2020 v21n1 THE ANNIVERSARY ISSUE

President & CEO

Maribelle Alba

Sales AND ADVERTISING MANAGER Account executive

Marisa Consuelo

Accounting manager Accounting Staff

Maritess Pascua-Maulion Lorie Bernardo

HR & ADMIN MANAGER Administration Staff

Amy Christine Giray Ramil Almojano

Legal Counsel

DIGITAL CONTENT PRODUCER

Carol Agabin

Jerico Lutrania Alba Law Office

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

For two decades, we’ve brought you fresh news, great reviews, and relevant features in the worlds of tech, lifestyle, and motoring. That’s a long time to be in this line of work, but to be honest everything still feels new for us here at Gadgets. There’s always something new to discover, share, and talk about, and we intend to keep doing just that for another 20 years. From the bottom of the hearts of everyone that has ever shared in the Gadgets story, thank you all! Stay safe out there, and we’ll see you again in a few weeks!

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

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

Ren Alcantara Editor-at-Large

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Maribelle M. Alba

Presy Alba

Arnel Doria

Ren Alcantara

Jose Alvarez

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF @bellealba

EDITOR-AT-LARGE @presy1121

MOBILITY CONSULTANT

EDITOR-AT-LARGE

@hisnameisren

CONTRIBUTOR @josealvarez

gabriel Pe

Jerico Lutrania

Carmela Birao

Zeil Romero

Chini Yu Soriano

STAFF WRITER @pe_gab

digital content producer @_easyo

VIDEOGRAPHER @carmelabirao

graphic artist

graphic artist @chinisoriano

SEPTEMBER 2020

@zeil_heyo

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SEPTEMBER 2020 | Volume 21 No. 1

26. Cover Story

The Best Of 08

Parade 20 years, and it never gets old.

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Gadgets Lab

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Cover Story

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Where we always wear masks.

The Best of EVERYTHING.

SEPTEMBER 2020

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Photofeature:

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Mobility

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Mobility Feature

Take a peek at some great tech.

The road beckons.

Check out the new Ford Territory

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Mobility Feature

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Mobility Feature

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Gaming

Feast your eyes on the Mercedes-Benz GLB

The Suzuki V-Strom 1050XT

The best video games we’ve played

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Go pro with HP ProBook 400 series laptops’ enhanced security features and durability

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or millions of people working from home, using the right technology is part of getting the job done. That is why most professionals invest in efficient and reliable equipment to help them perform better and achieve more, wherever business takes them.

Combining style, efficiency, and durability, the new HP ProBook 400 series allows one to work smarter and look good while at it. It counts on a thin, stylish durable design that protects technology that is built strong from the core up. It also boasts of integrated security and a spill-resistant keyboard feature, letting one meet the demands of work proficiently.

Work remotely stylish and secure With the HP ProBook 400 series, one can tackle workloads with technology that protects what is essential for everyday use. It also has a Mylar film atop the keyboard, protecting the sensitive electronics from minor spills.

Fingerprint passwords and wireless connection Remembering passwords one by one can be a thing of the past. With the new HP ProBook 400

series, access multiple websites safely by simply logging in via a fingerprint reader.

One can also send documents and photos wirelessly to an HP ePrinter via the HP ePrint Driver app installed on the laptop.

Collaborate better by easily sharing internet connection through the HP Wireless Hotspot. Whether around colleagues or working with family at home, get online fast and improve productivity with this wireless internet connection sharing feature.

More ways to go Pro The HP ProBook 400 series lets one power through deadline-driven days with a choice of the latest 10th Generation Intel® Core™ processors or AMD Ryzen™ quad-core processors, both offering amazing value in speed and performance.

Those that run on the 10th Gen quad-core Intel® Core™ processors are the HP ProBook 430 (13” diagonal HD display), HP ProBook 440 (14” diagonal HD display), and the HP ProBook 450 (15.6” diagonal HD display). Meanwhile, those that operate on the AMD Ryzen™ quad-core processors are the HP ProBook 445 (14” diagonal HD display) and the HP ProBook 455 (15” diagonal HD display).

With five options to choose from, one can find a perfect size that brings excellent versatility and multitasking performance suitable for both business and leisure. Get a hand on the new HP ProBook 400 series by ordering online via https://forms.gle/6f3yX6Xu1uALNQNK7.

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Gaming

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Apps

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Enterprise

SEPTEMBER 2020

Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout

Making working from home even more productive.

Some news from big business

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Cybersecurity

82

Bits and Bytes

92

Relic

The latest in computing security

From the newsroom to your living room.

Remember this tablet and stylus combo?

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PARADE

Lenovo ThinkPad X13 Laptop

The Lenovo ThinkPad X13 was made for highly mobile modern professionals thanks to its ultra-portable weight of only 1.28kg and thin body coming it at only 16.9mm. Despite the small form factor the Lenovo ThinkPad X13 still packs a pack with its AMD Ryzen 7 Pro 4750U processor, an 8-core, 16-thread processor. The Lenovo ThinkPad X13 also has powerful integrated AMD Radeon graphics, and up to 1TB of PCIe NVMe SSD storage, and up to a massive 32GB of DDR4 memory. Truly made for people on-the-go, the Lenovo ThinkPad X13 boost of a 48Wh battery which Lenovo claims lasts for up to 12.8 hours of use and comes with Rapid Charge support that charges the battery to 80 percent in just an hour. Never worry about your data with the included Lenovo ThinkShield suite integrated with the laptop.

Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Laptop

The Lenovo ThinkPad T14 is made for professionals who need to multitask. It has a powerful AMD Ryzen 7 Pro 4750U processor paired with integrated AMD Radeon graphics, capable of running any tasks thrown at it. The Lenovo ThinkPad T14 also comes with up 1TB of PCIe NVMe SSD storage, and up to 32GB of fast DDR4-3200 MHz memory. The Lenovo ThinkPad T14 will last you the whole day, thanks to its 50Wh battery which Lenovo claims to last for 14 hours. Lenovo has also equipped the ThinkPad T14 with its ThinkShield suite for comprehensive end-to-end security.

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Garmin Instinct Solar Solar

The Garmin Instinct Solar is made for outdoor enthusiasts. It has a myriad of health and outdoor activity tracking features including the body battery feature which analyzes heart rate variability, stress level, sleep quality, and activity data to determine the user’s overall energy level. The Instinct Solar now also has Pulse Ox, a SpO2 sensor which measures blood oxygen saturation, helpful in the current situation. What makes the Instinct Solar stand out is Garmin’s Solar Lens Technology which uses the sun to extend the smartwatch’s juice. The Instinct Solar can last up to 24 days in smartwatch mode indoors and over 54 days with sufficient sun exposure.

PHP 24,995 PHP 27,995 (Camo Edition)

Garmin fenix 6 Pro Solar Solar

Garmin’s flagship outdoor smartwatches have gotten a massive upgrade. The Garmin fēnix 6 Pro Solar is the newest member of the brand’s flagship fēnix series. The Garmin fēnix 6 Pro Solar is equipped with Garmin’s Solar Lens Technology which increases the smartwatch’s performance through solar charging. The fēnix 6 Pro Solar can last 14 days in smartwatch mode indoors and up to 16 days with sufficient solar exposure. The Garmin fēnix 6 Pro Solar also features new activity profiles such as the surf, mountain bike, and indoor climbing.

PHP 52,995

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SEPTEMBER 2020

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HP Elitebook x360 1030 / 1040 G7 Laptop

Power up your home workstation with the new HP Elitebook x360 G7 series. The new HP Elitebook x360 features the seventh generation (G7) design and hardware which utilize a modern, sleek, thin and light look while having the power of an Intel 10th Gen core processor. The HP Elitebook x360 1030 features a 13.3-inch UHD OLED display, while the HP Elitebook x360 1040 uses a 14-inch UHD HDR display. The new Elitebook x360 series have an optional 5G modem and built-in 4G LTE wireless to boost your connectivity in various environments. The Elitebook x360 also has a built-in AI noise reduction technology which minimizes background noise during conference calls. The Elitebook x360 features a 29-hour battery life, so you can do more without being bound to a plug. Made not just for work, the HP Elitebook x360 will give you great movie viewing experience from the vibrant screen to the high-fidelity sound from the built-in Bang & Olufsen speakers.

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Vivo X50 Pro Smartphone

Vivo is once again changing smartphone technology by bringing in its latest innovation, the Vivo X50 Pro. The Vivo X50 Pro features a quad-camera setup with the main 48-megapixel Sony IMX598 camera sporting a “gimbal-like” OIS system which produces sharp images and ultra-smooth videos. The Vivo X50 has a secondary 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle lens, an 8-megapixel periscope telephoto lens with up to 10x optical zoom, and a 13-megapixel portrait lens. The selfie camera is a 32-megapixel shooter. The Vivo X50 Pro is 5G ready and is powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G processor with an Adreno 620 GPU. It has 8GB of RAM with 256GB of internal storage. The X50 Pro is also powered by a 4315 mAh battery with 33W Vivo Flash Charging 2.0. Display-wise it has a 6.5-inch FHD+ AMOLED display with a 90Hz refresh rate. The Vivo X50 Pro is also the thinnest 5G phone coming in at just 8.04mm thin.

PHP 39,999

Vivo TWS Neo

True Wireless Earbuds Vivo is entering the True Wireless audio arena with its contender, the Vivo TWS Neo TWS earbuds. The Vivo TWS Neo offers sensational sound thanks to the large 14.2mm drivers in each earbud. The TWS is paired with Vivo’s DeepX Stereo Sound Effects to fit any listening style. The Vivo TWS Neo also features a low latency connection with its Dual Channel Transmission 2.0 bringing audio latency down to a mere 88ms for the dedicated gamers out there. It’s Bluetooth 5.2 connection also expands its connection and stability. The AI noise cancellation on the earbuds lets you clearly hear the person on the other side of the line and vice-versa. The Vivo TWS Neo has customizable touch control on each earbud. The Vivo TWS Neo won’t drag you down weighing a mere 4.7g. Vivo has also claimed that the TWS Neo will last 4.5 hours for each earbud and up to 22.5 hours with the charging case. The Vivo TWS Neo is available in two eye-catching colors, Moonlight White and Starry Blue.

PHP 4,999

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SEPTEMBER 2020

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Samsung Galaxy Buds Live True Wireless Earbuds

The Samsung Galaxy Buds Live is the brand’s newest premium true wireless earbuds. The Galaxy Buds Live was designed to reflect the curves of your ears and stands out thanks to the glossy finish. The Galaxy Buds Live lets you choose what you hear thanks to Active Noise Cancellation, which reduces background noise but lets you hear the important stuff, like voices and announcements. Enjoy your music with the Galaxy Buds Live’s 12mm driver tuned by AKG. The buds have built-in air vents to reduce sound occlusion giving the buds spacious audio, and bass ducts which enhance lower frequency sounds for that deeper bass. Calls are clearer with the Galaxy Buds Live with its three built-in mics and voice pickup unit. Never stop the music with the Galaxy Buds Live’s long-lasting battery, for up to 6 hours of playback time, and 21 hours with the charging case. You even don’t have to worry about the charging time, with the buds going for an hour of playback with just 5 minutes of charging.

PHP 8,990

Samsung Galaxy Watch3 Smartwatch

Meet Samsung’s newest health companion. The Samsung Galaxy Watch3 is designed with premium materials such as stainless steel and high-quality leather. The Galaxy Watch3 retains the popular rotating bezel feature from its predecessors, the feature which allows you to toggle widgets, watch faces, and apps just by turning the watch’s bezel. The Galaxy Watch3 will also feature new health and wellness monitors such as blood oxygen level (Sp02) and fall detection which sends an SOS message to your contact when the watch identifies a potential fall. The Galaxy Watch3 is 14 percent thinner, 15 percent lighter, and has a bigger screen than the previous Galaxy Watches.

Like the previous Galaxy Watches, the Galaxy Watch3 has access to the tens of thousands of Watch Faces, and more than 120 different video workouts via the Samsung Health app. The Galaxy Watch3 also amplifies your mobile experience allowing you to send automatic replies to messages, view emoticons and photos, receive incoming calls and GPS.

PHP 18,990 (41mm) PHP 20,990 (45mm)

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Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra Smartphone

Samsung has taken the Galaxy Note Series to the next level. Introducing the most powerful Galaxy Note device yet, the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra. The Note 20 Ultra runs on the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 865+ SoC mated to 12GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage, expandable via a microSD slot. Samsung has upgraded the Galaxy Note screen, the Note 20 Ultra features a 6.9-inch Dynamic AMOLED display with 120 Hz refresh rate. Thanks to the higher refresh rate and improved S Pen prediction AI, the Note 20 Ultra features the smoothest S Pen integration in a Note series, pushing latency down to 9ms—almost like writing on a piece of paper. The Note20 Ultra also features the best cameras in a Galaxy Note. The triple camera setup on the back has a 108-megapixel wide-angle camera, a 12-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera, and a 12-megapixel telephoto camera. The camera can capture 8K videos in 24fps and up to 120 fps in FHD. Meanwhile, the front features a 10-megapixel front camera. The Note 20 Ultra also has the largest battery in a Note-series phone, now sporting a 4500 mAh battery with 25W fast charging to get 50 percent with just 30 minutes of charging, and fast wireless charging. If you find your other Galaxy devices running low on juice, the Note 20 Ultra can also function as a wireless power bank to let you get back on what you were doing.

PHP 67,990 PHP 72,990 (Note 20 Ultra 5G)

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SEPTEMBER 2020

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Asus Zenbook 13/14 Laptop

The Zenbook 13 (UX325) and Zenbook 14 (UX425) are Asus’ 2020 refresh of its iconic Zenbook ultrabooks. The two ultrabooks feature the powerful 10th gen Intel Core i5 processor with and integrated Intel UHD graphics. Both Zenbook 13 and Zenbook 14 have 8GB of 3200 MHz LPDDR4X RAM and 512GB of PCIe 3.0 NVMe memory. The new Zenbook series is also the thinnest one with complete I/O ports. The laptops are also equipped with Asus’ NumberPad 2.0 which turns the touchpad into a number pad. The main different between the two is the size of the screen with the Zenbook 13 sporting a smaller 13.3-inch FHD NanoEdge display and the Zenbook 14 having a larger 14-inch FHD NanoEdge display.

PHP 54,995

Asus ROG Phone III Smartphone

The highly successful Asus ROG Phone is back with its third installment and it’s better than ever. It has 6.59-inch FHD+ AMOLED display with a 144 Hz refresh rate and 270 Hz touch sampling. The ROG Phone III has either the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 or 865+ SoC mated to up to 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM and up to 512 GB UFS 3.1 internal storage.

The ROG Phone III has a triple camera setup at the back with a 64-megapixel main shooter, a 13-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera, and a 5-megapixel macro camera, at the front is a 24-megapixel front camera. The ROG Phone III also has the new AirTrigger 3 system, a new GameCool 3 cooling system, and the new ROG UI. The ROG Phone III will also last you the whole day thanks to the massive 6000 mAh battery with 30W HyperCharge capability.

PHP 54,995 (Classic Edition 16GB + 512 GB) PHP 49,995 (Classic Edition 12GB + 512 GB) PHP 39,995 (Strix Edition, 8GB + 256 GB)

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Realme C15 Smartphone

The realme C15 is realme’s newest battery king. The realme C15 features a massive 6000 mAh battery capable of lasting more than a whole day of work and play. You also don’t need to worry about downtime with the phone’s 18W fast charging capability. The realme C15 makes viewing movies a treat thanks to the big 6.5-inch HD+ display with a 20:9 aspect ratio. The realme C15 is also a powerful smartphone, with a MediaTek Helio G35 processor and either 3GB or 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of internal storage expandable up to 256GB via microSD. The realme C15 has a quad-camera at the back sporting a 13-megapixel main shooter, an 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle secondary lens, a 2-megapixel black and white camera, and a 2-megapixel retro lens. The realme C15 comes in two unique colors Marine Blue, and Seagull Silver which are equally gorgeous to look at.

PHP 6,490 (online exclusive 3GB + 64GB with limited edition PH Squad box) PHP 6,990 (4GB + 64GB)

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SEPTEMBER 2020

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Vertux Tantalum

Mechanical Keyboard The Vertux Tantalum is a mechanical keyboard designed to provide you with a precise gaming companion to win every moment. The keyboard is developed with Outemo Blue switches to deliver fast actuation and tactile feedback with the iconic Blue audible sound. The Tantalum has 100 percent anti-ghosting so can press multiple keystrokes at once without the worry of signal conflicts; making this keyboard perfect for FPS and MOBA gaming. The Tantalum has RGB lighting with a spectrum of 16.8 million colors.

PHP 3,995

Vertux Havana Headset

The Havana is your next gaming audio companion with its powerful, high-density 50mm speaker drivers to let you hear every detail in the game. The Havana has a sliding microphone that offers clear audio to help communicate with teammates, and inline volume controls which turn the game’s volume up or down without reaching for the multimedia keys, and a one-touch mic mute button to prevent any awkward mutters.

The Havana also has RGB colors on its side which you can turn on or off depending on your mood.

PHP 1,795

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Vertux Tungsten

Mechanical Keyboard The Vertux Tungsten is a 104-key mechanical keyboard with black mechanical swithches for faster actuation with clear and crisp feedback every time. Each key is rated for 50 million clicks so can game away for a really long time. The Tungsten has RGB lighting with six customizable modes so you can enjoy and your keyboard your way. It has dedicated multimedia control so you can adjust your volume and music, without taking your eye on the game.

PHP 3,995

Vertux Glare

Laptop Cooling Stand Take your gaming laptop to the next level with the Vertux Glare cooling laptop stand. This laptop stand/cooler features a massive cooling fan that has an 800 RPM speed to help dissipate your laptop’s heat during hardcore gaming.

The Glare has an anti-slip grip to ensure that your laptop won’t slide off even during intense action. This laptop cooler also has RGB lights which add to the gamer aesthetic.

PHP 1,295

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SEPTEMBER 2020

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OPPO Watch 41mm Smartwatch

The OPPO Watch 41mm is the brand’s first foray into the smartwatch market. The OPPO Watch 41mm is both elegant and smart, crafted from a 6000-series aluminum alloy frame, and features a massive 1.6-inch AMOLED screen. The OPPO Watch 41mm has 4 PPG sensors, GPS, and GLONASS support, which makes it a great workout and wellness companion. The OPPO Watch 41mm is powered by Google’s Wear OS, the tech giant’s program for smart wearables. OPPO has also equipped the watch with added AI features such as the outfit-match watch face which analyzes your OOTD and finds a complementary watch face to match your outfit. The OPPO Watch 41mm also has great battery performance thanks to the VOOC Flash Charging which charges the watch in just 75 minutes, and the smart Dual-Chip Endurance System which switches the watch from a Snapdragon-driven Smart mode to an Apollo3 chip when used in Power Saver mode, which can extend the device’s battery up to 14 days.

PHP 12,990

OPPO Reno4 Smartphone

The OPPO Reno4 is the newest member of OPPO’s premium mid-range Reno series. The Reno4 is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 720G SoC mated to 8GB of RAM and 128 GB of internal storage. As part of the Reno series, the OPPO Reno4 has the same great camera as its predecessor, it has a triple-camera setup with a 48-megapixel main shooter, an 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera, and a 2-megapixel macro camera, and a separate 2-megapixel depth sensor. At the front is the 32-megapixel selfie camera which also offers great picture qualities like its predecessor. The OPPO Reno4 is available in galactic blue and space black color variants.

PHP 18,990

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Pioneer DJ XDJ-XZ-N DJ Controller

Get the crowd hyped with the limited edition Pioneer XDJ-XZ-N with its bright gold-colored parts and design elements to bring a luxury look to the popular XDJ-XZ professional all-in-one DJ system for rekordbox and Serato DJ Pro. It has high-quality aluminum jog wheels, and the mic and master output sections are finished in striking gold color. The XDJ-XZ-N has all the neat features found in the normal XDJ-XZ series. It has a 7-inch LCD touch screen and the color On Jog Display on the center of the console of each Jog Wheel. The XDJ-XZ-N also has three USB ports two for loading USB tracks and one laptop connection for smooth back-to-back performance.

USD 2,299

Synology Diskstation DS1520+ NAS

The Synology Diskstation DS1520+ is a five-bay network storage system built for the home or small office environments. The DS1520+ is ideal for data backups and organizing multimedia libraries. The DS1520+ has up to 240TB raw capacity with the drive bay each supporting up to 15TB of storage. The DS1520+ also has dual M.2 2280 NVMe SSD cache slots. According to Synology, the DS1520+ is 126 percent faster in website responsiveness and 19.8% faster in compute-tasks compared to the Diskstation 1019

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SEPTEMBER 2020

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GADGETS LAB

HP Pavillion Convert X360 Reviewed by Ren Alcantara

While laptops remain the kings of everyday productivity, one can’t just ignore the functionality that tablets deliver.

While convertible laptops aren’t new, leave it to HP to take the formula and make it that much more special. In this lab, we take a look at the HP Pavilion, a convertible laptop that does a little bit more than just change forms.

DESIGN The device itself is built to HP’s usual exacting standards. With a plastic shell that has a matte steel look to it, it doesn’t look garish or over-thetop, so whether you’re at the office, coffee shop, or classroom, it’s not going to draw any extra attention. The 14-inch display is set behind glass for protection, and has bezels that are reasonably thin on three sides. There’s a rather prominent chin at the bottom that’s broken up a bit by the HP logo. The hinges on the Convert X360 are large, beefy metal lugs that not only keep the lid firmly in place, but also give it a nice contrast with the mostly black interior. Just above the backlit keyboard is a nicely textured grille that protects the Bang and Olufsen drivers. The 14-inch display allows it to have a reasonable size, which fits its role as a convertible perfectly. There is also an included stylus that’s sized and weighted like a regular pen, and even has a clip on the fake cap at the end, which is a nice touch.

HARDWARE With an Intel Core i7 10510UU processor, a large 256GB SSD on top of a 1TB HDD and 8GB of DDR4 memory, this is clearly a work machine.

What makes it special though is its ability to flip all the way around and become a Windowspowered tablet. Combined with the included pen, that large 14-inch FHD touch display gives it functionality that’s worlds greater than just a regular laptop. In case you want to let loose a little, it also has an MX 250 GPU with 2GB of dedicated RAM Because it’s a laptop, it also has many, many more ports than dedicated tablets. You have USB-A and USB-C ports, an HDMI port, a card reader, and a headphone jack--no docks or connectors necessary. The keyboard is also top-notch, with a nice bump to the keys, and good travel for a laptop.

USER EXPERIENCE I love my laptop. I also love my tablet. But when I do have to go somewhere and I need to carry both, it’s less than ideal. The ability to have a

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device that can do what I need from both devices is extremely appealing, and the Convert X360 does just that.

As a laptop, it is excellent. Thin, light, and extremely able, it was my main machine for the duration of my review, even though I also have a desktop and a gaming laptop on standby.

Typing long articles was completely comfortable thanks to the excellent (and backlit!) keyboard, and while the 14-inch screen is smaller than I am used to, it was plenty to get work done, and a great compromise size that balances convenience and usability well. The processor-RAM-SSD combination gave it an impressively quick performance, and it wasn’t bogged down even with my compulsive use of browser tabs one on top of another.

VALUE The Convert X360 is a great device that delivers functionality significantly greater than a plain laptop. With computing, digital art, and even gaming all within its abilities, the sticker price of PHP 63,990 is much more attractive than one might initially think.

Specifications: Screen: 14-inch, FHD IPS touch screen, with pen input Processor: Core i7 10510U GPU: NVIDIA GeForce MX250 2GB RAM: 8GB DDR4

The GPU, while on the modest side, even allowed me to do some gaming on the side. My wife and I are still into Overwatch in a rather big way, and on medium settings with some tweaking, the laptop was able to manage frame rates upwards of 50 FPS. I was thoroughly impressed.

What’s Hot:

What really makes the device special though is the ability to switch over to tablet mode. In this mode, with the included pen, I was able to do practically everything I need my tablet for.

Marking up PDFs for the magazine was about as easy on a full Windows machine with the right apps, and the fast boot times make it almost as fast to bring to the task as it is to take out my iPad Pro and work there. The device responds quickly to inputs from the pen, and while I don’t draw, it does feel like the polling rate is fast enough to be used for digital art. Palm rejection was a hitor-miss affair though, and while it worked for the most part, there were moments of light frustration as the screen took inputs from my hand as I was working with the pen.

What’s Not:

A concern I always have for these tablets is the hinge, but after using the laptop for just a few days, I can confidently conclude that it’s perfectly solid. It keeps the display in place solidly, and has no creakiness in use. Battery life is likewise superb, and I was able to use it for well over a workday’s worth of tasks and some Netflix time afterwards.

- Solid hinge - SO MUCH functionality - Can even game a bit

- Price might be restrictive for some

Bottomline If you’re a creator, or a desk jockey that’s into some light gaming, this is a great option for you.

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Realme C15 Reviewed by Gabriel Pe

Barely a month after releasing their entry-level smartphone the C11, realme has launched a new member of its C-series smartphones, the C15. It’s a smartphone made to take on a whole new level of connectedness with its massive 6000 mAh.

DESIGN Before we get into anything deeper, it’s worth noting that the realme C15 is mostly an upgraded C11. The design is similar to C11, with its 6.5-inch HD+ Mini-drop display with a 20:9 aspect ratio. The phone’s front facing cam can be found on the notch on the middle of the display, while at the back is the quad-camera setup and the fingerprint reader. At the left is the sim card and microSD tray, at the right is the volume and power button, and at the bottom is the headphone port, the microUSB port, a microphone hole, and the downward-firing speakers.

The realme C15 is available in two color variants, Marine Blue and Seagull Silver which have the same texture as that of the C11 but is somewhat much more gorgeous to look at that the other.

Additionally, the special PH Squad box realme sent us gives it a much more appeal than the usual plain yellow box realme is known for.

HARDWARE The realme C15 sports the same SoC as the C11, the MediaTek Helio G35. The realme C15 comes in two configurations of RAM: a 3GB variant and a 4GB variant, both do come with 64GB of internal storage, expandable up to 256 GB via microSD. The realme C15 sports a quad-camera setup at the back, with the primary lens being the same 13-megapixel lens as the C11, a secondary 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle lens, a 2-megapixel Black and White lens, and the brand’s new 2-megapixel depth sensor which they dubbed as the retro lens.

Highlighting the realme C15 is its massive 6000 mAh battery which has an 18W fast charging capability. realme has also equipped the C15 with reverse charge technology which can your other devices via OTG. Other features of the realme C15 include a rearmounted fingerprint scanner and face unlock capabilities.

