2012 v12n6 - GREEN SCENE

TM

GADGETS

THE PHILIPPINES’ FIRST TECH LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE

GO GREEN AIRCON TECH IN OUR NEW HOME SECTION

HTC SENSATION XE DESIGNED TO IMPRESS

EARTH FRIENDLY

GADGETS, APPS, WEBSITES & MORE

REVIEWED:

AKG K 390 NC Asus Zenbook AVT-PN403 BlackBerry Bold 9900 Canon PIXMA MG5370 HTC Sensation XE Nokia C2-03 Noontec Zoro Samsung B5510 Samsung Galaxy Note Western Digital TV Live

green

SAMSUNG GALAXY NOTE

MULTI-INPUT EXPERIENCE ON THE GO

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gadgetsteam

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DECEMBER 2012 / JANUARY 2013

THE PEOPLE THAT MAKE THIS MAGAZINE GREAT FOR YOU

www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

editor’snote C

ontrary to what most people think, it can be easy to go “green,” and you can do so without having to go overboard with new initiatives that otherwise wouldn’t make sense if they weren’t considered part of the earth-friendly spectrum.

You don’t have to spend a lot of money to reduce your carbon footprint. You don’t have to completely rearrange your life. You can simply continue to do some of the things you were already doing to save money. You’ll be friendly with respect to the environment and saving a little in the process.

Just by being a good corporate person and saving money on power, you can also be a good citizen of the Earth and conserve energy resources. Just be careful what you choose to do. Chances are, if you focus on the green of the balance sheet, you’ll also be doing something for the green of the environment.

In this issue, we are featuring all the “green” technologies we can muster. Apps, aircons, websites, music, tech companies, printers, bathroom fixtures, and yes, even vehicles! We hope you will enjoy reading them as much as we did writing about them.

PRESIDENT & CEO CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT

Maribelle Alba Mika Fernandez-David Amy Christine Giray

Marisa Consuelo Carol Agabin

SALES & MANAGER ACCOUNTS EXECUTIVE SPECIAL PROJECTS STAFF PR & EVENTS STAFF

ACCOUNTING MANAGER

ACCOUNTING STAFF

MR Gavin Jeffrey V. Suazo Tess Pascua Lorie Bernardo Ma. Louella De Guzman

CIRCULATION ASSISTANT Ramil Almojano

Salvador Da, Jr.

LEGAL COUNSEL

Alba Law Office

And what better way to herald this “green” scene than our cover girl Ms. Earth Philippines 2011 second runnerup, Athena Imperial. The “green” movement is indeed very lucky to have Athena as one of their advocates.

I’m as big an environmentalist as anyone, but I’m also practical. You can be green—but choose the right one upon which to focus.

GADGETS Magazine is published monthly by Great Minds Media Incorporated.

Address all correspondence to 9-B Evening News Street, West Triangle, Quezon City.

Our telephone numbers are 332-4004, 376-7356 and 514-8321.

Our website is: www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph Our email addresses are: editors@gadgetsmagazine.com.ph; gadgetsmagazine@gmail.com

Armin A. Amio EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

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

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

Maribelle M. Alba

Mika fernandez-david

Jc Ansis

John nieves

Michelle Callanta-Toledo

Roni Callanta

ASSOCIATE EDITOR Resident MILF and monthly Beautylab guinea pig. Not to be influenced by pop culture, she remains true to her Multiply account and her Nokia N82, much to the chagrin of her colleagues.

CONTRIBUTOR Other than fashion, music, literary writing and pulling out 250k worth of Hermes and Gucci merchandise for work, she is obsessed with pop culture, glamour, 6-inch heels, smoky eyes and false lashes.

Presy Alba

Benjamin Arnold

MR Gavin

Patrick Jude Ilagan

STEVEN VEA

PAOLO Toledo

PUBLISHER The quintessential gadgets girl who loves all things Mac, red and blingy.

ONLINE EDITOR All-around geek and gamer.

Loves guns, plays airsoft every weekend and games with Battlefield 3 religiously.

