRS-RA5000 and SRS-RA3000 fill a room with spatial sound in an indoor setting to replicate the feel of music or sound in a live space. The higher-end RA5000 sports three up-firing speakers, three front-firing speakers, and an internal woofer. The up- and side-firing design creates a uniform sphere of sound around the speakers wherever it’s positioned in the room. Both speakers have an internal mic and a unique Sony algorithm to calibrate themselves to the room. But there’s a manual calibration button on the RA5000 to tune the audio according to where the speaker is located. Meanwhile, the RA3000 features a triple driver layout with two tweeters and a single woofer. There are also two passive radiators for additional lows. One difference from its sibling though is that this speaker only calibrates itself automatically. Another difference is that the RA3000 is designed to withstand humidity, unlike its sibling. You can place it in environments like bathrooms and kitchens. On the connectivity front, both speakers allow for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity. With Wi-Fi, these devices stream content from Spotify or Chromecast. They also support Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, but they aren’t smart speakers themselves.

JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2021

ARSENAL

AUDIO

GAMER’S CHOICE

Razer Hammerhead TWS Pro When it comes to gaming, some still prefer wired gear for better performance. But the Razer Hammerhead TWS Pro hopes to change your mind. Razer promises that these earbuds will deliver low latency to make them better suited for gaming. The Hammerhead TWS Pro comes with active noise cancellation to help you stay immersed and in the zone as you play. There are seven pairs of ear tips—in different sizes and textures—to help you find the perfect fit and ensure a tight seal. These buds also boast 10mm drivers pumping THXcertified sound and 20 hours of battery life in total with the charging case. They’re even good for workouts thanks to the IPX4 water resistance rating.

LUXURIOUS LISTENING

Apple AirPods Max

LG FN6 TONE Free Nowadays, we are constantly disinfecting our tech whenever we spend time outdoors. The LG FN6 TONE Free TWS does this by itself, taking that chore off the list. These P6,490 self-cleaning earbuds are encased in LG’s industry-first UVnano charging case, which kills 99.9% of bacteria and germs on the buds as they charge. Each bud also comes with soft, medical-grade ear gels with non-toxic and hypoallergenic silicone, making them great for users with sensitive skin. On the sound side, the FN6 Tone Free TWS are powered by Meridian Audio HSP, which creates a realistic soundstage and clear vocals. You can customize the EQ settings, reduce noise, and cancel out echoes with this audio gear.

JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2021

For one, they promise the magic of the AirPods Pro in an over-ear form factor. You get all the best features from the TWS earbuds, including excellent active noise cancellation, transparency mode, spatial audio, and Apple’s H1 chip to make it pair seamlessly with your Mac, iPhone, or iPad. The headphones up the ante by offering precise volume control, a 20-hour battery life, and custom 40mm drivers for richer sound. Another notable thing about the AirPods Max is its Smart Case, which looks a lot like a purse. This case puts the headphones in an ultra low power state to preserve battery life when not in use.

W O R D S AY I E L I C S I

CLEAN FREAK

A listening experience reserved for the elite—this is how Apple has positioned the AirPods Max. At P32,990, these headphones are more expensive than the brand’s iPhone SE. That’s a pretty crazy price tag. So, what then makes the AirPods Max so special?

CARS

MAYBE THIS MAKEOVER WILL MAKE YOU LOOK

Toyota Yaris

The Vios’ hatchback sibling is vying for your attention. The 2021 update to the Toyota Yaris is eye-catching with its redesigned mesh-type front grille flanked by new LED fog lamps and wide-winged headlamps (the 1.5 S CVT variant gets LED lamps and new Daytime Running Lights). It also boasts of newly designed 15-inch two-tone machine-finish alloy wheels. Cars behind the new Yaris 1.5 S CVT variant are in for a visual treat with LED line guides outlining its rear combination lamps. Completing the exterior changes is the sporty rear spoiler. The new Yaris is powered by either a 1.3L or 1.5L Dual VVT-i engine mated to a continuously variable transmission (CVT). The 1.5 S CVT variant gets paddle shifters, as well as Eco and Sport drive modes. Inside, the hatchback features a spacious 5-seater cabin and support for both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Customers who opt for the 1.5 S CVT won’t have to scramble for their keys with its convenient Smart Entry and Push Start System. This variant also comes in new synthetic leather seats and is equipped with a 6-speaker system. Standard on all Yaris variants are 7 SRS airbags, ABS with EBD, vehicle stability control, and hill-start assist. The Yaris 1.3 E CVT is priced at P973,000, while the 1.5 S CVT goes for P1,114,000.

W O R D S K AT R I N A R I V E R E - D I G A JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2021

ARSENAL

CARS

EXTROVERTED STYLE

MINI Convertible Sidewalk Edition Taking its cue from the already stylish MINI Convertible, the sassy Convertible Sidewalk Edition adds a dash of individuality with specially designed exterior paintwork, softtop design, and new rims. Aside from the Deep Laguna metallic paint finish that makes its debut with this variant, this MINI is also available in Midnight Black metallic, White Silver metallic, Enigmatic Black metallic, Moonwalk Grey metallic, and Thunder Grey metallic. Meanwhile, the textile top features an artistically woven graphic. The car also gets two-tone 17-inch “scissor spoke” alloy wheels. Inside, the Sidewalk Edition comes with brushed aluminum door sills, anthracitecolored leather seats with contrasting seams, and backlit high-gloss black decorative trim complemented by Petrol and silver accents.

W O R D S K AT R I N A R I V E R E - D I G A

The P3.4 million Sidewalk Edition packs a 2.0-liter TwinPower turbo engine that generates 192hp and 280Nm, and is mated to a seven-speed Steptronic Sport transmission.

JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2021

CARS

NEW KID ON THE BLOCK

Changan Alsvin, CS35Plus, CS75Plus, CS95 Changan, one of China’s Top 4 auto brands, has entered the local market with five models. The lone passenger car is the subcompact Alsvin, which is offered in three variants. Key features include leather seats, a sunroof, a 7-inch touchscreen-based infotainment system, tire pressure monitoring system, blind spot, and rear cameras. The CS35Plus, meanwhile, is a compact crossover that’s powered by a 1.4-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder with 158hp and 235Nm. The engine is mated to a 7-speed DCT automatic. This crossover comes with a passive entry with push-button start/stop, panoramic sunroof, blind spot and rear cameras, remote engine start, and 10-inch touchscreen infotainment, among others. Those who want something a bit sportier can opt for the CS75Plus with its 1.5-liter turbocharged engine (178hp and 265Nm) paired with a 6-speed automatic. This one has a push-start system, a CN95 air filtration system, driverselectable modes, cruise control, 12-inch infotainment touchscreen, 360-degree camera, and six airbags, among others. The biggest in the range is the 7-seater the CS95. This midsize SUV is powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine (232hp and 360Nm) mated to a 6-speed automatic gearbox. Features include a 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen, 10-inch fully-digital gauge cluster, panoramic sunroof, 360-degree high-definition camera, and more. Changan also brings in the Eado V460, a fully electric passenger car that has a range of up to 550km on a single charge. It comes with leather seats, six airbags, and stability control, among others. Here are the prices of the Changan models: Alsvin 1.4 M/T – P539,000 Alsvin 1.5 DCT – P599,000 Alsvin 1.5 DCT Platinum – P639,000 CS35Plus – P999,000 CS75Plus – P1,229,000 CS95Plus – P2,178,000 Eado V460 - by indent order

JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2021

ARSENAL

BIKES

ROCK ‘N’ ROLL

BMW R 18

BMW Motorrad marries traditional cruiser styling with state-of-the-art riding tech in the all-new R 18. An homage to the gorgeous BMW R5 from 1936, the R 18 is powered by a specially developed 1,802cc Big Boxer engine that’s rated at 91hp and 150 Nm of torque. The bike also features a double-loop steel tube frame and rear swing arm, a telescopic fork with a central suspension strut, wire-spoked wheels with disc brakes, and midmounted footpegs for a relaxed riding position. With a press of a button, the R 18 purrs to life thanks to a keyless start system. The rider can choose from three standard riding modes—Rain, Roll, and Rock—and reverse with ease courtesy of an electric reverse assist. The BMW R 18 is offered in a First Edition variant with pricing starting at P1,955,000. This includes a generous five-year (or 500,000km) warranty.

JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2021

p.39 LOOKS PRETTY, WORKS MIGHTY

LENOVO YOGA SLIM 7 p.36

SAMSUNG GALAXY S20 FE

p.37

macOS BIG SUR

p.41

LOGITECH G913 TKL

p.38

DELL LATITUDE 9510

p.42

p.40

GOOGLE CHROMECAST 2020 | LENOVO THINKVISION M14

HUAWEI FREEBUDS PRO

p.43

LOGITECH G733

p.44

JEEP COMPASS LONGITUDE

p.45

SUBARU FORESTER

PROVING GROUND

JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2021

TESTED

PRODUCT TEST NO.

2289 THE NUMBERS OS OneUI 2.5 (Android 10) DISPLAY 6.5-inch FHD+ 2400 x 1080 AMOLED Infinity-O display CPU Exynos 990 MEMORY 8GB STORAGE 128GB, microSD card CAMERA 12MP + 12MP + 8MP + 2MP rear, 32MP front CONNECTIVITY LTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ ac/ax, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC, USB-C PRICE P32,990

ALL THE ESSENTIALS FOR A LOWER PRICE

Samsung Galaxy S20 FE WOR DS KAT R IN A R IV E R E- D IGA

Last year’s Galaxy S20 series had a lot of winning traits, but the phones, as expected, came with astronomical prices. That’s why the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE (Fan Edition) was a godsend for those who wanted the best features of the flagship device— fast screen refresh rate, powerful processor, great cameras—without paying an arm and a leg. The S20 FE may not have the same camera setup as its siblings, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a good phone for everyday photography. Photos taken with the rear cameras have great color and contrast and the HDR balances the exposure and highlights. Bokeh is also crisp and clean.

The 6.5-inch AMOLED display doesn’t have curved edges, but it’s got a 120Hz refresh rate that’s great for gaming. As expected, the screen is bright and vibrant, which makes it a great device for binge-watching.

Shooting in low light or at dusk still produces good photos with acceptable noise. When shooting at night, it’s best to employ Night Mode to get brighter photos with a good amount of details.

To match the beautiful display, Samsung equipped the S20 FE with stereo speakers that produce clear, loud audio. Of course, it’s not the same as using speakers or wireless earbuds (the S20 FE doesn’t have a headphone jack), but I’d say it’s good enough for everyday viewing.

The 4500mAh battery doesn’t seem much on paper, but in our tests, the phone lasted a solid day of moderate use. You can charge it fast with the bundled 15W charger, but it’s worth noting that the S20 FE also supports 25W fast charging.

Doing everyday tasks such as scrolling through social media, watching videos, surfing, checking emails, and editing documents and spreadsheets isn’t a problem with the S20 FE. It works well even when I switch between several open apps. No lags, no hiccups.

Unlike the main S20 phones, the S20 FE has a plastic back instead of glass. The good news is that it doesn’t look or feel cheap at all. It’s also not a fingerprint- and smudge-magnet, so it’s easy to keep the phone looking pristine. My only gripe is that you can’t lay the phone flat on its back because of the camera bump. The workaround here is to slap on a case, which will not only solve the problem but also keep your phone protected.

GEEK METER

SPEED SAYS The Samsung Galaxy S20 FE packs the best features of the Galaxy S20 into a more affordable package. Its price may not be as low as what we hoped for, but it’s still reasonable. DIMENSIONS 74.5 x 159.8 x 8.4mm, 190g

JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2021

PRODUCT TEST NO.

2290 THE NUMBERS GENERAL REQUIREMENTS OS X 10.9 or later 4GB of memory 35.5GB available storage on macOS Sierra or later MAC HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS MacBook (2015 or later) MacBook Air (2013 or later) MacBook Pro (Late 2013 or later) Mac mini (2014 or later) iMac (2014 or later) iMac Pro (2017 or later) Mac Pro (2013 or later)

FUTURE-FACING OS

macOS Big Sur WO RD S GADJO CAR D E N AS S E V ILLA

After decades of going for the perfect ten (or X), Apple’s Mac operating system has finally gone to 11 with the macOS Big Sur—the biggest change to Apple’s desktop OS in a very long time. It is, in many ways, an inflection point in Apple history. It is a laptop and desktop OS that takes a lot of inspiration from iOS. iPhone and iPad owners will feel right at home.

Looking to the future means some things are left in the dust, including older 32-bit legacy apps, which are now locked out of the Apple walled garden and cannot run on Big Sur. Big Sur is no slouch on existing Intel-powered devices; it made my tiny 2015 MacBook feel sprightly and also seemed to extend battery life a bit.

I try to avoid using Google Chrome on macOS because while Chrome is a preferred browser, it is a resource hog that can bog down the system. Thankfully Apple’s own Safari browser is now the fastest and safest option thanks to Big Sur. New improvements include a minimalistic look and feel, improved performance, and longer battery life.

Apple Maps has vastly improved. It now includes curated information from Lonely Planet, as well as cycling directions. Other cool features include 3D exterior views as well as indoor maps of airports and shopping centers— you know, places people frequented before the pandemic.

This is also the first macOS that is designed for Apple Silicon M1, the much-heralded System-ona-Chip (SoC) that brings an astounding amount of performance minus the power consumption and heat generation to the desktop.

While Big Sur seems to invite multi-touch interaction, Apple has chosen to withhold any such functionality on its Macs. That’s why it has invented such things as the Touch Bar on the MacBook Pro, and offers Sidecar, where an iPad can be used as a drawing tablet wirelessly connected to a Mac.

Big Sur has brought back Widgets, or small parts of apps and programs that are displayed in small squircles. While this idea is nothing new, it is executed very seamlessly so you can simply scan through various information: check the weather and stock prices, control music, look at photos, and more. In terms of visual design, Big Sur feels like a continuation of the iOS design language, plus it’s optimized for highresolution displays. The changes are subtle but detailed. Big Sur applies depth, shading, and translucency to serve as visual clues to define hierarchy and layers that you can almost touch.

GEEK METER SPEED SAYS Big Sur is a worthy free upgrade for many recent Macs and one that really does make your laptop or desktop feel like a new machine. It feels like a true OS designed for 2021 and beyond, and makes Windows 10 look really old and boring by comparison, even if that is the more futuristic OS when it comes to combining desktop and touch-based functionality.

8.5

JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2021

TESTED

PRODUCT TEST NO.

2291 THE NUMBERS OS Windows 10 Home DISPLAY 15-inch 1920 × 1080 PROCESSOR 10th-gen Intel Core i7-10810 GRAPHICS Intel UHD Graphics MEMORY 16GB RAM STORAGE 512GB SSD CAMERA 720p IR CONNECTIVITY & PORTS Wi-Fi 6, 1x 3.5mm audio jack, 1x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A with PowerShare, 2x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C (Thunderbolt 3, Power Delivery, DisplayPort), 1 HDMI 2.0, uSD 4.0 card slot PRICE P113,500

CHIC CORPORATE CONVERTIBLE

Dell Latitude 9510 2-in-1 WORD S KAT R IN A R IV E R E- D IGA

We’ve reviewed a lot of laptops and 2-in-1s at Speed, and we’ve seen some well-built and really premium ones. But the Dell Latitude 9510 2-in-1 feels...different. In a really good way. It’s rated MIL-STD 810G, which means it passed high-pressure tests, shock tests, vibration tests and more. This is one convertible that’s as tough as you can get.

For its price, I actually expected a 4K screen, but this 2-in-1 only has a 1920 x 1080 touch display. The good news is that it’s sharp enough for everyday use, plus it’s bright and color-accurate. It’s great for multitasking (thanks, 16:9 ratio), editing photos (sRGB 100%), and even for watching videos on YouTube and Netflix.

The Latitude 9510 is made for the corporate elite, and its aesthetics certainly won’t look out of place in boardrooms and the big boss’ office. It’s sleek and portable for a 15-incher, and its matte-finished top lid is hewn from a single slab of aluminium. The keyboard feels a bit cramped but it’s comfortable to use. I found the keys a bit on the rubbery side, though, and it took me a few days to get used to typing on them. Battery life is superb, lasting me an average of 15 hours with an office workload, virtual events via Zoom, and some YouTube streaming.

The backlit keyboard is flanked by four upward-firing stereo speakers—two on each side—that produces clear, loud sound without much distortion. The 16GB RAM and powerful processor are more than enough for my daily grind, which sees me running multiple windows (and browsers) at a time. I wasn’t able to play games on this, though, so I can’t say for sure if the stock Intel UHD Graphics GPU is ideal for gaming.

The hinge that allows the machine to fold 360-degrees feels sturdy, and yet Dell managed to make it work smoothly so that you can open the laptop with just one hand. It’s quite slim for a 15-inch machine, but we’re glad to report that we found the number of ports just right: there’s a USB 3.2 Gen 1, HDMI 2.0, and two Thunderbolt3 with Power Delivery and Display Port. There’s also an audio jack and a uSD 4.0 memory card reader.

GEEK METER SPEED SAYS This chic notebook has everything you can ask for in a work-oriented machine. It’s classy, powerful, secure, and durable. Alas, you have to pay a premium to get this on your work desk. DIMENSIONS 340.2 x 215.8 x 13.9mm, 1.5kg

JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2021

8.5

PRODUCT TEST NO.