USER EXPERIENCE In terms of performance, the realme C15 is pretty much the same as the realme C11. The newer C15 can run heavy-games such as PUBG Mobile

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and Call of Duty: Mobile in low and up to medium settings. Despite long gaming sessions, the realme C15 remains relatively cool to the touch just like the C11.

Like the realme C11, the screen of the C15 is clearly not the best out there; but in its class I’d say it’s pretty decent. It’s not the brightest, but not dim enough to not see the phone under direct sunlight. The massive 6.5-inch is also good for a bit of multitasking, with apps readable when opening the multitasking window.

Camera performance, the main camera remains the same. Images captured were good in daylight and decent in an indoor setting.

Unfortunately, the night-mode remains much to be desired in both the primary camera and much worse on the ultra-wide angle. The realme C15 does offer better portrait and bokeh shots thanks to the black and white lens and the new retro lens.

Since I forgot to touch on video features on the review of the C11, the realme C15 has the following capabilities; shooting 30fps in both 1080p and 720p. Other special video features include timelapse, and slow-mo. While it’s not the greatest out there, the realme C15 does shoot good videos when in 1080p.

Now on to the battery, I have to laud realme for the battery performance of the C15. I tested the battery playing by a few games and taking the phone’s camera on a spin. I then played a looping video until the battery reached 19 percent which took about 20 hours on 85 percent battery and still had about 10 percent of power by the 24 hours mark.

a thousand more pesos. But for the people who are on a tight budget, the realme C15 still offer a pretty decent value for its price like in through realme C-series smartphone.

Specifications: Display: 6.5-inch HD+ mini-drop display Processor: MediaTek Helio G35 GPU: IMG PowerVR GE8320 OS: realme UI 1.0 (based on Android 10) RAM: 3GB Internal Storage: 64GB Camera: Rear: 13-megapixel, 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle, 2-megapixel black and white lens, 2-megapixel retro lens; Front: 5-megapixel Connection: VoLTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, Beido, GLONASS, OTG Battery: 6000 mAh with 18W fast charging Other Features: Fingerprint reader, Face Unlock Dimensions: 164.4mm x 75.9mm x 9.8mm Weight: 209g What’s Hot: - 6000 mAh battery - Quad-camera setup - Big display - Great pictures for its class What’s Not: - Charging time takes a while - Night-mode still meh

The downside of having a massive battery is simply the charging time. The realme C15 needed about three hours of charging time to reach 100 percent - and that’s with the included 18W fast charger out of the box. But considering the fact that you only need an additional hour compared to the standard 4000 mAh phones, I’d say it’s good enough for me.

VALUE The realme C15 comes in at PHP 6,490 for the 3GB + 64GB variant, and PHP 6,990 for the 4GB + 64GB variant. For that price, it’s on a bit of a crossroad, with the much powerful realme 6i just

Bottomline The realme C15 maintains the great value for your money spirit of the realme C-series.

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Xiaomi PocoFone F2 Pro Reviewed by Ren Alcantara

The F2 is the popular “flagship killer” followup to the Poco F1, giving it rather large shoes to fill. Let’s see if it manages the job.

DESIGN The Poco F2 is a simply designed device. In trying to keep the cost of the unit down, it is created with few frills. The front of the device is dominated by a large 6.67-inch Super AMOLED display, and unlike practically every other current-generation flagship, the sides are nice and flat—something I actually like better than the trend towards curved-edge displays. The front is protected by Gorilla Glass 5, and the nicely colored rear (a shimmery blue, in our demo unit) is given the same protective treatment.

The camera cluster is oriented in a rounded “X” shape inside a slightly raised circle, and there’s nothing but a bit of Poco branding at the bottom aside.

While for the most part, the phone is devoid of fancy gimmicks, it does have a pop-up front camera with illuminated sides. The LEDs in the pop-up unit also serves as the device’s notification LED, so whether it’s face-down, or with the screen up, you can see the status of your notifications as long as you have eyes on the top edge. Very clever. I like it.

HARDWARE The whole point behind the original Poco F1 was to deliver performance at a lower cost than their competition. This holds true for the F2 as well, as can be seen in its spec sheet. It has the Snapdragon 865 SoC, an Adreno 650 GPU and up to 8GB of RAM under the hood. You also get up to 256 GB of storage, and a dual-SIM slot, though no expansion slot for storage.

The cameras, which were among the complaints people had with the first iteration, have been given an upgrade. The F2 has a 64-MP main sensor, backed up by 5-,13-, and 2-MP sensors for telephoto/macro, ultra wide, and depth. This allows the F2 to take 8K video at up to 30 FPS, 4K video at up to 60 FPS, and 1080 video at 960 FPS, among a few other modes in between. The front camera is on a motorized assembly, and has a 20-MP sensor, capable of shooting up to 1080 videos at 30 FPS.

USER EXPERIENCE The phone itself is a great successor to the already great Poco F1. Holding the phone, it’s clear that this is not a device that can in any way be construed as cheap. I have handled phones that are either more expensive, or in the same price range that feel less solid, so if you’re thinking that maybe the phone feels cheap because of the great specs but suspiciously low price, don’t worry about it.

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As I mentioned earlier, you’ll first notice the fact that this is a hefty boi. You’re not going to have any doubt it’s in your pocket--it’ll let you know. The second thing I noticed about it was that massive screen. At 6.67 inches on the diagonal, it’s right up there with the bigger screens available to you now.

What makes it seem even bigger is that the screen doesn’t fall away on either side, so it’s all perfectly viewable. In fact, one of the first things I did after setup was fire up a YouTube video on the phone to keep me company while I finished up some work.

Aside from the great display, it has some decently powerful speakers to boot, making it an excellent choice for consuming video content, even for longer periods of time. It also thankfully has a headphone jack, so you don’t have to fiddle with 3.5-USB-C adapters.

The daily experience is what you’d expect from a device running a flagship SoC with an abundance of RAM. There was literally nothing I could do in daily use that would slow the experience down. Even playing a windowed YouTube video while editing docs or playing a game wasn’t enough to cause it to complain. Everything remained smooth, and it didn’t even break a sweat.

To really get it going I fired up a game of CoD Mobile, bumped the settings up to the absolute maximum, and played a few rounds. The massive screen did actually give me a distinct advantage, and it might just be me, or the fact that the phone was new, but I performed the best I had in recent months. Even with a lot going on on-screen, the phone didn’t once stutter, letting me focus on trying my best not to be a burden to the rest of the team. Even with all the settings bumped up high, after an hour of gaming, the phone itself wasn’t all that hot. It certainly was warm, but not nearly hot enough to cause sweaty palms or discomfort. Charging while playing is another matter though, but that’s just how charging works. It’s not like you’ll have to do that too often though. The massive 4700 mAh battery was more than enough to power the device for a day and a half on a full charge, and I wasn’t babying it at all.

your kit. For some, this might be the most compelling reason to get one, and I can’t say I blame them at all.

VALUE The phone is an excellent example of what a flagship killer should be. At PHP 26,990, it delivers great specs, killer performance, and a price tag that won’t make your eyes water. If you’re in the market for a phone right now, this is a solid one to consider.

Specifications: Screen: 6.67-inch Super AMOLED display, 1080 x 2400 pixels Dimensions: 6.43 x 2.97 x 0.35 in Weight: 219g SoC: Qualcomm SM8250 Snapdragon 865, Octa-core (1x2.84 GHz Kryo 585 & 3x2.42 GHz Kryo 585 & 4x1.80 GHz Kryo 585) GPU: Adreno 650 RAM: up to 8GB Cameras: 64 MP, f/1.9, 26mm (wide), 1/1.72”, 0.8µm, PDAF 5 MP, f/2.2, 50mm (telephoto macro), AF 13 MP, f/2.4, 123˚ (ultrawide), 1.12µm 2 MP, f/2.4, (depth) Battery: 4700 mAh Connectivity: 5G, LTE, Bluetooth 5.1 What’s Hot: - Great price - No extra frills - 5G connectivity What’s Not: - Heavy for its size

Camera performance is more than acceptable. It’s not the best snapper out there, lacking some of the detail once the picture is zoomed it, but it certainly is an improvement over the first generation, and can at least roll with the big boys. Give it plenty of light, and it’ll do fine.

Another ace up the F2’s sleeve is the inclusion of 5G connectivity. This is a trick not many phones have at the moment, and makes it an exceedingly solid choice if you’re worried at all about futureproofing

Bottomline It’s a worthy successor to the F1 in every way. www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

Logitech G604 Lightspeed Wireless Reviewed by Ren Alcantara

With all the extra time we have at the moment, gaming as a form of entertainment is more viable than ever. And with all the time people have to game, the more they realize they want better hardware to make their gaming that much more enjoyable. Enter the Logitech G604 Lightspeed Wireless— another in a long, varied line of Logitech’s gaming mice that aims to bring solid performance to the gaming enthusiast.

DESIGN The G604 is a wireless mouse that is tailored for gaming, and that shows in its design. While it’s not garish or flashy, it closely follows the design of the older, and very excellent G602 (which I own and love), but gives it a bit of an update. It’s a long mouse that’s more suited for a palm grip than a claw, unless you have freakishly large hands. It falls away slightly more to the right, making it a righty only mouse. Just like the 602, there’s a platform for your thumb, and six thumb buttons. Additionally, there are two sub-buttons on the far corner of the LMB, a wireless mode selector, and the clutch for the heavy, metal mouse wheel. The heel of the mouse pops off to reveal the AA battery bay, and the storage slot for the wireless dongle. Flipping the mouse over reveals four, raised PTFE feet, the sensor, and main power switch. Entire mouse is black, with a matte, rubberized area in the middle for a better grip.

HARDWARE While it looks like the spitting image of the G602, there are a few upgrades to the 604. The nowmetal scroll wheel can either ratchet or spin freely depending on whether the clutch is engaged. The mouse wheel also tilts left and right, which is quite a useful feature.

The mouse has Logitech’s Hero 16K sensor with up to 16,000 DPI resolution, and both superlow latency lightspeed wireless, and Bluetooth connectivity. You can switch connections with a click of a button should you have multiple devices.

It’s powered by a single AA battery, and weighs all of 135 g, so it’s a little on the heavier side.

USER EXPERIENCE I confess I’m a big fan of logitech mice, having gotten them from when I could get my own peripherals. Their wireless mice in particular are a favorite of mine, and when my G603 started to suffer from the dreaded double-click issue after three years of faithful service, it was time to find a replacement. Having had a G602 for two or so years before the 603, I liked the idea of an update to what might have been my favorite mouse, and made the purchase.

In use, the mouse feels almost exactly the same as the G602, but they managed to take a few

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problems and smoothed them out. The lower middle thumb button is less raised than the other ones, giving your thumb a nice home to rest on, and allowing you to index better, making the other buttons easier to use as well--a huge change in usability over the 602.

The metal scroll wheel is also a great addition to the features on the mouse. With the ability to spin freely, it makes navigating long documents and pages so much easier. It’s also a lot of fun to fiddle with. The weight of it is also quite pleasant, and the ability to rock left and right is a great feature that I use a lot for navigating through multiple tabs.

As expected from Logitech’s lightspeed mice, the latency is very low, and imperceptible from a wired connection when connecting through the wireless dongle. This is helped along by the nicely raised feet that glice very nicely on your surface of choice. I actually don’t use a mouse pad in my current setup, which is a smooth granite slab, and it just floats over wonderfully.

This is important to note, as this is a fairly heavy mouse at 130g with a single AA cell. I’m an oddball who likes heavier mice (within reason), and this is a mouse that falls into that sweet spot.

Now, a word about the power source. Say what you want about AA-powered mice, but I’m a fan.

I have mild prepper tendencies, and always have a bank of charged cells ready for use. This saves me the trouble of having to charge yet another device, and allows me to just pop in a fresh AA when the live one runs low. Since the rated battery life on the G604 is 240 hours of constant use on Lightspeed mode, it’s really not even worth thinking about for me.

VALUE Overall, the G604 is a great upgrade to the mice that came before it, and worthy of that badge.

At a shade under PHP 5,000 though, I can’t say it’s the best value for money, particularly given Logitech’s other exceedingly excellent lightspeed mice. Still, for the comfort, usability, and that sweet mouse wheel, it’s not a bad package overall.

Specifications: Sensor: Logitech 16k Hero sensor Resolution: 100-16,000 DPI Connectivity: Bluetooth, Lightspeed 2.4 GHz Power: 1xAA battery Onboard memory Endurance: 240H lightspeed, 5.5 mos Bluetooth Weight: 135g What’s Hot: - Fixes out concerns with the G602 - Comfortable - AA-powered What’s Not: - Price - AA-powered

The mouse itself works superbly, particularly since I’ve spent many many hours gaming on the G602. For it fits medium and large hands well, clicks positively, and with the redone button design, your thumb can actually input commands. This change will likely be appreciated more by MoBA players.

Now, a quick word about the Logitech G Hub software. There have been great improvements to the G Hub software that’s used to configure Logitech mice, and while the visual tweaks are great, and UI improvements are appreciated, it’s still not the most intuitive. Still, it gets the job done, if in a sort of roundabout way sometimes.

Bottomline BRB, playing Overwatch with the G604 RN. SEPTEMBER 2020

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Vivo X50 Reviewed by Gabriel Pe

As I’ve said in my first impressions for the Vivo X50, I have been interested in Vivo’s new X-series phones for a month now. The new flagship series carries the Vivo brand of tech innovation from the years with the phone (the Pro-version) sporting the world’s first “gimbal” camera system. Now that I had my hands on the phone here’s what I found out.

DESIGN Despite being the “base” variant for the X50 series, Vivo did not skimp in the design aspect of the phone. The X50 is housed in Corning Gorilla Glass with aluminum sides. Our model was the Glazed Black color which is pretty sweet looking.

Being covered with glass, the phone is a bit of a fingerprint magnet but the included clear rubber case does the trick.

The Vivo X50 has a 6.56-inch FHD+ (2376 x 1080) AMOLED display with a 90Hz refresh rate. Also on the screen is the 32-megapixel front camera. The X50 follows a very minimalist design on the top is a single microphone hole, while on the right are the volume and power buttons. Below the phone is the sim cards tray, the USB-C charging port, another microphone hole, and the bottom firing-hole. At the back of the phone is the piece de resistance, the phone’s quad-camera setup.

The Vivo X50 is also one of the thinnest phones in the market coming in at an astounding 7.5mm thin.

HARDWARE The Vivo X50 is powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 730 SoC mated to an Adreno 618 GPU. The Vivo X50 has 8GB of fast LPDDR4X RAM and 128 GB of UFS 2.1 internal storage.

The most important feature of the X50 is its cameras. The Vivo X50 Pro is the world’s first smartphone with a “gimbal-like” camera system which gives the camera extra stabilization when taking pictures and videos. While X50 doesn’t have the same advanced system, the main 48-megapixel Sony IMX598 sensor still has four-axis optical image stabilization (OIS). The Vivo X50 has a secondary 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle lens, a 13-megapixel portrait camera with 2x optical zoom, and a 5-megapixel macro lens. Thanks to the OIS the cameras have plenty of neat features especially in the video department.

Other features of the Vivo X50 include Wi-Fi 6 connection, NFC, a 4200 mAh battery with Vivo’s 33W Flash Charge 2.0 capability, in-display fingerprint scanner, and the Jovi assistant.

USER EXPERIENCE Honestly, I have to hand it to Vivo to produce a smartphone that’s this good. As I said before

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I really wanted to try out Vivo’s new camera system and how it performs, and while the X50 does not have the same “gimbal” system it still has a few of the features of the pro variant.

Pictures taken from the X50’s camera came out great, sharp, and vivid. Vivo’s built-in AI also immediately recognizes the subject of your shooting and quickly recommends a setting to use. Thanks to the stabilization of the four-stop axis OIS, images shot on night mode came out sharp and not blurry.

Photos are not where the OIS shines though; video shooting on the X50 was a blast. The Ultra-Stable mode felt like you were using a tripod when standing still, and offered an almost gimbal-like experience when moving.

The smart zoom mode, which tracks you’re chosen subject and keeps them in the center of the screen was also super fun, especially when you’re shooting a hyper-active cat that’s running around your home.

Aside from the camera, the phone itself was good. The gorgeous display has made the phone my go to Netflix, Twitch, and Youtube machine.

The power of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 730 and Adreno GPU have made the Vivo X50 a gaming beast; add the 90 Hz refresh rate and games felt super smooth and satisfying.

Another minor detail that added to the gaming experience is the placement of the front-facing camera which is placed on the upper-left side so you could still have a fuller screen without distractions.

Specifications: Display: 6.56-inch AMOLED display with FHD+ resolution and 90 Hz refresh rate Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 730 RAM: 8GB Internal Storage: 128GB OS: Funtouch OS 10 Camera: Rear: 48-megapixel Sony IMX 598 with four-axis OIS, 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle, 13-megapixel portrait, 5-megapixel macro; Front: 32-megapixel Connectivity: WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC, GPS, BeiDou, GLONASS, Galileo Battery: 4200 mAh with 33W Flash Charge 2.0 Other features: Face Unlock, In-display fingerprint scanner Dimensions: 159.54mm x 75.39mm x 7.55mm Weight: 173g

What’s Hot: - Great cameras - OIS in the main camera - 10x zoom - Movie camera mode with Smart Zoom - NFC - Fast Charging What’s Not: - A bit pricey - No microSD expansion - No headphone port

One of the things that bum me about the X50 is the non-expandable storage. With the phone able to shoot 4K videos and the exciting features of the camera, one could assume that you’re bound to fill the 128GB of internal storage someday. Also it could have been better if Vivo had used dual-stereo speakers or at least added a headphone port to the X50 for audiophiles.

VALUE The Vivo X50 retails for PHP 25,999 which falls under the price point for most “flagship killer” smartphones, but the camera and other extra features somewhat justify the price demand. If you want a premium smartphone with a pretty good camera the Vivo X50 is something worth considering.

Bottomline If you’re looking for a camera-centric phone, this may be it.

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Vertux Tantalum Reviewed by Gabriel Pe

Keyboards and mice are a bit of a touchy subject in the gaming world. These two peripherals remain the most subjective weapon in a gamer’s arsenal. While many prefer the high-end mechanical keyboards with aluminum alloy finish, others make do with regular budget keyboard and mouse. Vertux, Promate’s gaming line, aims to bring a bit of high-end gaming down to the modest of prices, but does it compare to the big boys in the club?

DESIGN

USER EXPERIENCE

VALUE

The Vertux Tantalum is a mechanical keyboard. I know mechanical keyboards aren’t for everyone because of their mostly clicky sound and sometimes resistant keys. I prefer mechanical keys if given a chance.

The Tantalum is one of the two flagship keyboards from Vertux (the other being the Tungsten), and it feels pretty premium despite being in the budget to the mid-range price point. The keyboard has a pretty solid built, and the braided cables added to the whole feel of the keyboard.

The Vertux Tantalum comes in at PHP 3995, while it does offer good value it sits at a crossroads between getting a much premium mechanical keyboard from a reputable brand. If you’re not sensitive to keyboards and by all means, the Tantalum might be the keyboard for you.

Before going to the keyboard, I wanted to give props to Vertux for having decent packaging. The trial hole on the arrow keys allows customers to try the keyboard out without fully shelling out; not a lot of manufacturers do this.

On to the keyboard itself, the Tantalum is a fullsized mechanical keyboard. The majority of the keyboard’s body is made out of hard plastic with only the top part sporting a metal plate which has the brand’s logo. The rest of the keyboard is made out of hard plastic. Still, the keyboard felt sturdy, except for a soft spot above the arrow keys.

Another thing to note is the lack of dedicated media keys. While I usually don’t use them that much, it would have been great if it was there at least. The keyboard does have a braided USB cable, which is pretty sweet.

HARDWARE The Tantalum keyboard has RGB lighting, alluring most gamers (yes, even me initially).

The keyboard’s RGB is per key; while this may be great in theory for personalization, the lack of software prevents you from doing so. The keyboard does already have preset RGB lighting options, and there are quite a few of them.

Vertux has equipped the Tantalum with Outemu Blue switches. If I’m honest, Outemu switches aren’t the greatest out there, but they are pretty decent if you want a budget tactile switch.

Additionally, the Tantalum has anti-ghosting at 104-key rollover, which works.

If you’re the type to want to change your keyboard switches, then you might want to look elsewhere, as the Tantalum does not have swappable keys. You can do it if you’re handy with a soldering iron, but it’s not recommended.

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The Tantalum is a full keyboard setup; while the keys are standard, it was a shame that there were no dedicated media keys like on the Tungsten. Anti-ghosting works as advertised, and I found no keyboard ghosting as I switch every so often from typing and a myriad of games.

Blue switches are not for everyone, I for one, am a fan of tactile keys. As an avid gamer and writer, blues are usually a pretty good balance for typing and still provide fast response in gaming. The Outemu switches that come with the Vertux Tantalum are pretty decent, sure it’s not Cherry MX levels, but it does the job done.

However, it must be noted that Blue switches also have a pretty heavy actuation point and might cause hand strain when used for a long time.

As someone who now works remotely from home due to the pandemic, I have found myself spending more and more time typing and writing. Using the Tantalum has been a treat, the keyboard was ready and waiting as I burst through my daily workloads. While RGB lighting is mainly used for aesthetic purposes, as someone who now works in a dark bedroom office, these found a new purpose.

Speaking of RGB lighting, the Vertux Tantalum does have a RGB lighting, meaning that each key has its own RGB light, ideally, you could use this to customize the keyboard lighting in whatever way you want, but the lack of dedicated software prevents you from doing this. The keyboard does have some built-in RGB patterns, but it’s kinda hard to use for first-time users due to the not-so-helpful manual. But if you do figure it out it does have some decent patterns and animation which you can enjoy.

Specifications: Switches: Outemu Blue Rating: 5V, 0.33A Frequency: 125Hz Keystroke life: 50 million Anti-ghosting: 100% Other features: RGB Lighting, Braided Cable What’s Hot: - Blue Keys - Great keyboard - Premium feel What’s Not: - Limited RGB options - No dedicated media keys - No Software integration - Instructions need some work - Non-swappable keys

Bottomline A great mechanical keyboard for those with a budget.

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COVER STORY

The Best Of T

wenty years is an eternity in tech terms, so we’re going big! In this issue, we celebrate our anniversary the best way we know how. We’re starting a whole new volume by looking at the best devices available right now.

Whether you’re looking for the best phone, computer, home appliances, or even vehicle, you’re going to love what we’ve got.

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www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

Best of Smartphones

Best of Personal Computing

Best of Home Appliances www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

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Best of Smartphones Words by Ren Alcantara

I

t’s anniversary season again, and as has been our tradition, this Cover Story will be focused on the best phones in the market today. Whether you’re looking for a simple feature phone to carry while you’re out on a run, or a phone to increase your productivity with all the smart features you’d ever want, we’ve got something for you, so read on.

Best Battery Life Poco F2

The recently launched Poco F2 is the successor to the extremely popular Pocophone F1, which was exceptional, without costing an arm and a leg. The F2 continues that approach with an impressive spec sheet and equally impressive performance, again at a price that should make flagship devices nervous. The Snapdragon 865 SoC, 5G connectivity, and up to 8GB of RAM, not to mention an improved camera (which was one of the shortcoming of the original), and advanced cooling all come together for a phone that’s more than worthy of being the F1’s replacement. It has

proven great in our testing, and is able to give flagships a run for their money, though what surprised us the most was its battery performance.

Despite the hardware, which have the potential to be quite a battery hog, it consistently lasted us almost two days of use, while others in our own testing needed daily charging, even in lockdown conditions. This is due to a massive 4700mAh battery, and power management running in the background. While other smartphones are of course able to deliver similar performance, they don’t quite have the hardware the Poco F2 does.

Best Productivity Phone Samsung Note 20 Ultra One of the best things about mobile phones is their ability to let us get so much work done, even when we’re on the go. The Note series from Samsung might just be the best example of smartphone productivity, thanks to the superb stylus and the functionality it adds. The latest iteration of the line is the Samsung Note 20, with the Ultra edition being available in both LTE and 5G versions. This phone delivers the kind of great productivity functions we’ve come to expect from the Note line, in a form factor that’s as gorgeous

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as ever. With top-tier hardware including an absolutely massive 6.9-inch AMOLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate, the Exynos 990 (or Snapdragon 865+, depending on your region), and 8GB of RAM on top of up to 512 GB of storage, this is a beast of a phone that can keep up with the busiest corporate shark. Should you need to do more work than a smartphone can provide, just fire up DeX, and you can have a desktop-like environment, with a device that fits in your suit pocket.

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Best Overall Value Realme 6i

Where do I start with the realme 6i? The brand has shown itself to be a master of delivering great value through very clever compromise.

It’s something they do consistently well, and the realme 6i might just be the epitome of that approach. The result of some clever design work and listening to their user base, the realme 6i has a huge 6.5-inch display, the capable Helio G80 chipset, and equally capable Mali G-52 GPU. There’s nothing over-the-top with the specs, but

it’s definitely no slouch. It’s devoid of frills, and has a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner rather than an in-screen one, and flat edges instead of sloping ones. The features they chose to leave out don’t really have that much of an impact in use, but all add up to the best thing about the phone, which is its price. At less that PHP 10,000, you get a device that punches well above its price point, and looks great to boot.

Best Feature Phone Nokia 5310 2020 Yes, we’re aware it’s 2020, and yes, there is definitely a place for feature phones in this day and age. While we can’t deny that the new 5310 is a very clever ploy to tap into feelings of nostalgia, it’s a pretty effective one, considering what it brings to the table. First off, it lets you do the most basic phone task, which is communicating.

Whether via a call or a text message, this is a device that won’t let you down, even if you neglect to charge it every night. Thanks to the pared-down functionality, you can get days of

use on a single charge. While it is a feature phone, it does have a feature we’ve come to expect from our smartphones, which is music playback.

While it can’t stream your jams, you can load up a microSD card with your MP3s, and it’ll happily play them back through the headphone jack (eat that, USB-C), or through a pair of surprisingly loud, clear speakers. Combine those with the legendary Nokia name, and you have the formula for a feature phone that’s appropriate for 2020.

Best Design Vivo V19 Neo

One can make the argument that as long as a device does what it’s meant to do, how it looks is irrelevant, but what’s the world without beauty?

Vivo’s V19 Neo is a gorgeous phone. While I’m partial to the color blue, regardless of the color, the Vivo V19 Neo is beautiful, with its clean lines, and understated simplicity. The 6.44-inch screen is the star of the show, almost entirely uninterrupted by bezels, and with only a small pinhole for the front camera. The back is done in a pearlescent

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white, or a vivid blue that really catches the eye.

The phone is more than just a pretty face though.