Has been called a noob approximately 1 million times.

EDITOR-AT-LARGE Websites, anything and everything Apple, Power Tools and unusual gadgets excite her.

She also loves to travel, go on food trips, and try out all the new things.

ART DIRECTOR He is a shutterbug living in the vast jungles of Manila. When not working he is busy reading books, solving the mysteries of life and fighting zombies.

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ASST. PUBLISHER Loves family, food, photography, travel, gadgets, office equipment, notebooks & pens, the beach, cooking, foreign supermarkets, coffee, crazy friends and food trips in the guise of photoshoots.

Not necessarily in that order.

SENIOR ART DIRECTOR He over see’s the entire Art department—which, including himself, consists of only 2 people.

Although he writes numerous articles for the magazine each month, he finds it hard to describe himself in 30 words or less

TECH A writer and musician with a passion for the off-beat and overlooked. If he’s not capturing memories or sculpting sound, he’s out digging for vinyl and old books.

CONTRIBUTOR The ‘every-now-and-then’ writer. Strongly believes pizza and beer is all we need to survive in this world. A Lakers fan. He thrives on candy and sarcasm. Someday, he wishes to own a hoverboard.

CONTRIBUTOR Sports and fashion may be a little impossible to mix, but our resident celeb stylist and sports savvy writer balances both perfectly. She’s the little girl in 5-inch heels on court.

CONTRIBUTOR Husband and father to two beautiful ladies. Other roles include: Switch of The Mighty Miscellaneous, DJ Switchtrik, Advertising Creative, Sarisarisounds.com DJ, and an endorser for Team Manila x Daily Grind and UNSCHLD urbanwear.

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DECEMBER 2012 / JANUARY 2013

THE PEOPLE THAT MAKE THIS MAGAZINE GREAT FOR YOU

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contents ON THE COVER: Abaca top by Danilo Franco; Skirt & belt from Tomato; Photographed

by Erwin Barleta; Make-up by Gold Sergio Magtoto; Hair by Rose Soriano; Art Direction by Benjamin Arnold & Michelle Callanta-Toledo; Styling by M.R. Gavin; Shot on location at Bonifacio High Street, Taguig; Thanks to Bel GalsimMadamba of Tactical Mix

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FEBRUARY 2012

VOLUME 12 NUMBER 06 | FEBRUARY 2012

COVER STORY

photo feature

URBAN GODDESS

It’s nothing short of destiny that Athena Imperial should grace our pages.

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GREENEST GADGETS

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GREEN PEACE GUIDE TO ELECTRONICS

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TOWARDS A GREENER PHILIPPINES

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KEDS GOES ARTSY

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3D ME

Make your own environmental impact with these eco-friendly devices, from smartphones to a water-powered alarm clock.

Which tech company is the greenest?

Find out how local advocates are taking steps to improving this part of the world.

KEDS goes artsy with its champion relaunch.

A home grown company takes 3D to a new level

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contents VOLUME 12 NUMBER 05 | DECEMBER 2011 / JANUARY 2012

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DECEMBER 2012 / JANUARY 2013

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contents VOLUME 12 NUMBER 06 | FEBRUARY 2012

technology

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Tech Parade

New tech finds

It's a brand-new year! We give you a guide on what's fresh in the world of tech.

Gadgets Lab

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Tried & tested, just for you

We look at it. We try it. We play with it a little. Now here's what we think of it.

Snapshots

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Little adjustments for big improvements Here are a few tips on how to maximize your photography skills.

Mobility

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Meet the "1"

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MMDA's Motorcycle Lane

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38 40 41 42

There are a lot of apps out there.

We found the best "green" ones just for you.

GAMING

Dungeon Defenders

Protect your tower, only to tear it down

TABLETS

Taking the Green Track

We give you a guide on how to save power by using your tablet.

Archos Gen9 series

The French manufacturer introduces unique and powerful features that will entice many tablet fanatics.