2292 THE NUMBERS OS Windows 10 Home DISPLAY 14-inch FHD (1920×1080) IPS PROCESSOR Intel Core i71065G7 with 3.9GHz 4 cores GRAPHICS NVIDIA GeForce MX350 MEMORY 16GB soldered LPDDR4x-3200 STORAGE 512GB SSD M.2 2280 PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe CAMERA 720p + IR + ToF CONNECTIVITY & PORTS Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0, 1x 3.5mm audio jack, 2x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1, 1x USB-C 3.2 (Gen 2, Power Delivery 3.0, DisplayPort, Thunderbolt 3.0), 1x USB-C (Power Delivery 3.0), HDMI, microSD card reader PRICE Starts at P69,995

LOOKS PRETTY, WORKS MIGHTY

Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 WO RD S AYIE L IC S I

One of the most sought-after pieces of tech during life in this pandemic is a solid-working laptop to get through everyday tasks for school or work. And while most laptops in the market are capable of basic number-crunching, the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 can do better—especially if you’re willing to shell out a bit more cash. The Yoga Slim 7 sports a 14-inch FHD display outputting up to 300 nits of brightness. I did notice that when I’m using the laptop against a window or outdoors, it turns the screen brightness all the way up to the point that it messes with the quality of the content you’re viewing. It’s best if you go to the laptop’s Settings and disable the automatic brightness adjustments.

The cover doesn’t catch fingerprints, so it’s easy to clean with a quick wipe. At the top left of the cover is the Yoga branding, which looks stylish yet still minimalistic. The lifted part of the lid is supposed to help you open the laptop easily with one hand, but I found myself struggling with this. I still had to hold the lower part of the machine down to fully open the device.

The 720p IR camera proves to be highly functional beyond video calls. If you enable Windows Hello and register your face, you can easily unlock the laptop. There’s also a sensor in the camera that will dim the screen once you move away from it. It’ll just turn back on when you sit in front of the laptop again.

The keyboard has a nice travel to it and the chiclet keys have a satisfying click to them when you’re typing. On either side of the keyboard are the speakers, which pump impressive sound. I didn’t need to turn the volume all the way up to hear the audio clearly. The dual 4.0W speakers sound whole that it would make you think you’ve connected the laptop to an external portable speaker.

This Yoga packs quite the power. I mainly used it for creating documents, light photo editing, a bit of audio editing, browsing, attending Zoom calls, and streaming movies to Discord. During my three weeks with it, I encountered no lagging or crashing with any apps, even when I had multiple windows open at the same time.

The laptop stays powered for around eight hours before needing a charge, at least based on the way I used it. Filling the battery up takes a little over two hours thanks to its 95W RapidCharge Pro charging technology. During my use, the laptop didn’t heat up too much while I was watching movies on a higher brightness while plugged in.

The Yoga Slim 7’s body is made of sand-blasted aluminum, giving it a feel of luxury and making it smooth to the touch. With a 14.9mm thickness, this laptop is easy to carry around and take anywhere even when you’re holding it with one hand. Meanwhile, the laptop’s hinge also lets you lay the laptop flat 180° on surfaces.

GEEK METER SPEED SAYS

DIMENSIONS 320.6 x 208 x 14.9mm, 1.43kg

Stylish, powerful, and ultraportable, the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 is a reliable daily driver for those looking for a more sophisticated machine for work or school. With a starting tag of P69,995, this machine is on the pricey side, but it does deliver on its promise of premium performance.

8 JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2021

TESTED

PRODUCT TEST NO.

2293

2294

THE NUMBERS

DISPLAY 14” FHD (1920 x 1080) IPS BRIGHTNESS 300 nits COLOR GAMUT NTSC 72% RESPONSE TIME 6ms with OD PORTS 2 x USB-C DIMENSIONS & WEIGHT 4.4mm thickness (display component only), 598g PRICE $249 *The unit reviewed here was released in the U.S. market.

OS Android TV OS RESOLUTION Up to 4K HDR, 60fps PORTS HDMI to plug directly into the TV, USB Type-C power CONNECTIVITY Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth (Chromecast); IR, Bluetooth (voice remote) DIMENSIONS & WEIGHT 162 x 61 x 12.5mm, 65g (Chromecast) 122 x 38 x 18mm, 63g (voice remote) PRICE $50 *The unit reviewed here was released in the U.S. market.

ON-THE-GO PRODUCTIVITY

Lenovo ThinkVision M14 WOR D S GADJO CAR D E N AS S E V IL L A

The remote work and school reality has forced us to evaluate our work setups. Laptop users navigating dozens of tabs or multiple apps can get an external monitor that will add extra screen real estate, but these take up a lot of space. Enter Lenovo’s ThinkVision M14 Portable Monitor, a thin and portable external 14-inch mobile display that connects to your laptop via USB-C. Fans of Lenovo ThinkPads and their durable build and features will feel right at home with this monitor that provides a sleek, mattefinished display. The ThinkVision M14 is super thin and light and its IPS display is bright and has great viewing angles. It is also quite versatile with a 5° to 90° tilt angle and an adjustable foot that lets you change the height. Remote workers or students who spend a lot of time on their PCs, or who like to have a movie or YouTube video running while they work will appreciate the advanced low-bluelight technology that reduces eye strain. If your laptop uses a USB-C power connector, you can plug that into the ThinkVision M14 and then pass through to your device, powering and charging your laptop at the same time. I found the Lenovo ThinkVision M14 to be a great companion to my MacBook Pro 13. While it isn’t as pixel-dense as my Retina Display, its larger size and matte finish make it a more ideal screen for streaming video, or for playing my son’s favorite movie while I work on my main laptop screen. The versatility of this type of lightweight monitor is that you can easily orient it horizontally which is good for spreadsheets, watching video, video editing, or browsing the web. If you’re a coder or a writer, it is possible to use it in vertical mode, too.

SPEED SAYS This is the ideal monitor for those of us who move around the house or who don’t have a permanent desk or place to work. It takes a few seconds to set up and use the ThinkVision M14, which makes it ideal for various use cases—provided you have an extra USB port. 40

JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2021

GEEK METER

WATCH-AND-STREAM BUDDY

Google Chromecast 2020 WOR D S GADJ O C S EVI LLA

Google’s Chromecast is one of the most transcendent inventions of recent times. This generally inexpensive dongle makes it possible to cast content from your smartphone to any screen that has the device plugged in. The latest iteration of the Google Chromecast solves a number of issues of the original— namely, that you needed a smartphone to control the content, and you had to navigate between a number of apps on your phone. The Chromecast with Google TV now comes bundled with a remote control that makes all the difference in the user experience. Not only can you use the remote to navigate an improved screen interface, it can also mute, control the volume, as well as connect directly to YouTube or Netflix thanks to dedicated launcher buttons. The Chromecast remote also takes voice commands. Say, “Play The Queen’s Gambit on Netflix,” and Chromecast will find the show and queue it up for playing. After using the Chromecast on an older 2009 Samsung TV, it’s a product I can definitely recommend provided you can deal with the idiosyncrasies of the user interface. Google is a search company but it’s also an advertising one. This means that the UI will push shows and networks that have likely paid for advertising. I see a lot of services that I do not subscribe to prominently shown above the ones that I do subscribe to. There’s no way to choose only the services and subscriptions you want to see. While the new Chromecast works well most of the time, I experienced a situation where it was unresponsive and did not appear as an option to cast to. The strange thing is that my Wi-Fi router is also a Google product, so I’m not sure what the issue was. I had to force a hard reset and allow it to reinstall a software upgrade to see if it would work as promised.

SPEED SAYS Google’s latest Chromecast is a convenient and practical solution for cord-cutter or streamers who want more than what their smart TV can offer. It is quite focused on the Google ecosystem, though, which might be an issue for anyone who prefers a less Google-centric solution.

GEEK METER

A WORTHWHILE INVESTMENT

PRODUCT TEST NO.

Logitech G913 TKL

2295

WO RD S JOV I F IG UE R OA

THE NUMBERS

Wireless has been the name of the game for the past few years now, but many people still find the constant need to charge annoying and the unstable connections a hassle. And for gamers, latency matters a lot. Thankfully, this is the space where Logitech truly shines. With the brand’s Lightspeed technology making serious advancements even in the pro gaming arena, you know that your Logitech wireless peripherals won’t give you a headache.

LOW PROFILE GL TACTILE KEY SWITCHES Actuation distance: 1.5mm Actuation force: 50g Total travel distance: 2.7mm ONBOARD MEMORY 2 lighting profile, 3 macro profiles BATTERY 40 hours (100% brightness) CONNECTIVITY Lightspeed wireless, Bluetooth CABLE LENGTH 1.8m PRICE P12,990

It has programmable macros, which are built into the function keys, and gaming mode for when you need a different configuration (e.g. turning off some keys so you don’t accidentally press on them) when you’re playing.

The Logitech G913 TKL is definitely made for sophisticated tastes. Its sleek brushed aluminum case and ultra-thin design is such a premium addition to any gaming or work space.

Just like other mechanical keyboards, it comes with three different switches depending on your preference (GL tactile, linear, and clicky). It also has RGB backlights, and you can program the lights effortlessly with the Logitech G Hub.

An upgrade from the G813, the Logitech G913 TKL’s Lightspeed wireless technology is second to none, promising the smoothest and lowest latency experience when it comes to hardcore typing needs and gaming.

The G913 TKL has a terrific battery life. You can use it for 40 hours straight with just a three-hour charge—and you can keep using it while charging.

The G913 TKL can connect to two separate devices—one through Lightspeed and the other via Bluetooth—so you can switch with ease when you need to.

On the downside, the G913 TKL has proprietary Logitech keycaps so you can’t go customizing this keyboard like other mechanical keyboards. Then again, why would you if it already looks amazing as is?

The G913 TKL is compact, which is great for tight desk spaces, and also features low-profile keys, which look more premium and feel easier on the wrist.

The dedicated media controls are a hit when you like watching videos, and the Lightspeed wireless upgrade is just a God-send for gamers who need to set up their laptops every before and after use.

GEEK METER

SPEED SAYS DIMENSIONS & WEIGHT 368 x 150 x 22mm, 810g (w/o cable)

With a premium price of P12,990, this keyboard may be a bit steep for some. But overall, we’ve got to say that the Logitech G913 TKL mechanical keyboard is worth every peso. It’s challenging to find a mechanical keyboard that suits your lifestyle and play-style, especially if you’re looking for a wireless one. Logitech has made it easy for you with the G913.

8.5

JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2021

TESTED

AIRPODS KILLER

PRODUCT TEST NO.

Huawei FreeBuds Pro

2296

WOR D S AYIE L IC S I

THE NUMBERS

One can’t help but make comparisons between the Huawei FreeBuds Pro and Apple’s AirPods Pro. It’s not just the “Pro” name or the similar form factor; it’s the slew of features such as active noise cancellation, sound quality, and other factors. I spent a month with the FreeBuds Pro, with it replacing my AirPods Pro as my daily driver, and I dare say it’s almost as good as the Apple version, if not better.

DRIVER 11mm dynamic CONNECTIVITY Bluetooth 5.2 BATTERY up to 8 hours (ANC off), up to 36 hours (with charging case) PRICE P7,999

One long-press on the right stem of the FreeBuds Pro and I can switch between the three listening modes without even picking up my phone. Awareness mode lets sound in as you’re listening, so you won’t have to take out the buds to hear stuff (like a barking puppy seeking attention) in your surroundings.

ANC on these earbuds work pretty well and they’re even comparable to the AirPods Pro. They’re still earbuds, so they won’t completely block out noise like TV in the background, but they do a pretty good job in drowning them out. I mostly used them to play my favorite playlists while I wrote, and they helped me focus on the task at hand.

The feature that takes the cake for me with these earbuds is the volume control on the stems. All you have to do is swipe up and down to change the volume--no need to reach for your phone. One of my tiffs with the FreeBuds Pro is the fact that I can’t access the buds’ other features on an iOS device. You have to be using an Android phone to customize gestures, check for the earbuds fit, and switch through listening modes. But on a Huawei phone, you get a cool animation indicating the battery life of each bud and the charging case.

In terms of sound quality, the buds’ 11mm dynamic drivers pump solid, bassy sound. It’s not anything remarkable, but they’re good enough for listening to a productivity playlist or watching movies. They can go for hours of listening, too. So far, I’m able to use them for over four hours (with ANC on) before the buds need to go back into the charging case.

Besides leisure listening, I’ve been using the FreeBuds Pro for taking calls. The mics capture sound better than the AirPods, in my opinion. It also doesn’t sound as clangy as other Bluetooth audio gear.

There are two light indicators on the case: one next to the USB-C port that lights up green when the case is opened and one inside that lights up when to tell you the buds are charging. The pairing button sits on the right side of the case, which is a nice touch as you can comfortably hold the case while pressing on it.

At first glance, the buds and the charging case look a bit chunky. It’ll still fit comfortably in any pocket, but they are on the bigger side. The earbuds themselves are boxy, but they’re lightweight and comfortable to wear even for hours on end. They are a bit hard to take out of the case though because of the boxy shape. The case’s build feels pretty solid and sturdy, but I’d still suggest getting a case on this to prevent scratches.

SPEED SAYS DIMENSIONS & WEIGHT Per earbud: 26 x 29.6 x 21.7mm; ~6.1g Case: 70 x 51.3 x 24.6mm; 60g

If you don’t want to shell out big money for premium earbuds, the Huawei FreeBuds Pro is a decent option. These buds have good ANC, intuitive controls, ample battery life, and great mics.

JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2021

GEEK METER

8.5

COMFORT AND FREEDOM TO PLAY FOR HOURS

PRODUCT TEST NO.

Logitech G733

2297 THE NUMBERS

WO R D S JOV I F IG UE R OA

DRIVER PRO-G 40mm FREQUENCY 20Hz - 20KHz CONNECTIVITY LightSpeed wireless via USB, USB 2.0 BATTERY Up to 29 hours WEIGHT 278g PRICE P6,999

When it comes to headsets, different people have different priorities and needs. But when it comes to gaming headsets, where you’re expecting to play for hours on end on a lazy, hot Sunday, one of the—if not the—most important features is comfort. And if you’re exactly the type of person who’s looking forward to a much-deserved 10-hour raid or campaign after a long stressful week, the Logitech G733 RGB wireless gaming set is heaven-sent. The G733 does not sacrifice its premium feel despite its ultra lightweight design. It doesn’t feel too light that it feels cheap, and there’s beauty in the creative blend of matte and shiny textures that complement the metallic “G” logo and the textured fabric suspension.

If you’re the type of person who has RGB everything, this gaming headset will sit perfectly on your setup. The RGB lights on the headset are fully customizable with the Logitech G Hub, while the headset strap itself can be flipped for various looks. Sadly, only the black and white variants are available locally. Crossing our fingers that Logitech Philippines will bring in the colored ones soon.

I love that the G733 can deliver good audio despite the fact that it’s not noise-canceling. I tested the G733 playing Genshin Impact during the Unreconciled Stars event where you had to rely on the sound prompt to know if you’re approaching a meteor shard that you need to collect, and it delivered extremely well.

True to its motto, “Keep Playing,” the Logitech G733 is one comfortable headset. I was able to use it for four hours straight with no ear, neck, or head discomfort. The earpad is also breathable, making no fuss even on the hottest days.

The detachable mic is very sleek, making it easy to switch from solo campaign to co-op.

One of our biggest disappointments is that the headset is not Bluetooth-compatible, and needs to be connected to your PC with a rather bulky Type-A receiver. This is rather confusing since Logitech already has a unifying receiver, which, in theory, should be able to connect up to six Logitech devices to your PC. But sadly, G products like the Logitech G733 could not connect to this unifying receiver. This also means you cannot use it for mobile gaming.

GEEK METER

SPEED SAYS The Logitech G733 gaming headset is definitely one of the best in its price range. At P6,999, you’re getting so much bang for your buck, and lots of hours for seamless and comfortable gaming. If you don’t mind the extra dongle on your PC or laptop, there’s no reason you shouldn’t be getting this upgrade for your PC gaming.

JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2021

TESTED

PRODUCT TEST NO.

2298 THE NUMBERS ENGINE 1.4L MultiAir Turbo TRANSMISSION 7-speed dual dry clutch POWER 162hp @ 5,500rpm TORQUE 250Nm @ 3,000rpm BRAKES vented disc front, disc rear SUSPENSION MacPherson struts front, multi-link rear TIRE SIZE 225/60 R17 SAFETY Airbags, ABS with EBD, brake stability control, electronic roll mitigation,hill start assist, ParkView rear backup camera PRICE P1,850,000

CHASE ADVENTURES WITH CONFIDENCE

Jeep Compass Longitude WO R D S E AR L M AN AL AN SAN

The name “Jeep” is synonymous with heavy-duty all-wheel transport. It proved its mettle during WWII, providing invaluable service by transporting soldiers, armaments, and even howitzers through all kinds of terrain. This rock-solid reliability is passed on through all subsequent Jeep models, including the Jeep Compass. The roof rails add to the Compass’ rugged look. You can load cargo, camping gear, or bikes when fitted with proper racks. Meanwhile, the massive dual-pane panoramic sunroof looks awesome and gives added natural illumination.