With a large 6.44-inch screen, and a Snapdragon 675 SoC, it’s no slouch. The main camera in its quad-camera setup is also a 48 MP affair, so it’s got the camera chops to keep up with you, and the selfie cam is a great 32 MP deal as well, if that’s what you need from your phone. Overall, the V19 Neo is a winner in looks and performance.

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Best of Personal Computing The Gaming-Line

Words by Gabriel Pe

O

ver the past year, the Gadgets team has tested, covered, and talked about some of the biggest launches of laptops, desktop, all-in-ones, and tablets.

The latter half of 2019, and the early half of 2020 have given us some of the biggest leaps in computing whether in the budget range, gaming, and even in tablets, here we list some of what we think were standouts among the rest.

Let’s start with my personal favorite category, Gaming. For the past year, gaming laptops have seen a massive improvement in their power output thanks to the arrival of a new generation of discrete graphics and a new generation of mobile processors.

Best Gaming Laptop

Best Budget Option/s

Surprise of the year

Let me start things off by saying that the Asus ROG line has still some of the best gaming laptops out there in the market. The Best Gaming Laptop was a toss-up between the AMD-powered Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 and the dual-screened Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo 15. Ultimately, the productivity offered by the ROG ScreenPad+ tipped the scale towards the latter, but performance-wise you’d be sure to get the same power from the 4th Gen Ryzen processor on the G14 as with the Zephyrus Duo 15. The Asus Zephyrus Duo 15 can have up to an Intel Core i9-10980HK processor and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Super graphics card, 32GB of RAM and two 1TB PCIe SSDs in RAID 0 config so power isn’t lacking despite its ultra-slim body.

The Zephyrus Duo 15 screen was also made for hardcore gaming, it has a 15-inch FHD IPS panel with a 300Hz refresh rate.

I’m sorry everyone, there’s no getting away from this as much as I wanted to avoid any ties, these two are just too good not to mention. The Acer Nitro 5 has been the king when it come’s to gaming on a budget. Over the years, the Nitro 5 has constantly produced great specs for what I would consider a balanced price. The Lenovo Ideapad Gaming 3, meanwhile is the successor of the Lenovo Ideapad Gaming L340, a great budget gaming laptop from the previous year. These two laptops share a lot of similar specs, both have an AMD Ryzen 4th Gen option or up to an Intel Core i7 10th gen processor, up to an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 Ti graphics card, 15.6-inch screens with up to 120Hz refresh rate, and customizable memory and storage options all while staying on the PHP 50,000 to PHP 60,000 price range. Whichever you choose, I’m sure you won’t be disappointed.

When the Lenovo Legion Y740 came to our office last year, I was skeptical of the laptop. It was under the radar for last year’s best gaming laptop, since it offered no special features except the additional macro keys on the left side of the keyboard. But the simplicity, the design, and the especially the specs made the skeptic in me a believer.

The laptop turned out to be a great companion for gaming with its RTX 2060 graphics and a workhorse thanks to the Intel Core i7 processor.

The keyboard does need getting a used to but once you get the hang of it you can be on your way. The success of the Lenovo Legion Y740 makes me excited for Lenovo’s upcoming flagship gaming laptop the Lenovo Legion 7i.

Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo

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Acer Nitro 5/ Lenovo Ideapad Gaming 3

Lenovo Legion Y740

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Non-Gaming Laptop

Best Convertible HP Spectre x360

Now for my second favorite laptop segment, the nongaming laptops. While I do love some gaming prowess in my computers, I also have a thing for productivity tools for professionals especially the thin and lights which are god sent if you’re always on the go.

Best Productivity Partner

Most Unique Laptop

When the Zenbook Pro Duo was launched last year, it was a game-changer for laptops. It was the first laptop to feature a secondary screen on top of the keyboard which in theory boosted the multitasking capability of the laptop. Trying it out, albeit briefly, I saw why the Zenbook Pro Duo was the perfect companion for the multi-taskers, pinning a program on the secondary screen lets you do more. Looking at the ScreenPad Plus felt natural, as if it was meant to be there.

Matching the multitasking capability is the laptop’s specs running up to a 9th gen Intel Core i9 processor and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 graphics mated to 32GB of RAM and 1TB of PCIe 3x4 SSD

The Acer ConceptD 3 Ezel takes home the most unique design for a laptop thanks to its revolutionary Ezel hinge. The ConceptD 3 Ezel is made for animators, artists, and designers with the Ezel hinge giving the device a six usage mode two more than the usual convertible. These extra modes allow artists to comfortably draw on the laptop without the fear of mashing the keyboard on their desks. The ConceptD 3 Ezel has the specs to back it up with a 10th gen Intel Core i7 processor or either an Nvidia Quadro T1000 or an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 Ti graphics perfect for graphic intensive work.

Asus Zenbook Pro Duo

The HP Spectre x360 (2020) hands-down is the year’s best convertible laptop. Trying out the device, you could easily see how HP made sure that the device feels premium.

The HP Spectre x360 can have up to an Intel Core i7 10th gen processor with the latest Intel Iris Plus graphics so you could still use power-intensive tasks such as Adobe Premier. HP has included a Wacom certified stylus with the Spectre x360 which was pretty handy especially in our line of work.

Tablets Best iOS Tablet Apple iPad Pro 2020

You knew this was coming, didn’t you?

The newest Apple iPad Pro remains the perfect laptop replacement if you’re an iOS user. The newest iPad Pro has Apple’s A12Z Bionic chipset is one of the fastest mobile processors out there sporting 8-cores of graphic processing that’s even able to edit 4K videos. The new iPad OS also makes the iPad Pro a force to be reckon with making the iPad a workhorse, optimizing multitasking. Did we mention that the new Magic Keyboard now also has a trackpad that adds a cursor to the iPad?

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Acer ConceptD 3 Ezel

The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically changed personal computing and entertainment, as such a tablet may be the next best thing if you don’t really need an ultra-powerful device.

Best Pro- Android Tablet Samsung Galaxy Tab S7

The iPad Pro 2020 might be the current leader, the arrival of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 might just end its reign. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 is powered by the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 865+ processor, the current flagship processor for smartphones.

The greatest thing about the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 is the new Samsung DeX. Samsung DeX turns your Samsung device into a computer simply but attaching it to a monitor, but the new DeX on the Tab S7 removes the need for monitors completely so you can enter DeX mode directly on the Tablet.

The Tab S7 screen also has 120 Hz refresh rate pair that with the new S Pen AI algorithm and you’ll have the new S Pen which now has a mere 9ms latency almost impossible to stop by the naked eye.

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Best of Home Appliances

Words by Maribelle Alba

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ith an extended staycation imposed on us by the various levels of community quarantines, the past six months have probably been the most time we have ever spent at home. Home is now certainly the center of our world, and we’re beginning to see the need for home appliances that can make our quarantined lives easier, more convenient, and more enjoyable. Here’s a round-up of some of the best home essentials.

KITCHEN ESSENTIALS Panasonic 6-Door Refrigerator This particular 20.7-cu. ft. Panasonic refrigerator (NR-F603GT-XP) has been in the market for some years, but it is still probably one of the best in terms of features and specifications. First, the 6-door design divides the unit into zones to address specific cooling needs, like the soft freeze compartment that keeps meat and fish fresh for 7 days without the need to defrost. Moisture control filters in the lowermost vegetable compartment

keep produce fresher longer. The separate, drawer-type freezer compartment has multi-level drawers to keep frozen food neatly organized. The double-door upper chiller can be configured to accommodate containers of various shapes and sizes. It carries the distinction of being “Made in Japan” and carries a 12-year guarantee for its inverter compressor.

La Germania Induction Cooker With the extended home stay, many of us are spending more time in the kitchen, channeling our inner chefs. But sweating in front of a hot range is now passe, with induction cookers that are flameless, stylish, and easy to use.

The La Germania PF 702iS is a 2-zone (L=2000W, R=2600W) induction hob with sensor touch frontal controls. Each zone has variable 9-stage power

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setting for precise cooking temperature.

Induction cookers use electromagnetic technology to directly heat the pan and the hob remains cool when there is no cookware on top, thus protecting against burns. There’s also a child safety lock to avoid accidents, while residual heat indicators remind you not to touch hot cooking zones. Last, but not least, its black ceramic glass top is a breeze to clean.

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CLEANING ESSENTIALS XTREME Front Load Combo Washer & Dryer Granted, our street clothes are not seeing much use, but the lounge wear is still piling up in the laundry basket. If you prefer to keep safe by doing wash-days at home, a combo washer-dryer is a practical solution.

unit, so you can wash and dry clothes all in one go. There are 14 built-in programs to match your various laundry requirements and its inverter brushless DC motor saves up to 70% of energy.

Xtreme Appliances recently introduced a 10kg washer with a 7kg dryer in a single

Dyson V11 Vacuum Cleaner Another dreary chore that we’d all love to zip through is cleaning all the nooks and crannies of dust and other unwanted objects.

The Dyson V11 line of vacuum cleaners has a powerful suction that gathers up all the minute particles, filtering out 99.99% of dust

and bacteria. The accompanying brushes and attachments let you clean even those hard-to-reach corners, while wireless charging means you don’t need to navigate around cords when doing your chores.

COMFORT ESSENTIALS Sharp AH-XP15VF Keeping cool is essential for staying comfortable at home, and Sharp’s premium split-type inverter aircon is packed with great features that make it smart as well as energy efficient. It not only cools the room to as low as 14oC, it also has a jet mode that lowers room temperature by 5o in just 5 minutes.

Plasmacluster ion technology purifies the air and suppresses airborne microbes and viruses, a great add-on given the pandemic conditions. It also has a

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self-clean system that keeps the aircon interior and, ultimately, the air you breathe clean.

Plus, it has Sharp’s AIoT (artificial intelligence - internet of things) so you can observe the room temperature and humidity, and control the aircon from your mobile device. It claims 65% energy savings with its J-Tech inverter and eco mode function.

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Words by Gabriel Pe

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s we continue the countdown of some of the best gadgets from the year, we now look at some of the best cameras. From the very powerful shooters made for professionals to the instant cameras for the casual snapper, here’s a roundup of our choices.

BEST PROFEssional shooter

Canon eos-1dx mark iii The Canon EOS-1DX Mark III is made for the professional shooter. It is equipped with a 20.1-megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor and the new DIGIC X image processor. The EOS-1DX Mark III also has one of the fastest burst shooting for a DSLR, capable of up to 16fps in viewfinder and 20fps in live view with the 191 AF points making sure that the burst images come out sharp. Some reasons why the EOS-1DX Mark III was over the EOS R5 can be attributed to the technical aspects of a DSLR such as the faster mechanical shutter speed, the much more sensitive sensor, and the higher extended ISO. However, if you want a lighter camera the EOS R5 is definitely the alternative.

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BEST Video shooter

BEST lifestyle camera

BEST in looks

Canon EOS R5

FUJIFILM X-A7

FUJIFILM X-PRO3

Make no mistake, the Canon EOS R5 can easily be the best shooter in Canon’s portfolio, it has the DIGIC X processor, the new Dual Pixel CMOS AF II which easily locks on your subjects at blazing speeds, and a 45-megapixel CMOS sensor which captures great and sharp images. What makes the EOS R5 unique, aside from being a mirrorless camera, is its 8K video recording.

Undoubtedly, the EOS R5 is Canon’s answer to the professionals who need both great images and ultra-high-resolution videos.

Cameras nowadays don’t appeal to the broader audience like they used to. Smartphone cameras have taken over the lifestyle segment, with portability being the greatest factor. However, there is still a place for a great camera that captures your every moment and then some, like the Fujifilm X-A7. The camera has a 24.2-megapixel APS-C CMOS Sensor which captures great images and has the capability to shoot 4K videos at 30 fps. What makes the Fujifilm X-A7 a great camera companion is it’s film simulation modes which make your photos extra special and trendy.

Rangefinders are among the most beautiful pieces of camera hardware in the world, and Fujifilm just knows how to make them all while fitting in the latest camera technology.

The Fujifilm X-Pro3 and the Fujifilm X100V have the signature rangefinder looks paired with the camera giant’s latest technology.

Both cameras have a 26.1-megapixel X-Trans CMOS sensor and the fourth generation Fujifilm X-Processor image processor. While the Fujifilm X100V is a great fixed lens rangefinder for shutterbugs, the versatility of the interchangeable lens makes the Fujifilm X-Pro3 the winner here. Whichever you choose though, you’ll still end up with a gorgeous looking camera.

BEST instant camera

BEST budget drone

BEST action camera

FUJIFILM INSTAX MINI 11

GOPRO HERO 8 BLACK

DJI MAVIC MINI

Fujifilm’s Instax mini 11 remains a top choice when it comes to instant cameras. The new Instax has a new high-performance flash which automatically calculates surrounding brightness and adjusts the camera’s shutter speed accordingly, giving you the leisure of simply pressing the shutter button. Selfies are also better with the new selfie mode.

Films are easily available thanks to the many authorized film sellers.

The GoPro Hero8 Black is definitely a great choice if you’re looking for a great action camera. The Hero 8 Black’s HyperSmooth 2.0 stabilization makes it the choice for any thrill-seeker who want to capture the action. The GoPro Hero 8 offers great video quality shooting up to 4K with 60 fps, great stills with its 12-megapixel camera, and easy to use features via voice controls and the GoPro App. The new GoPro Hero 8 Black is also the first GoPro camera to introduce “mod” accessories. The Display mod adds a front-facing display to the Hero 8 Black, great for vloggers who now can see themselves as they shoot. The media mod equips the camera with a multi-directional microphone to help boost the sound of your videos.

When it comes to drones, DJI is a safe bet with its great build quality, great image quality, and great video quality. So if you want a beginner drone or just a great drone without breaking the bank, the new DJI Mavic Mini is a great and safe choice. The Mavic Mini can shoot 2.7K footages at 30fps and 1080p footages at 60fps. The Mavic Mini produces great 12-megapixel images while the 3-axis motorized gimbal ensures that the videos are smooth and images are sharp. The Mavic Mini is lightweight coming in at only 249 grams and can easily be controlled by anyone via the dedicated controller.

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PHOTO FEATURE

Tech Master� pieces Twenty years is a long time to be in this business, but we’re still amazed at the kind of tech manufacturers keep rolling out. While the year isn’t quite over yet, here are some of the devices that have caught our eye.

Lenovo Legion 7 15IMH05 36

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A perfect combination of performance and looks, the Lenovo Legion 7 15IMH05 is everything you want in a gaming laptop. WIth the latest CPU and GPU, redesigned cooling, and an amazing 240Hz display, this is what you need if you’re looking for the best.

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Realme 6 Pro A stunning design, huge screen, and features that punch well above its price point make the realme 6 Pro a solid choice for anyone looking for powerhouse features at a great price.

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Oppo Watch

Smart technology right at your wrist: that’s what the Oppo Watch delivers. With a gorgeous 1.91-inch touchscreen display, and all the smart sensors you need to make the most of your day, it’s what you’ll want by your side whether it’s for work or play.

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HP Smart Tank 515

The HP Smart Tank 515 delivers ink tank refillability, multi-function convenience, and wireless performance that’s backed by HP’s solid reputation in printing technology. Whether for the home or office, the Smart Tank 515 is a perfect match.

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Learn-from-home printing needs?

Here’s why you should invest in HP Smart Tank printer

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owadays, there is one great reason for parents to invest in personal computers and household printers—learn from home.

And while there may be a lot of brands and products in the market to choose from, HP gives moms and dads the best reasons why they should pick the HP Smart Tank printers.

Reason 1: Print, copy, scan features The HP Smart Tank 515 wireless and Smart Tank 500 offer versatility with their printer, copier and scanner functions. This makes them ideal tools, along with a computer, to help enhance the children’s online learning. With the all-in-one printers, they can easily print everyday worksheets, copy manuals, and scan finished home works on an A4-sized flatbed scanner for sharing online.

Reason 2: Prints up to 8,000 colored or 6,000 black pages With their high-capacity integrated ink tank system, the HP Smart Tank 515 and Smart Tank 500 can continuously print 8,000 colored pages or 6,000 black pages, making them high-volume, low-cost printers that are perfect for budget-conscious parents and students who need to print volumes of research paper. The transparent ink tank can easily be monitored and refilled, even by older kids, using spill-free, resealable ink bottles.

Reason 3: Affordable ink bottles The HP Smart Tank 515 or Smart Tank 500 uses a set of Original HP inks— Cyan, Magenta, Yellow.

These come in bottles priced at P275 each while the GT53XL Original HP Black ink bottle is priced at P330. The individual inks enable users to simply buy whatever color they need.

Reason 4: 2-year home service warranty To ensure the Smart Tank printers will continue to provide learn-from-home printing essentials, they have a 2-year onsite warranty that enables users to get a “good as new” unit delivered to their homes to replace printers which have unresolved problems.

The coverage usually lasts for two (2) years or until the unit has printed 30,000 pages, whichever comes first. Customers can report printer problems thru HP Ink Tank Service hotline numbers 1-800-1441-0094 (toll-free), +63917-1394357 (SMS/Viber), or +632-8395-3329 (contact center).

Reason 5: Replaceable print heads In the long run, choosing the HP Smart Tank 515 and Smart Tank 500 will allow parents to save on printer repair and replacement costs, as damaged print heads can be replaced with original HP print heads that can be easily installed using a step-bystep process. The print heads are available at HP authorized resellers and Service Centers nationwide.

Reason 6: Print and scan anywhere, anytime Using the mobile printing feature of the HP Smart Tank 515, users can access the printer

through the HP Smart app installed in their smartphones and tablets, to print almost anything, from anywhere, at any time; send prints on the go; and share documents and images directly from their mobile devices.

This is ideal for mobile parents who need to help their kids with assignments and projects.

Reason 7: Order ink bottles online easily By choosing HP Smart Tank 515 or Smart Tank 500, one can also avail of exclusive HP services such as fast and convenient ordering of print supplies online. Getting Original HP inks at the HP Lazada flagship store also entitles buyers to free deliveries within Metro Manila and other selected areas.

Reason 8: Get exclusive promotions from Lazada, Shopee and retail stores The HP Smart Tank 515 AIO printer is available for P9,295 while the HP Smart Tank 500 is available for only P7,950 at the HP Lazada and Shopee online stores and all authorized HP resellers nationwide.

THE LATEST IN-CAR TECHNOLOGY Now in the Philippines Words by Arnel Doria

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lmost four decades ago, in 1983, the then vibrant local automotive industry took a deep hiatus as political and social instability brought the economy on the verge of a meltdown. Under a new government, the industry reawakened in 1987, with the signing of a new Car Development Program sparking optimism from both car makers and car buyers.

Then, new models with 16-valve engines were snapped up by the hungry market and, soon, carburetor engines were being replaced by more advanced fuel-sipping CPUs that controlled engine management.

We’ve come a long way from those bygone days.

In the 2018 GADGETS Magazine Mobility issue, we listed the top innovations being introduced in the latest generation of vehicles globally. It is very exciting to note that some of those technologies we listed in 2018 have made their way to the Philippines.

Let’s take a closer look at the automotive technologies that Filipino motorists can now enjoy in the vehicles being offered in the local market.

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TOYOTA SAFETY SENSE: Humans and machines For leading mobility company Toyota, safety features are just as essential to the car as any other advanced functional technologies. In addition to the passive safety features which we are already familiar with (impact absorbing structure, seatbelts, and airbags), Toyota Safety Sense (TSS) incorporates active safety features which identify factors that may cause accidents and aid the driver in eliminating these factors. Some of the features available under TSS are:

• Pre-collision System (PCS) –Upon detection of a possibility of collision using various sensors, the driver will be warned with beeps and visual warnings. When the possibility of a collision is higher and the driver has already applied the brakes, the brake assist system will input additional pressure to the brakes as needed. When an even greater possibility of collision is detected and the driver did not apply brakes, automatic brakes will be activated to prevent the collision.

• Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) - When cruise control is activated, the vehicle runs at a constant preset speed and will adjust within the set cruise speed upon detection of another vehicle in front to maintain appropriate distance.

• Lane Departure Alert (LDA) – LDA detects driving lanes and alerts the driver when the vehicle departs from its designated lane. This feature operates at a vehicle speed of more than 50kph, with a road width of approximately 3.0m.

• Automatic High Beam (AHB) – When the headlight’s high beam setting is in use, the system automatically switches to low beam upon detection of vehicles at a certain distance in front or incoming vehicles on the opposite lane. The system will return to the high beam setting once the vehicle in front is at an appropriate distance or the incoming vehicle has passed.

TSS is featured in the newly introduced Corolla Cross, as well as the popular Hiace Super Grandia Elite, Corolla Altis 1.8 HV, Alphard, and Prius.

FORD TECHNOLOGIES: Safe and smart Co-Pilot360 is Ford’s most advanced suite of standard driver-assist technologies aimed at helping people move safely and confidently— today and tomorrow.

• Pre-collision assist with pedestrian detection – The Co-Pilot360 uses automatic emergency braking to help drivers avoid collisions with other vehicles or pedestrians who might accidentally cross the vehicle’s path. When a potential collision is detected, a warning flashes and an alert sounds off, and if the driver’s response is not sufficient, the system can automatically apply the brakes to minimize a frontal collision.

• Blind spot information system, or BLIS, uses radar to identify a vehicle entering the blind spot and alerts the driver with an indicator light in the side-view mirror. Cross-traffic alert warns drivers of traffic behind when backing out of a parking spot or driveway.

• Lane keeping system – It alerts the driver through steering wheel vibration when the vehicle drifts close to lane markings. It provides steering torque to steer back toward the center

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of the lane. Using a forward camera, it monitors the driving pattern and gives out visual and audio warnings when it detects low vigilance level.

The Ford F-150 features the Co-Pilot360 together with Auto-High Beam Headlamps.

It is also featured in the all-new Ford Territory Titanium+ variant together with Active Park Assist (parallel and perpendicular parking), 360o View Monitor, Adaptive Cruise Control with Forward Collision Warning, and Autonomous Emergency Braking.

SYNC® 3 is Ford’s fully-integrated, voiceactivated communications, entertainment, and information system, enabling the driver to stay connected while keeping the eyes on the road and hands on the wheel.

The color touchscreen conveniently displays the most-used features with easy-to-read text and icons, right on the home screen. From a light tap, to swiping and pinching for some features, the screen responds with impressive speed. Most Ford vehicles are equipped with the SYNC® 3.

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HYUNDAI: An electric outlook Hyundai leads in bringing fully-electric and hybrid vehicles to the local market. It introduced the Ioniq hybrid as early as 2018 and the Ioniq Electric a year later. Hyundai offers the Ioniq in the world market as hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and full-electric variants. Ioniq was recently launched as a brand dedicated to battery electric vehicles with the aim of becoming an industry leader in EV by 2025.

In 2019, the Kona Electric became the first commercially-available, full-electric vehicle in the country. Worldwide, the crossover KONA was recognized as the Best EV by the highly-respected 2019 Wards Auto Competition, the 2019 Edmunds Editor’s Choice Awards, the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, and Car and Driver.

In August 13, 2020, three factory-spec Kona Electric vehicles exceeded the 1,000-km range in a single charge during a 3-day test drive in Northeastern Germany; and a new range record was established at 1,026 kilometers.

MERCEDES-BENZ: The future of infotainment MBUX, for short, is an innovative system that includes a combination of touchscreen, touchpad, and touchcontrol technology that allow drivers to interact with vehicle systems intuitively, in a distraction-free environment.

• Voice-Powered System – MBUX responds to voice commands similar to Siri or Alexa. “Hey Mercedes” will power on the system. Then simply continue with your request. The voice prompts are pretty intuitive. Like smartphones, the system remembers the user’s pattern and becomes even more responsive over time.

• Customizable Settings – the display is adjustable by moving, shrinking, or enlarging to one’s taste; pretty much like your favorite smart device.

• Connectivity Features – it offers smartphone integration with both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility.

MBUX is available in the Mercedes-Benz A-Class, CLA, GLB, GLC and GLE— currently available in other regions and something to look forward to in the Philippine market.

HONDA SENSING: A collision-free society Honda puts a high premium on safety through a package of technologies collectively called Honda Sensing, aimed at helping create a collision-free society.

Honda Sensing is an alphabet soup of six driver assistive features: Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) with Low Speed Follow (LSF), Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS), Lane Keep Assist System (LKAS), Road Departure Mitigation (RDM), Forward Collision Warning (FCW), and Lane Departure Warning (LDW). Using a Monocular Camera and a Millimeter Wave Radar, it allows the driver to respond to dangerous driving situations to avoid possible collision or mitigate the severity of the accident that may occur.

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SUZUKI: 4WD technology Since the development of its first 4WD model in the 70’s, Suzuki has been able to refine its 4WD technology through 50 years of experience. The result is the ALLGRIP 4WD that provides even more confidence, satisfaction, and a broader horizon for all users.

• Auto Gear Shift (AGS) – AGS is an automated manual transmission with Intelligent Shift Control Actuator that automatically operates the shift and clutch. This results in ease of driving and a direct drive feel, along with low fuel consumption. It differs from AT and CVT in the way it transfers engine power more directly with a short delay when shifting like a normal MT. It is now offered with the Suzuki Dzire GL+.

• All Grip Pro – offers high off-road ability with its part-time four-wheel drive system with reduction gear. It meets the driving performance required by professionals to instantly respond and maneuver through difficult terrain.

All Grip Pro is featured in the Suzuki Jimny where its full benefit is experienced because

of Jimny’s rigid ladder frame body construction, rigid axle with 3-link suspension to support strong traction in uneven terrain, and ample approach (37o), ramp breakover (28o) and departure (49o) angles. The part-time 4WD allows switching between 4WD for optimal off-road performance, and 2WD for better fuel economy and enhanced cornering on paved roads. Its 4WD low range transfer gear provides extra torque in the 4L mode for rough terrain.

• All Grip Select - comes in four drive modes (Auto, Sport, Snow, and Lock) to choose from depending on the road surface conditions and driving scenarios. The four modes vary by controlling the 4WD system, engine, brake, power steering, and transmission in line with vehicle behavior and driving situation. The system is installed in the popular Suzuki Vitara.

Lane Departure Warning which gives out audible and visual warning that activates when the vehicle drifts from its lane is also incorporated in the Nissan Terra, while Hill Start Assist and Hill Descent Control is added in the Nissan Navara for a more confident drive on any terrain. The advanced audio display in the Terra and Navara provides easy access to the NIM features.

The Nissan Leaf, the brand’s icon of NIM technology, is coming soon to the Philippine market.

NISSAN: Intelligent mobility Nissan Intelligent Mobility (NIM) reflects Nissan’s vision of creating a safer, smarter, and more sustainable driving experience for everyone.

It gives the driver the ability to see more and sense more on the road, for a more intuitive and convenient drive.