WEBSITES

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The Essence of Being Green

Be inspired to take part in saving the environment by visiting these sites.

FEBRUARY 2012

The real story and the facts behind the blue lane.

Ford Ranger: 21st Century Tough

A firsthand experience of the rideand-drive

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Kawasaki's Road-worthy & Roadgasmic Night of the Year

APPS

Apps for the Earth

BMW unveils the all-new 1 series.

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Meet the New Isuzu Crosswind & D-MAX

Isuzu releases the 2012 Crosswind

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Team Air Asia-Land Rover Philipines

Lifestyle

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80

LISTEN

82

Featured Artist

68 74 76 78

86 93

CD Reviews

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ALBUMS BROKEN DOWN & REVIEWED

Somedaydream makes it all come true; "Your Love" starts Marie Digby's music career; MCA Makes 90s Music Come Alive

What’s life without style?

Find out about the Seductive scents of Guess and be reborn with Alive Athletics luxurious line of watches.

Beauty Lab

Zenyu ECOSPA: COMPLETE HEALING Discover and experience complete healing at Zenyu Ecospa

Home

Earth-friendly aircons

Air conditioners that consume less energy and cuts down costs

American Standard

New luxury bathroom fixtures

Events

Is the way we acquire our music impacting the earth?

Basketball, Arts and Music

Danilo Franco shares his thoughts on creating eco-friendly wear.

Bits & Bytes

Atoms & Bits B.A.M.

Green Couture Lifestyle Parade

Rainforest challenge

Music

LifeStyle Feature

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN THE TECHLIFESTYLE WORLD

BlackBerry DevCon Asia 2011; Pony Footwear "Show Off"; Eureka moments with the Samsung Galaxy Note; Archos unveils G9 tablets; Bloggers United II; Pioneer Steez Audio launch; Suzuki Automoto Grand Invasion

NewsBits & Bytes

UPDATES ON TECH NEWS

Check out what’s hot off the tech presses

Buyer’s Guide

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Looking for something in particular?

Start the new year right and treat yourself to a little something!

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VOLUME 12 NUMBER 05 | DECEMBER 2011 / JANUARY 2012

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contents

DECEMBER 2012 / JANUARY 2013

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techparade

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ASUS VG 278 LED MONITOR

Online gaming is now immersive than ever with the advent of 3D gaming monitors. Gamers and users alike who are looking for superior brightness and versatility will find it in the ASUS VG series monitor. It’s a 27-inch LED 120Hz 3D display with support for Nvidia 3D Vision 2 glasses, as well as Nvidia 3D LightBoost technology, which improves the 3D experience by delivering up to 2 times brighter 3D screen images and better color quality than existing display technologies. The 2ms (gray-to-gray) response time and 120Hz refresh rate ensure crystal-clear 3D visuals. The VG Series VG278H is also ergonomically-designed and allows for swivel, tilt angle, and height adjustments. It also comes with a built-in, angle-adjustable 3D Vision emitter to cater to the user’s preferred viewing position.

PLANTRONICS MARQUE M155 BLUETOOTH HEADSET

Sleek and lightweight, the Plantronics Marque M155 Bluetooth headset is ideal for smartphone users, freeing you to tap, type and swipe. Turn it on and it steps you through a voice-guided pairing for Android smartphones and iPhone. You can answer or ignore calls completely hands-free, and stereo Bluetooth (the A2DPstandard) allows you to listen to music, get GPS directions or your email, all while providing great stereo quality in the smallest, lightest weight design yet at just seven grams. The free MyHeadset app gives you tips and tools from Marque.

PHP 2,950

ARNOVA 8 G2 PC TABLET

The perfect fit for the multimedia consumer, the Arnova 8 G2 takes pride for its versatility as a video and audio player, as well as being a great e-book reader. With its 8-inch 800x600 pixel multitouch display, the Arnova 8 G2 gives a good view of multimedia files. It is also armed with an ARM Cortex A8 1 GHz processor allowing it to run Android 2.3 Gingerbread smoothly. With WiFi connectivity, the Arnova 8 G2 offers a full Internet experience especially with its integrated front-facing camera. It comes with an 8GB internal flash, though the inclusion of a microSD slot allows for additional memory expansion.