Weekend warriors and those with active lifestyles will appreciate the stylish and capable Jeep Compass. Its wide cargo space and foldable seats mean you can load an array of sport equipment such as bikes, surfboards, and golf clubs.

The compact Jeep Compass retains the macho image of its older sibling, the iconic Cherokee. The front fascia has an angular look and features Jeep’s trademark seven-slot grille.

The Jeep is powered by a 16-valve, 1.4L MultiAir Turbo gas engine mated to a 7-speed dry dual clutch transmission. Acceleration is a bit slow because of turbo lag, but when the rpm hits 2,700, the full power of the big turbocharger is unleashed. Overtaking is definitely fun in this one despite the heavier curb weight.

The rear looks elegant—neither bland nor loud—considering the large taillights. The switch for opening the gate is located at the bottom of the plates. Meanwhile, the edge of the hold, while wide enough, is a bit higher off the ground. The big dual exhaust pipes lend a much-appreciated sporty touch. Fuel economy is surprisingly frugal, with an 8-10kpL in city driving (as rated by the trip computer). Overall ride is firm but comfortable despite the large tires.

INTERIOR The dark interior has a subdued elegance. The mixture of dark gray leatherette with patterned fabric has a charm to it.

The Uconnect infotainment system supports Apple CarPlay and has a 7-inch touchscreen that also doubles as the display for the rear camera.

The 8-way power-adjustable driver’s seat and the front passenger seat have excellent lumbar and leg support. Same is true with the rear passenger seat.

Much-appreciated are the three charging ports, generous leg room and ceiling clearance, and rear air-conditioning vents for dedicated passenger cooling.

SPEED SAYS

DIMENSIONS 4395 x 1820 x 1640mm

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The Jeep Compass is one of the bigger compact crossovers that have passenger comfort in mind. Generous space abound, ensuring a comfortable ride whether in traffic or long trips. While it may have fewer accouterments compared to its competitors, it more than makes up with solid reliability, space, and power.

GEEK METER

PRODUCT TEST NO.

2299 THE NUMBERS ENGINE 2.0-liter gasoline boxer engine TRANSMISSION Lineartronic CVT, Symmetrical AWD POWER 154hp @ 6,000rpm TORQUE 196Nm @ 4,000rpm BRAKES disc front and rear SUSPENSION MacPherson struts front, double wishbone with coil spring rear TIRE SIZE 225/55 R18 SAFETY airbags, ABS with EBD, stability and traction control, hill start assist, hill descent control, EyeSight PRICE P2,120,000

SPORTY SUBIE

Subaru Forester GT Edition WO R D S KAT R IN A R IV E R E- D IGA

The Subaru Forester isn’t the best-looking SUV out there, but neither is it bland or boring. If you’re eyeing the Forester but are on the fence about its design, maybe you’d want to check out its GT Edition. The Japanese manufacturer slapped on a four-piece aero kit onto the Forester to make it look more appealing. The kit consists of a front bumper extension, a distinct pair of side skirts, rear bumper extension, and a big spoiler at the back. To complete the look, this variant wears sport 18-inch GT alloy wheels.

The GT Edition is powered by a 2.0-liter, direct-injection Boxer engine. It produces 154hp, which is perfectly adequate for city driving. However, it’s also quite a gas guzzler; I averaged around 7.4kpL in 55-60kph speeds.

Thanks to some refinements and the Subaru Global Platform, the Forester is nimble and yet handles really well. The ride is also comfortable, soaking up bumps with aplomb. Meanwhile, road and wind noise is well-suppressed.

INTERIOR The cabin is spacious and there are well-cushioned seats that have a new white contrast padding. The soft-touch materials used all throughout give the Forester GT a premium, plush feel.

The 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system, which supports Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, is easy to navigate. There’s also a 360-degree around-view camera system that lets you park or maneuver more easily.

The Forester GT comes with Subaru’s class-leading EyeSight safety technology that’s just a godsend for motorists. What’s great is that this ‘copilot’ doesn’t just look out for cars but also motorcycles, bicycles, and even pedestrians.

GEEK METER

SPEED SAYS DIMENSIONS 4625 x 1815 x 1730mm; 1,566kg

The Subaru Forester GT Edition has all the features that make the non-aero kit-wearing variant a good crossover. If the 2.0i-S is too bland for your liking this might just be the Forester for you.

JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2021

TECHNOSPHERE

WELCOME TO THE APPLE M1 ERA

GADJO CARDENAS SEVILLA

Apple will eventually transition its entire line of Macs to its own Apple Silicon chips. This not only helps them drive down prices, but it also ensures that they can future-proof their products while providing performance and power across the line. There may be a few more Intel Macs coming out, but consumers will likely avoid those and go for the Apple Silicon models unless they’re dependent on old software. App developers can apparently flip a few switches to make their Intel apps compatible with the M1 architecture, and many are seeing tremendous gains in performance and efficiency. Intel and DIY customers are the losers Apple still has a small percentage of the PC market, and an even smaller percentage of Intel’s market. But Apple making its own more powerful and efficient SoC because Intel failed to innovate signals the entire PC market. Apple was a prestige client for Intel, but now that Apple is creating its own silicon and is phasing out Intel Macs, other PC manufacturers might opt to follow Apple’s lead. Google and Microsoft already make their own silicon but not at the level that Apple does since neither of them makes their own smartphone processors.

Apple recently

updated to macOS 11 Big Sur and at the same time introduced its Apple Siliconpowered M1 Macs including a MacBook Air, a MacBook Pro, and a Mac mini. These devices all look identical to the models they replace but all feature Apple’s own Systemon-a-Chip (SoC) processor. Intel’s outside Why has Apple transitioned to its own SoC? That’s easy. Intel, which has provided Apple’s processors since 2005, has failed to innovate its mobile processors. While they’ve iterated and introduced faster multicore processors, these still aren’t great for battery life. Apple’s been making its own chips for iPhone and iPads for years and these continue to be class-leading in terms of performance and battery life. The latest Apple Silicon-powered Macs are impressive. Thanks to Big Sur, they can 46

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run most native 64-bit Mac applications quicker and more efficient than the Intel Macs can. The Apple M1 SoC is made up of 16 billion transistors on a 5-nanometer chip. This integrates the CPU, GPU, RAM, cache, and neural engine into one component. In PC terms, these chips are 8-core CPUs, 8-core GPUs, and a machine learning component that accelerates mostused functions. Giant steps in performance and power efficiency This all translates to impressive performance that makes entry-level Macs like the Air and the Mac mini as powerful as the super-expensive Mac Pro. Since Apple now makes the hardware and the software, they can dial-up the performance while adding hours of battery life (at least on the portable Macs). The M1 Macs even run Windows 10 more efficiently in emulation than native Windows on Intel or Windows on ARM.

Apple Silicon also marks the end of user-end upgrades. The RAM and storage are now integrated into the SoC, so users need to purchase the spec they want knowing that they won’t be able to upgrade later on. As someone who likes to work on computers and who often upgrades the SSD or RAM components of devices as they get older, not being able to upgrade new Macs in any way feels limiting. This also means more expensive repairs in the event that something breaks since now you can’t replace just the RAM or the SSD. When an Apple M1 Mac breaks, you might need to replace the whole board or even the whole device—which means it makes more sense than ever to pay for the extra Apple warranty. Despite this, Apple’s M1 chips signify a quantum leap in personal computing—one where laptops are as quick and efficient as smartphones and have instant-on capabilities plus all-day battery life. That they can also match the performance of multi-core pro desktops make M1 SoCs formidable computing powerhouses that can dominate the personal computing space.

ALL ABOUT THE UX

KOREAN SERIES ON NETFLIX THAT EVEN NON-K-DRAMA FANS WILL LIKE YES, INCLUDING MEN

TRIXIE REYNA-BENEDICTO

6. Life I started this K-drama because of Lee Dong Wook, who plays an ER doctor going against the new president of top medical center Sangkook University Hospital. What compelled me to finish all 16 episodes of this hard-hitting medical drama is its apparent critique of the healthcare system. Amid the pandemic, the scenarios and conspiracies presented in the show are both thought-provoking and eyeopening—enough reason to press play.

Two things defined my 2020 lockdown life: motherhood and Netflix K-dramas. I doubt this will change in 2021, with the possibility of more stringent community quarantines in the horizon. My husband eventually joined me in watching some K-dramas that caught his attention. Like a typical man, he’s into action, conspiracy, thrillers, suspense, comedy, and maybe a bit of political and/or historical drama. So to keep him watching with me, I looked for Korean series in genres he likes. I used his preferences as basis for this list of K-dramas you can stream on Netflix if you’re trying to get someone (i.e. boyfriend or husband) into them or if you’re skeptical of Korean entertainment but would like to give it a go because of FOMO. 1. Kingdom Kingdom follows a crown prince investigating a gruesome plague spreading through the land, as he also contends with an evil, powerhungry clan determined to steal the throne. Watching characters try to defeat zombies in ancient times is nail-biting, while the

politics and social commentary make for great discussions post-binge. 2. Itaewon Class K-dramas make you want to visit South Korea, and this series does this by showcasing Seoul’s hip Itaewon district’s vibrant nightlife. Its story revolves around young ex-con Park Saeroyi (played by Korean heartthrob Park Seo-joon), who dreams of success for his street bar while he goes against a food business giant to exact revenge on its owners who are responsible for his tragic past. Beyond the heavy yet engrossing first episode are lots of light, heartwarming, and empowering ones, complemented by a great soundtrack. 3. Strangers From Hell I was lured by this mini series because my favorite Korean actor, Lee Dong Wook, plays a villain. But after reading its description (“Unpleasant events disturb the life of an aspiring crime fiction writer when he becomes a resident of an apartment building teeming with shady neighbors”), I got too chicken to watch alone. The visuals are gritty that it feels like you’re watching an indie film. The thrilling turn of events play

out like a nightmare, but it’s hard to turn away so you unblinkingly watch it unfold on the edge of your seats. 4. Fight for My Way This hilarious series is about childhood friends struggling to make ends meet as adults while their dreams are stuck on the back burner. Park Seo-joon plays lead character Ko Dong-man, who dreams of becoming an MMA champion and finds himself in a love triangle between his childhood friend and on-and-off girlfriend. While it seems like a rom-com from the get-go, there’s more to like in this feel-good series such as exciting MMA matches, with the sacrifices and training involved, and lots of laugh-out-loud moments. 5. Crash Landing On You What initially drew me to the series besides the hype is its handsome lead, Hyun Bin. I stayed for the fascinating depiction of what life is like in North Korea—even if the country and its former citizens consider it way off base—and how two people from opposing sides of the DMZ would overcome such impossible obstacles to be together.

7. The World of the Married This is guaranteed to hook you from Episode 1. With so many scandalous things happening in this episode alone—how a respected doctor’s seemingly perfect life takes a chaotic turn when she discovers her husband cheating with a younger woman, and how everyone around her knows—you’ll wonder what other tricks this series has up its provocative sleeve. The wife’s gripping pursuit of revenge on her husband and the wild back-and-forth of retaliation that ensues will take you on a rollercoaster ride of emotions, so ready your heart. 8. Guardian: The Lonely and Great God (Goblin) As a fantasy rom-com, Goblin could have turned off non-Kdrama fans, especially men, but online forums and Facebook groups will tell you this isn’t the case. It even became the benchmark for non-fans and some men (my husband included) for a K-drama worth watching. Sure, it’s the love story of a goblin and his bride destined to free him from his cursed immortality, but it’s the witty banter and hilarious love-hate bromance between the goblin and the grim reaper who live under one roof that my husband and I enjoyed most.

Follow me on IG (@trixiereyna), FB (trixiereynadotcom), and my blog (trixiereyna.com). JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2021

GAME ON

MY REALISTIC ‘GAMES I’M PLAYING IN 2021’ LIST

JOVI FIGUEROA

Switch this February. If you’re a Persona fan, you definitely shouldn’t miss this hackand-slash RPG. We’ve waited long enough for Joker, so we’re not letting this one pass.

Monster Hunter Rise After the blockbuster success of Monster Hunter World, Monster Hunter Rise has been a much-awaited sequel. It has been described as "a brand new take on the Monster Hunter experience,” so we’re looking forward to this one releasing in March. Currently, Rise is poised to make an official release on the Switch. However, leaked performance details suggest that it will soon come to the PC as well. Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild sequel While the sequel to the beloved Breath of the Wild game on the Switch has yet to be named, fans are already on their toes for this next one especially since many thought it was going to have a 2020 release. We still don't know who exactly the villain of Breath of the Wild 2 is going to be after Calamity Ganon, but if they just follow all the right things they did on the first one, we’re sure the sequel will be just as beloved as the first one.

Adulting is hard

for many reasons. Dealing with heartbreaks, losing friends, and the bills—the neverending boss fight at the end of each month. But probably the thing that sucks the most about being a responsible adult is not having enough time to do what you want. And for many of us adult gamers, that’s spending hours in front of the console or PC, farming on our favorite RPG. As adult gamers, we have to be practical about the games we decide to pick up. We ask the important questions: How many hours will I spend on this game to not just complete it, but actually enjoy it? How much money will I spend to have fun? Will I have to invest some time to get good in the game’s mechanics? So, as we start 2021, let’s all make a pact. Together, let’s create our realistic and practical “Games I’m Playing In 2021” list as a sort of motivation and reminder that being an adult doesn’t have to mean the death of our gamer hearts. This list will be a list of games, both old and upcoming— old games that you’ve been wanting to play, and upcoming ones that you’re excited to get your hands on. These games 48

will be manageable to finish, won’t give you headaches, and won’t waste your time with annoying bugs. Here’s my own 2021 list, but I urge you to make your own. Adulting does not have to mean letting go of your whimsy or things that make you happy.

Genshin Impact I truly believe this should have been the mobile game of the year at the 2020 Game Awards, because it really is one of the best mobile games to date. It has been everything that mobile gaming has failed to be in the last decade: expansive, cutting-edge, and truly playable without microtransactions. If you have money to spare, it’s worth investing some money into buying in-game money as a way of thanking the developers for a job well done (it’s free to play anyway!), or to save yourself some time from the tedious farming. There’s always new stuff and events every month, too, so you won’t feel left behind if you’re just picking it up in 2021. Persona 5 Strikers Finally, the rest of the world will be getting their hands on Persona 5 Strikers on the

Half Life: Alyx If this year has been tough on you financially, maybe next year will be the year you’ll have enough money to put away for a proper VR headset. And if there’s one game that will make your VR headset worth it, it’s Half Life: Alyx. What a massive comeback from Valve after leaving us dry for more than a decade! Cyberpunk 2077 After the enormous hype that preceded the launch of Cyberpunk 2077, the game released embarrassingly with tons of bugs and performance issues in December. While it would have been a disappointment to play Cyberpunk on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in 2020, this year, our patience has paid off and we’re ready to enjoy the game’s fullest potential sans the annoying bugs. Valorant Every Christmas since Overwatch was launched, I made it a tradition to spend some hours of the holiday playing the game. Overwatch aged so well, five years into its release. It is undeniably one of the best and longest-lasting multiplayer FPS games of its time. But Christmas 2020 proved one thing: the new competitor is here. Ever since Valorant came out in June, Overwatch’s numbers have been suffering. So this year, I’m finally letting go of my favorite FPS game to finally invest some time to discover the appeal and learn the mechanics of Valorant— that is until Overwatch 2 drops.

JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2021

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The great indoors All the tech and tools you need to master life at home WOR DS CA R MEL A MA R A A N FER NA NDO

It’s now been almost a year since we’ve resettled into the old frontier we know as home. After recovering from the initial shock of suddenly becoming housebound for several months, many folks all over the world gradually, and perhaps begrudgingly, accepted that this is now Life as We Know It, 2020-2021 Edition.

HOTSPOT JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2021

COVER STORY

For many, being suddenly required to stay at home had been a drastic change from their hectic, fast-paced lives. Travel time to and from work, school, and outdoor haunts was replaced by catching up on rest, new activities to try, or finally squeezing in those chores that have been left hanging for a while. There were those who had lost their jobs due to highrisk circumstances at the workplace. Devastating as it was, this gave them time to re-evaluate their career path or urgently seek new sources of revenue. It was also an equally grueling experience for folks who had to continue going out to perform public essential work in the midst of a pandemic—and they have our heartfelt gratitude. Those who found a welcome escape in the first few weeks of lockdown eventually felt the novelty wearing off. The four proverbial walls started to close in and the stay-at-home respite finally caught up with its restrictiveness. Boredom began to set in, which gave way to cabin fever, and in many cases, anxiety and depression. Several individuals struggled with a pervasive sense of isolation and the reality that things may never return to the way they were. Fortunately, we have the tools to help manage the sense of isolation and monotony that come with extended confinement. Digital technology has become the social glue that keeps us together in the face of social distancing. 50

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THE GREAT INDOORS

Stuck at home? There’s a tool for that. One of the key merits of digital tech is providing accessibility to users, and this has been maximized throughout the pandemic. In fact, devices, gadgets, and a stable internet connection are now vital elements in every household’s survival kit. Aside from social media platforms, the use of and demand for online services spiked drastically. Online shopping Stocking up on essentials is the first order of enduring an extended stay-at-your homebase. These include clothes, personal care items, interests, and gizmos—goods that help make the weeks and months in a limited space more enjoyable.