It embodies driver assistance technologies such as the Intelligent Around View Monitor which gives drivers a 360-degree bird’s eyes view of their surroundings, Moving Object Detection, Blind Spot Warning , Rear Cross Traffic Alert which provides audible and visual warnings for objects in the blind spot or in the rear, Forward Emergency Braking and Forward Collision Warning which sends audible and visual warnings for signs of impending collision and automatically activates the emergency brake if it goes unnoticed.

Most of the NIM technologies are already available in the local Nissan vehicle lineup. The Nissan X-Trail carries the most complete lineup of intelligent driving technologies. Nissan Intelligent Mobility features are also present in the Nissan Patrol, Nissan Terra, and Nissan Navara.

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Amidst the sea of driver-assist technologies, the driver has ultimate responsibility for operating the vehicle and safeguarding its passengers. These technologies function under certain driving and road conditions, and should only serve as support to the driver.

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BEST OF

MOTORCYCLES Words by Ren Alcantara

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he past year has had its share of great motorcycle launches, and while we can’t quite go out riding the way we used to yet, the market is rife with options for when we can finally get out there. We’re taking a quick look at some of the best bikes you can get your hands on right now, so you can plan your next two-wheeled adventure.

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yamaha xsr155

Regardless of your feelings on the style, you have to agree that Yamaha knew what they were doing when they designed this bike. Borrowing heavily from the XSR 900’s sport heritage look with strong cafe racer vibes, the 155 might be the most practical XSR in the line for Metro riding.

LED lights and an LCD gauge cluster give it a modern feel, while the classic seat styling, oldschool tank, and heritage design details give it that unmistakably classic look.

Its solid single cylinder, liquid-cooled, 155cc engine gives it reliability and power, and the 6-speed manual transmission with slipper clutch lets you downshift with no worries. The deltabox frame, upside-down forks, and aluminum swing arm all come together to give you a bike that rides just as good as it looks.

Honda airblade 150

On the market for a scooter that’s more on the edgy side? Take a look at Honda’s AirBlade 150.

The scooter is a zippy 150cc liquid-cooled, fourstroke single with Honda’s special sauce, notably their PGM-FI system, and the ACG starter. The scoot delivers a maximum of 12.9hp and 13.3Nm of torque, comes with ABS, a side-stand switch, and a massive 22.7liter utility box, making it the perfect candidate for a city scoot. Additional conveniences include a fuel fill cap that lets you top up without having to lift the seat, a USB outlet, and a smart key system for keyless ignition.

The styling is also top-notch, with lines that give it a toned-down X-ADV look that’s as great to see as it is to be seen on. Overall, it’s a neat little scooter that looks great, has the performance to back it up, and a great match for city roads. www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

suzuki raider j crossover

The Raider J Crossover is an interesting bike. With dimensions and features that make it a fit for the riding conditions in the Philippines, it’s a vehicle that’s built with the Filipino rider in mind. With spoked wheels and a generous 156mm of road clearance, it’s made to be able to handle bad city roads, as well as the kind of rough, unpaved roads one might encounter away from the cities.

A seat height of 775mm is comfortable even for shorter riders, and a narrow, elevated seat puts you in a comfortable position with space to move. Double tube rear suspension absorbs the bumps well, and the 113cc fuel-injected electric and kick starter engine gives you reliability and a great balance between power and fuel economy.

ktm duke 790

The KTM Duke 790 is a monster of a bike. With the great street carving characteristics of the Duke series and a massive 790cc, liquid-cooled thumper that can hold its own against liter bikes.

There’s also a lot of tech in this bike. With features such as a full-color TFT display for all your bike information, a four-way adjustable handlebar, and even track mode for smile-inducing launches and performance, this bike is everything you could ever want, condensed into a single-cylinder bike.

With maximum output of 103hp and 87Nm of torque, as well as a quickshift-enhanced 6-speed gearbox, you’ll have a whole lot of motorcycle to play with. What really makes the Duke 790 great though, is that it’s now also proudly made in KTM’s Laguna plant.

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47

MOBILITY

Here’s how the Nissan logo was redesigned to signal a fresh horizon in the digital world

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e are more connected than ever before. People are growing up with the access to knowledge and the potential for interaction that the internet offers.

Our lives are as much digital as they are physical. Hence strong brands need to have effective touchpoints in both realms.

For the past 20 years, Nissan’s outgoing logo has been a beacon on its vehicles and so much more. It has served as an identity, a business card, a handshake, and the first greeting between customers and the driving excitement that Nissan vehicles provide. For decades more, Nissan’s logo has stayed true to a belief held by its founder Yoshisuke Aikawa, “Shisei tenjitsu o tsuranuku,” which he interpreted to mean, “If you have a strong belief, it penetrates even the sun.”

While keeping this essence alive, Nissan’s new “calling card” reflects the significant changes in society over the last two decades. It is a reimagination of the iconic Nissan brand logo for a new chapter.

Nissan’s new logo comes alive as it pivots to the future while staying proudly connected to its rich heritage, and tradition of innovation. The company name remains at the center of the logo, communicating an instantly recognizable brand that evokes past milestones and memories while also conveying evolution.

The design process The journey began in the summer of 2017, when Alfonso Albaisa, Nissan’s senior vice president of global design, began to study potential changes to Nissan’s logo and brand identity. He set up a design team led by Tsutomu Matsuo, deputy general manager of Nissan’s advanced design department, to study everything from a subtle evolution to a complete reinvention. Albaisa offered the keywords “thin, light and flexible,” and set Matsuo and his team on their journey.

“Inspiration was drawn from breakthroughs in science, technology and connectivity. How these have brought fundamental changes to our customers,” said Albaisa. “As you can imagine, visions of digitalization started swirling in our heads.”

Over the next two years, the team sketched and plotted several iterations, always keeping Aikawa’s directive words in mind: “be passionate, be an innovator, be a challenger.”

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The team needed to consider several variables, including an early decision for the logo to be illuminated on upcoming all-electric models. This presented technical challenges, such as gauging the thickness of the logo’s outline to ensure a crisp impression when lit, and, of course, compliance with government regulations for illuminated elements on cars. The logo also needed to make a strong impression when not illuminated, such as when it appeared digitally or on paper.

Reaching customers with an impactful presence

No matter the medium, this new logo needed to unequivocally stand for Nissan, and do so with impact.

This will be followed by the new logo being incorporated across mediums; from letterhead and dealership signs to social media and digital advertising. One of four iterations will allow the new logo to flexibly accommodate varying communication points.

After countless sketches and several mock-ups, the result was a logo with a two-dimensional impression. Looking more designed than manufactured, it has the flexibility to live in multiple worlds. The process started in 3-D and then developed in 2-D – the illuminated brand badge was drafted first, pulling the illuminated area out to represent the brand in 2-D form.

The overall effect of the redesign is a transition from a hard-edged, industrial feel to a refined, familiar and digital-friendly look. It signals the evolution of Nissan as not only a traditional vehicle manufacturer to a provider of mobility and services.

“The new Nissan logo communicates our guiding message, carried over from past iterations: If you have a strong, determined belief, it can even penetrate the sun,” said Matsuo. “At Nissan, this strong belief in the power of achievement has never wavered and can be seen in our pioneering efforts in electrification, driver assistance and digital connectivity. Our logo has to convey all of this in just a glance, to show our commitment to our customers, employees and society.”

The new logo will begin appearing in July, both in digital and physical forms. Nissan’s electric vehicles will feature an exclusive illuminated logo lit by 20 LEDs (corresponding to the number of years between logo redesigns), a prominent visual reminder that Nissan is driving towards an electrified future.

Notably, in certain digital and video applications the logo will actually “come alive” as it shifts and pulsates against a variety of backgrounds, allowing the logo to reflect today’s ever-changing environment and the flexibility needed to remain exciting, relevant and intriguing.

The recently unveiled Nissan Ariya, the first crossover EV for the brand, is the first car to be emblazoned with the new logo. As the new icon of Nissan Intelligent Mobility— designed to fully embody the three pillars of Intelligent Driving, Intelligent Power, and Intelligent Integration— the Ariya is not only fitting, but was also a key influence on the tailoring of the logo.

“The Nissan Ariya is our latest electrified vehicle, packed with advanced technology,” said Albaisa.

“It’s the perfect platform for this new logo.”

Additional vehicles will sport the new logo in the coming years as the new chapter of Nissan evolves. www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

F

ord Philippines has launched the all-new Ford Territory, a Fordengineered and designed SUV which combines a sleek and stylish look, impressive performance, and smart and safe technologies that will offer a new driving experience to young professionals and starting families.

Ford PH boosts SUV portfolio with All-New Ford Territory; price starts at PHP 1.179M

Developed by Ford Motor Company and its joint venture partner Jiangling Motors Corporation, the Ford Territory brings to life the Ford DNA in its design, engineering, and capability, following Ford’s highest global quality standards.

“The Ford Territory will boost our growing SUV lineup as a new product born out of Ford’s longstanding heritage and expertise in the utility segment,” says PK Umashankar, president and managing director, Ford Philippines. “We are confident that the Ford Territory will offer a new driving experience to Filipino customers as a modern, spacious and technologically-advanced SUV that delivers great value.”

Ford Philippines is offering the Ford Territory in Titanium+ and Trend variants, with a host of features and driver-assist technologies standard in both variants.

Ford DNA Ford was deeply involved, through its Ford Design Studio in Melbourne, Australia, in the development of the Ford Territory’s contemporary appearance and look. The Ford DNA is evident in the exterior and interior, following the same design principles of Ford SUVs. The Ford Territory has also been rigorously tested in its ride, handling and NVH (noise, vibration and harshness) levels at Ford’s testing centers in Nanjing, China and at the Geelong Proving Grounds in Melbourne, Australia to ensure it meets Ford’s stringent engineering and quality standards. These tests also gave the Ford Territory a finely-tuned Ford suspension, which is set for exceptional ride comfort and refinement.

Meanwhile, the Ford Territory’s engine was closely designed with Ford engineers in Europe to further develop the EcoBoost concept, giving it great power and efficiency, along with lower maintenance requirements and costs.

Proven performance Powering the Ford Territory is a 1.5L EcoBoost engine mated to a CVT transmission with Sport mode that delivers 143ps and 225Nm of torque, balancing power and fuel efficiency. With this powertrain, customers can enjoy lower service maintenance costs with a once-a-year scheduled service interval for a better ownership experience.

Functional design, inside out The Ford Territory boasts of an urban-ready design that easily stands out on the road. Standard across both variants are LED headlamps, LED daytime running lamps, LED tail lamps, auto on/off headlamps with follow me home feature, front and rear fog lamps, panoramic moonroof, rear spoiler, and roof rails. www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

Inside, the Ford Territory offers a premium and refined experience with perforated leather seat material, smart keyless entry with push button start, leather steering wheel with mounted controls, power door lock with central locking, speed sensing door locks, rear view mirror with autodimming and high-mount USB port, leather-covered center console with dual-lid opening, sunglass holder, 7 cup and bottle holders, and 12-volt power outlet that come standard in both variants.

Exclusive on the Titanium+ variant are 18” alloy wheels, gloss black with chrome inserts on the front grille, rain-sensing front windshield wipers, power folding mirrors, puddle lamps, and chrome exterior door handles.

Its interior, on the other hand, features heated and cooled front seats, a 10-inch fully-digital display instrument cluster with 3 selectable themes (normal, sport, and fashion), tilt and telescopic steering wheel adjustment, power windows with one touch up/down function on all windows, as well as ambient lighting with seven (7) color options that complement every mood.

Smart and safe technologies The Ford Territory is equipped with a selection of smart features that elevate the experience behind the wheel. Standard for both variants are the in-vehicle infotainment display powered by a 10-inch touchscreen with adjustable quad view, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, four USB ports and multiple speakers (8 for the Titanium+ variant and 6 for the Trend variant). Wireless charging comes exclusive to the Titanium+ variant.

Ford’s newest SUV also offers maximum safety for both drivers and passengers with the Ford

Co-Pilot360, a suite of driver-assist technologies available in the Titanium+ variant that include active park assist with parallel-parking and the segment-first perpendicular parking, 360 degree around view monitor, adaptive cruise control with forward collision warning, autonomous emergency braking, blind spot information system and lane departure warning.

Available driver-assist technologies standard in both variants are electronic stability control including abs, ebd and traction control, hill launch assist, 6 airbags, rear parking sensors (front and rear parking sensors available on the Titanium+ variant), and tire pressure monitoring system with individual tire pressure display. Both variants are also equipped with high mount stop lamp and child seat ISOFIX anchorage points.

Availability and pricing The Ford Territory comes in six colors, including ruby red, diffused silver, and panther black for both variants, star white for the Trend variant, and crystal pearl white and moonstone blue for the Titanium+ variant.

It will be available in Ford dealerships nationwide at an introductory price of PHP 1,179,000 for the Trend variant and PHP 1,299,000 for the Titanium+ variant. As a launch offer, all customers purchasing the Ford Territory from August 14 to September 15, 2020 will get a free 3-year scheduled service plan (SSP) for a worry-free ownership experience.

To know more about the all-new Ford Territory, visit www.ford.com.ph/suvs/territory or the nearest Ford dealership.

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Mercedes-Benz premieres the all-new GLB 7-seater compact SUV

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he highly anticipated compact SUV officially premieres in the Philippines, the all-new GLB. On a virtual launch held at Facebook Live on August 15, 2020, the newest member of the SUV family of Mercedes-Benz was unveiled.

It marks the 8th model in the German luxury automaker’s success story of MFA (Modular Front Architecture), combining all the best factors from the former models, and becoming the first 7-seater in the Mercedes-Benz compact car family.

Versatility in a new guise The all-new Mercedes-Benz GLB is the most versatile compact SUV available in the Philippine market. It is an ideal car that can take you to new places and make old favorite roads feel fresh. It can take up to six of your friends for a road trip on a weekend or enjoy it for a drive around the metro for your “me-time”. And wherever you take it, it will do more than you expect to make every mile memorable.

Everything under control, even off the road. At the press of a button, DYNAMIC SELECT offers different drive programs with setting options for the engine, transmission, chassis and steering. In “Sport” mode the vehicle is more dynamic and in basic “Comfort” mode its setup is very balanced.

“ECO”, on the other hand, places the emphasis on maximum efficiency and saves fuel and money.

First 7-seater luxury compact SUV The all-new GLB offers unprecedented comfort being a versatile car with seating for up to seven.

It is responsive, refined and comfortable enough to warrant its Mercedes badge and represent a clear advantage over non-luxury offerings.

It is the first compact vehicle of Mercedes-Benz that offers a third row, with two additional seats perfect for growing families. The extensive safety equipment includes retractable headrests, seat belts with belt tensioners, and a side window airbag, which also protects the passengers in the third seat row. Additionally, the GLB supplies ISOFIX and TOP-Tether anchorages for suitable child seats, and these can be used to attach up to four child seats in the rear.

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A distinctive profile The advanced, efficient 1.3L inline 4-cylinder engine pumps up power to 163hp. With all 250 lb-ft of torque on tap from just 1,520 rpm, you get quick response off the line, and for passing, merging, and climbing. It has long wheelbase of 2,829mm and striking SUV design.

It comes equipped with standard LED dynamic headlights. It can be dressed in sportier apparel through the AMG Line Package, with 19” 5 twin-spoke light-alloy wheels, side skirts painted in body color, polished aluminium roof rails, and AMG Body Styling. It’s a ruggedly handsome crossover that treads the line between form and function well.

On the inside, finely finished modern furnishings welcome the driver and the passengers. It boasts luxurious black Artico Dinamica microfiber seats.

Innovation The all-new GLB offers an array of modern technology. The intuitively Mercedes-Benz User Experience is your own in-car personal assistant.

Tell it, touch it, point to it, the GLB can hear you, and show you the way. MBUX can quietly respond to your touch as well, using a 7inc standard central touchscreen that is also controlled by touchpad on the center console, steering wheel controls, and natural-language commands.

Smartphone Integration merges the mobile phone with the infotainment system via Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. This gives convenient access to the most important applications on your smartphone. You can also use apps from third-party service providers such as Spotify quickly and easily.

Exceptional safety features The all-new GLB features the latest driving assistance systems. During rush hour, on long drives at night, or on unfamiliar routes, the GLB noticeably takes the strain out of driving, particularly in stressful situations. This is based on a concept that makes every journey in a Mercedes-Benz safer and unique: Mercedes-Benz Intelligent Drive.

In addition, the all-new GLB comes with adaptive brake lights flashing and the brake assist that provides automatic recognition of emergency braking situations. Parking is also made convenient with the Parking Package.

It comes with a reversing camera and active parking assist to help the driver find suitable parking spaces.

The introductory retail price is PHP 3,790,000, and is available at all Mercedes-Benz dealerships. Visit the showroom at Edsa Greenhills, Bonifacio Global City, Alabang and Cebu City to check the unit. www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

V-Strom 1050XT

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xploration knows no limits, and the V-Strom 1050 XT is ready to take on any adventure. Coming from the renowned V-Strom lineage, this bike promises two-wheel adventure seekers the capability to forge ahead where other bikes fear to tread. With a sleek new look and features that make it a great companion on the street and the trail, the V-Strom 1050XT is the adventure bike you need on your next expedition. Launched online recently, the new V-Strom 1050XT promises everything an adventure biker wants in a bike, with some additional features to make it a practical daily ride.

Since the inception of V-Strom, Suzuki has always tried to find ways to continuously improve and create the best touring bike for adventure lovers. The V-Strom 1050XT is currently one of the brand’s most powerful bikes yet, with a V-Twin engine characterized by a liquid-cooled, DOHC, 1037cc3 90O engine that meets the new Euro 5 emission control standard and a low fuel consumption of 4.9L/100km.

One of the banner features of the new V-Strom 1050XT is the Suzuki Intelligent Ride System (S.I.R.S.), which is a first in Suzuki’s Big Bike technology. S.I.R.S. provides intelligent and comprehensive controls from the Motion Track

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Brake System, Hill Hold Control System, Slope Dependent Control System, Cruise Control System and the Suzuki Drive Mode Selector, as well as a Traction Control System to enhance safety and convenience in touring and daily commutes. Alongside the powerful engine, the V-Strom 1050XT also offers convenience with its multi-function instrument cluster, USB outlet, and adjustable suspension with excellent wheel selection, durable twin-spar aluminum frame, height adjustable windscreen, comfortable seat, and aluminum tapered handlebars.

This technologically advanced ride is inspired by the elements of both Suzuki’s legendary

DR-Z desert racer and the large off-road model DR-BIG giving it a more aggressive and bolder look. Combining everything gives you the Master of Adventure itself- the new Suzuki V-Strom 1050XT. The V-Strom 1050XT is priced at PHP 859,000 and is available in three different colors. One can take their pick from champion yellow, pearl brilliant white/glass, glass sparkle black and the heritage special blaze orange.

Inquire and order your unit at any Suzuki Big Bikes Center nationwide or visit mc.suzuki.com.ph for more information.

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51

Cross into the future with the new Toyota Corolla Cross

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eading mobility company Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) marked another milestone by introducing the very first hybrid crossover in its lineup, the new Corolla Cross.

Designed as the stylish urban vehicle, the Corolla Cross combines Toyota’s signature QDR—quality, durability, and reliability—with style and functionality. Its hybrid electric variant further realizes Toyota’s vision of sustainable mobility and makes self-charging hybrid technology more accessible to Filipinos.

In addition to its hybrid technology, the Corolla Cross also features two of Toyota’s most advanced car technologies today, the Toyota New Global Architecture (TNGA), and Toyota Safety Sense (TSS).

Commanding identity and striking design The Corolla Cross’ exterior starts strong with its imposing double trapezoid front grille which gives the vehicle a wide and stable appearance.

Exclusive to the hybrid variant are LED light curtain daytime running lights and a subtle blue accent to the bi-beam LED headlamps which perfectly complements the blue Toyota logo.

Sleek defined lines run from the side to the front of the aerodynamic cabin and the subtle “Double C” character lines along the vehicle’s side profile exudes a sophisticated impression.

Elegant interior and exceptional ride experience Consistent with its sophisticated exterior, the Corolla Cross gets a classy minimalist interior which comes in leather for the hybrid variant. The wide and spacious cabin space gives abundant head clearance for easier ingress and the slim seatback gives ample legroom for backseat passengers. The thinner pillars and rear quarter window add to the roomier atmosphere of the Corolla Cross and provides more outward visibility.

The hybrid variant also has a retractable tonneau cover for the rear trunk space for privacy, and the spacious trunk has comfortable loading height for ease of access.

The driver gets accessibility and control with features such as smart entry and push start system, power adjust with auto fold for the side mirrors, power windows, and speed-sensing door locks, and for the 1.8 V hybrid variant, rain-sensing windshield wipers and 8-way power adjust driver’s seat.

Convenient steering wheel switches enable the driver to adjust Toyota Safety Sense (TSS) features and 7” multi-information display for the 1.8 V hybrid, and audio, and phone connectivity features for all variants. Apple Carplay and Android Auto is compatible with the 1.8 V Hybrid’s display audio.

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Conscious performance and sustainable mobility The hybrid variant is powered by a 1.8L engine with Atkinson Cycle designed for the Hybrid system, which gives of 142Nm maximum torque at 3,600rpm, and an electric motor which helps in providing a 120hp total system maximum output.

Three available driving modes (Eco, Power, and EV) also give the driver more control.

The 1.8 G CVT variant gets 1,798cc displacement, 138hp maximum output, and 172Nm maximum torque at 4,000rpm with the 16-valve DOHC, 4-cylinder, In-line, chain drive with dual VVT-I engine.

Agility, stability, and visibility developed under Toyota New Global Architecture Boasting a 10.4m curb-to-curb turning circle and a commanding view of the road with the high seating position and thinner front pillars, the driver feels more in control with the Corolla Cross.

The Corolla Cross has a MacPherson strut front suspension optimized for its SUV structure. The rear suspension features an all-new torsion beam design which helps improve the ride handling and reduce body roll. The MacPherson strut/torsion beam suspension combined with the rigid body structure of the vehicle ensures the driver and passengers maximum ride stability and comfort all throughout the journey.

Reassuring sense of safety All variants are equipped with 7 SRS airbags, antilock brake system with brake assist and electronic

brake force distribution, vehicle stability control with traction control, hill start assist, and 3-point emergency locking retractor (ELR) seatbelts for the driver and all passengers. The hybrid variant has two front and four rear clearance sonars, while the G CVT variant has 2 rear sonars, and reverse camera is available for all variants.

The 1.8 Hybrid variant also has several active safety features under Toyota Safety Sense (TSS) such as the pre-collision system (PCS), adaptive cruise control (ACC), lane departure alert (LDA), lane tracing assist (LTA), and automatic high beam (AHB). It also has blind spot monitor and rear cross traffic alert (RCTA).

Pricing Variant

Price

Colors Available

PHP 1,665,00

platinum white pearl mica

PHP 1,650,00

metal stream metallic red mica metallic attitude black mica

PHP 1,300,00

platinum white pearl mica

PHP 1,285,00

metal stream metallic red mica metallic attitude black mica

1.8 V HV

1.8 G CVT

Priced competitively at PHP 1.65M, TMP further commits to its vision of making responsible and sustainable technologies more affordable and accessible for more Filipinos. TMP will also be making the Corolla Cross Hybrid variant available through the Balloon Payment Plus financing plan. www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

Ride in Style with the all-new AIRBLADE 150

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mid the current global health crisis, the Philippines ranks as having one of the strictest quarantine and lockdown guidelines implemented to curb the spread of COVID-19. In some areas, especially in the metro, mobility remains limited with only a few vehicles allowed on the streets.

Fortunately, the convenience and reliability of motorcycles help commuters, especially essential workers, and medical frontliners, get to their destinations safely.

This time, Honda Philippines Inc. (HPI), the No. 1 motorcycle manufacturer in the Philippines, provides Filipinos more reasons not just to safely and conveniently get to wherever they need to be, but also to stand out on the road and ride in style with The All-New AIRBLADE 150.

Social distancing has never been easier and stylish with The All-New AIRBLADE 150, which boasts of a powerful 150cc SOHC liquid-cooled engine for prime acceleration superiority in stopand-go situations.

What makes The All-New AIRBLADE 150 a standout is the unique riding experience it brings to its riders with its features, such as the smart key, power socket for charging devices, LED lamp, and a front-wheel anti-lock braking system (ABS), which helps prevent wheels from locking up. It also has a 22.7L utility box that can accommodate full-faced helmets with still enough room for personal belongings.

For Ronel Padilla, a new AIRBLADE 150 owner who has been riding his motorcycle every day for the past two months, this motorcycle is “the perfect ride for city driving with its slim build and 150cc engine, making it smooth to move around even in areas with heavy traffic congestion.”

Field specialist Melven Capada could not agree more. He noted that he considers not just the comfort but also the overall style of a motorcycle.

So, when he saw the AIR BLADE 150, he described it as love at first sight.

“The AIRBLADE 150 is a real eye-catcher and stands out among the rest. Some of the features that I love

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the most are its utility box since it lets me bring plenty of items on the road, and its ABS on the front wheel because it gives extra safety. When I ride it, I can maneuver in and around traffic with ease while staying comfortable on my seat,” Capada said.

For a first-time motorcycle owner, business analyst Kelian Sunogan can attest to the style and convenience brought by The All-New AIRBLADE 150. He also loves that it is fuel-efficient yet has great acceleration for a thrilling ride, and its big compartment and power socket make it the perfect motorcycle.

“The best part about The All-New AIRBLADE 150 is that it is affordable. You pay for all the great features that will give you satisfaction. I thank

Honda for launching this kind of motorcycle in the Philippines,” Sunogan says.

The All-New AIRBLADE 150 comes in three unique colors: matte galaxy black metallic, candy caribbean blue sea, and candy ross red. It is available at all of Honda’s dealerships with a suggested retail price of PHP 109,000.

This motorcycle provides riders the smoothest and stylish ride on the road, yet at a reasonable price. It also demonstrates how Honda motorcycles truly help Filipinos with their daily commute amid the current pandemic as part of the “ONE DREAM” campaign, which aims to fulfill the dreams of every Filipinos through the joy of mobility.

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Maxus G50 compact MPV launched

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n a virtual launch on August 25, Maxus Philippines introduced the three variants of the G50: The 1.5 Turbo DCT Pro priced at PHP 1.088 million, the 1.5 Turbo DCT Elite at PHP 1.168 million, and the 1.5 Turbo DCT Premium at PHP 1.288 million With its modern design, spacious interior, superior features, and value-for-money pricing across the compact and subcompact MPV segments, the G50 is ideal for young entrepreneurs and up-andcoming corporate managers who need not just an all-in-one vehicle, but also a “more-in-one” MPV for their daily transport, their business or delivery vehicle, or their weekend leisure ride with the entire household.