ARNOVA 7 G2 TABLET

Infused with a lightning fast ARM Cortex A8 1 Ghz processor and an ultraresponsive (capacitive) multi-touchscreen, the Arnova 7 G2 has a 7-inch screen with a resolution of 800x480 pixels. Weighing only 370 grams, the Arnova 7 G2 comes with a built-in kick stand allowing video watching at a perfect angle, the processor is also powerful enough to render 1080p full high definition videos. It can also play various video file types including AVI, MP4, MKV, MOV and FLV. For music, the Arnova 7 G2 can play MP3, WAV, APE, OGG and FLAC files. It also has a front-facing VGA camera. With a sizeable 4GB internal flash memory, it can store enough multimedia files for long trips (up to six hours for video playback). A micro SDHC card slot is also included, essentially expanding its storage capacity for various files.

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PENTAX OPTIO RZ18 COMPACT DIGITAL CAMERA

Get close and compact with the Pentax Optio RZ18, a slim camera with plenty of smart features. This camera is packing a 16-megapixel sensor with a wide angle lens equivalent to 25-450mm, and thanks to its powerful 18x optical zoom, you get a vast focal range to work with to ensure you can capture any shot anywhere. The RZ18 also comes equipped with features to help you achieve optimum clarity and the sharpest of details in your images—such as multiple shake reduction options, a 9-point autofocus system with a 4cm super macro mode, and accurate face detection. When you're done taking photos or shooting 720p HD video, you can then review what you've captured on the RZ18's bright 3-inch TFT color LCD. This compact camera also has built-in special effects and filters that cater to your creativity, and its versatile automatic shooting modes help you fuel your imagination without being too technical, making the Pentax Optio RZ18 the perfect companion for those who want to take the guesswork out of taking great photos.

PHP 13,990

PENTAX K-5

DIGITAL SLR CAMERA Capture one stunning image after another with the Pentax K-5 to feed your obsession with photography. Encased in a durable magnesium alloy that's fully weather sealed, this rugged and compact DSLR camera will ensure the best performance—whether you're shooting outdoors in trying conditions or in a controlled studio environment. The new Pentax K-5 has a 16.3-megapixel CMOS sensor, an impressive ISO range of 80-51200 and is equipped with built-in body-based shake reduction image stabilization feature. It can capture images at rapid-fire 7fps with an impressive maximum shutter speed of 1/8000, allowing you to capture great action shots. That's not all, for the Pentax K-5 can also shoot 1080p HD video which you can view on its brilliant 3-inch LCD display. It comes equipped with a wealth of smart features that help you get the perfect shot such as the 77-segment metering system to get the correct exposure, the pentaprism viewfinder with 100% field of view to maximize framing accuracy and its 11 point SAFOX IX+ AF system that has been enhanced for improved focusing speed and reliability. If you're looking for a DSLR that will give you amazing images time after time, then look no further for the Pentax K-5 fits the bill.

PHP 74,990 (WITH 18-55MM KIT LENS)

PENTAX Q

COMPACT INTERCHANGEABLE LENS CAMERA Pentax introduces the "smallest, lightest interchangeable lens camera in the world," the Pentax Q. This powerful palm-sized camera is equipped with a 12.4-megapixel backlit CMOS sensor that can gather light more efficiently, as well as vivid a 3-inch LCD display. With the Q, you can now easily carry a camera that can shoot high-quality images and give you the creative flexibility of interchangeable lenses. Explore your creativity by using Pentax's Q-mount optics, which include a unique "toy" wide and telephoto lens. You can further experiment with the different onboard filters and smart effects, such as a warm vintage film fade and even a bokeh filter to fine-tune blur in portraits, which you can then combine and save into custom presets for easy recall. The Pentax Q also has a built-in pop up flash, and can also be fitted with an optional viewfinder.