JoyRide (among others) provide on-demand purchasing and delivery services for fast food, grocery and market goods, and documents. Some also offer to conduct over-the-counter bill payments, which is highly convenient for those who cannot step out. More importantly, you can also have medicines delivered to you. Pharmaceutical stockists like PharmEZ, GetMeds, SouthStar Drug, Mercury Drug, Rose Pharmacy, and MedExpress offer medicine delivery, which can be accessed through their respective websites, delivery app, or hotline. Entertainment This is the best time to catch up on all the TV series, movies, music, and

games that you would have otherwise missed out on during your former daily routine. You can also transform one of your rooms into a makeshift movie theater for family time, or a gaming hub for livestreaming your gameplay and monetizing it on video platforms. Streaming services such as Spotify, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and YouTube are staples in home entertainment. Gaming communities and forums like Twitch, Steam, Discord, and PinoyGamer are a constant source of support to online and mobile gamers of all levels. And, for the younger ones, there’s YouTube Kids, GoNoodle, HappyKids, Kids Place, and Kid City to keep their budding minds engaged.

There are e-commerce platforms for general merchandise, household needs, groceries, and hobbies. Many brands— from beauty, fashion, and gadgets—have also set up their own official online stores. Several specialty brands also offer their own product lines and services for delivery, and a good number of independent home businesses have surfaced, using Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter as their venue for transactions. These are often discovered by word-of-mouth, usually in niche interest groups or communities. Delivery services Grab, Mr. Speedy, Lalamove, FoodPanda, Angkas, and JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2021

COVER STORY

Luckily for many, the same digital communication tools used for remote work like Zoom, Google Meet, Skype, and Viber can cover for daily class interactivity. These can easily be supplemented by instructor-recommended tools such as Duolingo, YouTube Kids, and Science 360. Some schools have also gotten creative, developing their own websites and tools for specialized modules, as well as secure platforms for their students to use, safe from the prying eyes of hackers, predators, and competitors.

Working from home Since telecommuting has grown more popular over the past 10 years or so, a vast number of software and services have become widely accessible to remote workers. Some remote office basics include GSuite, Microsoft 365, Zoom, Skype, Slack, Lark, Hive, and Trello—all multi-function digital tools that you’ll need for project management, conceptualization, production, 52

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and communication. And for both professional and personal productivity, you can turn to apps like Google Calendar, Woven, Evernote, Grammarly, ProwritingAid, Toggl, and Forest. All of these will help you maximize and optimize your time spent on work and personal development, so even with the longest and uninspiring of days, you’ll still gain a sense of accomplishment.

E-Learning Another major concern for many younger users is starting and continuing education. Unlike with working from home, the shift from physical to online classrooms was a drastic change for many institutions and households. Not only do teachers have to be able to connect with their students daily, learners also need constant and regular socialization for their development.

Household management This is a concern that only became widespread after the lockdown measures were implemented and employees started working from home: work-lifebalance. It’s easy to get bogged down by your work schedule and neglect your personal time when your workplace is also the household that you run. One of the best tools for this is a good organizational and time management app. Some of our highly recommended apps for restructuring your activities are Todoist, EverNote, Clockify, Remember the Milk, Kiwake, My Daily Planner, and Clear. These will help you become more aware of what you may unwittingly spend too much time on, so you can reevaluate priorities in your daily routine.

THE GREAT INDOORS

Since going out is hardly an option, it’s easy to compensate by splurging on online purchases. Apps like Mint, Home Budget, and YNAB will help you keep an eye on your essential and luxury buys. And, for those who love whipping up a freshly cooked meals and don’t want to rely on food delivery even on busy days, there are good menu-planning tools such as Mealime, Paprika,

Cook Smarts, Anylist, (Not) Recipes, and Mealboard. These are guaranteed to help you plan your daily budget and food prep so you can chunk your time effectively and enjoy restaurant-quality meals alone or with loved ones.

control over unprecedented circumstances. Aside from getting support from friends and family on social media, there are also a number of services dedicated to helping housebound residents cope on their own, both physically and mentally.

Personal care Following the rigors of staying at home, self-care is a concept that has been widely thrown around in an attempt to regain a sense of

If you need mental and emotional health support, you may want to try out apps like Moodfit, Talkspace, and Shine, which offer meditation exercises, affirmations, and practical insights and advice for coping with isolation and helplessness. Groups like Silakbo, Mental Health First Responders, and BetterHelp offer counseling services as well. For physical health support, you can turn to telemedicine providers. These are services that provide online consultation with medical experts and physicians, and they’re easily accessible via mobile phone. Some of these local services are MedGate, Lifeline, DearDoctors, HealthNow, CloudPx, and SeeYouDoc. These services are especially crucial in cases where in-person consultations are highly risky or downright unavailable. Keeping physically fit is also a main concern. It’s easy to pack on the pounds and fall into a sedentary lifestyle. Luckily for us, health and wellness tools are a mainstay in the digital personal care field. Personal development Of course, being at home for an indefinite period may seem restrictive at first, but can also be liberating once you make time for developing yourself. Whether it’s revisiting old and neglected interests, or trying something new, there are tools to help you find something to do.

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COVER STORY

Aside from standard general information and hobby sites like YouTube, Pinterest, DudePins, WeHeartIt, HomeTalk, and PearlTrees, there are also specialized tools for learning a wide range of skills, disciplines, and interests. Included in our top picks for self-development are Coursera, Udemy, Khan Academy, Lynda, Tynker, StudyBlue, TED, MasterClass, EDX, and Google Arts & Culture. Want to push yourself harder or relive the college experience? Try free online courses from Harvard University, MIT OpenCourseWare, UC Berkeley, Museum of Modern Art, Carnegie Mellon, Oxford University, University of Tokyo, University of Amsterdam, and Yale. Not only can these keep your mind enriched with new knowledge and insights, you may also develop new skills that can help you earn additional income. And, if you are already well-versed and experienced in your field of expertise, you may also use some of these platforms for your own paid content creation. If you can learn from home, why not teach from home? As you develop yourself, you can also help someone else grow.

permanent fixture there. Our extended time in lockdown has been a testament to people’s creativity when it comes to coping with and thriving in the confines of one’s four walls. And sometimes, a bit of the outside world.

The road to recovery is still indoors The pandemic is still here. But we are a resilient species.

Safe travel As some restrictions have lifted in certain areas, we are also slowly relearning parts of our old routine but with a new sense of caution. And rightly so, because the threat isn’t over yet.

Just because we’re constrained to stay in the same turf now doesn’t mean we’ll become a

Local travel is gradually making a comeback, but with strict precautionary

JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2021

measures in place. This isn’t just for traveling for leisure, but more for those who are mandated to return to their workplace or out on the field. Some essential app services to use while on the road are Dragonslayer and Sitata, which provide real-time reports of safe and hot zones for infection, airport and border closure, social distancing regulation updates, curfews, healthcare status, and testing capacity. It’s also good to have an app like mContain that helps you check your proximity to other people so you can maintain a safe distance.

THE GREAT INDOORS

Fighting disinformation The prevalence of sensationalized and misleading news has always been a challenge for mainstream and independent media audiences. With the pandemic, key information is often politicized to both ends of the spectrum, with fearmongering and outright

denial at constant war, with a hefty side of conspiracy theories. You can vet any information that comes your way using dedicated verification tools. Some of these are FactCheck. Org, TruthOrFiction. Com, Politifact, CRAAP Test, ClaimBuster, and Disinformation Index. While false news can be entertaining, your and your loved ones’ safety also depend on its absence. Sustainable living In the effort to rebuild a livable environment while indoors, a great number of folks have ventured into a more sustainable lifestyle. This means being able to provide for one’s own basic needs without needing to step out and purchase too many goods, and saving money besides. This lifestyle includes growing your own fruit, vegetables, and herbs, adopting a vegan or vegetarian diet, ditching single-use items for reusable ones, upcycling, buying or swapping pre-

loved goods, rejecting fast fashion, supporting small local community businesses, running a small local business, investing in green energy sources, using smart home devices, and taking on minimalist and eco-friendly habits. If you wish to try out urban eco-living, you can get started by downloading any of the following apps: JouleBug, Olio, iHuerting, Happy Cow, Oroeco, RecycleNation, Flora, JoinIn, Love Food Hate Waste, and EcoCharge. They’ll inspire you to rethink old habits and form a new routine that’s not just healthier for you, but also for others and the environment. It’s time to rebuild upon the damage we have caused in the first place. With the right tools and a flexible mindset, staying home indefinitely doesn’t have to be drudgery anymore. So what if you can’t step outdoors for now? Thanks to the never-ending slew of digital activities and tools on the market, there’s always so much for you to discover, learn, enjoy, and become in the great, vast indoors.

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FORM FACTOR

LOOKS GREAT, SOUNDS AWESOME

Not all speakers are boring, boxy things that you hide away from sight. In fact, many designers and audio companies are breaking the mold of tradition and coming up with audio equipment that you’ll want to show off as part of your home décor. JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2021

FORM FACTOR

TEENAGE ENGINEERING OB-4 Designed to be taken on the go, the Teenage Engineering OB-4 is a Bluetooth speaker and a radio that lets you scratch like a DJ and rewind or slow down playback. The $599 OB-4 packs two tweeters and two bass drivers for up to 76W of room-filling sound. It also records up to two hours’ worth of audio on a looping tape, which you can rewind and listen to again via a motorized knob. It’s easy to bring it around wherever you go thanks to the carrying handle that also doubles as a stand when folded. Made of durable metal with black plastic buttons, knobs, and dial, this so-called “Magic Radio” is available in a beautiful matte black finish and a gorgeous gloss red variant.

JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2021

LOOKS GREAT, SOUNDS AWESOME

BUGATTI ROYALE French high-performance luxury automobiles manufacturer Bugatti enters audio territory by teaming up with Tidal Audio. The Royale speaker comes in two models—Monocoque and Duotone—with piano finishes, eye-popping color combinations, and materials like carbon fiber, leather, stainless steel, dark aluminum, and even precious metals. The Bugatti logo also adorns the speaker and ‘Tidal for Bugatti’ is branded on the back. These 1.5-meter-tall floor-standing speakers look and feel as premium as their four-wheeled brethren—and they’re as powerful, too. The Royale consists of four subwoofer drivers per speaker, a 3-way front unit with a midrange-driver, and a tweeter with diamond diaphragms.

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FORM FACTOR

MU-SO FOR BENTLEY SPECIAL EDITION Partly inspired by the £1.5 million Bentley Mulliner Bacalar, the Mu-so for Bentley Special Edition is a Naim-powered wireless speaker system constructed with Ayous, an African hardwood that’s carefully stained and lacquered to achieve a dark finish. The speaker also features a copper anodized heat sink, a smoked acrylic plinth, subtly lit base, a copper-threaded speaker grille, and Bentley’s signature lattice design that wraps around the volume dial. It’s equipped with two silk dome tweeters, two dedicated drivers for articulate midrange, and two oval bass drivers in a ported enclosure.

JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2021

LOOKS GREAT, SOUNDS AWESOME

MOTORING

4 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT PURE ELECTRIC VEHICLES NISSAN DRIVES THE CONVERSATION ON EV With the current shift in the way Filipinos drive and live due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the need for safe, smart, and sustainable mobility solutions is greater than ever. At the Philippine Electric Vehicle Summit 2020, Nissan continued to drive the conversation on electric vehicle (EV) adoption with educational information, as the brand prepares for the arrival of the Nissan LEAF in the Philippines.

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MOTORING

s part of its educational efforts, the Japanese automaker also recently engaged key government policy makers and industry leaders to be one of the first Filipinos to drive the Nissan LEAF on Metro Manila roads. Following strict health and safety protocols during the engagement, avid electrification supporters Senator Win Gatchalian, Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi, Trade and Industry Secretary Ramon Lopez, as well as Electric Vehicle Association of the Philippines President Edmund Araga and Chairman Rommel Juan were able to experience firsthand driving the Nissan LEAF. With their experience, they learned more about the benefits of sustainable and electrified mobility with the vehicle to further strengthen the resolve towards adopting the use of electric vehicles for the country’s mobility needs. “I think the Nissan LEAF is great. It has a great design, a smooth and comfortable drive, it’s economical, and most importantly, it is in line with our advocacy of pushing for electric vehicles towards energy security and sustainability,” shares Senator Win Gatchalian.

JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2021

“The drive with the Nissan LEAF was effortless. E-vehicles like LEAF are also very beneficial to the environment with no noise and zero emissions. We have been waiting for electric vehicles to be part of the transportation mix,” says Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi after experiencing the different features of the Nissan LEAF. Meanwhile, Trade and Industry Secretary Ramon Lopez says that “the drive was comfortable and very safe, indicative of how electric vehicles are the future of transportation.” “Given the impact of the pandemic on people’s health and the economy, we must rethink the way we do things and learn the importance of responsible consumption. The increase of electric vehicles on the road is one way things have changed because of the pandemic. This shows the power of consumers in helping our economy recover, as well as creating a greener and more sustainable post-COVID-19 future,” he says.

Here are some key factors that Filipinos need to know about electric vehicles:

Range Based on New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) testing, the Nissan LEAF can cover 311 kilometers when fully charged. That’s the distance between Manila and Tagudin, Ilocos Sur. This allows drivers to easily travel to the NLEX Balintawak Toll Plaza (42km), Angeles City, Pampanga (85km), or San Juan, La Union (272km), and not have to worry about completely losing battery charge while on the road. In Manila, a single charge of the Nissan LEAF can last for about three weeks driving around the metro. For reference, the average driving distance around Metro Manila per day is only 13.2 kilometers.

NISSAN DRIVES THE CONVERSATION ON EV

Charging There are three primary ways to charge an EV, according to consumer preference and ease. Charging at home, usually overnight, with a standard universal cable can be done right away and takes 12 to 15 hours to fully charge the Nissan LEAF. This is the preferred method of charging because it is the most convenient. It is similar to charging in one’s mobile phone overnight after a long day of usage especially for everyday city driving. A wall box can also be installed at home or in any establishment, and takes between five to seven hours. For on-road emergencies, a quick charging station can power up the Nissan LEAF in 40 to 60 minutes. There are currently 14 charging stations in the Philippines that can charge the Nissan LEAF, and more are being developed.

Environmental impact EVs allow a reduction in noise pollution, a growing issue in urban centers. A Nissan LEAF has a running noise level of 21 decibels, compared to the average 76 decibels that a car produces when it is stationary. Moreover, EVs produce zero direct emissions, which means they are a good choice for the environment. Just one electric vehicle can save 4.6 metric tons of greenhouse gases each year, roughly equivalent to planting 209 trees. With more than 470,000 Nissan LEAF vehicles already sold globally, their owners have saved 2.2 million metric tons of carbon dioxide—an amount that takes more than 84 million trees to process into breathable oxygen.

Trend To support sustainable initiatives and reduction of emissions across Southeast Asia, Nissan has already introduced the Nissan LEAF to several Southeast Asian countries like Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore. The Philippines will be among the next countries to join the electric mobility movement with the launch of the Nissan LEAF soon. “At Nissan, we go beyond what is expected to dare the impossible. We lead the conversation around EV adoption in the Philippines to support a zero-emission future. Our aim is to make electrified mobility a reality as we adapt to the new normal, using the emission-free Nissan LEAF to give the Philippine market smarter, safer, and more sustainable mobility,” said President and Managing Director for Nissan in the Philippines Atsushi Najima.

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PRESS PLAY

KICK OFF 2021 WITH A STREAMING PARTY! Start your year right by looking for the best movies and series to watch on your favorite platforms. Check out these titles streaming in the first two months of 2021. WOR DS AY I E L I CSI

Spycraft January 20 | Netflix

Fate: The Winx Saga January 22 | Netflix

There’s no doubt spies have the coolest gizmos. Onscreen, you’ve got the likes of James Bond and the Kingsmen who are decked out with the most awesome gadgetry. But did you know there are spy gadgets in real life, too? Spycraft explores some of the most famous spy contraptions out there and the people who made them. Get ready to geek out and have your mind blown with this documentary.

Nickelodeon’s Winx Club is all-grown up now, much like the tweens who watched the fantasy show in the 2000s. This remake leaves the fairy dust behind and trades it for a darker, Riverdaleesque aesthetic. Still, its essence remains. Follow teenage fairy warrior Bloom and her friends at Alfea, a magical boarding school where they must learn to master their powers and navigate love, rivalries, and monsters.

The White Tiger January 22 | Netflix All his life, Balram Halwai (Adarsh Gourav) was told one thing: he was born to serve. Using his cunning and ambition, Balram jockeys his way into becoming a driver for a rich Indian family. After a night of betrayal at the hands of his masters, the young hero learns a harsh reality about society. On the verge of losing everything, Balram rebels against an unequal system to rise up and become a new kind of master.

Pixar Popcorn January 22 | Disney+ Bite-sized Pixar shorts? Send them this way, please! Rally up the gang because your favorite characters from beloved Pixar films are back to bring you new stories that you’ll smile, laugh, and maybe even cry to.

Pixar Popcorn will bring you shorts from movies like Toy Story, The Incredibles, Cars, Finding Nemo, and Soul.

JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2021

KICK OFF 2021 WITH A STREAMING PARTY!