The G50 ticks off all the boxes that define a compact MPV, and then goes the extra mile by adding more to the total package, such as the turbocharged 1.5-liter gasoline engine, a spacious 8-seater cabin, reverse camera, park distance control, keyless entry, push-start button, electronic stabilisation program, and electronic parking brake with auto hold for all variants. A 12” infotainment system, 360-degree view camera, leather seats are added for the Premium and Elite variants, whereas a panoramic sunroof, mobile wireless charging, LED headlights and power tailgate are available for the top-of-the-line Premium variant.

Automobile Central Enterprise, Inc. president Felipe Estrella described how the G50 further

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enhances the role which Maxus’ line-up of LCVs plays in Filipinos’ lives. “We have recognized the importance of families since we launched our flagship model, the G10 multi-purpose vehicle in 2019. Our other models, the V80 van as well as our pick-up, the T60, match the continuously evolving needs and wants of Filipino families.

We likewise appreciate the hard work of micro, small and medium enterprise owners. The reliability, efficiency, power and versatility of our products make them ideal for businesses and even essential, life-saving purposes. The G50 is our latest vehicle that caters, again, to the Filipino family.”

Expounding on family, Maxus Philippines general manager Reginald See said, “The G50 is an MPV that can take in even your extended family members since it’s an 8-seater. It’s ideal for long road trips and family picnics. The great thing about this is that it has the price of a sub-compact MPV.” The Maxus G50 splashes in with the coolest colors.

The G50 1.5 Turbo DCT Pro comes in warm white, warm argent, metal black and water blue.

For the G50 1.5 Turbo DCT Elite, there’s roland purple, polar ash, and warm white, plus the deep golden exclusive to the variant. The G50 1.5 Turbo DCT Premium is also available in roland purple, polar ash, and warm white.

The G50 enjoys “Max” quality, efficiency and convenience of aftersales products, services, and worry-free ownership backed by a warranty coverage that is 5 years or 100,000 kms, whichever comes first. Maxus Philippines also offers 24/7 emergency roadside assistance and on-site servicing for corporate fleet accounts.

For more information about the G50, log on to www.maxus.com.ph.

Maxus showrooms are located in Sheridan in Greenfield District Mandaluyong, Quezon Avenue in Quezon City, Pedro Cayetano Boulevard in Taguig South, Madrigal Business Park in Alabang, North Reclamation Area in Cebu City, Mandurriao in Iloilo City, Araneta St. in Bacolod City, and Pueblo in Cagayan de Oro City.

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Hyundai partners with Petron to support DOTr Libreng Sakay program

Hyundai Asia Resources, Inc. (HARI), the official Philippine distributor of the leading Korean auto brand in the country, and Petron Corporation, the country’s largest oil company, forged a new partnership to support the Department of Transportation’s (DOTr) Libreng Sakay program.

Libreng Sakay ensures continued mobility for health workers and front liners, with 20 defined routes and designated drop-off and pick-up points for medical workers.

Last May, under the its Ligtas Biyahe vehicle project, HARI formally turned over three COVID-Ready Vehicles that will serve the DOTr program. Hyundai developed and produced this special COVID-ready lineup based on its best-selling H-100 Shuttle, HD36 Shuttle, and Modern Jeepney HD50S Class 2. Said units have been declared highly-compliant with the DOTR’s guidelines for the transport sector under ECQ/ GCQ. These vehicles, the first in the auto industry, showcase contact-less payment systems, individualized seating, plastic dividers, and features for sanitation.

To date, the Hyundai shuttles have served over 3,000 medical front liners, including doctors, to ensure uninterrupted patient care in Metro Manila.

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“With Petron as our partner, expect our Ligtas Biyahe vehicles to be at optimal service for our front liners as we move towards a better normal. This cements our commitment to provide the riding public vehicles that are safe and convenient in these challenging times,” said HARI president and CEO, Maria Fe Perez-Agudo.

“We are pleased to join Hyundai in its Ligtas Biyahe program as its official fuel partner, as we look to further our mobility aid efforts by offering free fuel to the DOTr and MMDA, giving fuel discounts to frontliners, and making essential food items available at our service stations together with our parent company, San Miguel Corporation,” said Petron president and CEO Ramon S. Ang. Since March, Petron has been actively supporting the country’s fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. Through its Petron Foundation, the company has focused its assistance to doctors, nurses, and other hospital personnel by donating complete sets of PPEs to several COVID-19 referral hospitals in Metro Manila, as well as pre-loaded PVCs, through funds raised from its Petron Value Cards (PVC) donation drive. Petron also initiated a number of COVID-19 efforts

focused on helping its scholars and fenceline communities.

“Since we began our commercial vehicle business in 2016, we have strongly supported PUV Modernization. The situation, however, has drastically changed and we have quickly adapted our vehicles in order to keep on serving the public. In just a few weeks since its conceptualization, we were able to manufacture vehicles that now allow hundreds, if not thousands of Filipinos, to get to their destination with the safety and peace of mind provided by these COVID-ready vehicles,” Agudo added.

Hyundai’s H-100 Class 1 Modern Jeepney and HD50S Class 2 Modern Jeepney received their Certificates of Compliance (COC) from the DOTr late last year; while the HD50S Class 3 Modern Jeepney, which debuted in January 2020, is poised to undergo the Department’s stringent testing.

The HARI chief reiterated that the company continues to closely monitor developments in the country in order to develop new ways to assist customers and the general public as the country transitions to the Better Normal lifestyle.

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It takes 7 people to manage a corporate shuttle fleet—SWAT Mobility study A recent study from Singaporean smart mobility technology firm, SWAT Mobility (SWAT), has found that companies in the Philippines employ an average of 7 people, depending on the company size, just to manually organize transportation routes for their employee shuttle or bus fleets.

The study looked at five large corporations in Metro Manila that employ individuals to organize transport routes for their employees.

One of the organizations, a property developer headquartered in Taguig City, assigned a single full-time individual to manage transportation services for 40 people, while a telecommunications company with around 600 employees designates 12 contact persons who coordinate transportation routes across 120 vehicles.

The other businesses were the same. One, a professional services company has 12 contact points who manually organize transportation routes across 60 vehicles for around 400 of the firm’s employees. Another, a local banking firm, employs up to seven individuals to arrange 40 fixed bus routes for 800 employees. The last, an outsourcing service provider, initially had two employees assigned to manage corporate fleets for 130 people.

In 2019, location technology specialist TomTom reported that Metro Manila has the second-worst traffic congestion out of 416 cities surveyed worldwide. Meanwhile, traffic navigation app Waze has identified Metro Manila as the world’s worst city for drivers. The Boston Consulting Group has also found that Filipinos lose an average of 16 days and PHP 100,000 of income a year due to Metro Manila traffic alone.

Filipinos only believe that they lose time and productivity to traffic when, in reality, another factor plays in this matter, one that some companies experience the most: the manual dispatch of corporate transportation fleets. This is a tremendously overlooked area in which they can improve processes for better time and resource management. The average 7 employees that are assigned to organize corporate bus and shuttle routes for employees could otherwise be used for tackling other, more meaningful, work if the manual process is improved.

Tedious tasks According to SWAT Mobility, employees assigned to take care of transport are kept busy with a number of tedious tasks: • Collecting requests from staff and department heads through phone, email, or instant messages, including many last-minute changes • Grouping employees by location, creating bus routes, and communicating those routes to drivers

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• Collating and keeping passenger manifest records—usually a paper-based process where drivers need to remember to return records to a transport coordinator, who then has to type all the written information into a spreadsheet for record-keeping • Chasing passengers and drivers who cannot connect at the scheduled time due to traffic delays This work requires late night and weekend overtime work, creates constant headaches, and keeps employees from doing the work they were hired to do. The COVID-19 pandemic has also expanded the need for companies to provide employees with a safe and efficient commute to their workplace.

“COVID-19 has accelerated the need to provide safe and efficient transport for essential on-site employees. With the current economic challenges, companies need to provide this transport as efficiently as possible,” said Nicholas Stipp, chief revenue officer at SWAT. “SWAT Mobility is happy to help organizations in the Philippines digitize their employee transportation processes while simultaneously contributing to the alleviation of traffic in Metro Manila.”

Taming transport chaos SWAT Mobility provides demand-responsive ridesharing technology in high capacity vehicles. SWAT’s technology enables companies to digitize their employee transportation processes, enabling them to save time, manpower, and money. The solution: • Automatically collates requests through a smartphone based app or employer bulk upload, eliminating the work of taking request through phone, email, Viber or WhatsApp • Groups passengers, calculate the most efficient routes, assigns vehicles, and sends the routes to driver apps in seconds, eliminating the need to plan routes manually • Automatically generates full passenger manifests, including boarding and alighting time stamps, to satisfy the Department of Transportation (DOTr) requirements on record-keeping and enabling instant contact tracing without any input from drivers • Allows passengers to track vehicles in realtime, eliminating the need for transportation coordinators to chase down drivers

SWAT automates 90% of the manual work required to manage corporate shuttle fleets.

Its highly-efficient routing algorithms typically generate fleet cost savings of 20-30%.

Getting employees home safely and efficiently SWAT’s first project in the Philippines was in cooperation with the Toyota Mobility Foundation and was launched in May. SWAT enabled critical medical workers from Philippine General Hospital (PGH) to safely travel to and from their homes on door-to-door services as part of the DOTr’s Free Ride for Health Workers Program.

Workers used the SWATBiz app to book rides daily according to their shift schedule, were assigned to one of ten vans, and were routed efficiently to their homes.

In July, SWAT provided its SWATBiz app to coworking and staff leasing service provider KMC Solutions to help their employees and clients book rides, plan routes in minutes, navigate drivers to close-to-home pick-up points, and track vehicles in real-time. Like the PGH project, this solution was delivered locally by SWAT’s partner Toyota Motor Philippines.

“SWAT’s technology has allowed our employees that manage transport to rest on nights and weekends and focus on their work. It’s reduced the work required versus our previous manual process that had employees waiting for hours for vans and arriving very late.” said Alex Gomez, vice president for people and culture at KMC. SWAT has revealed that the provided app has been rated 4.7/5 by KMC users.

In an online press conference, both SWAT and KMC have noted that organizations in the country have already approached SWAT to help them with their transport solutions both during and post-COVID-19 pandemic.

SWAT has also announced working with many other organizations to help more Filipinos commute soundly in the metro and beyond. With Metro Manila being known to have one of the worst traffic congestions in the entire world, it’s now more important than ever to enable smart mobility solutions for all, saving organizations time through the automation of dispatching as well as improved fleet efficiency.

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SEAOIL conducts COVID testing for station frontliners in added protection against COVID-19 SEAOIL, the country’s leading independent fuel player, is continuing its #FuelPHtoRecovery efforts by providing COVID-testing for the station frontliners of company-operated stations within the red zones of NCR and Rizal.

“At SEAOIL, we value each employee’s health and safety. Testing our frontliners on a regular basis not only protects them, but also our valued customers who continue to gas up at SEAOIL,” said Glenn Yu, CEO, SEAOIL. The testing is an added layer of protection that SEAOIL will provide for its station frontliners and customers, in addition to their personnel protective equipment (PPEs) and enhanced station safety protocols that have been adapted to new normal conditions. SEAOIL has also started to transition to contactless payment methods through its partnerships

with GCash, PayMaya, and Price-LOCQ – a revolutionary mobile app that allows customers to buy their fuels in advance while prices are low.

Over 1,200 station frontliners in red zones across Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao are scheduled for testing. SEAOIL is assigning

medical teams to designated testing centers to administer the tests.

The company projects to complete the first run of rapid testing by the end of July, the company has also announced that it will conduct the rapid testing every two weeks until a vaccine becomes available.

Mitsubishi Motors PH produces 200,000th L300 Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corporation (MMPC) recently rolled out the 200,000th production unit of the iconic L300 utility vehicle from its Sta. Rosa manufacturing plant.

The L300 has been an icon in the Philippines and is perceived to be one of the most trusted models because of its dependable engine, durable quality, and affordable price. MMPC has sold more than 190,000 units of the L300 in the country.

“This achievement is a reflection of the resiliency of MMPC. Despite the current challenges that we are facing due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are still geared to provide the market with quality vehicles and support Filipino livelihood through serving transportation and business needs. Also, aligned with the Philippines government’s effort to battle the spreading virus, MMPC has lent out several Mitsubishi L300 units to both local and national government for various outreach activities,” says Mutsuhiro Oshikiri, president and CEO, MMPC. MMPC has been operating for over 56 years as an automotive manufacturer and distributor in the country. The company’s years of operation in the industry and its ability to surpass several economic challenges is a testament to MMPC’s strong and pliant characteristics. With that in mind, MMPC is also finalizing its plan to start exporting the L300 to other ASEAN countries which will make the brand the first automotive manufacturing in the country to export their products.

www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

MMPC Manufacturing Executives with L300 200K Unit

MMPC Manufacturing team celebrates the L300 200K milestone

“We are committed to further grow and expand the business of Mitsubishi Motors in the Philippines. We are in the process of finalizing our plans to export the L300 to other ASEAN countries, which makes us the only automotive manufacturer in

the Philippines to export vehicles. We will work even harder to enhance MMPC plant’s competitiveness and quality so that we can make L300 a trusted model in ASEAN,” adds Takao Kato, CEO, Mitsubishi Motors Corporation.

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You can now buy your KTM motorcycle on Lazada KTM is the first motorcycle brand to be on the ecommerce platform in the country. KTM fans and motorcycle enthusiasts can now conveniently reserve a KTM motorcycle anytime, anywhere.

Since KTM joined the platform last October 2019, Lazada has visibly become one of the fastergrowing frontiers in selling motorcycles online.

“With the onset of the new normal, we at KTM Philippines have always strived to adapt. This is also aligned with our group’s mindset where we aim to dictate rather than conform. Thus, we’re extremely proud to be the first motorcycle brand to be on Lazada. Our KTM LazMall isn’t just an eCommerce platform – it’s the way of the future,” shared Dino Santos, oresident and COO of Adventure Cycle Philippines, Inc. “Lazada’s partnership with KTM demonstrates our commitment in serving the Filipino community, by providing access to a wide range of products that cater to the diverse lifestyle needs of our consumers,” said Carlos Barrera, chief operating officer of Lazada Philippines.

Filipino Lazada shoppers have also begun to understand the concept of Reservation Vouchers and placed pre-orders online of the upcoming and much-anticipated models such as the 390 Adventure. To date, KTM

has successfully fulfilled motorcycle sales with the help of the platform. This convenient setup is a timely business and customer solution to the pandemic.

The Land Transportation Management System is expected to be fully operational by early 2021 The Land Transportation Office (LTO) is optimistic that their online transaction program called the Land Transport Management System (LTMS) will be fully operational early next year. LTO director assistant secretary Edgar Galvante says they are now working on the connectivity issues of all LTO offices nationwide so they can roll out the LTMS to every LTO office.

“Currently, we have 24 pilot sites in different locations nationwide, but we are working it out so that we can have all of our satellite offices able to do transactions online. We have a German service provider now, Dermalog. It is a German company and one of the best worldwide and LTO benefits from their experience,” says Galvante.

In his last State of the Nation Adress (SONA) President Rodrigo Duterte promised the nation he will get rid of the “pila” (long queues) that citizens always experience when doing transactions in government offices. The President said he wants citizens to do their business with government offices faster through online methods.

Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade is similarly optimistic that LTO will get their online transactions ready by early next year in compliance with the President’s wishes. “I am positive that LTO and LTFRB can have their online transaction system ready by next year following the president’s SONA announcement,” Tugade said.

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The LTMS can be accessed through their website https://portal.lto.gov.ph. Here, one can conduct transactions with LTO from the comfort of your home or office table. Your account will be able to access you driver’s license, the registration of all motor vehicle registered under your name, pay for you fees and even your traffic violation and other dues.

The project should be finished by September of this year, except for some issues with regards to the previous data service provider of LTO. Sources inside LTO say the previous service provider has yet to complete the handover of the database to Dermalog, the new service provider of LTO and

the one responsible for making a seamless online system for the agency.

Asec. Galvante of LTO said he is very satisfied with the performance of Dermalog and would like to see them complete their job at best first quarter of 2021.

The latest data on the 24 pilot sites of the LTO LTMS show 100% usage in 19 areas, and a little over 90% in the other 5 offices. “We still have to get the complete database from the previous provider but I have said we will have all of this and complete the project by early next year,” assures Galvante. www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

AVID auto sales recover with 38% growth in July The Association of Vehicle Importers and Distributors Inc. (AVID) continued its healthy recovery in July with 5,100 units sold in the month, a 38% increase from June 2020’s 3,697 units sold.

The group notes that the demand for passenger cars and subcompact SUVs is beginning to pick up as consumers look for safe and affordable personal mobility with restrictions on public transport and the ongoing pandemic. There was also an increase in sales of small utility trucks and vans, underscoring the importance of transport and logistics in putting the Philippine economy back on track.

“The entire industry is undergoing rapid digital and transformation to meet the evolving needs of consumers, employing innovative and disruptive selling tactics to win back customers, and the agility to adapt to a more complex and unpredictable business environment,” said Ma. Fe Perez-Agudo, president, AVID. The Passenger Cars (PC) segment grew by 47% in July 2020 with 1,764 units sold over the 1,199 for June 2020. Likewise, the Light Commercial Vehicle (LCV) saw a 35% increase in July with 3,317 units sold compared to the previous month’s 2,462

units sold. Meanwhile, the Commercial Vehicles (CV) sales dropped 47% percent in July selling just 19 units.

As for the year-to-date for July 2020, units sales reached 24,607 a 51% decrease during the same time last year.

“Given that we have already bottomed out in the first semester, we believe the second half of the

year will be better, assuming there are no further lockdowns past August 18. We understand the government’s decision to shift back to MECQ since we need to prioritize lives over livelihood.

We anticipated such scenarios and are therefore prepared to adapt and respond, keeping in mind the needs and safety of our customers,” adds Agudo. “Our focus now is to win back consumer confidence and give them the best value during these pandemic times.”

Geely opens second PH dealership

Sojitz G Auto Philippines (SGAP), the official distributor of Geely cars in the country, announced the opening of its second dealership, located at Quezon Avenue and managed by its dealer partner, the AutoHub Group.

The Geely Quezon Avenue showroom was originally slated to open last March, but was delayed due to the community quarantine brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This partnership is a huge step forward in SGAP and Geely’s goal to be a major player in the Philippine automotive industry. I would like to express my deepest appreciation to the Autohub Group for trusting and choosing Geely to be part of their automotive brand portfolio,” said Mikihisa Takayama, president and CEO, SGAP. AutoHub Group has been in the Philippine automotive business for about 21 years, with at least 19 vehicle brands under the group’s distributorship and dealership business. Through the years, it has also established its name and credibility through the luxury European brands it handles such as Mini, Lotus, Pagani, and Rolls Royce.

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“We are looking forward to being part of this emerging brand in the country. We believe in Geely’s potential in the Philippine auto industry under the good hands of SGAP as its local distributor. Thank you for trusting the Autohub Group,” said Willy Tee Ten, president and CEO, AutoHub Group.

Geely Quezon Avenue opened its doors to customers beginning July 31, 2020, Mondays

through Fridays from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM. “This is just the start of SGAP and Geely’s plan to make it big in the Philippine automotive industry.

As we begin to expand our nationwide dealership network, according to, we want to assure our customers that Geely is here to stay and exceed the expectations of Filipino car buyers,” added Takayama.

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Subaru launches one-stop-shop online platform Motor Image Pilipinas, Inc. (MIP), the exclusive distributor of Subaru vehicles in the country, has rolled out a new online one-stop-shop, Subaru SPEED, aimed at helping customers make an informed decision as they journey towards owning their dream Subaru car without having to physically step into the showroom.

Subaru SPEED is an abbreviation for Shopping Platform from Electronic Enquiry up to Delivery (SPEED). The new platform has the following features: • Brochure Request: Digital versions of brochures are available for downloading in a click of a button to help customers get a better look at their desired vehicle. Sales consultants coming from their preferred dealership also have the capacity to host Zoom, FB Messenger, or Microsoft Teams calls to further address inquiries.

• Pricing Information: List of suggested retail prices of the whole line up (excludes freight to provincial locations) to help customers decide which Subaru best suits their needs and lifestyle. Latest promotional offers on new car sales, accessories packages as well as aftersales and maintenance servicing are laid out.

• Virtual Test Drive: A different kind of test drive featuring EyeSight Driver Assist Technology. Customers have the opportunity to take a virtual ride without the need for 3D glasses using any device wherever they are situated. This 360-degree look gives customers a better understanding of the safety functions that comes standard in a Subaru.

• At-Home Test Drive: Subaru’s home test drive where the vehicle is brought right at the doorsteps of customers who are unable to visit their nearest dealership. Those eager to get behind the wheel and feel the difference of over 100+ safety features on actual roads

can easily do so. They may register online or call any of the showrooms nationwide.

• Dealership and Financing Options: A team of helpful sales consultants ready to assist customers once they are ready to own a Subaru. Any one of the authorized outlets can process requirements, and even loan applications, with utmost confidentiality and safety through contactless methods. There is even an option to have their brand new Subaru delivered straight at home.

For a more in-depth look and experience visit https://www.subaru.asia/ph/speed.

NLEX Philippine Arena interchange reopens The NLEX Philippine Arena Interchange in Bocaue, Bulacan reopened to the public on August 1, 2020 after being closed due to the coronavirus pandemic restrictions and for the exclusive use of the We Heal As One quarantine facility.

To curb the spread of COVID-19, the interchange requires contactless transactions through RFID. As part of NLEX Corporation’s effort to help motorists transition to cashless transactions, the tollway company will put up RFID installation sites at strategic areas of the Philippine Arena Interchange. Cash-paying motorists who will pass through the road will be required to sign up for an RFID account and have the RFID installed on their vehicles before entry/exit.

“The interchange is surrounded by a mega quarantine facility, a prospective terminal for northern provincial buses—both are inside the Philippine Arena complex—and a molecular testing laboratory located at the western portion.

For everyone’s safety, we are implementing the RFID-only policy at the interchange. This would ensure physical distancing through cashless payments,” said NLEX Corporation president and general manager J. Luigi L. Bautista.

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In an earlier statement, NLEX Corporation said the move to promote contactless payments is in line with the Department of Transportation (DOTr) – Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board’s (LTFRB) directive on the mandatory use of RFID and the ongoing RFID interoperability project aimed at unifying the electronic toll collection systems of all expressways in the country.

“We are committed to provide our customers with safer and innovative payment solutions such as the RFID. We have several installation sites within the expressway and even offer 24/7 RFID installation

for those who are not available during specified business hours,” Bautista added.

The reopening of Philippine Arena Interchange complements the recent opening of Tambobong Interchange. Both are vital in the decongestion of Bocaue Interchange and in easing mounting traffic along Governor F. Halili Road in Bocaue-Sta. Maria corridor.

These alternative roads provide better access and convenience to motorists bound for Sta. Maria, Angat, Pandi, and other towns in eastern Bulacan. www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

Isuzu PH opens 3rd IOS dealership in Pagadian City Isuzu Philippines Corporation (IPC) continues its aggressive expansion and modernization efforts with the recent opening of its 43rd dealership and its third Isuzu Outlet Standardization (IOS) dealership facility in Pagadian City, Zamboanga del Sur. In ceremonies streamed online to the motoring media on August 7, 2020, executives of IPC and North-Min Automotive Dealership Inc (NMADI) presented a walk-through of Isuzu Pagadian, which is strategically located at Barangay Tiguma, one of the rapidly developing commercial and agricultural locations in Pagadian City.

To serve as a satellite of Isuzu Butuan, Isuzu Pagadian has a total floor space of 3,871sqm that will include a 4-vehicle showroom display, service bays that can accommodate 5 light commercial vehicles and two2 commercial vehicles, a wash bay and wheel alignment facility, and five slots for body repair and paint works.

Isuzu Pagadian’s IOS upgrade will enhance the overall customer journey, highlighting an aesthetic, functional design that not only provides a more spacious and organized area for its users, but expresses Isuzu’s new brand identity and its long-standing reputation for durable and reliable

products. The new facilities will also contribute greatly to a more seamless automotive retail experience for both customers and dealership personnel.

During the virtual presentation, IPC president Hajime Koso remarked, “The addition of a new Isuzu dealership in our rapidly expanding network is a strong testament to the growing preference for the Isuzu brand as we continue to widen our reach to our customers in Region 9. This is another major milestone that we share with our new dealer partner North-Min Automotive Dealership Inc, and we look forward to serving our customers in this area with the Isuzu Pagadian.”

George Ongchua, Isuzu Pagadian general manager, described Isuzu as a “renowned automotive brand in Mindanao.” He added, “Isuzu trucks and light commercial vehicles have proven time and again that they are perfectly suited to the varying and challenging terrains and road conditions of Mindanao. With the establishment of Isuzu Pagadian that is of world-class standards, we are very confident that the good reputation of the Isuzu brand in the region will be extended to its dealership services. Pagadian is one of the most industrialized and business-savvy cities in Mindanao, and we’re very optimistic that people

and businesses in this side of the Zamboanga Peninsula will come to us to provide them with Isuzu products and services.”

Now on its 23rd year, IPC aims to further strengthen its market leadership in trucks and LCVs in the country, particularly in the Philippines’ fastest-growing regions. With the new worldclass IOS dealership facility of Isuzu Pagadian, Pagadianons will have one more reason to make Isuzu Your Responsible Partner.

Honda motorcycle clubs share the value of community Filipinos are among the most joyful, family-oriented, and social people—it flows in our veins. Amid the current global health crisis, however, we do not get to spend much time with the people we love, especially with community quarantines (CQs) and lockdowns imposed on most parts of the country.

Thankfully, the “new normal” has brought about innovative ways to communicate and socialize with other people.

From shopping online to meeting through video calls, people are finding new ways to satisfy their needs and spend time with their loved ones. One of the best things that the “new normal” has brought us is the safety and convenience of motorcycles when it comes to mobility and safe commuting.

Motorcycles can also bring people together, despite the dangers that the virus presents. Take it from these Motorcycle Clubs, which have not kept the community experience for themselves, but are sharing them with others by giving a helping hand during these difficult times.

The Honda BeAT Fi Owners Club Surigao Chapter took advantage of their motorcycles and brought food packs to their co-members who were affected by the pandemic. www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

Meanwhile, in the province of Cebu, the Cebu XRM Riders Club gave back to their communities with the help of their motorcycles. The club initiated a food drive to deliver snacks to frontliners at the Balamban-Cebu City boundary last April, as their way of giving back to the modern-day heroes for their sacrifices.

The Honda Click Game Changer Philippines, meanwhile, started a charity program through charity rides to deliver essentials and relief goods to the victims of the Gloria V Fire in Quezon City last July 19.

These motorcycle clubs show how Honda continues to encourage riders to help and share the meaning

of community with its “ONE DREAM” campaign, which aims to inspire fulfill the dreams of Filipino riders through the joy of mobility.

The Honda BeAT Fi, XRM125, and Click are only three models from the wide array of cutting-edge motorcycles created by Honda Philippines Inc. (HPI), the no. 1 motorcycle manufacturer in the Philippines.

There are many more motorcycle clubs out there, geared up with Honda motorcycles like the Genio, PCX150, AirBlade150, ADV150, Supra GTR150, and others, sharing among their members the value of building a community and giving back to others in need.

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GAMING

Best of

Gaming Words by Ren Alcantara

With all the free time people have had these past few months, games have gotten bigger than ever. Regardless of your platform, there has been an explosion of things to play, from casual to hardcore titles. In this anniversary issue, we take a look at some of the best games we’ve had the pleasure of playing, and a few that we just can’t wait for.

The Last of Us Part 2

While deeply polarizing, one cannot deny the fact that this is now one of the biggest sellers in PlayStation history. The game, a straight sequel to the 2013 masterpiece, picks up a few years after the events in the first title. Life has continued in the post-apocalypse, and while the dangers are still there, people have found a way to move forward— most of them anyway. The game puts together the tried and tested stealth- and cover-based shooter and injected a massive dose of story, making you connect with characters unlike any other game in the past, while dredging you, kicking and screaming, into the events that the writers have laid out.

I’ll be honest and say that there isn’t really anything particularly groundbreaking about the gameplay— it’s standard fare at this point, but for better or for worse, the way the story is handled almost certainly assures it a place in “best of” lists for generations to come.

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Animal Crossing: New Horizons With everyone stuck indoors, people needed an escape. Nintendo’s Switch and the title Animal Crossing delivered just that. The fifth in the series of the same name, New Horizons is a life simulator that puts the player in the shoes of character who moves to a deserted island to settle in. It’s then a big, open sandbox that lets the player explore in a non-linear fashion, doing all sorts of things, from the usual gathering, fishing, and crafting, to building and customizing their homes, and developing a community.

The majority of the charm of the game is in the ability to just let loose and do what you want—a stark contrast to the events going on in the real world at the time of the launch. There is also a multiplayer aspect, allowing visits and trades to happen between players. Some people have even been lucky enough to have been visited in-game by real-life celebrities. With 5 million digital sales in its first month alone, this is a title that has become, and will remain one of the most popular titles we’ve seen in a while.

Resident Evil 2 remake The Resident Evil franchise has certainly had its ups and downs. From practically inventing the survival horror genre to giving that up to deliver strange action-horror, and even straight horror titles, the announcement of the Resident Evil 2 remake was a great and wonderful surprise to fans of the original formula. Updated in both story and graphics, it was the Resident Evil hardcore fans had hoped for, and one that was a great first survival horror experience to a new generation of gamers. More than just a straight graphics upgrade or remaster, this was a title that took some liberties with gameplay, introducing new puzzles, enemies, and weapons to update the experience in the best possible way.

While relatively short, it was a great game, with replay value built in just like its parent game, and an experience that successfully brought things back to where it all began.

While there is a more recent Resident Evil 3 remake which is good in its own right, the standard set by the RE2 is hard to beat, and one which future remakes should aspire to.

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Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020

While it seems like this title became popular out of nowhere, give it a little thought, and Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020’s popularity makes sense. While most of the world is stuck at home, the game, with its surprisingly convincing world thanks to mapping data from Bing Maps, made for the perfect escape. Whether you want to fly through vast stretches of nothingness in the northern wildernesses, pass over the urban sprawl of Tokyo, or just make a virtual fly-by past your childhood home, the freedom afforded by this title second to none. It’s a change from the “hardcore” flight simulators you mat have seen in the past, with blocky graphics and basically a rock-solid focus on flying mechanics, to something you can pick up and use to explore the world in a way that would normally take years and a small fortune to achieve.

With travel plans put on hold for the foreseeable future, people took to their computers to get the space they needed, and in a big way. It’s becoming such a hit that Jon Peddie Research estimated that the title will drive USD 2.6 Billion in sales of PC hardware. Yes, billions, with a “B.” Whether you’re in it to get the hang of flying, or to experience the world from the comfort and safety of home, MFS 2020 is a phenomenon that we’re unlikely to forget soon.

Cyberpunk 2077 A game that was first announced almost a decade ago, Cyberpunk has been getting a lot of hype as the (delayed) launch date approaches, even enlisting the help of the Internet’s boyfriend, Keanu to play a not-insignificant role in the game.

With a massive cyberpunk setting, and a lot of space to play around in, not to mention what appears to be an engaging, multi-branching story to its name, there’s a reason it’s pre-selling as hot as it is. The game comes from the company that brought us the Witcher franchise, which themselves amazing games. Though Cyberpunk 2077 is promising a lot more than even the massive Witcher 3 delivered. A first-person RPG that is being written to deliver a level of freedom and choice we haven’t seen before, this is a title that we don’t feel bad for being delayed—we just want to see it done right. With the launch date drawing ever-closer and lockdowns continuing indefinitely, you can be sure people are going to be all over this title.

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Call of Duty: Warzone This is a game that follows tried-and-tested formulas twice over. A title in the wildly popular Call of Duty franchise, which is reason enough for it to be popular, it then added another layer of fun to the mix in the form of Battle Royale mode. While titles such as PUBG (and its mobile equivalent) have had their day in the sun, CoD:Wz took that and gave players so much more to work with. From abilities to suit varying playstyles, weapons and upgrades that would cause any NRA member to start breathing heavily, and a massive map that caters to both run-and-gun firefights or a more measured methodical approach, there’s no surprise it has the popularity it has now.

It’s not all bases of ammo and airdrops though.

The game has run into its own share of complaints, from cheating, to absurdly large install sizes and updates. Still, the popularity of this title continues to increase, cheaters and drive issues be damned.

Untitled Goose Game It’s surprising to think that such an unassuming premise such as that in Untitled Goose Game could get so much traction, or that playing a goose could get any traction at all. Still, the disarming visuals, puzzle-like gameplay, and general mischief allowed a relatively unknown game to sell 100,00 copies in the first week alone.

The game is simple. You play a goose terrorizing a small town. Objectives are wonderfully absurd, from getting the groundskeeper to put on a silly hat, to setting up your own little picnic. The completion of the objectives is where the game lies, requiring the player to think outside the box, observe NPC patterns, and generally act like a pain-in-the-butt waterfowl. The game’s charm and its accessibility give it a place in our small list.

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Words by Jose Alvarez Developer: Mediatonic | Publisher: Devolver Digital | Platform(s): PC, PlayStation 4

If anyone remembers the battle royale craze that peaked a couple of years ago, this battle royale takes the guns and other violent elements out of battle royale games and instead introduces an entirely new approach to the battle royale genre. Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout has captivated the gaming world by storm, namely because of its family-friendly and cartoon-like graphics. It takes inspiration from Japanese game show Takeshi’s Castle as well as American shows such as Most Extreme Elimination Challenge (MXC).

Players are jellybean-like figures that you can dress up by advancing in levels as well as through microtransactions. You earn Kudos for completing levels and can also earn crowns with real money. You can play either by yourself or with up to three other friends. The games are chosen at random which means you’ll have to think on the fly. There are four categories of mini-games: races, survival, team games, and the final, which combines racing and survival elements.

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Some require teamwork and others are just free-for-all, so you have to think of a winning strategy with your teammates or how to come out on top. There are checkpoints throughout the map that allow you to restart if you fall off or another player decides to throw you off the map. You can also throw others off the map to assert your dominance. In the end, you need to grab the crown to win the game.

Race games require you to just reach the end while dodging obstacles. If you qualify, you move on to the next round; if not, the game is over and you can still watch the rest of the rounds. Survival games require you to stay alive as long as possible until a specific condition is met. One of my favorites is the Team Tail Tag game, which requires you to grab tails off of opposing players. The Team Tail Tag game is an example of a survival game. Another of my favorites is the Fall Ball mini-game, which resembles soccer and you have to score as much as possible on the other team. One of the craziest final games is Fall Mountain, where only one player can win. Mediatronic has planned future mini-games, maps, and levels, so there may be even more ways to grab the crown and be the Last Man Standing.

The game’s catchy soundtrack softens what can be a very frustrating game experience, especially if you are very competitive when it comes to gaming. Players are allowed to grab other players and throw them into obstacles or off the map entirely, which may be frustrating especially as you enter the final round and the incentive to do this is greatly increased. Overall, while I had hit server issues when first playing the game (thanks to the developers vastly underestimating the popularity of the game), I have found it fun to play and an interesting take on the battle royale genre.

Feel like having a fun yet competitive gaming experience? Fall Guys is probably the game for you. There is a chance it will come to other platforms like the Xbox One and Nintendo Switch, and may even be cross-platform in the future; as of this writing Mediatonic has confirmed cross-play which means you can take on anybody in Fall Guys. With the chaos comes excitement, so pick this game up today!

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Words by Gabriel Pe

Going back to school has never been this exciting. Hearthstone’s newest expansion, Scholomance Academy, is finally live and boy is it something!

Scholomance Academy is the second expansion for the Year of the Phoenix, like Ashes of Outlands, the expansion comes with 135 new cards with new interactions and mechanics. Additionally, Blizzard will be implementing a new game mode later in the expansion based on their Year of the Phoenix road map.

Scholomance Academy is a nice change of pace from Ashes of Outlands. This expansion takes a much lighter and laidback tone compared to the nitty-gritty feel of Ashes of Outlands. For me, it somewhat resembles the feel of Rastakhan’s Rumble and the Boomsday Project with its wacky hijinks and tomfoolery in the announcement and the overall feel of the expansions.

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New cards mechanics Like in the previous expansions, Scholomance Academy has introduced new card mechanics Spellburst and sticking to the theme - Studies. The new Spell Burst mechanic which grants an effect when you play a spell after playing the card. This mechanic encourages you to play spells later in your turn instead of playing one right away. Certain decks, some from the Mage class benefit most from Spellburst utilizing spellburst effects such as +1 spell damage to enhance their spells as the game progress.

The second mechanic are the Studies cards which are one cost spell-cards that allow you to discover a card and cards with the same mechanic as the discovered one will cost one less mana the next time you play them. Blizzard has added six study cards one each for Hunters, Warlocks, Priests, Druid, Warrior, and a dual-class studies card for the Mage and Shaman (sorry Rogue, Paladin, and Demon Hunter players you’ll have one oneday). The studies cards are meant to be support cards, that bring tempo to players via the one less mana.

Dual-Class cards As more of a solo adventure player myself, the arrival of the dual-class card is something I was really excited about. I enjoyed playing dual-class heroes in the solo adventure mode like Reno Jackson (Mage/ Rogue) in Saviors of Uldum’s Tomb of Terrors.

Making dual-class cards made a lot of sense for me. You see, most of the classes share some similarities with each other. Warriors, Rogues, Paladin, and sometimes the Hunter, have decks with playstyles that utilize the weapon mechanic more than minions. Mage, Shamans, and Warlock have control spell cards that typically clear the board or stall your opponents as you prepare you combos.

Now, before you go up in arms complaining about decks that use half mage and half rogue cards or half shaman and warlock, the dual card concepts won’t bring in dual-class decks to the game (that’s game-breaking and a hell to balance); instead, the expansion has decided on 10 dual-class combinations which will have four cards each bringing the total to 40 dual-class cards. This means you can’t have a full dual-class deck.

previously utilized by druids using Shan’ do Wildclaw, while rogues can combo the Wand Thief to discover mage spells.

What the dual-class cards do is bring a fresh take on each class. Some cards bring some of the old class-based mechanics (combo, overload, choose one) to new classes. Hunters can now enjoy a choose one mechanic

What’s making me excited for the future of the dual-class cards is the boundless possibilities it has in making decks in the future. If Blizzard plans to create more dual-class cards we may see a full dual-class deck. Who knows, mages bursting out

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combos to create more spells, rogues whirling blades to damage all minions in play, or hunters cheesing the choose ones to make some beefy beasts.

If Ashes of Outlands brought new life to Hearthstone, Scholomance Academy with its dual-class cards have opened new possibilities for the game’s future.

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FEATURE

Words by Gabriel Pe

Esports is a global sport. Teams are sometimes created with multinational talents and events and tournaments are held in different countries all around the world. Even though esports is enjoyed by many players and fans around the world, there are still countries and regions where the sports and games reign supreme.

East Asia Giants It comes to no surprise that the biggest Esports Meccas can be found in three countries in East Asia. South Korea, China, and to an extent Japan, have produced talents and held significant esports tournaments throughout the years.

South Korea

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China

The Mecca of esports and the birthplace of professional gaming, South Korea has long been the model for countries who want to dive into esports. The country already has an established government-backed esports organization (equivalent to a National Sports Association in the Philippines) and even has dedicated esports networks on their television.

If there’s something to note about China and esports, it’s about how the country is rapidly catching up to its neighbor South Korea, as the World’s second biggest esports economy following the US. More than half of the country’s population (about 600 million based on China’s iResearch) plays games either on mobile, computer, or console with the study expecting that number to continue to grow.

South Korea has made a name for itself in esports in the early 2000s when it was the place to be for Starcraft players. The boom of Starcraft tournaments has made players into celebrities often even adored by traditional sports players such as the national football team. Fast forward towards the mid-2010s and the country is now known to produce high caliber PUBG players, League of Legends players, and Overwatch players, with other countries looking to lure Koreans to play abroad because of their skills.

The huge player base has attracted game developers to host some of the biggest esports tournaments in the country most notably, the League of Legends World Championship last 2017 and this year, and Dota 2’s The International 2019. The country also has country countless local leagues for different games with some having government support and blessing.

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The country is also home to one of the world’s biggest tech investors in gaming, Tencent, who has developed some of the most successful mobile esports titles (COD: Mobile, Arena of Valor) and owns a majority share of League of Legends developer Riot Games.

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JAPAN

When it comes to gaming, the Japanese do not enjoy the same glory as that of the South Koreans nor the Chinese mainly because of their esports of choice.

You see, MOBAs and FPS, two of the most popular genres of esports, isn’t Japan’s bread and butter, instead, the Japanese are known for their Competitive Fighting Games (FGC) players.

The FGC in Japan was nurtured by the popularity of arcade gaming in the 1990s. Games such as Street Fighter and Tekken were developed by Japanese developers Capcom and Bandai Namco, and are often seen in the numerous arcades around the country. Many FGC players have often traveled to the country just to train in these arcades.

Now the country plays host to some of the biggest Fighting Game tournament in the world, and have their own annual major fighting game tournament, EVO Japan, where the world’s best fighting game players gather.

USA and EU:

the Hollywood of esports

Southeast Asia:

the rising star

It wasn’t until the late-2000s and early 2010s did esports really penetrate mainstream culture in the US and Europe. While there were already community-based LAN events, it didn’t have the same massive following that it had in South Korea.

It was when developers Valve and Riot games establishing their annual championships did massive brands in theses regions started dipping themselves in esports. Now, the US is the number one in the esports industry with many leagues and studios setting up homes here.

The US is also home to some of esports biggest investors.

International brands and major sporting league investors have all started joining on the esports investment bandwagon. To put it bluntly, the US is the largest financer for esports with big names dipping their hands in the scene.

Europe, on the other hand, has embraced esports as traditional sports particularly in the middle region of the continent.

Country’s such as Germany, Denmark, Poland, and Sweden are known for the esports talent they produce. Denmark has produced talents in big games such as League of Legends and Counter Strike that the government has recognized esports and is building infrastructure promoting the sport in the country.

Both US and EU based teams are also some of the wealthiest in the world, with NA teams TSM and 100 Thieves, and EU team G2 all having world-class gaming facilities in the world with some even claiming to be the largest esports facility in the world.

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Southeast Asia is slowly becoming the next big destination for esports.

Country’s like the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Singapore, and Thailand have each hosted major esports tournaments in recent years including two international sporting events (the SEA Games, and the Asian Games).

Southeast Asia is known for (whether good or bad) its MOBA player base.

The region is also an upcomer for Battle Royale games such as PUBG and Apex Legends. What drives the region’s esports scene is its huge internet café culture where players can access all of the available esports titles without shelling out huge sums of money for a gaming rig.

Mobile gaming is also huge in the SEA region. In the Philippines, Mobile MOBA Mobile Legends have amassed a following that Moontoon, the game’s developer established the Mobile Legends Pro League in the country as well as in Indonesia, and Malaysia and Singapore. The support from game developers in establishing leagues as well as support from sponsors have pushed local prize pools to the ceiling as well as encourage others that esports can be a career.

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APPS

Best Online Productivity Apps Words by Ren Alcantara

People have more or less hit their stride with the whole work-from-home thing, and that’s great.

It helps keep things running, while still minimizing the risk to the workforce. It’s not always easy though. When once we could just look over to our seatmate to get clarification about something, now, it’s a little more complicated. As usual though, technology comes to the rescue. Magazine work is highly collaborative while also having a lot of time away from the desk, so we had a chance to adapt early. Here are some of the tools we use to make working away from the office a little easier.

Google Docs, Sheets, Photos Yes, technically, Drive, Docs, Sheets, and Photos are all part of G Suite. The trio of Docs, Sheets, and Photos however, work hand-in-hand with drive for a totally seamless remote locating experience. With Docs, for example, we just open a file, save it into the necessary folder in Drive. Then, any time we edit the text for whatever reason, everyone who has access to the folder gets access to the latest version of the document. From there, it’s a simple matter of talling whomever needs it that there’s a new version up, or if they’re in the document at the same time, the changes will appear in real time. The same goes for Sheets, which we use for a variety of things such as tasking and making rough paginations for each month.

Photos on the other hand, is a whole different kind of useful. With smartphones more than capable of taking magazine-quality photos, whenever we have a test drive or review that needs some shots, we can simply use our phones, back the photos up on drive, and produce a link that we can send to the art department, letting them access the full-resolution file without having to send it via any other service. This also makes backtracking and looking for additional photos so much easier, as all the photos are uploaded and neatly organized by date.

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Google Drive This is by far the most useful service in our whole productivity arsenal.

With it, we are able to share files, edit documents, and keep everything up-to-date, without having to rely on an office file server. With functionally unlimited space if you’re just dealing with small files like documents, Drive is the way we share files for work. To make things easier, we have a shared directory tree where all the work goes, and as things progress, they move up a folder structure so the next people who need the file always know where to look. It’s free, easy to use, and works across all our different platforms, devices, and locations with no problems at all. It even has a well-designed mobile app that makes it easy to move, check, and update files on the go.

Everything is just so smooth and seamless with Drive, that once we tried it, we never looked back. It also goes great with the next set of apps.

Notion.so A recent addition to my online arsenal, Notion.so is a great tool that lets users create wiki-style pages for basically anything. At its heart, it’s a simple collaborative document, but what makes it shine is the ease by which you can format the text. Need to make an outline? Simple in-line commands let you set headers, sub-headers, and nested bullet points that can be modified in an extremely intuitive manner. For the more hardcore users, there’s an in-line editing fuction so you can start formatting as you type, without even having to touch your mouse. This makes for very efficient work, and once everyone has the commands and functions down, making collaborative documents becomes so much easier. There’s also a lot of additional functionality such as embedding links or images, color-coding text, and email alerts to let you know when someone changes a shared document. There’s even an app that makes using the service on a mobile device that much easier. My friends and I have been using Notion for a podcast we’ve been working on, and it’s been great, whether or not we’re online at the same time. Check it out at Notion.so.

Discord Discord might be the most popular third-party gaming comms app in use today.

With great functionality including browser-based launching, as well as a desktop and mobile app, there’s no wonder it has taken off the way it has. However, what makes it great for gaming, also makes it great for meeting remotely, particularly if all you need is voice (though it does have video now too). On Discord, you can make rooms for various teams, each with their own chat. Voice on Discord also feels much less involved than, say, a call on Facebook Messenger. The room is always open, and people can just jump in to voice chat, instead of making or receiving calls. We’ve found that for some reason this is far less stressful than starting a meeting on any of the other services, as it gives more of a feeling of being in control of jumping in, instead of waiting to receive a notification or call alert. It’s probably just all in our heads, but it’s something we notice nonetheless.

There are also additional features such as noise reduction that makes the whole experience that much more pleasant. If you haven’t tried it yet, give Discord a shot. It’s a free service, so it won’t cost you a thing anyway. Find it on Discord.com.

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ENTERPRISE

Visa and Shopee launch campaign to help local merchants and SMEs go digital

Visa launched the Where You Shop Matters campaign to encourage Filipinos to support local businesses while helping SMEs go digital in response to the onset of COVID-19. The campaign is part of Visa’s broader initiative to help 10 million small and micro businesses in the Asia Pacific region, and part of the global commitment from the Visa Foundation of USD 210 million to provide COVID-19 emergency relief for the small business sector.

As part of the new campaign, Visa has partnered with online e-commerce platform Shopee to help support thousands of local small businesses selling on the platform. Visa and Shopee will also be creating further campaigns to enable Visa cardholders to enjoy discounts when they shop at these local merchants.

“We introduced Where You Shop Matters to support our small businesses in the Philippines.

The impact of COVID-19 for these businesses along with shifting consumer behaviors to eCommerce reinforced the need for Visa to launch Where You Shop Matters. Furthermore, the partnership with Shopee will help us support thousands of local businesses in the Philippines.

We are confident that Filipinos will help support the local economy, especially since our study showed that 95% of Filipino consumers will

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purchase from local retailers to support small business recovery,” said Dan Wolbert, Visa country manager for the Philippines and Guam.

“We are happy to partner with Visa to launch the Where You Shop Matters campaign to help small business owners go digital. Shopee commits to offer our sellers and MSMEs a more secure, seamless, and rewarding way to do business online, and we will continue to explore new ways to help them succeed online” adds Martin Yu, associate director, Shopee Philippines.

Visa has also announced that Visa cardholders will enjoy PHP 100 discount on selected Shopee retailers when the campaign goes live on August 15.

A Visa study has also found that 77% of Filipino consumers believe that it is important for local retailers to have an online presence. To encourage SMEs to go digital, Visa has announced that they will be providing them a Visa eCommerce Starter Kit to help them start, manage, and grow their online storefronts.

Visa is partnering with BigCommerce to provide onboarding support and special discount rates for SMEs to sign up and start selling online. SMEs can also benefit from a variety of offers, including

Office 365 business packages and cashback on Google Ads to help them get their businesses up and running. Additionally, Visa is offering SMEs with physical stores free Visa POS signage to build trust with customers.

“The pandemic has accelerated several years’ worth of change into the span of a few months, and this rapid acceleration of the shift to digital payments also means that businesses need to go through a digital transformation and adapt to changing consumers’ behaviors to do well,” added Wolbert.

“We’re happy to be featured among the local brands in Visa’s #WhereYouShopMatters campaign. It is vital for TeamManila to reach our customers wherever they are, be it through online shopping portals on our website. We can show them the new designs of our collections, answer their inquiries and fulfill their orders easily and securely through card payments using Visa, at the convenience and comfort of their own home,” said Jowee Alviar, cofounder of Team Manila, one of the six marquee merchants in the Where You Shop Matters campaign.

To find out more about the Where You Shop Matters, you can visit Visa’s website.

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EastWest wins two awards at the 2020 Asian Banking and Finance Retail Banking Awards EastWest won two awards at this year’s Asian Banking and Finance Retail Banking Awards for the EastWest Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Mastercard, a best-in-class co-brand credit card for travel. The bank won the Consumer Finance Product of the Year and the New Consumer Lending Product of the Year awards for the Philippines.

This is the second consecutive year that EastWest has bagged the Consumer Finance Product of the Year award for the Philippines. Last year, EastWest auto loan also won this prestigious award, in addition to the Automobile Lending Initiative of the Year award. These recognitions show EastWest’s continuing commitment to provide the best services to customers through innovative loan products that will help them achieve their dreams and aspirations.

“We are truly proud that our consumer lending products have been consistently recognized by an esteemed institution as the best products in the country. It is a testament of our continued efforts to understand our customers’ needs and promptly address them through products and services that are most suitable to the market,” said Jacqueline

(L-R): SIA General Manager Philippines Lee Yong Tat; SIA VP Loyalty Marketing Ryan Pua; EW SEVP and Chief Lending Officer Jacqueline S. Fernandez; and EW FVP and Consumer Sales and Support Head Patrick Dennis L. Solosa, during the launch of the EastWest Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Mastercard Inset: The 2020 Asian Banking and Finance Retail Banking Awards trophies

S. Fernandez, EastWest senior executive vice president & chief lending officer.

The multi-awarded EastWest Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Mastercard gives the best spend-to-miles conversion that allows cardholders to earn more miles for every purchase. Available in Platinum and World variants, cardholders earn up to three KrisFlyer miles for every PHP 45 and PHP 36 spend, respectively. Cardholders can also enjoy as much as 6,000 bonus KrisFlyer miles upon reaching

the minimum spend within three months of card activation, along with anniversary bonus KrisFlyer miles and other perks.

The curated co-brand credit card is the result of the first-of-its-kind partnership between KrisFlyer; the frequent flyer program of the Singapore Airlines Group, and EastWest; a top universal bank in the Philippines. It enables cardholders to experience Singapore Airlines’ world-renowned service and leading cabin products on its international network.

Facebook’s #SheMeansBusiness empowers Filipina entrepreneurs through financial literacy Facebook, in partnership with Bayan Academy, is launching a pilot of the expanded #SheMeansBusiness training program that now covers business resiliency through financial education. This initial rollout is happening in the Philippines and in four other countries—Argentina, Colombia, Indonesia, and Mexico.

The #SheMeansBusiness financial literacy modules have been co-created with Bayan Academy to support business continuity for women entrepreneurs given their current needs and challenges. The curriculum consists of ten modules on financial business management skills, complemented with case studies and worksheets.

The modules cover a range of topics including personal and business financial health, financial records-keeping and reports creation, business planning, accessing digital financial services, and crisis management.

“From a recent study, we learned that women entrepreneurs are struggling to balance responsibilities at work and home, while also striving to keep their businesses afloat. Through the #SheMeansBusiness program, we aim to equip Filipina entrepreneurs with the knowledge and tools they need to build business resilience with

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financial literacy, and set them up for recovery in this changing landscape,” said Clare Amador, policy and programs head, Facebook Philippines.