Flora & Ulysses February 19 | Disney+

Penguin Bloom January 27 | Netflix Something goes horribly wrong during the Bloom family’s overseas holiday. After a balcony collapses, Sam Bloom (Naomi Watts) is left paralyzed and her world is turned upside down. Her husband (Andrew Loncoln) and three sons struggle to adjust to her situation when an unlikely ally enters their home: an injured baby magpie that they named Penguin becomes the home’s source of hope and solace.

An adaptation of Kate DiCamillo’s novel of the same name, Flora & Ulysses follows the story of a young girl named Flora Buckman. She adopts a squirrel she names Ulysses, who has a secret. This little mammal happens to possess superpowers. This family comedy film stars Matilda Lawler, Alyson Hannigan, Ben Schwartz, Benjamin Evan Ainsworth, and Danny Pudi.

Red Dot February 11 | Netflix David and Nadja attempt to rekindle their romance by going on a hiking trip to the north of Sweden. Their holiday quickly turns into a nightmare when a red laser dot appears in their tent, forcing them to flee into the wilderness. They don’t only have to fight the elements, they also have to escape an unknown shooter.

We Are: The Brooklyn Saints January 29 | Netflix

Firefly Lane February 3 | Netflix

This documentary directed and executiveproduced by Rudy Valdez follows the story of a Brooklyn youth football program geared toward 7-13 year old boys. In this league, selfless coaches provide and create a safe haven for kids, teaching them lessons on and off the field.

Introvert Kate (Sarah Chalke) and cool girl Tully (Katherine Heigl) couldn’t be more different from each other. Still, they became friends in their teens, forming a bond that stands the test of time. Their 30-year-long friendship is put to the ultimate test when a single act of betrayal tears them apart. The series is based on the novel by Kristin Hannah.

JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2021

COVER GIRL

Woman of courage & confidence

a n o i r t a C ray G Years after she lava-walked her way on the pageant stage (and into our hearts), Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray continues to stay on top of her game, making waves as a model, singer, creative, and most importantly, an advocate who uses her voice for good. Recently, she joined the Santé International family as brand ambassador of Daily-C, and we got to catch up with her via email interview.

INTERVIEW BY THE SPEED EDITORIAL TEAM PHOTOS COURTESY OF SANTE INTERNATIONAL

JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2021

WOMAN OF COURAGE & CONFIDENCE

“TRUE TO ITS TITLE, [THE “BAWAL JUDGMENTAL” SEGMENT] MADE ME REALIZE THAT NO MATTER WHAT THE CIRCUMSTANCES ARE, WE SHOULD NEVER FORGET TO BE KIND.”

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COVER GIRL

How does it feel to be the newest brand ambassador of Daily-C? It’s great to be an endorser of a product that I routinely use in my everyday life and that is proudly Philippine-made and owned.

How do you take care of your physical, emotional, and mental health? Mentally, I try to stay busy with creating and executing visions or goals that i have for myself —this allows me to feel fulfilled. I always try to constantly keep in touch with my family, and make an effort to connect to my friends whenever I can. [I look] after my physical health with routine home exercise and eating well. and [I enrich] my spiritual life with daily quiet time and prayer. When I have opportunities to unwind, my go-to activities are playing with my dog Theo, reading, or listening to music.

What advocacies are close to your heart? I definitely have a soft spot for children’s causes, which is why I work to further education with Smile Train, Young Focus, and Make a Wish. I’m also very passionate about furthering Filipino talent and craftsmanship.

What advice can you give to folks who want to become advocates of causes they’re passionate about? Any tips for where they can start? It’s easy—find a group or organization that works with your community, whose cause you resonate with, and [then] get involved. It could be in the form of a donation, helping spread awareness, donating your talents or skills, or even volunteering.

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CATRIONA GRAY

You go barefaced on your socials a lot. For you, what is the value in doing that? Just helping to break down that “perfection” stigma that modern-day media perpetuates. I know a lot of my audience look up to me—I just want to remind them that there is no such thing as flawless or perfect. Your beauty wasn’t meant to fit a certain definition.

What important realizations did you have during this pandemic? I was forced to really question a lot of things and come to a lot of realizations. I’ve had to review my priorities, and redefine for myself: what does happiness look like? What vision do I have for my

Three gadgets you can’t live without: My phone, tablet, and Bluetooth speakers. I’m always taking notes and listening to music.

Latest reads: God Never Blinks by Regina Brett, Harry Potter series

Recently watched: David Attenborough: A Life On Our Planet, Queer Eye

career, my relationships? How can I be kinder to myself. It was a lot of inward reflecting and also a lot of outward giving. I can say that there has never been another time when I’ve been so involved and given so much to my causes and cause groups. So that really became my silver lining for 2020.

What are you looking forward to this 2021? Continuing with my creative pursuits, namely music. And hopefully having the opportunity to be reunited with my parents who are living in another country. I also plan on continuing my work as a spokesperson and advocate—whether it be raising our flag around the Philippines, or working with other causes.

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COVER GIRL

CATRIONA GRAY

“THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS FLAWLESS OR PERFECT. YOUR BEAUTY WASN’T MEANT TO FIT A CERTAIN DEFINITION.”

JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2021

IN ASSOCIATION WITH SANTÉ INTERNATIONAL

Queen C takes the extra mile to strong immunity

s new challenges arise, we need to keep ourselves in our best shape to face these obstacles. Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray has started taking the steps she needs to keep her best foot forward each day. For Cat, putting yourself first before others does not always mean you are selfish. Sometimes, it also means that you only want to create the best version of yourself to give your best contributions to the community. “Keeping my heart, mind, and body healthy with exercise, staying hydrated, eating healthy, and having enough sleep are some of the best ways I

appreciate myself. Add in a small dose of Santé Daily-C, I can take on everyday challenges with strong immunity and fewer worries,” she says. Cat says she can never go wrong taking extra steps with Santé Daily-C, especially when it now has a 750mg variant in vegetable capsules. The Santé Daily-C is Catriona’s go-to vitamin C supplement since it is non-acidic and is gentle in the stomach during digestion. It has a pH range of 7.00 to 8.00, making it safe for daily consumption. It gives her an extra level of protection since it contains 843.64mg of Sodium Ascorbate to help prevent and treat scurvy

and vitamin C deficiency. It also provides enhanced iron absorption, collagen formation, and extra aid in speeding the wound healing process, helping her have the safeguard she needs to make the most of her days with a bright smile and the right mindset.

and immune system, she is able to spend time with her loved ones, help her community, follow her passions, and simply do her hobbies energized and without worries.

“Last year, the pandemic helped us realize how important it is to keep our bodies fit and our immune system strong. Santé Daily-C helped me become mentally healthy since I know to myself that I am doing my part and my best to fight off the dangers of these trying times,” shares Cat.

Santé Daily-C is just one of the many other organic health and wellness products offered by Santé. Known for its flagship, Santé Barley™, the company has developed a comprehensive selection of everyday barleybased products. They are made with organic barley grass, as certified by BioGro, New Zealand’s leading organic certification agency.

With a healthy lifestyle and Santé Daily-C strengthening her body

To learn more about Santé, visit its website at santebarley.com.

PEOPLE@SPEED

Young director on the rise IMMANUEL PORTUS I NT E RV I EW BY SPEED EDI TO R I A L T EA M S P ECI A L T H A N KS TO JEN ABROT, HG5 ENTERTAINMENT

At 21, Immanuel Portus is rapidly making his name in the commercial film industry in California. For the past couple of years, he has been busy juggling film school at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles and building his portfolio. We sat down (virtually) with this rising young director and got to know him a little bit more. Tell us who Immanuel Portus is and what your life was like in the Philippines before you flew to the US for film school. I was born in Quezon City and grew up in Tagaytay. I was homeschooled mostly, except for the few years I spent in De La Salle University from 7th to 9th grade. I owe so much to my unique formative years being taught at home by my parents and having the flexibility to travel and get to choose what I wanted to learn and at the pace I desired. I believe that a lot of the creativity I employ in my filming now was nurtured by my numerous endeavors—from competing nationally as a debate speaker for DLSU, to founding San Benito Football Club in Inchican, Cavite, and to racing in long-distance running events. Any inkling of filmmaking was not in my radius! Right—we heard your childhood dream was to become an aeronautical engineer and inventor. People say that no one is 100% sure on what they’ll pursue in life. Well, I was 9 years old and I was 500% certain that I would be studying engineering, be an inventor, and create flying cars that are fueled by trash and rubbish found on the streets—all by the time I turn 30. I hoarded all kinds of books on aviation, idolized Thomas Edison and the Wright Brothers, watched Jurassic Park and Back to the Future, and was passionately consumed with all kinds of home-made experiments, to the detriment of my mom who soon found out where all her hairspray went. I excelled in the sciences and studied calculus ahead of my year and toured college campuses such as MIT and Harvard near the end of my high school years. Little did I know that I would go from being determined to creating flying cars to creating commercials. 72

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YOUNG DIRECTOR ON THE RISE

So, what was the turning point? In 11th grade, I competed in the Seton International Short Story Contest and won first place with a thriller-action short set in Biblical times that I wrote in a week. I received a lot of amazing feedback from fellow contestants and judges alike. The judges believed that I had potential as a director with my strong command for detailed stories and writing. They recommended that I consider a career path in directing and offered to write me referral letters to film schools in the USA. Winning that contest lit a deep fire within me and before I knew it, my engineering plans were left abandoned as I set out and kept competing in writing contests and setting new sights and goals. How did you prepare for getting into film school? With a family that has zero film background and no one to ask, I remember poring over Google, researching for the top film schools in the USA. Loyola Marymount University kept popping up and after more delving, I knew that its Catholic heritage, small school size, and prestigious film department would be a perfect fit. In the span between my senior year of high school and my arrival in the US, I’m pretty sure I’ve written miles of essays, shaded those little scantrons on the SAT and ACT a hundred times, and worked hard in a bid to get a sizeable scholarship to go to Loyola Marymount University’s School of Film and TV. I did obtain an academic excellence scholarship that shouldered a big chunk of tuition. Then my application for a student visa got approved, and before I knew it, I was on seat 18A on a Philippine Airlines flight to Los Angeles! From filmmaking, how did you come to work on commercials? And what is it like being a student working on big sets? The thought of filmmaking for brands did not cross my mind until well into around my second semester. When I was not volunteering for free on upperclassmen student film shoots, I worked late night hours in my school campus at the Habit Burger, a popular fast food chain, and wrote filmmaking articles for Asia Media International (AMI) in the daytime to help pay for the remainder of my tuition. I then met this commercial director who was a huge supporter of the publication. He admired my writing so much that I was able to strike a meeting with him at his Beverly Hills home and pick his brains. He told me about the commercial filmmaking industry and how it was a great path career-

wise to cross over from into the mainstream feature film industry. He told me about his breakthrough with making a spec commercial for fun, which snowballed his career. I left his home and caught an Uber back to my dorm determined to create fearlessly and snowball my own path. I teamed up with a friend who plays for the National Irish soccer team, made a fun video that briefly showed a Jansport backpack, posted it on Instagram, and it got shared at least 900 times, which was a lot for my account back then, having only 1K followers. The business school in my university and startup brands started to notice, and requests for videos rushed in. I rapidly started requests to collaborate from brands such as FIFA-sponsored Venice Beach Football Club, TeaRiot, Old Forester, Sodexo, to name a few, and I quickly built a reputation around town as the freshman who could make products look amazing in videos.

That’s an amazing story! What lessons have you picked up from working on these projects? I’ve learned a lot, but everything I’ve picked up stems from one lesson: hard work. I simply cannot stress it enough. The results I’ve seen and my rapid progress—from improving my craft, to collaborating with brands on commercials, to building an Instagram following of more than 20K, and to widening my filmmaking horizons with my latest signing with LA-based talent management and production company Hg5 Entertainment—can all be attributed to the value of hard work, a lesson many Filipinos uphold. You’ve got quite the impressive portfolio. Which of these projects is your favorite to have worked on so far? That’s a hard question! It’s been such a wild ride collaborating with brands left and right that I just remember smithereens from each shoot. Favorite moments were like the time

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PEOPLE@SPEED

making intricate shots look easy and consistent in my projects. I always direct and shoot with editing in mind, since I rely heavily on post production to get the fluid, captivating style my work is known for. Who or what would you say are your influences? I get a lot of ideas from books I read as a child. I read heavily across genres, from Sherlock Holmes and the Hardy Boys all the way to Michael Crichton, Stephen King, James Rollins, and even the Vatican Archives for fun. I prefer gleaning inspiration from books to watching a lot of television. Directorial influences would be Steven Spielberg, Michael Gracey, and Guy Ritchie. How do you balance work and school? I schedule my school and classes carefully to accommodate all the time I devote to filmmaking. I learned early on in my freshman year that not having classes on Monday and Friday is a must! That way, I can film at nights from Tuesday to Thursday after school and then devote my whole weekends to filming. I would usually use my class-free Monday to rest, finish an edit or two, then catch some waves by the shore to unwind before getting back to homework. Has the pandemic affected your slate of projects? When the pandemic first hit and lockdowns ensued in March 2020, I was out in Mexico shooting a tropical lyric video. Even before returning to LA, I dreaded what lay before me. Sure enough, with everything closed and postponed, my planned filming projects and prospects vanished. Nevertheless, I got to work, reaching out to artists and musicians if any of them needed lyric videos, which I could all edit and put together from the safety of my dorm room. I impulsively dived 10 feet with my phone in Mexico to get a shot, or the time I was hanging on for life from the hood of a truck going 45mph in the desert for a music video, or the time I crashed a drone in DTLA while filming a hair pomade ad! But if I were to pick my favorite video, it would be the “Midterms Football Video” I made for fun and posted on Instagram. It was the same video that got my filmmaking style noticed and snowballed my presence on social media. 74

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Which brands would you love to work with in the future? I would be beyond stoked if I could work with both US and Philippine brands! In the future, I’d love to work with brands such as Jack Daniels, Starbucks, Tesla, Nike. On the homeland side, it would be amazing to work with Yakult, San Miguel, Philippine Airlines, and Nescafe.

So, while my schoolmates groused and complained about film shoots being shut down, I hustled in my room and honed my editing skills, producing a bunch of lyric videos- several reached millions of people on Instagram during lockdown and further catapulted my following and influence on social media.

How would you describe your directing/ filming style? I keep a seamless and stylized look of

As lockdowns eased, I’ve already built a solid reputation by then and soon enough, brands on Instagram kept pouring into my DMs for

YOUNG DIRECTOR ON THE RISE

collabs and I was back on set! I would never have imagined it, but 2020 proved to be my most productive and exciting year with filmmaking so far. What are your plans for 2021? What are you looking forward to this year? 2020 was the turning point and the best year in my career so far! I am determined to make my goals happen for 2021. Some exciting projects on the line would see me trying my hand on the narrative side of filmmaking with directing and developing my first short films with Hg5 Entertainment, my new management. I am also aiming to expand my directorial reach beyond online brand commercials into TV commercials this year.

Are you bingeing on any TV series now? I wish I could! I try to squeeze in more hours in my day but with school and filming blitzing around, 24 hours is barely enough for me to catch on to Game of Throne’s dragons or Stranger Things’ rampaging demogorgons! I immensely admire the ingenuity behind TV shows and can only look forward to bingeing a couple when things wind down for me. What advice do you have for young aspiring filmmakers and commercial directors? Learning the technical stuff is easy. Try YouTube: you don’t need film school to learn how to use a camera. In my opinion, what matters most is having relentless determination to succeed. If you want to break into the field, you’ll have to take risks and go

against the current. While your peers at school are bingeing Netflix on the weekends, you should be honing and embracing what makes you unique, cold-call brands to show them your work, build your reputation, and work hard. WORK HARD—can’t stress that enough! How do you see yourself in 5, 10 years? A carton of orange juice in one hand and a movie slate in the other, directing either a nationally broadcasted TV commercial or one of many professional feature films! Since I’m still the same determined kid with crazy dreams as two years ago, I know it’s going to happen and I’m excited to share my progress along the way! You can find me on Instagram (@immanuelportus) if you want to see some of my work or just to say hi and have a chat!

Cool! Now, let’s geek out a bit. Tell us about the camera gear you use. I started out filming my roommate’s dance videos on my iPhone 8 Plus. I then filmed my more serious videos on a Canon 80D, which I rented for $5 a day from my dormmate. I later used my Habit Burger cashier earnings to buy a Sony a7III, a Ronin M gimbal, and a DJI Mavic 2 Pro, which are my personal filmmaking gear. On bigger shoots, I often rent out the RED Epic Dragon 6k. I am a huge fan of RED cameras. I’d love to try out the newest RED camera, the KOMODO! How do you spend your free time? When I’m not filming, I enjoy surfing along the Californian coast early in the mornings (also happens to be a great way of meeting other directors who curiously spend a lot of time in the water!). When I’m not on set or in class, I get into long FaceTime calls with my family, just to say hi or update them on whatever new filming venture I’ve set on. I also spend a lot of time fiddling with random pieces of electronics, taking them apart and putting the whole shebang together. I guess the engineering loving side in me has never died! What are your favorite movies and why do you think others should watch them? The Jurassic Park films were the first movies I saw and they’re my all-time favorites. I read the original novels by Michael Crichton as a kid and I’ve been captivated ever since. There is something that is just inherently mind-blowing and magical to combining science and cinema into an iconic masterpiece. I think others should watch them to remind us that imagination should not be constrained to a rulebook; rather, imagination should be allowed to run free and tear across limits.

JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2021

GEEK-SPOTTING

MARK PARULAN

Head of Department Brand Communications, Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Tell us what your everyday life is like in our so-called ‘new reality.’ Since it has been a year since the implementation of community quarantine, I can say that I have already adjusted to the new normal. I have incorporated the necessary precautions in my daily routine to protect myself and my family. Our office implemented a systematic work schedule that limits the number of employees in the office. We also maximize the use of online platforms to do meetings.

What tools and apps do you utilize to help you become more productive and efficient? Online meeting applications such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams are the most utilized apps right now. Not only is it an efficient medium to maintain social distancing but it also saves us a lot of time as we no longer need to travel for physical meetings.

Can you give us a sneak peek at what Mitsubishi is cooking up for this year?

No, they’re not the eyeglasswearing, backpack-carrying, socially awkward people who pop culture has molded into a bad stereotype. They are the experts and enthusiasts who show an inordinate amount of passion for a certain field, topic, or activity.

Speed scours the streets for these different types of geeks—from intellectuals to die-hard aficionados, from professionals to devout amateurs. They are aplenty, and we aim to showcase what a special bunch they are by featuring a select few one issue at a time.

For this year, we are focused on creating easy payment schemes that would further assist our customers in owning their desired Mitsubishi vehicle. We acknowledge the need to have a personal vehicle given the current safety concerns brought about by the pandemic plus the limited public transportation available.

Now more than ever, we should prioritize our health. Personally, how do you keep yourself and your family healthy and safe? My family and I really practice all safety guidelines designed to maintain social distancing and proper sanitation. We also make sure that we boost our immune system by eating nutritious food, taking vitamins, and having sufficient sleep. For physical exercise, we rely on home workout apps like Nike Training Club and Freeletics.

This whole pandemic situation is really stressful. How do you unwind? I really enjoy spending time with family. My wife and I always spend our weekends doing activities with our kids. Either we watch a movie at home or just play with them.

What are your passions and hobbies? Lately, I’ve been enjoying watching a lot of movies and series originally produced by Netflix and Amazon Prime. The production quality is highly commendable. I recently watched Queen’s Gambit and I highly recommend it. It is very well-written and the production was just simply amazing.

What are you looking forward to this year? I am really looking forward to the day that we can all go out and not wear a mask anymore. I really miss having lunch outs with my close friends and seeing the smile on their faces.

JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2021

ARLYN CORPUZ

Head of Marketing, Sante International, Inc.

What’s your work setup like right now? Do you still work from home?

Personally, how do you keep yourself healthy and safe?

Thankfully, Santé reacted fast and immediately coped with the new normal. Yes, I’ve been working 100% from home since March 2020. The safety of its employees is very important in Santé.

I take Santé Barley and Daily-C, of course! A strong immunity is our best defense against these viruses.

It’s been almost a year since you’ve been working from home. What gadgets and apps have really helped you do your work effectively and efficiently?

I also try to protect my loved ones by not compromising myself unnecessarily. My mom is a senior citizen, and I have a four-year-old kid so I follow standard health and safety protocols whenever I need to go out.

Microsoft Teams. All official correspondences are done in Microsoft Teams. At the onset of this lockdown, we were all communicating online and through various social media apps. Getting Microsoft Teams allowed us in Santé to immediately recognize what work-related messages are. Personally, I like how it can handle my big marketing files.

How do you rock when work is over?

I also use one system. I stick to iOS. All my gadgets are on iOS (phone, tablet, and laptop) so they’re synchronized, and transfer of data is easy.

I love reading, learning, and nowadays, watching Netflix series. I have pending courses in Masterclass and a watch list on Netflix. Twenty-four hours in a day is definitely not enough to do all these things!

And then there’s Zoom for video conferencing. While Teams is efficient, Zoom’s interface is just tops. A Zoom Pro account is a must for more engaging virtual meetings.

This pandemic has taught us to prioritize our health. Can you tell us what Sante’s campaigns/ thrusts are for 2021? Live More. Do More. In spite of this pandemic, we want to encourage everyone to give it their best shot in living their lives to the full. Take proper care of your health, strengthen your immune system, and be less vulnerable to illnesses. Time and again, it has been said, that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Invest in your health and do not postpone for later what you can do now. With good health, your quality of life is better—you can live more for yourself, and do more for others. Ultimately, in Santé, for this year and beyond, we want to live out our mission of helping people live better lives.

Red wine, cheese, and crackers! I also look forward to online get-togethers. My classmates in college were able to set regular monthly meet-ups and it’s totally grounded and fun!

That’s awesome! So, can you tell us what your passions and hobbies are?

This lockdown got me into collecting dinnerware. Fine wares need not gather dust in the cupboard and saved for ‘special guests.’ My family will use these plates and new silverware. They deserve to enjoy a good table setting at home, and every occasion should be celebrated.

What new things do you wish to learn this year? Stocks. I hope to be better at it this year.

What are you looking forward to in 2021? For 2021, my story would be one of thriving amid this pandemic. I imagine answering my son’s questions a few years from now—“What did you do during the pandemic? It must have been hard!” To which, I would like to be able to say that his dad and I reached greater heights, that we were unfazed by the imagined limitations. How powerful that must be, right? We are in a different kind of war nowadays, and to come out of it strong, victorious—this is the way we should all strive to be, and not as prisoners and victims as some have sadly come to accept.

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TECH TIPS I

f, for some reason, you ever find yourself in a situation where you need to log in to your Facebook account using a device other than your own and forget to log out after (que horror!), fear not. You can log out remotely. Go find another device (hopefully this time it’s your own), log in to your account, go to the settings drop-down menu on Facebook, then select "Security and Login." Look for “Where you’re logged in” and close any of the sessions there.

MANUAL

JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2021

HOW TO

WEAR IT, WORK IT Get the most out of your new smartwatch or fitness tracker WOR D S PAT CALI CA

he start of the year means another chance to hit refresh on your fitness goals. You will probably purchase a new fitness tracker or put to use the smartwatch you got as a gift last Christmas to help you achieve your ideal bod, get in the right shape, and enjoy a healthy lifestyle. Fitness trackers and smartwatches offer a lot of features and functions to guide you in your fitness journey. These wearables come with 80

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a wide range of sensors for accurate tracking and advanced features for a more personalized experience. However, knowing how to use your fitness tracker or smartwatch and learning their features are not enough. Aside from what’s written on the device manual, here are other things you need to know to maximize your brand new fitness wearable so you can achieve your health and wellness goals for the year.

1. Set your goals Before you set out on your fitness journey, determine what you want to achieve at the end of it. From there, you can easily determine what features on the tracker you will need and use. It will guide you on what wearable to get (if you don’t have one yet) or how to use it. You can explore your gear and look for the apps and built-in activities that can aid your daily routines. Many wearables also let users set

WEAR IT, WORK IT

information such as number of steps, heart rate, and sleeping patterns. But if that’s not enough, use apps that offer more or additional insights to your health and fitness. For example, Flo (Android, iOS) can track menstrual cycles. At the same time, it can pair with Fitbit trackers to monitor other fitness data and provide a more in-depth picture of a woman’s health. MyFitnessPal (Android, iOS) is another app that provides a comprehensive health report as it includes a calorie counter and diet tracker.

goals for specific activities— say the step count you want to reach every day or the amount of time you want to do an exercise. 2. Fit the gear perfectly Most fitness wearables have a quick-to-wear design so users can just grab the gear and go do their exercises. Still, it is important to test-fit a smartwatch or tracker before using it in action. The fit should be tight enough that it won’t drop even when you’re doing vigorous activities, but not too tight that it digs into or leaves marks on your skin. The material of the device must also be taken into consideration. 3. Customize the features according to your goals Because fitness trackers and smartwatches often offer a plethora of functions, it is important to determine which ones you need the most. According to your goal, determine the features and data you want quick access to. This will keep you from getting overwhelmed by unnecessary stats and help focus on your personal goals. Many wearables allow users to customize what’s shown on the screen. They have various watch face designs that may display step counts, heart rate, or activity

reminders. Others let users edit what apps are included in the quick access button. Users can also customize the companion app’s dashboard so that it will display the information vital to their fitness plan.

Of course, connecting the wearable to your smartphone makes it easy for you to get notifications right from your wrist. Some even allow users to remotely control functions such as taking calls, replying to messages, or playing music. 6. Keep it charged and wear it Having a fitness tracker or smartwatch is only effective

when you actually use it. To ensure that, you need to keep it charged, ready for your use. Be mindful when you charge it. While most wearables have long battery life (some can last a few weeks), check from time to time that it has enough battery to last a day or even just your workout routine. Picking the right charging spot is also important. Charge it in a place where you can easily see it. Additionally, make a conscious effort to seek your wearable device. Make a habit of wearing it when you go out. If it helps to make a reminder on your phone then do so until the process becomes natural or habitual to you. Note, however, to give your arms a break from wearing your fitness tracker or smartwatch. This is to avoid skin irritation or fatigue because of long periods of use. Use these breaks to clean the wearable or recharge it.

4. Slowly work toward success Move toward your goal one step at a time. Set achievable goals first then adjust it along the way as you get into the groove of exercising or practicing healthy living. The good thing about wearables is that you can change your target numbers when needed. Consistency is also important. Make sure to always check in on your device and the partner app from time to time to monitor your progress. From there, you’ll easily know what to modify in your daily regimen. Bonus tip! Some fitness trackers allow social interaction to motivate you to be more diligent during workouts. You can compare progress or compete for records with friends or colleagues using similar devices. 5. Connect, connect To make the most out of your tracker or smartwatch, connect it with various apps and services. Most companion apps only display basic

JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2021

HOW TO

STAY ON TOP OF YOUR GAME WITH THESE APPS WO RD S AYIE L IC S I

You need a trusty password manager like Dashlane. Most apps of this kind come with subscriptions and although Dashlane does offer paid subscriptions, it also offers a free plan for users. What’s great about this app is that it comes with built-in VPN and storage for up to 50 passwords. For fun and games League of Legends: Wild Rift (iOS, Android) Wild Rift packs the same fast-paced action you love from League of Legends, just in a compact, mobile version. This free-to-play 5v5 MOBA lets you choose your favorite LoL heroes to play and compete with your friends. For a productivity boost Trello (iOS, Android, desktop) This collaboration tool lets you organize your work and home life with anyone, from anywhere. This visual organizer lets you create and customize boards, to-do lists, and cards. You can even add due dates to your projects in the app. The app also allows you to integrate other apps such as Google Drive, Evernote, Dropbox, and more to your workflow. ew year, new me” might sound like such a cliché, but it’s actually a great philosophy. Every year, we try to revamp and create a version of ourselves that’s better than last year’s. Although 2020 was marked by a lot of changed plans and the pandemic still not going away anytime soon, there’s no reason to not look at the silver lining that is 2021. With the right apps, you can stay on top of your game—and maybe even conquer whatever challenges 2021 may bring. Since we already spend so much time on our phones, why not equip them to make different aspects of our lives easier, right? So, here are five musthave apps from various categories that can help you stay on top of 2021. 82

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For your mental health Shine (iOS, Android) Raise your hand if you believe mental health should be a priority this year. This app’s focus is to self-improve. Shine provides users with motivational thoughts and messages through audio and text to keep you inspired throughout the day. Within the app, you can listen to meditations, connect with its community of users, and track your mood. For your security Dashlane (iOS, Android) Are you one to lose or forget your passwords?

For a clutter-free device SMS Organizer (Android) This Microsoft Garage project will automatically organize your inbox and set reminders within your SMS apps. Microsoft promises that your personal data won’t be uploaded online. This app will automatically generate reminders for upcoming events like doctor appointments, bill payments, and more. It also lets you block spam messages, filter unread messages, and reply to chats directly from the notification shade. It’s still in its early stages, but the SMS Organizer will come in handy for users who need constant reminders.

ASK THE EDITOR

Let’s play

So, I watched The Queen’s Gambit and got inspired to play chess again. Problem is, I can’t find anyone at home who wants to play with me. A friend who’s interested doesn’t want to leave home. How do I play chess, social distancing-style? ROMMEL G. Hi, Rommel! It would be nice if you have Square Off (the smart chess board), no? But you don’t, so the next best thing is to play chess online. Head on to chess.com and challenge friends, family, or a bot for a match. Playing with the friend you mentioned? Turn on Zoom (or your preferred video chat app) during a match to practice your icy stare.

Don’t lose sleep over your sleep tracker Smartwatches typically track sleep by collecting information from built-in sensors (such as accelerometers) and interpreting the data through an algorithm. Certain trackers also measure your breathing, body temperature, and heart rate. Smartwatches are limited in their sleep tracking capabilities compared to devices engineered specifically for sleep. Their accuracy also varies based on the design and technology used. In general, sleep trackers can tell you your sleeping habits and help promote general wellbeing and better sleep hygiene.

I’ve always wondered how smartwatches track sleep, how accurate they are, and are there any do’s and don’ts when using them. Please enlighten me. Thanks, Speed! CLAIRE SAN DIEGO

Do note that your sleep tracker cannot measure your sleep quality; it can only make an educated guess about your sleep stages. If you really want to know more about your bedtime habits and improve your sleep quality, check out sleep clinics near you. Don’t lie awake in bed and lose zzz’s over how well (or not) you’re sleeping.

Edit Microsoft Office files straight from Gmail

I use Google’s suite of apps a lot so when I get emails with attachments that are in Microsoft Office format, I get a bit frustrated. That would mean I have to open these files in the Google Workspace suite first before I can edit them. Why can’t Microsoft Office and Gmail be friendlier toward each other? TINE LLAMAS Hi, Tine. We hear you. Better yet, Gmail and Microsoft heard you— Gmail is actually building up its integration with Microsoft Office files and is now allowing its users to directly edit Office documents that they receive in attachments. Yup, that means you can edit Word, Excel, and PowerPoint attachment files without leaving Gmail and still maintain the document’s original file format. This also means you don’t have to do the tedious task of downloading and reattaching the edited Office file when you reply. For example, you receive an Excel file as an email attachment. Instead of downloading the file to your computer, click on ‘edit’ in the attachment and it will open in Google Workspace where you can edit it. Once you’re done, go to File > Email > Reply with This File option. JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2021

BILLBOARD

RedDoorz HygienePasscertified hotels assure local travelers of worry-free stay Itching to travel but concerned about the safety and cleanliness of the place you will be staying at? Hotel management chain RedDoorz got your back.

HASBRO STRIKES DEAL WITH WORLD TAEKWONDO FEDERATION FOR ‘GET ACTIVE WITH PJ MASKS’ CAMPAIGN Hasbro has inked a multi-territory partnership that will see its popular animated super hero property, PJ Masks, join forces with the World Taekwondo Federation for a campaign designed to engage children around the world in taekwondo. Get Active with the PJ Masks will span multiple markets and feature 12 World Taekwondo top athletes, including the Philippines’ two-time Southeast Asian Games gold medallist and Asian Games bronze medallist Pauline Lopez. The campaign aims to combine the global appeal of the popular animated series with the fun and accessibility of taekwondo to encourage children to take part in the sport. A unique digital tutorial series and an interactive website have been created to help young fans of World Taekwondo and PJ Masks get active, have fun, and master their own taekwondo-inspired superpowers. The Get Active ambassadors will share their created movements on World Taekwondo’s Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube accounts, as well as their own.

More than 100 of its budget hotels across the Philippines are now HygienePass-certified and are now accepting bookings from local travelers. The HygienePass certification ensures that RedDoorz hotels are not only conducive for relaxation but are also safe and clean. The hotel chain is working with public health expert Dr. Renzo Guinto, MD, DrPH to conduct training and provide guidance to hotels that apply a high standard of safety measure in its properties. Some of the HygienePasscertified hotels can be found in key cities and destinations including Metro Manila, Batangas, Baguio, Palawan, Laguna, Cebu, Davao, Gensan, and Pampanga.

Smart, FIBA announce 2023 World Cup partership Smart Communications, Inc. recently announced its global partnership with the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) ahead of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023. Under this four-year partnership, Smart is granted exclusivity in the category of telecommunications worldwide. The agreement also provides key commercial rights across all FIBA competitions, including the men’s and women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournaments, FIBA Continental Cups for both men and women, FIBA Youth World Cups, the FIBA Women’s

Basketball World Cup 2022 and FIBA’s pinnacle event, the FIBA Basketball World Cup in 2023. With 5G technology, Smart will play an essential role in the activities going into and during the much-awaited global

basketball event. For the first time, the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 is set to take place across three nations—the Philippines, Indonesia, and Japan—from August 25 to September 10, 2023.

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Kia opens BGC showroom Kia continues to expand its dealer and service network in the country with the opening of the Kia BGC showroom in Taguig. Located at 938 28th Street in Bonifacio Global City, the Kia BGC showroom is designed to further meet the mobility needs of the thriving city as well as nearby areas.