With micro-, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) making up 99.5 percent of all businesses in the Philippines, they are the backbone of our economy. MSMEs are facing unprecedented challenges amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Bayan Academy’s partnership with Facebook strengthens its resolve in democratizing social

development technologies in the Philippines as a way to build the nation from below, reaching and empowering many of the disadvantaged and vulnerable including the micro- and small entrepreneurs through the use of technology,” said Philip Felipe, executive director and chief operations officer of Bayan Academy. #SheMeansBusiness launched in the Philippines in 2017 with a strong focus on digital marketing skills training and has since reached over 3,000 women entrepreneurs in 23 cities.

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Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise CEO encourages businesses to digitize now or miss out on future opportunities

Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise, the global leader in business communications and collaboration solutions concluded its first-ever Connex20 APAC Partner Virtual Series, an online event held last 12 to 14 August 2020.

partners can capitalize on these insights to remain relevant. It discussed how the pandemic may have shifted customer priorities as well as focusing on new-look technology investment strategies.

Over 250 tier-one and tier-two partner executives and sales teams representing more than 120 organizations from across the region participated in the event each day to share best practices in driving successful business continuity and enhancing customer engagement in today’s new norm.

Additionally, participants tuned in to a panel discussion featuring representatives from partner organizations DXC Technology, Exclusive Networks, and iValue InfoSolutions.

Tony Hughes, the founder of Sales IQ, also joined as a special guest. The panel highlighted the business challenges and opportunities presented by the current business environment and tough economic times. The participants discussed in-depth on the following:

During his address, Jack Chen, CEO of AlcatelLucent Enterprise, spoke about the need for partners to come together to help support customers with their business continuity efforts as they transform their businesses. Though the pandemic has disrupted the way we live, work, play, and commute, Chen highlighted that the situation has helped businesses see the value of cloud and collaboration tools and many have built a more productive workforce with remote working arrangements. He added that digital transformation should no longer be an afterthought but a journey all enterprises should embark on immediately or miss out on the opportunities that await as we emerge from the COVID-19 challenges.

Highlights from the virtual series include a customer insights track emphasizing how

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• Equipping employees with new technologies today to co-create solutions with customers • Go back to one’s business playbook and adjust customer touchpoints where needed, using the playbook as a guide.

• Today’s new business acumen equation requires businesses to have IQ (intelligence quotient) + EQ (emotional intelligence) + TQ (tech quotient) Pierre Samson, APAC senior vice president for Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise said: “The Connex20 virtual series offers us an invaluable opportunity to engage with our partners

directly to understand what challenges they may be facing and explore ways to ‘Move Forward, Revitalize, and Thrive’ together.

Having a platform like this where all our partners can come together and learn from each other is critical especially during this time when face-to-face interaction is limited.

We also packed the event with insights and learnings so that participants can truly benefit from the time spend. More importantly, we want the partners to see that the pandemic, despite being a business disruptor, is also an accelerator for digital transformation and technology adoption.”

Rukmini Glanard, executive vice president, global sales and marketing at Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise also spoke to the participants reinforcing ALE’s focus on bringing more relevant cloud and communications solutions to customers. She highlighted the recent strategic partnership between ALE and RingCentral, Inc., a leading provider of global enterprise cloud communications, collaboration and contact center solutions, and how the companies have jointly introduced the co-branded cloud solution Rainbow Office powered by RingCentral. She added that ALE and RingCentral will jointly develop programs enabling both companies to lead the cloud communications services for customers and partners in the enterprise market.

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CYBER SECURITY

Compromised employee accounts led to most expensive data breaches – IBM Security Report IBM Security announced the results of a global study examining the financial impact of data breaches, revealing that these cost companies an average of USD 3.86 million per breach, and that compromised employee accounts were the most expensive root cause. Eighty percent of these incidents resulted in the exposure of customers’ personally identifiable information (PII), the costliest in the business.

The annual Cost of Data Breach Report is an in-depth analysis of real-world data breaches conducted by the Ponemon Institute and sponsored by IBM. The 2020 Cost of Data Breaches looked at data breaches experienced by over 500 organizations worldwide last year. The study is based on in-depth interviews with more than 3,200 security professionals in organizations that suffered a data breach over the past year.

As companies are increasingly accessing sensitive data via remote work and cloud-based business operations, the report sheds light on the financial losses that the organization can suffer if this data is compromised. A separate IBM study found that over half of employees new to working from home due to the pandemic have not been provided with new guidelines on how to handle customer PII, despite the changing risk models associated with the shift.

Some of the top findings from this year’s report include: • Smart tech slashes breach costs in half: Companies who had fully deployed security automation technologies (which leverage AI, analytics and automated orchestration to identify and respond to security events) experienced less than half the data breach costs compared to those who didn’t have these tools deployed – USD 2.45 million vs. USD 6.03 million on average.

from nation-state attacks were the costliest, compared to other threat actors examined in the report. State-sponsored attacks averaged USD 4.43 million in data breach costs, surpassing both financially motivated cybercriminals and hacktivists.

“When it comes to businesses’ ability to mitigate the impact of a data breach, we’re beginning to see a clear advantage held by companies that have invested in automated technologies,” said Wendi Whitmore, Vice President, IBM X-Force Threat Intelligence. “At a time when businesses are expanding their digital footprint at an accelerated pace and security industry’s talent shortage persists, teams can be overwhelmed securing more devices, systems, and data. Security automation can help resolve this burden, not only enabling a faster breach response but a significantly more costefficient one as well.

Employee credentials and misconfigured clouds are attackers’ entry point of choice Stolen or compromised credentials and cloud misconfigurations were the most common causes of a malicious breach for companies in the report, representing nearly 40% of malicious incidents.

With over 8.5 billion records exposed in 2019, and attackers using previously exposed emails and passwords in one out of five breaches studied, businesses should rethink their security strategy via the adoption of a zero-trust approach – reexamining how they authenticate users and the extent of access users are granted.

Similarly, companies’ struggle with security complexity – a top breach cost factor – is likely contributing to cloud misconfigurations becoming a growing security challenge. The 2020 report revealed that attackers used cloud misconfigurations to breach networks nearly 20% of the time, increasing breach costs by more than half a million dollars to USD 4.41 million on average – making it the third most expensive initial infection vector examined in the report.

sponsored attacks compared to other parts of the world, saw an over 9% yearly rise in their average breach cost, incurring the second-highest average breach cost (USD 6.52 million) amongst the 17 regions studied. Similarly, the energy sector, one of the most frequently targeted industries by nation-states, experienced a 14% increase in breach costs year over year, averaging USD 6.39 million.

Advanced security technologies prove smart for business The report highlights the growing divide in breach costs between businesses implementing advanced security technologies and those lagging behind, revealing a cost-saving difference of USD 3.58 million for companies with fully deployed security automation versus those that have yet to deploy this type of technology. The cost gap has grown by USD 2 million, from a difference of USD 1.55 million in 2018.

State-sponsored attacks strike heaviest

Companies in the study with fully deployed security automation also reported significantly shorter response time to breaches, another key factor shown to reduce breach costs in the analysis. The report found that AI, machine learning, analytics and other forms of security automation enabled companies to respond to breaches over 27% faster than companies that have yet to deploy security automation – the latter of which require on average 74 additional days to identify and contain a breach.

• Mega breach costs soar by the millions: Breaches wherein over 50 million records were compromised saw costs jump to USD 392 million from USD 388 million the previous year. Breaches where 40 to 50 million records were exposed cost companies USD 364 million on average, a cost increase of USD 19 million compared to the 2019 report.

Despite representing just 13% of the malicious breaches studied, state-sponsored threat actors were the most damaging type of adversary according to the latest report, suggesting that financially motivated attacks (53%) don’t translate into higher financial losses for businesses. The highly tactical nature, longevity and stealth maneuvers of state-backed attacks, as well as the high value data targeted, often result in a more extensive compromise of victim environments, increasing breach costs to an average USD 4.43 million.

Incident response (IR) preparedness also continues to heavily influence the financial aftermath of a breach. According to the report, companies with neither an IR team nor testing of IR plans experience USD 5.29 million in average breach costs, whereas companies that have both an IR team and use tabletop exercises or simulations to test IR plans experience USD 2 million less in breach costs – reaffirming that preparedness and readiness yield a significant ROI in cybersecurity.

• Nation-state attacks are the most damaging breaches: Data breaches believed to originate

In fact, respondents in the Middle East, a region that historically experiences a higher proportion of state-

To download and read the full report visit ibm. com/databreach

• Paying a premium for compromised credentials: In incidents where attackers accessed corporate networks through the use of stolen or compromised credentials, businesses saw nearly USD 1 million higher data breach costs compared to the global average – reaching USD 4.77 million per data breach. Exploiting thirdparty vulnerabilities was the second costliest root cause of malicious breaches (USD 4.5 million) for this group.

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Sophos reports on reality of ransomware

Sophos has published a multi-part research series on the realities of ransomware, including an industry-first detailed look at new detection evasion techniques in WastedLocker ransomware attacks that leverage the Windows Cache Manager and memory-mapped I/O to encrypt files.

The series also examines the evasion-centric arms race of ransomware, providing a monthslong review of how cybercriminals have been escalating and markedly changing evasion techniques, tactics, and procedures (TTPs) since Snatch ransomware in December 2019. The article series also breaks down the five early warning signs organizations are about to be attacked by ransomware and why ransomware attacks continue to occur.

“The reality is, ransomware is not going away.

At Sophos, we’ve seen gangs like WastedLocker taking evasive tactics to a new level and now even finding ways to bypass behavioral antiransomware tools. This is the latest example of attackers getting their hands dirty, using new maneuvers to manually disable software as a precursor to a full-blown ransomware attack.

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Other stealthy activities like exfiltrating data and disabling backups are also precursors.

The longer attackers are in the network, the more damage they can inflict,” said Chester Wisniewski, principal research scientist, Sophos.

“This is why human intelligence and response are critical security components to detect and neutralize early indicators that an attack is underway. Organizations need to know about escalating trends and harden their perimeter by disabling remote access tools like RDP whenever possible to prevent crooks from gaining access to the network, a common denominator in many ransomware attacks that Sophos analyses.”

The combination of these changing attacker behaviors and remote and/or hybrid working environments due to the global COVID-19 pandemic is signaling an urgent need for organizations to prioritize IT security.

Businesses also need to future-proof security implementations in anticipation of always-adapting adversaries, disintegrating boundaries, and the expanded attack surface caused by COVID-19.

The lineup of Sophos research includes: • WastedLocker’s techniques point to a familiar heritage • Ransomware’s evasion-centric arms race • 5 signs you’re about to be hit by ransomware • The realities of ransomware: extortion goes social • Ransomware: why it’s not just a passing fad Sophos offers this immediate advice for defenders: • Shut down internet-facing remote desktop protocol (RDP) to deny cybercriminals access to networks • If you need access to RDP, put it behind a VPN connection • Use layered security to prevent, protect and detect cyberattacks, including endpoint detection and response (EDR) capabilities and managed response teams who watch networks 24/7 • Be aware of the five early indicators an attacker is present to stop ransomware attacks

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Pretending to be normal: attackers misuse legitimate tools in 30% of successful cyber-incidents

Almost a third (30%) of cyberattacks investigated by the Kaspersky Global Emergency Response team in 2019 involved legitimate remote management and administration tools. As a result, attackers can remain undetected for a longer period of time. For instance, continuous cyberespionage attacks and theft of confidential data had a median duration of 122 days. These findings are from Kaspersky’s new Incident Response Analytics Report.

Monitoring and management software helps IT and network administrators perform their everyday tasks, such as troubleshooting and providing employees with technical support.

However, cybercriminals can also leverage these legitimate tools during cyberattacks on a company’s infrastructure. This software allows them to run processes on endpoints, access and extract sensitive information, bypassing various security controls aimed to detect malware.

In total, the analysis of anonymized data from incident response (IR) cases showed that 18 various legitimate tools were abused by attackers for malicious purposes. The most widely used one was PowerShell (25% of cases). This powerful administration tool can be used for many purposes, from gathering information to running malware. PsExec was leveraged in 22% of the attacks. This console application is intended for launching processes on remote endpoints. This was followed by SoftPerfect Network Scanner (14%), which is intended to retrieve information about network environments.

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It is more difficult for security solutions to detect attacks conducted with legitimate tools because these actions can be both part of a planned cybercrime activity or a regular system administrator task. For instance, in the segment of attacks that lasted more than a month, the cyberincidents had a median duration of 122 days.

As they were undetected, cybercriminals could collect victims’ sensitive data.

However, Kaspersky experts note that sometimes malicious actions with legitimate software reveal themselves rather quickly. For example, they are often used in a ransomware attack, and the damage is seen clearly. The median attack duration for short attacks was a day.

“To avoid detection and stay invisible in a compromised network for as long as possible, attackers widely used software which is developed for normal user activity, administrator tasks and system diagnostics. With these tools, attackers can gather information about corporate networks and then conduct lateral movement, change software and hardware settings or even carry out some form of malicious action. For example, they could use legitimate software to encrypt customer data,” comments Konstantin Sapronov, head of global emergency response team at Kaspersky.

“Legitimate software can also help attackers stay under the radar of security analysts, as they often detect the attack only after the damage has been done. It is not possible to exclude these tools

for many reasons, however, properly deployed logging and monitoring systems will help to detect suspicious activity in the network and complex attacks at earlier stages,” adds Sapronov.

To detect and react to such attacks in a timely manner, among other measures, organizations should consider implementing an Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) solution with an MDR service. MITRE ATT&CK® Round 2 Evaluation — where various solutions, including Kaspersky EDR and Kaspersky Managed Protection service were evaluated — can help customers choose EDR products that match their specific organization’s needs. The results of the ATT&CK Evaluation prove the importance of a comprehensive solution that combines a fully automated multi-layered security product and a manual threat hunting service.

To minimize the chances of remote management software being used to penetrate an infrastructure, Kaspersky also recommends the following measures: • Restrict access to remote management tools from external IP addresses. Ensure that remote control interfaces can only be accessed from a limited number of endpoints • Enforce a strict password policy for all IT systems and deploy multi-factor authentication • Follow the principle of offering staff limited privileges and grant high-privileged accounts only to those who need this to fulfill their job

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BITS & BYTES

Smart 5G service goes live in key districts around the metro The 5G mobile phone network of Smart Communication is now live as a commercial service at selected business districts around the metro.

In this initial phase of its commercial deployment, only Smart Signature, Infinity, and other Smart subscribers will be able to enjoy the super-fast data service of Smart 5G in key business districts of Metro Manila using Smart-certified handsets with 5G-activated sims.

“After many years of preparation and sustained investments, we’re very happy to say that Smart subscribers can now try out and enjoy the super-fast data service that Smart 5G can deliver,” said Alfredo Panlilio, chief revenue officer, and president and CEO, Smart.

Areas included in the initial rollout of Smart’s 5G service include the Makati Central Business District (CBD), Bonifacio Global City CBD, Araneta City, SM Megamall, and Mall of Asia Bay Area.

Smart 5G is also being rolled out in key high-traffic areas such North Avenue in Quezon City and Taft Avenue in Manila, as well as Ortigas CBD, and Clark Green City in Pampanga.

“The launch of Smart’s 5G service enables the Philippines to level up and join the ranks of countries utilizing the next generation of mobile technology. For our customers, it opens the door to an even higher level of customer experience in terms of enjoying video, playing esports, and using more powerful digital services,” Panlilio said.

“As we rollout 5G in more areas of the country, this will complement the deployment of our 4G/LTE network which is already the fastest and extensive in the country. To date, Smart 4G/LTE and 3G coverage serves 95% of the country’s population,” he adds.

Experience Smart’s 5G with Smart Signature Through partnerships with device manufacturers, Smart will also launch its initial lineup of Smart 5G-certified devices from Huawei, Samsung, Realme, and Vivo, which will be available on Smart Signature plans in select Smart Stores. The first five Smart 5G-certified devices are now available with the Smart Signature Device Plans S, M, L, and XL. Subscribers can also experience Smart 5G firsthand with the 5G-ready handsets featured at select Smart Stores in Metro Manila including Smart Tower in Makati City, Gateway Mall, SM Mall of Asia, SM Megamall, and The World Plaza

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in Bonifacio Global City in Taguig. Customers can sign up for a Smart Signature Plan at Smart Stores nationwide or via the Smart Online Store.

PHP 70 billion despite a slowdown in network rollout due to the quarantine controls imposed in the second quarter of this year.

“On top of giving customers priority when it comes to the latest in technology and devices, Smart Signature also enables subscribers to do more by providing more data allocation of up to 30 GB per month. The plans also come with Unlimited OnNet Calls, Unlimited AnyNet Texts, and allocations for AnyNet Calls plus exclusive perks and rewards,” said Jane Basas, senior vice president and head of consumer wireless business, Smart.

This capex program enabled PLDT and Smart to build the digital infrastructure needed to support the deployment first of 4G/LTE and later 5G. This involved, first of all, the deployment of an extensive optic fiber network. The PLDT Group’s fiber network is the most pervasive in the country and extends to over nearly 360,000 kilometers as of June 2020.

Sustained Network Investments The strategy to deploy 5G has been embedded on Smart’s network planning over the last five years.

PLDT’s wireless subsidiary begun conducting tests with 5G in 2016. In 2018, it fired up the country’s first 5G base stations in Makati with Huawei, and in the Clark Freeport Zone in Pampanga with Ericsson. Last year, Smart also launched the first 5G Lifestyle hub and 5G-enabled shopping mall in Araneta City, as well as the first Smart 5G campus at Ateneo de Manila University.

To actually execute the plan, the telco giant required a steady investment effort by PLDT and Smart that has amounted to nearly PHP 260 billion in overall capital expenditure (capex) spend over the past five years. For 2019 alone, the PLDT Group’s capex reached a record PHP 72.9 billion.

Additionally, the 2020 capex is expected to reach

Moreover, PLDT has partnered with Cisco and Huawei, to transform its IP fiber transport infrastructure into a fully automated, softwaredefined 5G-ready network. This highly reliable, highly scalable infrastructure utilizing PLDT’s existing fiber network will enable PLDT to deliver next-generation digital services like Artificial Intelligence and the Internet of Things via 5G. With this extensive fiber network, Smart has been able to fast-track the nationwide roll out of its 4G/LTE service that when combined with its 3G service now provides high-speed mobile internet service to over 93% of the country’s cities and municipalities and 95% of the population.

Moreover, in its ongoing LTE and LTE-Advanced roll-out, Smart has been installing 5G-capable equipment which will enable Smart to deploy 5G easier and faster.

“It has taken a lot of time and effort. But the future is now here,” Basas concluded.

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T.I.P. offers Professional Science Master’s degree in Data Science

The Technological Institute of the Philippines (T.I.P.) is offering Metro Manila’s first ever Professional Science Master’s (PSM) degree in Data Science starting this school year 20202021 to help meet the growing demand for data scientists, one of the top emerging and most in-demand jobs in the Philippines.

“We are very excited to be offering this new PSM Degree in Data Science. With big data having tremendous impact on how industries make major decisions, professionals who can analyze the numbers and translate these into positive business outcomes will be highly valuable and sought after. Both these skills shall be mastered by students of this new graduate program,” said T.I.P. president Dr. Elizabeth Quirino-Lahoz.

T.I.P. benchmarked the curriculum of its PSM degree in Data Science against the data science programs of schools affiliated with the United States’ National Professional Science Master’s Association (NPSMA), ensuring enrollees are up to par with international standards. T.I.P. also partnered with CloudSwyft Global Systems, Inc. and Emerson Philippines to further enhance the curriculum’s local and global significance.

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These benchmarking and partnership efforts were facilitated by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Science, Technology, Research and Innovation for Development (STRIDE).

Asked about the program’s significance, CloudSwyft vice president for business development Prince Datu commented, “Data Science is one of today’s hottest jobs—rapidly growing in response to the amount of data being captured and analyzed. Companies hire data scientists to find insights and to solve meaningful business problems.”

Solutions senior manager for quality and excellence Engr. Villacer Ceredon.

Enrollees of the proposed program will be better equipped in gathering data, turning big data into useful actionable insights relevant to the industry, solving real-world problems through carefully applied problem-solving skills, and contributing in the creation of more effective companies and industries. These in turn will pave the way for PSM graduates to become global key players, in this data-driven era.

In contrast to a traditional, theory-centric Master’s degree, a PSM degree in Data Science involves the perfect mix of science-based theory and industry-desired business skills to produce holistic graduates who are well-versed in both theory and practice. It is essentially an advanced scientific and business degree combined into one comprehensive program.

This graduate program in Data Science is the second PSM degree to be offered by T.I.P. The first is the PSM degree in Construction Management which was likewise launched through the support of USAID STRIDE and in partnership with Megawide Construction Corporation and Meralco Industrial Engineering Services Corporation (MIESCOR) in 2015. The T.I.P. PSM Construction Management program was the very first PSM program offered in the whole country.

“Industry needs data scientists who are not only equipped with technical skills but also with business and organizational skills, as well as workplace skills,” affirmed Emerson Automation

The PSM degree in Data Science will be delivered purely online on a modular basis via the Canvas learning management system, T.I.P.’s official online learning platform. Classes start on August 24, 2020.

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Converge ICT augments customer service capabilities Converge ICT, the country’s premier pure end-to-end fiber internet service provider, is augmenting its customer experience capabilities in response to the surge in applications and service inquiries, as more essential transactions and activities move online due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We have continuously strived to be true to our commitment to enable Filipinos to experience better internet service; even now, despite the operational challenges that we are facing due to the pandemic,” said Dennis Anthony Uy, founder and CEO of Converge ICT. Uy noted that like all other businesses in the Philippines, Converge also had to significantly adjust its operations after the Enhanced Community Quarantine(ECQ) was implemented in March, limiting the company’s workforce and its access to resources and areas, which ultimately contributed to a slowdown in their service delivery.

To help address these limitations, Converge ICT has augmented its support capabilities through the hiring and training of more call center

agents, as well as engaging third-party providers for additional call center support. Converge is also increasing its total capacity for its hotline number to accommodate more subscriber inquiries.

Converge also recently introduced to the market a self-help platform innovation through its Converge Xperience app, which is available for download via the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The Converge Xperience app is an easyto-use app with features that allow subscribers to manage all billing and payment needs, obtain solutions for basic concerns, manage their account, update contact information, upgrade their plain, avail of value-add services, transfer their account location, and add another account.

Converge also launched its YouTube Channel – Converge ICT Solutions Inc. – where customers can find helpful tips to maximize their internet experience. Another digital expansion is the improvement of the customer page in the Converge website which now allows customers to raise a ticket for general inquiries or technical concerns.

“This pandemic has truly tested everyone. By having more contact-less channels, we are mindful of everyone’s safety while still taking care of our subscribers’ support needs” said Uy. “Despite the challenges, we will continue to move forward, serve to the best of our abilities, and work hard to be creative in taking care of our customers.”

Vivo is number one smartphone brand in PH for Q2 2020 Vivo finally holds the top spot as the smartphone that is most in-demand in the Philippines based on numbers recorded in the April-June Canalys report. This is a feat for the young smartphone giant who trailed second place in the 2019 close of year report of Canalys.

Analyst firm Canalys releases quarterly data and forecasts for all mobile phone categories around the world and, in its latest Philippine report, it identified vivo as the number 1 smartphone in the country with a record 21% market share in Q2.

Since establishing its presence in the Philippines, vivo has been one of the most aggressive smartphone brands in the market, reporting a consistent upward year-on-year growth. In 2019, the brand managed to close with a 159% growth.

Despite the global crisis brought about by the pandemic, vivo was able to successfully launch its flagship series— V19 and V19 Neo, in the country by harping on its digital expertise and trademark innovative means, unhampered by the nationwide quarantine.

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The brand continues to receive a warm reception from the general public and sees no end to this as it gears up to bring to the country more of its latest models for the rest

of 2020, including a well-anticipated model from its X series known to sport a new and unique feature, as well as cutting-edge camera technology.

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COVID-19 worries prompt healthier lifestyle habits among Filipinos—Manulife survey Concern about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic among insurance customers runs deeper in the Philippines than in most of Asia, prompting many Filipinos to adopt new habits around a healthier lifestyle and greater use of digital technology, according to a new survey by Manulife.

The Manulife Asia Care Survey, conducted in late May, targeted 300 insurance owners in the Philippines. Most respondents expressed concern about the pandemic’s long-term impact on the local economy and their day-to-day living. The pessimism of Filipinos about the likelihood of COVID-19 slowing down in the next six months was second to that of Indonesians, across the eight markets surveyed. More than half (58%) of the Filipino respondents said they thought COVID-19 would get more serious during the second half of 2020, above the regional average of 41%.

Greater use of digital technology during the pandemic is also evident among those surveyed across the region, yet in the Philippines it was more pronounced. Along with the increased interest in digital was a move towards more regular management of personal finance. And an extension of this is that Filipinos have a growing appetite for insurance.

Filipinos adopt healthier lifestyles and digital services Nearly all of the Philippines-based respondents, who are all insurance policyholders, have adopted new lifestyle habits under the COVID-19 pandemic (98%). Majority of these new habits are geared towards healthier living and increased reliance on e-commerce, online and digital services.

In the Philippines, 64% of the respondents found ways to be more physically healthy than before COVID-19, the highest percentage than all of the other markets surveyed. Yet, in terms of tracking their mental health status, only 27% had adopted this new habit since the outbreak started in the Philippines. Despite that, health consciousness is on the rise and lifestyle habits are undoubtedly becoming healthier in both body and mind. Of the respondents, 33% said they have already started to monitor their health KPIs closely. During the next 18 months this is set to grow, with 52% looking to find ways to be more physically healthy, 20% tracking their mental health and 25% watching their health indicators, such as blood pressure and blood sugar level, more closely.

“We support Filipinos in their heightened desire to make better lifestyle choices every day, whether on their health or finances,” said Melissa Henson, senior vice president and chief marketing officer, Manulife Philippines. “Through this study, we are able to identify their concerns, priorities, and goals

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so we can provide the necessary solutions to help address our customers’ financial and health needs and help them live every day better.”

This appetite for a healthier and more active lifestyle is important, given the rising cost of healthcare and the need for local health services to meet increased demand from a growing middle class and longer life expectancy.

In the Philippines and across Asia, healthcare costs have increased significantly over the past 20 years, rising nearly 500% during that period, according to the World Bank. In 2017, the annual healthcare cost per capita in the Philippines was USD133, or 4.45% of GDP. Greater focus on personal finance and insurance Along with their desire to get fitter, 46% of respondents in the Philippines said the pandemic had caused them to review and manage personal finance more often than before COVID-19. Much of this is likely done online. The survey showed greater willingness to switch to using online services, such as online chats and online payment (79%), and using online tools for news and socialization (both 63%) since the start of the pandemic. Switching shopping from offline to online is quite substantial (46% of the respondents have done so) since COVID-19 started.

COVID-19 has accelerated trends already in place, notably digitization in lifestyle. The acceptance and adoption of these trends provide another reason to believe that the changing habits will, in part at least, be permanent. In the Philippines, digitization and use of smartphones is enabling greater numbers of Filipinos to get access to financial services and other online tools. COVID-19 has helped to reinforce the value of digital tools and services.

The Philippines is one of the region’s most under-insured countries. One measure of insurance penetration is gross written premiums as a percentage of per-capita GDP. In the Philippines, along with a few other markets in the region, penetration rate is less than 1%, far below the rates in markets such as Hong Kong and Singapore.

As such, it is interesting that 77% of those surveyed in the Philippines intend to buy new additional insurance in the next 18 months, which is the most robust level among all the markets surveyed and well above the regional average of 62%. Life (33%), health (29%) and hospitalization (31%), accident (28%) and critical illness (27%) are the main new insurance products being considered by insurance owners in the Philippines.

“In the Philippines, we see people increasingly recognize the risks around critical illness.

As well, there’s a consciousness about the likelihood of unforeseen accidents. Besides being health issues, these are extremely stressful for the patient and his or her family, not least because the rising cost of healthcare and hospitalization can be a tremendous financial burden,” Henson added. “More and more, with the use of digital tools now available, we see people seeking out the best protection option for their needs.”

In terms for general health and well-being, a willingness to manage insurance via digital channels combined with new-found – or reawakened – interest in being more active means that the respondents in the Philippines can tap into insurer products that help to make an active lifestyle more rewarding in terms of being fun and engaging.

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Technology changes from COVID-19 will have a long-lasting impact on education—Lenovo study Lenovo, commissioned IDC to examine the impact of COVID-19 on the education landscape.

The latest IDC InfoBrief, Reimagining the Future of Learning in the Digital Era, reveals how the technological transformation of the education sector has accelerated during COVID-19, highlighting the importance of intelligent technologies to deliver quality education, mitigate health risks, and build student resilience.

For many educational institutions, the mass migration into distributed, online learning during the pandemic was launched very quickly, without the opportunity for change management processes and operational best practices. This resulted in education institutions recognizing the critical need for a well-coordinated and structured approach to ensure digital accessibility, curated content quality, enhanced student learning experiences, and support for educators and administrators. However, with almost one-third of education institutions in Asia Pacific expecting their budget to fall by 10 to 20 percent, and a quarter anticipating a bigger drop of 20 to 49 percent, education institutions are confronted to rethink their future strategies for digital transformation.

accelerating digital transformation and adopting intelligent digital tools are pivotal to helping education institutions ensure that learning continues, while empowering students to build the skills needed for the future workforce.

suite of six creativity tools on their Chromebooks to create videos, podcasts, art, books, and so on. Teachers too can create creative projects through these ready-to-use apps that promote interactive learning.

The Asia Pacific education landscape in the next normal

Lenovo’s role in the smarter way forward for education

Accelerating digital transformation of Asia Pacific’s education landscape is essential amid the emergence of several challenges in the next normal. Even with careful easing of restrictions in some markets, circumstances remain dynamic and ever-changing.

With almost half facing looming budget cuts, education institutions need to find smarter technologies to accelerate digital transformation and to do so in a smarter way by leveraging educational solutions. This enables the school IT to focus less on fixing random and timeconsuming IT glitches.

“We have entered the next phase of what is likely to be a multi-phase pandemic, where the education landscape still remains extremely fluid. In this dynamic environment, learning has to continue even if students and teachers are physically apart. Educators and institutions have the opportunity to take advantage of transformative technology, such as Lenovo’s smart education solutions, which will enable them to stay agile and equip students with the necessary 21st-century skills for the future workforce,” said Michael Ngan, president & general manager, Lenovo Philippines.

Educational institutions face the challenge of maintaining a delicate balance between preCOVID-19 normalcy and protecting students’ health. For curriculums that cannot be replicated virtually, such as engineering and medical courses, educational institutions have to adopt smarter ways to simulate the physical learning experience, without compromising the health and safety of students. This is also a need to ensure a digital learning ecosystem where students, regardless of family income, geographical location, and age group, will continue having access to these materials.

Having a distributed learning strategy that taps smarter technology is essential and critical for education institutions to remain agile and be prepared for unpredictability. According to the IDC InfoBrief, 35 percent of institutions are turning their focus to strengthening their software capabilities, 30 percent are looking to invest in cyber security solutions to ensure online safety for students, and 20 percent of institutions want to improve operational efficiency. Clearly,

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By collaborating with leading software developers, Lenovo offers holistic and smarter education solutions that are designed to protect the software and hardware used for distributed learning, such as SentinelOne, a next-generation antivirus software that proactively identifies and blocks malicious activities amid a growing number of cyberthreats. Security is also secured through FileWave, a multi-platform and unified endpoint management system that offers complete client management capabilities for both Windows and macOS computers, and protects against unauthorized access.

Lenovo’s smarter solutions for education also allow students and educators to thrive in their day-to-day experiences. The Veative Home Study application, for instance, is a web-based learning library with over 500 lessons, that provides virtual reality experiences and assessments on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Students also have the opportunity to exercise their creativity using the

“COVID-19 has digitally accelerated online learning into full-production learning ecosystems for many K-12 and tertiary institutions. These institutions should not let this crisis go to waste, as the pandemic offers new opportunities to explore technological and organizational innovations. New edutech use cases in teaching, administrative systems automation, and charting new learning experiences for students are just some examples of edutech challenges that educators most probably did not have the resources or operational contexts to explore fully before,” shares Gerald Wang, head of public sector at IDC Asia/Pacific. “Care must be taken to ensure the digitally displaced are not excluded from essential education services, especially at K-12 or compulsory education levels.”

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Globe, TM customers get free data access to TESDA online courses Globe and TM subscribers may now sharpen their technical skills or learn more online while staying at home without worrying about data connectivity costs.

With the partnership between Globe and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), all Globe and TM subscribers are given free data access to the TESDA Online Program (TOP) at https://www.e-tesda.gov.ph/. They can visit the site anytime they want using their Globe or TM-powered mobile device even without load and without incurring any data charges.

TOP is an open educational resource that aims to make technical vocational education and training (TVET) more accessible to Filipino citizens and widen their chances of employment or sources of livelihood. It offers free online courses such as Computer Systems Servicing National Certificate (NC) II, Food Processing NC II, Bread and Pastry NC II, Housekeeping NC II, and other courses from sectors such as automotive, agriculture, entrepreneurship, healthcare, among others.

TESDA Secretary Isidro Lapeña expressed his gratitude to Globe for helping TESDA reach more Filipinos in need of the agency’s services. “We are glad to have this opportunity of serving more Filipinos in line with our guiding principle, TESDA

Abot Lahat. Now, our services can reach even our kababayan without having to pay for data costs.

Indeed, this is a very special milestone,” he said.

On the other hand, Yoly Crisanto, Globe chief sustainability officer and SVP for corporate communications, said: “With the uncertainties that we are facing, we need to be prepared to take on new challenges, making it important to continuously learn and explore new ways of doing things. By making TESDA’s online courses more accessible through free data, our Globe and TM customers will have another opportunity to improve their skills.”

Earlier, Globe also provided free data access to the Department of Education’s (DepEd) online learning platform called DepEd Commons, to encourage educators and learners to take advantage of supplementary online instructional materials.

It contains online review materials and Open Educational Resources authored by public school teachers who are subject matter experts. Teachers can retain, reuse, revise, remix, and redistribute the content by blending it with a learning management system to deliver a distance learning modality.

Globe is a strong advocate of quality education which is one of the 10 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals that the company has committed to support. In line with the new normal, Globe is pushing for digital learning by providing connectivity to learners and teachers. *Free access does not cover the materials, courses and other resources that may be accessed through links outside the TOP website such as videos uploaded on video-sharing platforms and courses and links by partners and other organizations.

BPI BanKo mobile app is now available for NegosyoKo loan clients BPI Direct BanKo, the microfinance arm of the Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI), is offering its mobile banking app for its microfinance clients.

Urging customers to go digital in this time of COVID-19, BanKo head of financial inclusion and microfinance loans Rod Mabiasen, Jr. said, “We are innovating in the midst of the pandemic for the sake of our clients. Our goal is to continue guiding them to adapt in the new normal through this easy, hassle-free online banking initiative.”

Through BanKo Mobile, NegosyoKo borrowers may easily view the schedule of their repayments, check their balance and payment history, and even pay their loans without having to leave their home or store, which is very convenient given the current restrictions and difficulty in transportation.

“It is important for our clients to have an easy access to their money. They can now monitor their accounts anytime, anywhere through our new mobile banking application,” Mabiasen said.

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BanKo is not only encouraging its existing clients of self-employed micro-entrepreneurs (SEME) but also new customers to download the app through Google Play Store or App Store. Mabiasen said the app will make it convenient for the microentrepreneurs to save and closely monitor their accounts without leaving their stores.

Through the mobile app, new clients may conveniently open a PondoKo savings account with no maintaining balance and as low as PHP 50 initial deposit. With a few taps, account holders may also buy prepaid load in any network with a 2% rebate, as well as transfer money, and pay bills.

Even in these trying times, BanKo loans associates called BanKoPares and BanKoMares continue to check their clients’ situation and advise them on ways to sustain their businesses.

“BanKo remains open and ready to help our SEMEs to rise up and recover during this difficult period. They should not be afraid to reach out to us because our priority is to support them

and their businesses. As their partner, we will respond to their needs however we can,” he added.

Since introducing NegosyoKo Loan to the market in 2016, BanKo has already served over 120,000 clients nationwide and released over PHP 12 billion in loans.

Visit www.banko.com.ph and follow BPI Direct BanKo page on Facebook to learn more about its products and services.

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PH ranks 4th in Watson global health survey

The Philippines ranked 4th in the World Health Index, a ranking of healthiest and least healthy markets across the globe that was revealed during the recent global health survey commissioned by the A.S. Watson Group, the world’s largest international health and beauty retailer. Over 5,500 consumers across 10 markets in Asia and Europe aged 15-60 participated in the survey from November to December last year to share their thoughts on a wide range of health topics.

The Netherlands topped the healthiest market list, followed by Singapore, the United Kingdom, the Philippines, Malaysia, Mainland China, Ukraine, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Thailand.

Other takeaways of the survey: Happier people are healthier 91% of the respondents believe that smiling and laughing have a lot of health benefits.

Yet only 66% smile enough due to stress. By generation, Gen Z smile more and are happier than the more mature groups including Gen Y, Gen X, and Boomers. And Gen Z tend to consider themselves as healthy.

Family and health are by far the most important aspects of life

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When it comes to ranking the importance of life aspects, Family (87%) and Health (84%) top the list, with Wealth and Love (33% and 32%) in the third and fourth with a wide gap.

prescription, and detection of therapeutic incompatibilities.

Malina Ngai, group COO of the A.S. Watson Group and CEO of A.S. Watson Asia and Europe believes that “if the survey was being conducted two months later in February this year, I am sure this result will even be more pronounced with people putting family and health at the very top priority in life.”

To lead a healthier lifestyle, over 80% of the respondents believe that enough sleep, a healthy diet, and regular exercise can keep them healthy. But 40% of them fail to do so.

More and more people (60%) are interested in taking vitamins and dietary supplements to improve their health.

Credible information matters

At the A.S. Watson Group, 1 billion shoppers bought health products last year and sales for the health category increased 11% year on year. The insight from the Group shows that there more and more people are investing in their health and well-being with vitamins and supplements booming globally at a 12% growth year on year.

As fake news and information flood the internet and social media, consumers nowadays tend to seek health information from credible sources.

The research revealed 61% still commonly see a doctor when feeling unwell and 43% go in store to get OTC medication. Yet only 15% of respondents turn to pharmacists for advice.

The A.S. Watson Group believes that more and more people will seek for the help of pharmacists as they are reliable, professional, and easily accessible. Watsons Philippines has a strong network of 1,436 pharmacists nationwide. More than just dispensing medicines, the pharmacists are patient advocates ensuring that the right medication is given through review, implementation of

How to stay healthy

In the Philippines, Watson’s health business is growing at 18% year-to-date, with vitamins experiencing a phenomenal 132% growth versus last year. Clearly, more Filipinos take a proactive approach in ensuring they stay healthy and protected especially in this time of global health crisis. With this, Watsons expanded its product range for vitamins and health essential related products to further meet the people’s needs.

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More than half-a-million users have signed up for the paid Fitbit Premium service Fitbit recently announced that Fitbit Premium, its paid membership service that gives you guidance to help you move more, manage stress, sleep better, and eat well, has reached more than 500,000 paid subscribers in less than a year since launch. For those looking for extra support, Fitbit Premium provides even greater value to what it means to be “on Fitbit” by delivering more in-depth data, personalized and actionable insights, hundreds of workouts, motivating games and challenges, advanced sleep tools and wellness reports — all in the Fitbit app. Fitbit Premium will also be expanding to include seven additional languages later this year, increasing the potential for even more Fitbit users around the world to benefit. The offerings and content available with Premium will continue to grow and evolve as the service expands.

“The launch of Fitbit Premium is part of our broader strategy to diversify our business beyond hardware, while also delivering on our promise to provide more personalized experiences, data and insights to our users to help them move more, manage stress, sleep better and eat well,” said James Park, cofounder and CEO of Fitbit. “COVID-19 has made it incredibly difficult for people to stay active and healthy and underscores the importance of prioritizing both our physical and mental health. In these extraordinary times, we are supporting our users by helping them navigate these challenges so they have the tools, motivation, and support to help them stay healthy and fit at home with services like Fitbit Premium.”

Following the emergence of COVID-19 and subsequent shelter-in-place mandates, Fitbit announced a 90-day free trial of Premium for new users and saw increased interest in the service, as users throughout the world sought more insight on how to better manage their health and wellness from home.

Fitbit Premium continues to add new content and features to support users during this challenging environment. Premium connects the dots between how key health metrics like sleep, activity, and nutrition are related and how they can impact your overall well-being. In the first two weeks after joining, Premium users took an average of 700 more steps per day.

Members have access to all of the following, which provide added value when paired with a Fitbit device: Engaging health and fitness content Hundreds of audio and video workouts to try including dance cardio, HIIT, yoga and more from popular brands like Aaptiv, barre3, Daily Burn, Down Dog, obé, Physique 57, POPSUGAR

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and Yoga Studio by Gaiam, as well as celebrities, trainers and influencers like Ayesha Curry, Charlee Atkins, and Harley Pasternak.

Ayesha Curry’s Premium Summer: Recently added new exclusive content from the New York Times bestselling author, chef, restaurateur, and fitness enthusiast, focused on her passions: food and fitness. Six original videos feature quick and effective workouts, delicious and nutritious meals, and family-friendly activities. #FitAtHome: Join Le Sweat TV Founder Charlee Atkins and celebrity trainer Harley Pasternak for full-body sessions that keep you active and help you reach your goals from the comfort of your own home.

Practice mindfulness Over 100 mindfulness practice sessions help you manage stress, improve focus, relax, improve body positivity or unwind before bed, including sessions from Aura, Breethe, and Ten Percent Happier.

Deeper sleep analysis A deeper analysis of your free daily Sleep Score, with a breakdown of your score and graphs to show how it’s calculated based on time asleep, deep and REM sleep stages and restoration, plus audio relaxation tools.

Personalized and cross-correlated insights Guidance and feedback based specifically on your data to help you make smarter choices about your health; for example, “Yesterday you earned 35 active minutes—more than your usual 20 minutes. You also slept 25 minutes more than your average of 6 hours and 45 minutes. Move more, snooze more!”

Guided programs A variety of custom programs to help you achieve your health and fitness goals — from nutrition programs like “Eat to Beat Cholesterol,” to increasing activity with “Get Active” and “Run Training,” to improving sleep with “Get More Sleep.”

Premium games and challenges Connect with friends and family on exclusive challenges, like Get Fit Bingo or even create a custom challenge, for more motivation.

Wellness report An easy-to-read overview of your health data, including stats and charts about heart health, weight, sleep, and activity that can be used to facilitate conversations with your healthcare providers.

Fitbit Premium is available to anyone with or without a Fitbit device to try. If you have yet to try the service, Fitbit is offering a free 90-day trial for new Premium users. Premium is currently available in English and will expand to Dutch, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Spanish, and Swedish by the end of the year. Fitbit Premium is priced at PHP 519 per month or PHP 4,190 per year.

Premium is also available to Fitbit Health Solutions enterprise customers through Fitbit Care, both as an a-la-carte offering and included within the Health Coaching offering as a digital intervention to support wellness and prevention and management of chronic conditions like diabetes and hypertension.

For more information or to sign up, visit the Fitbit app or Fitbit.com.

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TELUS offers more college degree courses for employees and their families

Over the last decade, TELUS International Philippines (TIP) has encouraged the growth and development of its team members by providing access to continued learning programs and courses offered under the company’s flagship education program, TELUS International University (TIU).

capability. As of July 2020, TIU has a total of 14 college degree courses, and 87 workshops and certificate courses in its program.

Now in its 10th year, TIU is expanding college degree courses to the family and friends of TIP employees. This latest development reinforces TIP’s commitment to delivering enhanced learning and development opportunities to their team members and their loved ones.

Currently, these degree courses include Bachelor of Science degrees in accountancy, accounting information system, entrepreneurship, computer science, library and information science, and tourism management.

“Many members of the TELUS International Philippines family are breadwinners. We are happy to be able to help them achieve not only their dreams but also their aspirations for their families and friends,” shares Lim.

“Access to learning and development has always been important to our team members, and we are proud to have supported them through our own focused educational programs. Since we launched TIU in 2010, more than 100 team members have finished their college degree courses while working, and over 4,600 team members and their loved ones have pursued their passions through workshops and certificate courses,” says Ely Lim, TELUS International Philippines’ director for Global Learning Excellence.

Within TIU’s pipeline is the expansion of their partner schools and learning institutions to be able to increase course options and

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Subsidized college degree programs and short courses as a benefit for family members and friends

Tuition fees are subsidized by TIP where team members can pay via flexible arrangements through salary deduction. Since its inception, the company has continued to provide team members with tuition fee subsidies of 50% to 85%. The company has partnered with the newly established National Book Store College for its six new college degree courses which will enable employees to sponsor their family and friends at a 50% tuition fee subsidy.

The degree offerings are a healthy addition to a different set of partners schools, including the University of Asia and the Pacific (UA&P), Asia Pacific College (APC), and Lyceum of the Philippines University, which offers employees the opportunity to earn their college degrees in humanities, IT, psychology, and different fields of business and management.

Short courses, meanwhile, are also offered through partner schools, which include SoFA

Design Institute, Center for Pop, Swim Central, Narra Survival Camp, Center for Pop, Enderun Extension, and Center for Culinary Arts Manila, among others.

Flexible learning for employees Recognizing that employee work schedules may challenge their ability to take advantage of the learning programs, TIP has enabled distance learning and onsite learning at TIP sites; however, given the COVID-19 restrictions, onsite learning is currently on hold and will resume when restrictions are lifted and it’s safe to do so.

Virtual and on-site classes make it possible for more employees to participate in degree programs and short courses. Where degree courses demand attendance at a partner school location, TIP also provides school-to-site shuttle services.

Career counseling is also offered to help team members decide which degree programs or short courses to pursue that are aligned with their longterm life goals.

“This is proof of the caring culture at TIP. We have always worked hard to provide our teams with not just an inclusive, friendly, and nurturing environment but one that supports their personal and professional development. The best way to thank our team members for their contributions is to give them the opportunity to keep improving, pursue their passion, and stay relevant as our environment evolves.” Says Lim.

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Smart launches first 5G-powered esports hub in the country PLDT wireless subsidiary Smart Communications Inc. (Smart) has unveiled the country’s first-ever 5G-powered gaming hub by deploying Smart 5G at the Gariath Concepts esports venue in Quezon City. Through peak 1Gbps speed, a cloud gaming exhibition match—the first ever mobile phone vs PC crossplay was held to mark the Smart 5G deployment.

“We kicked off this year with the country’s first 5G-powered Mobile Legends match last February.

Now, we are upping the ante by powering Gariath Concepts to become the country’s first 5G-powered gaming hub. Gaming is at the forefront of technology and we believe that 5G will pave the way for innovative platforms and exciting products that will dramatically enhance the experience of gamers,” said Jane Basas, senior vice president and head of consumer wireless business at Smart.

PLDT-Smart Omega, armed with their 5G-certified mobile phones took on players from Team

LuponWxC using their gaming PC in a game of Dota 2 via cloud gaming. PLDT-Smart Omega took a convincing win with a kill score of 34-6 despite playing on their phones.

Cloud gaming allows players to run games on cloud servers instead of local devices making it possible to run games on any device with a screen without the need for the heavy specs, instead just requiring a reliable and fast internet connection.

“Our goal is to unlock the many benefits of 5G and make these available to Filipinos. The 5G future is closer than we think as we continue to deploy our 5G network, and make available Smart 5G-certified handsets very soon,” added Basas.

To watch the highlights of the groundbreaking crossplay exhibition match follow Smart’s official account. For 5G news and updates check out Smart’s official website.

Spotify and Riot Games team up for official League of Legends esports partnership Spotify and Riot Games have announced a partnership that will bring League of Legends fans even more content on the music streaming platform.

Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) game League of Legends is the biggest esport in the world. Last year, tournaments were held in over 37 different cities across five continents, with a record-breaking viewership of 21.8 million average minute audience watching the 2019 World Championship Final unfold.

“Music and audio are an intrinsic part of our sport and game, so we are thrilled to partner with Spotify to provide our fans with another platform where they can enjoy the ultimate manifestation of League of Legends,” says Naz Aletaha, Head of Global Esports Partnerships, Riot Games. “As a disrupter in their space similar to Riot Games, Spotify allows us to collectively challenge the limits of possibility as we blend sports, technology, entertainment, and music to create iconic experiences and content that inspire generations.”

“Our partnership with Riot Games will create a first-of-its-kind audio universe for the millions of Spotify and League of Legends fans across the globe. As the exclusive—and first ever—global audio service partner for League of Legends, we plan to create a world-class audio-streaming experience for our users, making discovering both

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music and podcasts easier than ever before,” said June Sauvaget, Global Head of Consumer and Product Marketing, Spotify According to Spotify the official League of Legends soundtrack racks up over 4.8 million Spotify listeners per month—a sizable number of both gamers and Spotify users. That’s why Spotify and Riot Games, the video game developer behind League of Legends, are joining forces for a first-of-its-kind multiyear partnership. Spotify is also now the official—and exclusive—audio -streaming partner for League of Legends global events.

The partnership will give fans original podcasts, curated playlists, and so much more. Get ready for: Official League of Legends Esports hub Music is already important in the League of Legends world, but spotify is taking it one step further by creating an official League of Legends hub. Get excited for new and existing music, podcasts, and playlists inspired by the gaming community, including Official League of Legends and Road to Worlds 2020 playlists. Keep an ear out for more coming soon.

Exclusive and original podcasts Spotify and Riot Games are working to create and launch several new League of Legends podcasts.

Untold Stories: Top Moments from Worlds, a 9-episode series leading up to the 10th League of

Legends World Championship this fall, will be the first. Listeners will be able to hear about the top players and anthems through game highlights, recorded interviews, game sound effects, and new interviews with key players. Thanks to the extended partnership, both organizations are looking forward to evolving this podcast over the years to come.

Elevated music moments Spotify will also be providing fans with a behindthe-scenes look at the creation of the Worlds Anthem through the Worlds Anthem Takeover on Spotify. This year’s highly anticipated track is the hero song of the year. It will be released alongside a bespoke music video and is then performed during the Opening Ceremony of the World Championship Finals this October, setting the tone and celebrating the big event.

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COVER RELIC STORY

Words by Jose Alvarez

In the infancy of video games, there were quite a few options. Many companies had tried their hand at creating a successful video game console, but only a couple succeeded. Before the video game crash of 1983, there were tons of products on the market but very little knowledge of what was good and what wasn’t. With competition from PCs and a flooded market, the industry contracted by an estimated 97 percent, from USD 3.2 billion in 1983 to USD 100 million in 1985.

Nintendo emerged from the ashes with the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in the mid-1980s, but did you know Nintendo made consoles before that? The Game & Watch is often considered the first portable video game console. Where did the idea come from? Game designer Gunpei Yokoi, who would go on to design and produce a lot of other iconic game series like Metroid and Kid Icarus, was on a Shinkansen (bullet train) and observed a businessman playing with an LCD calculator by pressing the buttons. He wanted to design a watch that also doubled as a handheld video game console.

Yokoi would later use the batteries from handheld calculators and experiment with various models before coming out with the first game on the Game & Watch, Game & Watch Ball in 1980. Yokoi would also go on to invent the cross directional pad (D-pad) design you see on modern consoles for Donkey Kong in 1982. Yokoi also experimented with a number of screens, such as a wide-screen model from 1981-82, as well as a multi-screen model from 1982 to 1989. These models would also be used for future handheld Nintendo consoles such as the Game Boy Advance SP, Nintendo DS, and Nintendo 3DS. Around 60 games would be released in the style of Game & Watch, including Balloon Fight, the aforementioned Donkey Kong, Mario Bros., and even The Legend of Zelda later on in its life.

coming out in 1991. Game & Watch games were re-released between 1995 and 2002 for the Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance, as well as later consoles such as the Nintendo DS. Game & Watch characters remain popular to this very day, with the Game & Watch character Mr. Game & Watch being a character in the Super Smash Bros. series starting with the 2001 game Super Smash Bros. Melee.

Yokoi did not live to completely see what the Game & Watch inspired and continues to inspire to this very day. He was unfortunately killed in a traffic accident in 1997, but oversaw legendary video game developer Shigeru Miyamoto’s first video game effort as a director, 1981’s Donkey Kong, which brought the popularity of Nintendo games to North America and was also ported to the Game & Watch. Donkey Kong cemented Miyamoto’s career as one of the best video game developers. Miyamoto continues to work for

Nintendo to this very day, having logged 43 years at the company as of this writing.

Yokoi’s influence continued long after his death, with the late former Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata stating that much of Yokoi’s influence continues to play a part in the development of Nintendo products, a concept Yokoi himself called Lateral Thinking with Withered Technology. “The Nintendo way of adapting technology is not to look for the state of the art but to utilize mature technology that can be mass-produced cheaply,” he said, also stating that there should be new ways to utilize old technology. While Nintendo may not have the flashiness of its competitors, it definitely appeals to people from all walks of life, and the Game & Watch was one of the first steps Nintendo took to revitalize the video game industry.

The Game & Watch was so popular that even as the NES was surging in popularity, it gained a following for those who wanted simple video games to play on the go. The console itself lasted 11 years, with the final Game & Watch game, Mario the Juggler,

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