HYUNDAI DREAM CENTRE-PH HAILED AS ‘OUTSTANDING CSR PROGRAM IN EDUCATION’ The Hyundai Dream Center Philippines (HDCP), the automotive training and education hub of HARI Foundation, was named “Outstanding CSR Program in Education” at the virtual awards ceremony of the 2020 League of Corporate Foundations (LCF) CSR Guild Awards. The LCF CSR Guild Awards is a recognition program of outstanding social good initiatives of the country’s premier business organizations in the areas of education, arts and culture, enterprise development, environment, and health. Hyundai Dream Centre-Philippines passed the scrutiny of the LCF’s 96 member organizations for its meaningful and sustainable impact on the communities and institutions that it serves. The HDCP, launched on April 10, 2018 in Calamba City, Laguna, is a world-class automotive training and education hub established by Hyundai Asia Resources, Inc in partnership with Hyundai Motor Company (HMC) and humanitarian organization Plan International.

Like in all Kia dealerships, hygiene and safety protocols are strictly followed in place at the Kia BGC showroom. The showroom will also provide customers with emergency roadside assistance services such as towing, minor on-site repairs, personal assistance, medical assistance, and information services. The Kia BGC showroom business hours are from 8am to 6pm from Mondays to Saturdays and from 9am to 4pm on Sundays. You may also contact them at (02) 8558 5812.

Sony partners with Viu for largescreen streaming on BRAVIA Android TVs Heads up, K-drama addicts! You can now enjoy watching your favorite Korean shows and other Asian dramas on the big screen as Sony has partnered with streaming service Viu to give BRAVIA users the best home experience. Viu is now available on all 2016 Sony BRAVIA Android TV models and newer and will also be downloadable via Google Play Store for Android 7.0 Nougat, and via Sony Select/ Google Play Store for Android 8.0 Oreo and above. The Sony and Viu partnership also lets qualified users enjoy a free one-month trial of Viu Premium. For those already on Viu Premium, you can easily log in by using the Viu mobile app to scan the QR code on the Sony TV screen or enter the 6-digit TV login code displayed on the TV into the Viu mobile app. JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2021

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BILLBOARD

CHANGAN’S VITAL 5 PROGRAM COVERS YOUR VITAL AFTER-SALES NEEDS Changan Motor Philippines, Inc. (CMPI) has designed a comprehensive car care program for its customers. Called Vital 5, the after-sales service program covers your vital needs so you can have roadworthy rides and a worry-free ownership experience. Changan’s 5-year/150,000-km (whichever comes first) warranty automatically starts once your vehicle is handed over to you. Second, Changan’s preventive maintenance service (PMS) cuts down on costs and complex procedures. With ASAP60, you get two Certified Service Technicians to work on your car and finish the job in 60 minutes—or it’s free. Labor is also free for the first year of ownership (or 20,000 km). Customers only need to get their PMS appointments every six months or 10,000km, whichever comes first. Vital sign 3: CMPI guarantees that spare parts needed will always be available, or they are free. Vital sign 4: A dedicated team provides free towing and roadside assistance, wherever you are, whenever you need it. Lastly, you can inquire or book service appointments through CMPI’s CAIA (Changan Artificial Intelligence Agent) for fast and seamless connection to their 24/7 Technician and Parts Center. Chat with CAIA via the official Changan Motor Philippines Facebook page.

Get your phone repaired at home through OPPO’s door-to-door service These days, a reliable smartphone is essential to connect with loved ones, binge-watch your favorite series, or play mobile games. A simple tiny crack on your screen or even a battery life slowly declining can affect your smartphone experience and cause inconvenience. When things go wrong with your OPPO phone, you’ll need a hasslefree and safe repair service, especially in the time of a pandemic. Through OPPO’s newly launched Door-to-Door Service, the brand’s smartphone users in Metro Manila can avail of free door-to-door delivery repair service. This covers service centers in SM Manila, North, Novaliches, Alabang, Ayala Manila Bay, and Marikina. For more details, visit support.oppo.com/ph/ service-center to check for the Metro Manila Service Center nearest you. Give the service center a call or message on Facebook Messenger. Once confirmed, a representative will proceed to collect, repair, and return your gadget.

JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2021

80% of Metro Manila now Globe 5G-ready Globe Telecom has announced that its outdoor 5G services now cover 80% of Metro Manila. According to the Ayala-led telco, it has upgraded 884 locations in Metro Manila into 5G-ready sites to make 5G service available to its customers. It will continue to install more 5G-ready sites all over the country. Globe said the following areas now have almost complete 5G coverage: Bonifacio Global City (97%), Makati (95%), and Ortigas Commercial Business Districts (97%). Meanwhile, San Juan (91%), Pateros (91%), Mandaluyong (86%), Makati (84%), Caloocan (84%), Manila (83%), Marikina (83%), Pasig (81%), and Quezon City are among the top nine cities with the most 5G outdoor coverage. Efforts are being made to boost further Globe’s 5G readiness in other key cities in the country such as Cebu and Davao. Modernization efforts in Cebu are currently at 61% coverage while Davao is with 60% coverage. Globe has earmarked a capex of P70-billion for 2021, bulk of which is for network expansion in key locations across the country. This year, Globe is targeting to install 2,000 new cell towers and will increase its fiber rollouts.

The first Acer flagship store in the Philippines has finally opened its doors to consumers. Located at the SM Megamall Cyberzone, this new tech haven houses the best products from Acer and Predator brands. The store is divided into two sections. The Acer area sticks to a minimalist aesthetic and is designed with light earthy tones. Products are displayed on long tables and shelves.

ACER OPENS FIRST PHILIPPINE FLAGSHIP STORE Meanwhile, the Predator section comes in a striking sleek black interior all throughout.

In observance of the existing health protocols in the country, Acer requires each customer to wear a face mask and face shield, undergo a temperature check, and fill up a health declaration form before entering the store. Social distancing measures are implemented as well.

UnionBank rolls out one-stop mobile banking app for SMEs

Lalamove launches sedan fleet

With the continuous rise of online businesses, Lalamove is investing further in its fleet expansion to meet the growing demand while also creating more job opportunities. This February, Lalamove is launching its sedan fleet , which will feature 200kg of weight capacity with dimensions of 3.5 x 2 x 2.5 ft. It falls between the motorcycle and the MPV category, promising a significant capacity upgrade from the motorcycle fleet and lower prices compared to the 300kg MPVs. Business users stand to benefit from the new category as the food & beverage industry and online marketplaces have shown a steady increase in demand for four-wheel deliveries. In addition, this opens up great earning opportunities to more people whose livelihood has been affected by the pandemic.

Union Bank of the Philippines recently launched its UnionBank SME banking app that will allow small business owners to open their own checking account online without needing to fill out forms or visit a branch. This user-intuitive app is tailor-fitted to how they want to run their business. Through the UnionBank SME banking app, any business owner can easily open their own checking account online. The account will be available and ready to use within the same day and there is no need to fill out any forms or visit a branch. The app also helps SMEs manage all their financial operations with just a few clicks. JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2021

STORE DIRECTORY

Apple Available in all authorized retailers apple.com Banana Republic Available in Level 1, Greenbelt 5, Makati bananarepublic.com.ph Changan Km. 55 Maharlika Highway, Brgy.Makilig, Calamba, Laguna changanphil.com Cherry cherryshop.com.ph Dell dell.com.ph Google store.google.com H&M Available in Ayala Malls Vertis North, Circuit Makati, Greenbelt 4, Robinsons Galleria Ortigas, Robinsons Magnolia, Robinsons Place Ilocos, Robinsons Place Manila, Robinsons Place Tacloban, SM City Bacolod, SM City Cebu, SM City Clark, SM City Dasmariñas, SM City Fairview, SM City Iloilo, SM City North EDSA, SM City Pampanga, SM Mall of Asia, SM Megamall, SM Seaside City Cebu, SM Southall, and UP Town Center Huawei Huawei Technologies Phils., Inc. Picadilly Star, 4th Ave., Bonifacio Global City, Taguig huawei.com.ph Infinix Available at all authorized retailers infinixmobility.com/ph Jeep jeep.com.ph Leica Greenbelt 5, Ayala Center, Makati and L/G C1 Bonifacio High Street Central, Taguig leica-camera.com

JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2021

Lenovo Lenovo (Singapore) Pte. Ltd. 10/F, 11th Corporate Center, 11th Avenue cor. Triangle Drive, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig lenovo.com/ph

Sony Sony Philippines 12/F Inoza Tower, 40th St., Bonifacio Global City, Taguig sony.com.ph

LG LG Electronics Philippines Inc. lg.com/ph

Subaru Motor Image Pilipinas Inc. subaru.asia/ph

Logitech Available at all authorized retailers logitech.com

Sunnydaysweety zalora.com.ph/sunnydaysweety

MINI MINI Eastwood City, MINI Alabang, Pampanga, Pop-up store Escario Cebu mini.com.ph Nokia Available at all authorized retailers hmdglobal.com Onitsuka Tiger Available at Onitsuka stores nationwide onitsukatiger.com Penshoppe Golden ABC, Inc. 1155 North Edsa, Quezon City, 1106, Philippines penshoppe.com Pull & Bear pullandbear.com/ph Razer razer.com realme Available at all authorized retailers realme.com/ph facebook.com/PHRealme Samsung Available at all Samsung stores and authorized retailers samsung.com/ph Santé International UG 42 & 54 ETON Cyberpod Corinthian, Ortigas Avenue, EDSA, Quezon City main.santebarley.com/ph

TECNO tecno-mobile.com/ph Toyota Toyota Motor Philippines Corp. Sta. Rosa-Tagaytay Highway, Sta. Rosa, Laguna (02) 825-8888 toyota.com.ph Uniqlo Available in Century City Mall, Eastwood City Mall, Estancia at Capitol Commons, Gateway Mall, Glorietta 5, Power Plant Mall, Quezon Avenue (beside Fisher Mall), Robinsons Place Manila, SM Aura Premier, SM BF Parañaque, SM Clark, SM Dasmariñas, SM Fairview, SM Lipa,SM Mall of Asia, SM Makati, SM Megamall, SM North EDSA The Block, SM Pampanga, SM Rosales, SM San Lazaro, SM Sta. Rosa, and SM Southmall uniqlo.com/ph vivo vivo Philippines East Tower Philippines Stock Exchange Center, Pasig vivoglobal.ph World Balance Available at all World Balance Stores and authorized resellers worldbalance.com.ph Xiaomi Available at Mi stores in SM North EDSA, SM Megamall, and Gateway Mall mi.com.ph

MOBILE PHONES + TA B L E T S

p.90

UNDER P10,000

p.92

UNDER P20,000

p.94

P20,000 AND ABOVE

BUYER’S GUIDE

JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2021

BUYER’S GUIDE

NEW!

Cherry Mobile Flare Y5

Cherry Mobile Aqua S9 Max

P2,999

• Android 10 Go Edition • 1.4GHz Quad-Core SC9832E • 8MP rear, 5MP front • 5.45” IPS TrueView • 16GB built-in, microSD; 2GB RAM • LTE • dual SIM

NEW!

P9,999 • Android 10 • octa-core Mediatek Helio G90T • 6.53” FHD+ 2430 x 1080 • 48MP + 8MP + 2MP + 2MP rear; 32MP front • 128GB built-in, microSD; 4GB RAM • 4G LTE • dual SIM

Infinix Hot 10

P6,990 • XOS 6.0 (Android 10) • octa-core Mediatek Helio G70 • 6.78” 720 x 1640 IPS • 16MP + 2MP + 2MP + QVGA rear; 8MP front • 128GB built-in, microSD; 4GB RAM • 4G LTE • dual SIM

Huawei MatePad T8 P5,990

• EMUI 10.01 (Android 10) • 2.0GHz octa-core MediaTek MT8768 • 5MP rear; 2MP front • 8” HD 1280 x 720 • 32GB built-in, microSD ; 2GB RAM • Wi-Fi

Huawei Y7a P8,999

Huawei Y5p

Huawei Y6p

P4,990

• EMUI 10.1 (Android 10) • 2.0GHz octa-core MediaTek MT6762R • 8MP rear; 5MP front • 5.45” HD+ 1440 x 720 • 32GB built-in, microSD ; 2GB RAM • 4G LTE • dual SIM

• EMUI 10.5 (Android 10) • octa-core Kirin 710A • 48MP + 8MP + 2MP + 2MP rear; 8MP front • 6.67” 2400 x 1080 • 128GB built-in, microSD ; 4GB RAM • 4G LTE • dual SIM

P5,990

• EMUI 10.1 (Android 10) • 2.0Ghz octa-core MediaTek MT6762R • 13MP + 5MP + 2MP rear; 8MP front • 6.3” HD 1280 x 720 • 64GB built-in, microSD ; 4GB RAM • 4G LTE • dual SIM

Trendy design? Check. Big screen? Check. Big battery? Check. Capable cameras? Check. All these features in a wallet-friendly price tag of P8,999.

NEW!

Huawei Y7p

Lenovo K5 Pro

P9,990

• EMUI 9.1 (Android 9 Pie) • 2.2GHz octa-core Hauwei Kirin 710F • 48MP+8MP+2MP rear, 8MP front • 6.39” 1560 x 720 • 64GB built-in, microSD; 4GB RAM • 4G LTE • dual SIM

JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2021

Lenovo K12 Note

P5,990 (4GB) P6,990 (6GB)

• Android 8.1 • 1.8GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 • 16MP + 5MP rear; 16MP + 5MP front • 5.99” FHD+ 2160 x 1080 • 64GB built-in, microSD ; 4/6GB RAM • 4G LTE • dual SIM

P6,995 • Android 10 • 6.5” HD+ 720 x 1600 • octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 662 • 48MP + 2MP + 2MP rear; 8MP front • 128GB built-in, microSD; 4GB RAM • 4G LTE • dual SIM

Lenovo S5 Pro

P7,490 (64GB) P8,490 (128GB)

• ZUI 5 (Android 8.1) • 1.8GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 • 12MP + 20MP rear; 20MP + 8MP front • 6.2”” FHD+ 2246 x 1080 • 64/128GB built-in, microSD; 6GB RAM • 4G LTE • dual SIM

UNDER P10,000

NEW!

Nokia 2.3 P5,990

• Android One (Android 10 ready) • 2GHz quad-core MediaTek Helio A22 • 13MP + 2MP rear, 5MP front • 6.2” HD+ • 32GB built-in, microSD; 2GB RAM • 4G LTE • dual SIM

Nokia 3.4

P7,990 • Android 10 • octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 460 • 6.39” 720 x 1560 IPS • 13MP + 5MP + 2MP rear; 2MP front • 64GB built-in; 4GB RAM • 4G LTE • dual SIM

NEW!

Nokia C1 P2,990

• Android 9 pie (Go Edition) • 1.3GHz quad-core processor • 5MP rear, 5MP front • 5.45” IPS • 16GB built-in, microSD; 1GB RAM

OPPO A53

P8,990 • ColorOS 7.2 (Android 10) • octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 460 • 13MP + 2MP + 2MP rear; 16MP front • 6.5 HD+ 1600 x 720, 90Hz • 64GB built-in, microSD; 4GB RAM • 4G LTE • dual SIM

realme C11 P4,990

• realme UI (Android 10) • 2.3GHz octa-core MediaTek Helio G35 • 13MP + 2MP rear, 5MP front • 6.5” 720 x 1600 • 32GB built-in, microSD, 2GB RAM • 4G LTE • dual SIM

NEW!

realme C12 P5,990

• realme UI (Android 10) • 2.3GHz octa-core MediaTek Helio G35 • 13MP + 2MP + 2MP rear, 5MP front • 6.5” HD+ • 32GB built-in, microSD; 3GB RAM • 4G LTE • dual SIM

realme C15

P6,490 (3GB RAM) P6,990 (4GB RAM)

• realme UI (Android 10) • 2.3GHz octa-core MediaTek Helio G35 • 13MP + 8MP + 2MP + 2MP rear, 8MP front • 6.5” HD+ • 64GB built-in, microSD; 3/4GB RAM • 4G LTE • dual SIM

realme Narzo 20

Samsung Galaxy A01

Samsung Galaxy A11

• realme UI (Android 10) • 6.5” HD+ LCD • octa-core MediaTek Helio G85 • 48MP + 8MP + 2MP rear; 8MP front • 64GB built-in, microSD; 4GB RAM • 4G LTE • dual SIM

• One UI 2 (Android 10) • 2GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 439 • 13Mp + 2MP rear, 5MP front • 5.7” 720 x 1520 HD+ • 16GB built-in; 2GB RAM • 4G LTE • Dual SIM

• OneUI 2.0 (Android 10) • 1.8GHz octa-core • 13MP + 2MP + 5MP rear, 8MP front • 6.4” 720 x 1560 • 32GB built-in, microSD, 3GB RAM • 4G LTE • dual SIM

P7,990

NEW!

Samsung Galaxy A21s

Samsung Galaxy M11

vivo Y20i

• OneUI 2.0 (Android 10) • 2.0GHz octa-core • 48MP + 8MP + 2MP + 2MP rear, 13MP front • 6.5” 720 x 1600 • 64GB built-in, microSD, 6GB RAM • 4G LTE • dual SIM

• OneUI 2.0 (Android 10 • 1.8GHZ octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 • 13MP + 2MP + 5MP rear, 8MP front • 6.4” 720 x 1560 • 32GB built-in, microSD; 3GB RAM • 4G LTE • dual SIM

• Funtouch 10.5 (Android 10) • octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 460 • 13MP + 2MP + 2MP rear; 8MP front • 6.51” 720 x 1600 IPS • 64GB built-in, microSD; 3GB RAM • 4G LTE • dual SIM

P11,990

P7,490

P7,499

P5,490

P7,490

NEW!

Xiaomi Poco M3

P6,990 • MIUI 12 (Android 10) • octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 662 • 48MP + 2MP + 2MP rear; 8MP front • 6.53” 1080 x 2340 IPS • 64GB built-in, microSD; 4GB RAM • 4G LTE • dual SIM

Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 P7,990 (3GB+64GB) P9,990 (4GB+128GB)

• MIUI 11 (Android 10) • 2.0GHz octa-core MediaTek Helio G85 • 48MP + 8MP + 2MP + 2MP rear; 13MP front • 6.53” FHD+ 2340 x 1080 • 64/128GB built-in, microSD; 3/4GB RAM • 4G LTE • dual SIM

JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2021

BUYER’S GUIDE

Apple iPad 8th-gen

Honor 9X

Huawei Y8p

Huawei nova 7 SE 5G

Huawei Y9s

• iPadOS 14 • A12 Bionic chip • 8MP rear, 1.2MP front • 10.2” (2160 x 1620) Retina • 32GB built-in

• Android 9 Pie with EMUI 9.1.1 • 2.2GHz octa-core HiSilicon Kirin 710F • 48MP + 8MP + 2MP rear, 16MP front • 6.59” 2340 x 1080 • 128GB built-in, microSD; 6GB RAM • 4G LTE • dual SIM

• EMUI 10.1 (Android 10) • 2.2GHz octa-core Kirin 710F • 48MP + 8MP + 2MP rear, 16MP front • 6.3” FHD+ • 128GB, microSD; 6GB RAM • 4G LTE

• EMUI 10.1 (Android 10) • Huawei Kirin 985 octa-core • 64MP + 8MP + 8MP + 2MP rear, 32MP front • 6.53” FHD+ • 256GB built-in, 8GB RAM • 5G, 4G LTE • dual SIM

• EMUI 9.1 (Android 9 Pie) • Octa-core Kirin 710F • 48MP + 8MP + 2MP rear, 16MP front • 6.59” FHD+ 1080 x 2340 • 128GB built-in, microSD; 6GB RAM • 4G LTE • dual SIM

P18,990 (Wi-Fi, 32GB)

P12,490

P12,999

P17,999

P13,990

Nokia 7.2

Nokia 8.1

OPPO A9 2020

OPPO Reno 4

• Android 9 Pie • Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 • 48MP + 8MP + 5MP rear, 20MP front • 6.3” FHD+ • 128GB built-in, microSD; 6GB RAM • 4G LTE • dual SIM

• Android 9 Pie • 2.2GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 • 12MP + 13MP rear, 20MP front • 6.18” FHD+ • 128GB built-in, microSD; 6GB RAM • 4G VoLTE • dual SIM

• Android 9 Pie with ColorOs 6.0.1 • 2GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon • 48MP+8MP+2MP+2MP rear, 16MP front • 6.5” 720 x 1600 • 128GB built-in; 8GB RAM • LTE • Dual SIM

• ColorOS 7.2 (Android 10) • 2.3GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G • 48MP + 8MP + 2MP + 2MP rear, 32MP + AI smart sensor front • 6.4” FHD+ • 128GB, microSD; 8GB RAM • 4G LTE • dual SIM

P15,990

P12,990

P13,990

P18,990

NEW!

POCO X3 NFC

realme 6

realme 6 Pro

realme 7

• MIUI 12 for POCO (Android 10) • Qualcomm Snapdragon 732G octa-core • 64MP + 13MP + 2MP + 2MP rear. 20MP front • 6.67” FHD+ • 64/128GB, microSD; 6GB RAM • 4G LTE • dual SIM

• Realme UI (Android 10) • 2.05GHz octa-core MediaTek Helio G90T • 64MP + 8MP + 2MP rear; 16MP front • 6.5” FHD+ 2400 x 1080 • 128GB built-in, microSD ; 4/8GB RAM • 4G LTE • dual SIM

• Realme UI (Android 10) • 2.3GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G • 64MP + 8MP + 12MP + 2MP rear; 16MP + 8MP front • 6.6” FHD+ 2400 x 1080 • 128GB built-in, microSD ; 8GB RAM • 4G LTE • dual SIM

• realme UI (Android 10) • 2.05GHz MediaTek Helio G95 • 64MP + 8MP + 2MP + 2MP rear, 16MP front • 6.5” FHD+ • 128GB built-in; 8GB RAM • 4G LTE • dual SIM

P10,990 (64GB) P12,990 (128GB)

JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2021

P11,990 (4GB) P13,990 (8GB)

P16,990

P14,990

Samsung Galaxy A42 5G P19,990

• One UI 2.5 (Android 10) • octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 750 • 6.6” 720 x 1600 Super AMOLED • 48MP + 8MP + 5MP + 5MP rear; 20MP front • 128GB built-in, microSD; 6GB RAM • 4G LTE, 5G • dual SIM

UNDER P20,000

realme 7 Pro

P17,990 • realme UI (Android 10) • 2.3GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G • 64MP + 8MP + 2MP + 2MP rear, 32MP front • 6.4” FHD+ • 128GB built-in; 8GB RAM • 4G LTE • dual SIM

Samsung Galaxy M31 • One UI 2.0 (Android 10) • 2.3GHz octa-core Samsung Exynos 9611 • 64MP + 8MP + 5MP rear; 32MP front • 6.4” FHD+ 2340 x 1080 • 128GB built-in, microSD ; 6GB RAM • 4G LTE • dual SIM

If you’re a power user who needs a long-lasting battery that charges fast, then the realme 7 Pro should be on your list. It’s got a great-looking display, good cameras, and solid overall performance wrapped in an attractive package.

TCL Plex

Vivo S1

• Android 9 Pie with TCL UI • Qualcomm Snapdragon 675 • 48MP + 16MP + 2MP rear, 24MP front • 6.53” 2340 x 1080 • 128GB built-in, microSD; 6GB RAM • 4G LTE • dual SIM

• Android 9 Pie with Funtouch 9 • 2GHz octa-core MediaTek Helio P65 • 16MP+8MP+2MP rear, 32MP front • 6.38” 2340 x 1080 • 128GB built-in, microSD; 6GB RAM • 4G LTE • dual SIM

P15,990

Xiaomi Mi A3

P18,990

• Android One (Android 9 Pie) • 2GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 • 48MP+8MP+2MP rear, 32MP front • 6.088” 1560 x 720 • 128GB built-in, ; 4GB RAM • 4G LTE • dual SIM

• Android 10 • Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G • 64MP + 12MP + 12MP + 5MP rear, 32MP front • 6.7” Full HD+ • 128GB built-in, microSD; 8GB RAM • 4G LTE • dual SIM

P13,999 • Android 9 Pie with Funtouch OS 9.2 • Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 • 48MP + 8MP + 2MP + 2MP rear, 32MP front • 6.38” 1080 x 2340 • 128GB built-in, microSD; 8GB RAM • 4G LTE • dual SIM

Vivo V19 Neo

• Funtouch OS 10 (Android 10) • Qualcomm Snapdragon 675 • 48MP + 8MP + 2MP + 2MP rear; 32MP front • 6.44” FHD+ Super AMOLED Ultra O Screen • 128GB built-in, 8GB RAM • 4G LTE • dual SIM

Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 Pro

P16,990 (6GB+64GB) P18,990 (8GB+128GB)

• MIUI 11 (Android 10) • 2.2GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G • 64MP + 8MP + 5MP + 2MP rear; 16MP front • 6.47” FHD+ 2340 x 1080 • 64/128GB built-in ; 6/8GB RAM • 4G LTE • dual SIM

P15,999

Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite

P11,990

P19,990

Vivo S1 Pro

P12,999

Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro (64GB) • Android 9 Pie with MIUI 10 • 2.84GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 • 48MP+13MP+8MP rear, 20MP front • 6.39” 2340 x 1080 • 64GB built-in, microSD; 6GB RAM • 4G LTE • dual SIM

Samsung Galaxy M51

P13,990

P12,490 (64GB) P13,990 (128GB)

• MIUI 11 (Android 10) • 2.3GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G • 64MP + 8MP + 5MP + 2MP rear; 16MP front • 6.67” 2400 x 1080 • 64/128GB built-in, microSD ; 6GB RAM • 4G LTE • dual SIM

JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2021

BUYER’S GUIDE

NEW!

Apple iPad 8th-gen

32GB: P26,990 (Wi-Fi + cellular) 128GB: P24,990 (Wi-Fi); P32,990 (Wi-Fi + cellular)

• iPadOS 14 • A12 Bionic chip • 8MP rear, 1.2MP front • 10.2” (2160 x 1620) Retina • 32/128GB built-in

NEW!

Apple iPhone 12

Apple iPhone 12 mini

Apple iPhone 12 Pro

• iOS 14 • Hexa-core Apple A14 Bionic • 6.1” 1170 x 2532 Super Retina XDR OLED • 12MP + 12MP rear; 12MP front • 64/128/256GB built-in, 4GB RAM • 4G LTE, 5G

• iOS 14 • Hexa-core Apple A14 Bionic • 5.4” 1080 x 2340 Super Retina XDR OLED • 12MP + 12MP rear; 12MP front • 64/128/256GB built-in, 4GB RAM • 5G LTE

• iOS 14 • Hexa-core Apple A14 Bionic • 6.1” 1170 x 2532 Super Retina XDR OLED • 12MP + 12MP +12MP rear; 12MP front • 128/256/512GB built-in; 6GB RAM • 4G LTE, 5G

From P49,990

From P43,990

From P62,990

NEW!

Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max From P69,990

• iOS 14 • Hexa-core Apple A14 Bionic • 6.7” 1284 x 2778 Super Retina XDR OLED • 12MP + 12MP +12MP rear; 12MP front • 128/256/512GB built-in; 6GB RAM • 4G LTE, 5G

Huawei Mate 40 Pro

Huawei Mate Xs 5G

Huawei P40

Huawei P40 Pro

Huawei P40 Pro+

• EMUI 11 (Android 10) • Octa-core Kirin 9000 5G • 6.67” 1344 x 2772 OLED • 50MP + 12MP + 20MP rear; 13MP + TOF 3D • 256/512GB built-in, Nano Memory; 8GB RAM • 5G LTE • single/hybrid dual SIM

• EMUI 10.0.1 (Android 10) • octa-core Kirin 990 5G • 6.6” 2480 x 1148 main (folded), 6.38” 2480 x 892 secondary (folded), 8” 2480 x 2200 unfolded • 40MP + 16MP + 8MP + 3D depth-sensing cameras with OIS, • 512GB built-in, 8GB RAM • 5G, LTE

• EMUI 10 (Android 10) • 2.86GHz octa-core HiSilicon Kirin 990 • 50MP + 16MP + 8MP rear, 32MP front • 6.1” 2340 x 1080 FHD+ • 128GB built-in, Nano Memory Card; 8GB RAM • 4G LTE • dual SIM

• EMUI 10 (Android 10) • 2.86GHz octa-core HiSilicon Kirin 990 5G • 50MP + 40MP + 12MP + ToF rear, 32MP front • 6.58” 2640 x 1200 FHD+ • 256GB built-in, Nano Memory Card; 8GB RAM • 5G • dual SIM

• 2.8GHz octa-core Kirin 990 5G • EMUI 10.1 (Android 10) • 50MP + 40MP + 8MP + 8MP + ToF rear, 32MP + depth front • 6.58” 1200 x 2640 • 512GB built-in, NM card; 8GB RAM • 4G LTE, 5G

P55,999

motorola razr 5G P72,990

• Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G • Android 10 • 48MP rear, 20MP front • 6.2” foldable main display, 2.7” external • 256GB built-in, microSD card; 8GBRAM • 4G LTE, 5G

NEW!

JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2021

P139,999

OnePlus Nord

P21,990 (128GB + 8GB) P25,990 (256GB + 12GB)

• Oxygen OS 10.5 (Android 10) • 2.4GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G • 48MP+ 8MP + 5MP + 2MP rear, 32MP + 8MP front • 6.44” FHD+ • 128/256GB built-in; 8/12GB RAM • 5G, 4G LTE • dual SIM

P36,990

P50,990

P69,990

OPPO Find X2 Pro

OPPO Reno3 Pro

realme X3 SuperZoom

• Android 10 with Color OS7.1 • 2.84GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 • 48MP + 49MP + 13MP rear, 32MP front • 6.7” 1440 x 3168 • 512GB built-in, 12GB RAM • 4G LTE, 5G • dual SIM

• Android 10 with Color OS7 • MediaTek Helio P95 • 64MP + 13MP + 8MP + 2MP rear, 44MP + 2MP front • 6.4” 1080 x 2400 • 256GB built-in, 8GB RAM • 4G LTE

• realme UI (Android 10) • 2.96GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+ • 64MP + 8MP + 8MP + 2MP rear, 32MP + 8MP front • 6.6” 1080x 2400 • 256GB built-in, 12GB RAM • 4G LTE

P65,990

P28,990

P24,990

P20,000 AND ABOVE

realme X50 Pro 5G

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2

P25,990

• realme UI 2 (Android 10) • Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon SM8250 • 6.44” 1080 x 2400 Super AMOLED • 64MP + 12MP + 8MP + 2MP rear; 32MP + 8MP front • 128/256GB built-in; 6/8/12GB RAM • 5G LTE • dual SIM

Samsung Galaxy Note 20

P109,990

• OneUI (Android 10) • Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 + • 12MP + 12MP + 12MP rear, 10MP cover camera, 10MP front camer • 7.6” QXGA+ Infinity Flex Display, 6.2” HD+ Super AMOLED display • 256GB built-in; 12GB RAM • 5G, 4G LTE • dual SIM

Samsung Galaxy S20

Samsung Galaxy S20+

• One UI 2.0 (Android 10) • 2.8GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 • 12MP+12MP+64MP rear, 10MP front • 6.2”QHD+ • 128GB built-in, microSD; 8GB RAM • 4G LTE • dual SIM

• One UI 2.0 (Android 10) • 2.8GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 • 12MP+12MP+64MP+ Depth Vision rear, 10MP front • 6.7” QHD+ • 128GB built-in, microSD; 8GB RAM • 4G LTE • dual SIM

P49,990

P67,990 (8GB + 256GB) P72,990 (12GB + 256GB 5G)

P53,990

• Android 10 • Exynos 990 • 64MP + 12MP + 12MP rear, 10MP front • 6.7” FHD+ • 128GB built-in; 8GB RAM • 4G LTE • dual SIM

• Android 10 • Exynos 990 • 108MP + 12MP + 12MP rear, 10MP front • 6.9” WQHD+ • 25GGB built-in, microSD; 8/12GB RAM • 5G/4G LTE • dual SIM

Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra

P55,990

Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra

Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite P26,990

P69,990

• One UI 2.0 (Android 10) • 2.8GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 • 108MP+12MP+48MP +Depth Vision rear, 40MP front • 6.9”” QHD+ • 128GB built-in, microSD; 12GB RAM • 5G, 4G/LTE • dual SIM

• 2.3GHz quad-core + 1.7GHz quad-core • OneUI 2 (Android 10) • 8MP rear, 5MP front • 10.4” 1200 x 2000 • 128GB built-in, microSD; 4GBRAM • 4G LTE

vivo X50 Pro P39,999

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip

vivo X50

• Android 10 • 2.95GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+ • 12MP+12MP rear, 10MP front • 6.7” 2636 x 1080 main, 1.1-inch 300 x 112 • 256GB built-in, microSD; 8GB RAM • 4G LTE • dual SIM

• Funtouch OS 10.5 • Qualcomm Snapdragon 730 • 48MP + 13MP + 8MP + 5MP rear, 32MP front • 6.56” FHD+ • 128GB built-in; 8GB RAM • 4G LTE • dual SIM

P79,990

P25,999

• Funtouch OS 10.5 • Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G • 48MP + 13MP + 8MP + 8MP rear, 32MP front • 6.56” FHD+ • 256GB built-in; 8GB RAM • 5G, 4G LTE • dual SIM The vivo X50 Pro is basically a camera disguised as a smartphone. There are some trade-offs, such as the processor and the lack of wireless charging and IP rating. But if you’re looking for a capable phone that can also take good photos and buttery-smooth videos, then the vivo X50 Pro is a good choice. It’s a pretty solid device with a premium look and build to boot.

JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2021

BEFORE YOU GO

100+

There are localized versions of YouTube in over 100 countries around the world, across 80 languages

37 million+

Number of YouTube channels as of 2020

56%

Percent of YouTube users that are male

2 billion

Total number of monthly active YouTube users. Meanwhile there are 30 million daily active YouTube users.

Broadcast yourself It’s been 16 years since Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim founded and launched YouTube. And the video-sharing site’s numbers continue to grow. Check out these numbers:

37%

Percent of all mobile internet traffic belongs to YouTube

51.36 billion

As of January 2021, Russian YouTuber Anastasia Radzinskaya from Like Nastya had reached almost 51.36 billion lifetime video views, making her the most viewed YouTube channel owner of all time

$3.81 billion

YouTube’s ad revenue in Q2 2020

169 million

Number of subscribers of Indian music network T-Series, making it the most subscribed YouTube channel as of January 2021

$1.65 billion

The amount Google paid to purchase YouTube in 2006

500+

Hours of content uploaded every minute

Sources: YouTube, Hootsuite, Statista

JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2021