Sensor shift reduction has also been hardwired into the body of the Pentax Q, granting you the aid of image stabilization regardless of which lens you use.

Add to this list of impressive traits the ability to shoot 1080p HD video, 5fps continuous mode and a unique customizable Quick Dial, and you'll wonder how Pentax managed to squeeze in all these advanced features into a palm-sized camera.

PHP 34,990

PENTAX OPTIO WG-1 COMPACT DIGITAL CAMERA

Gearing up for an adventure? Then the Pentax WG-1 is the perfect companion for your outdoor journey. This camera is dust-proof, cold-proof to up to -10°C, shock-proof to up to 5 feet, water-proof to up to 33 feet, and can withstand up to 22 LBF (pound-force). If you're not impressed just yet, the WG-1 features a 14-megapixel sensor that lets you capture images and 720p HD video via its versatile wide-angle lens (28-140mm equivalent) with 5x optical zoom. To ensure that you get the best photos, this compact and rugged Pentax camera is equipped with a unique digital microscope mode that utilizes five macro LEDs to guarantee optimal focus and lighting. Rounding out its list of features is a 2.7-inch LCD screen, digital shake reduction, HDMI port and GPS functionality to geo-tag your images. If you're going on an adventure and want to capture the experience, your best bet is the adventure-proof Pentax WG-1.

PHP 17,990 10

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ACER BETOUCH E140 SMARTPHONE

Equally smart, compact, and trendy is the Acer beTouch E140, a 12.8-millimeter thin Android 2.2 phone with a borderless 2.8-inch QVGA touchscreen display. It comes equipped with a Qualcomm 7227 processor, an updated JavaScript engine, high-speed WiFi/3G/Bluetooth connectivity, eye-popping Acer UI widgets, and all the flexibility of the open-source Android system. It also comes with built-in Internet, Gmail, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google Talk, and multimedia streaming (Spinlets) and playback (NemoPlayer) apps, while giving you one-touch access to hundreds of thousands more applications available for download from the Android Market.

ACER C110 PICO TRAVEL-SIZE PROJECTOR

This bring-anywhere entertainment buddy offers exceptional performance, regardless of content and in practically any type of environment. Its ultra lightweight and compact package (at 175g) promises extreme mobility. The power of the Acer C110 Pico projector lies in its 2000:1 high-contrast ratio and 50 ANSI Lumens brightness that provides excellent image quality and comes in handy for your digital entertainment needs. An LED lamp, with a wide color gamut, offers better color saturation that is perceived as brighter by the human eye.

BELKIN N750 DB

WIRELESS DUAL BAND N+ ROUTER Say hello to wireless download speeds of up to 300Mbps (2.4 Ghz) + 450Mbps (5 Ghz) with the Belkin N750 DB. This N+ router is dual-band, operating on 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz frequencies and has two USB ports for more media sharing or wireless printing. It even has a self-healing app which automatically resolves potential network problems. A bundled video mover app provides for wireless streaming of video content throughout the house while the print zone app allows you to print from anywhere in the home. It even automatically backs up files to your external hard drive with its memory safe app.

PHP 7,490

MILI POWER CRYSTAL EXTERNAL BATTERY

Even though the holidays are over, people still manage to be on their phones, greeting loved ones near and/or abroad. Don’t miss out on the chance to tell them how you feel wherever you are. Now, you’re sure to always have the power you need to say what’s important with the MiLi Power Crystal. These ever-reliable external batteries now come in four bright colors—blue, green, orange and pink.

PHP 1,650 12

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GENIUS TWIN WHEEL 900FF CAR RACING GAMING WHEEL

The Twin Wheel 900FF is the first multi-mode force feedback racing wheel from Genius. Switching from 270-degree mode to 900-degree mode easily delivers more realistic racing experiences. In the 900-degree mode, you can turn the wheel 2 and 1/2 times continuously just like in real racing. The leather wrapped wheel improves control during fierce racing competition.

Featured with 13 built-in programmable keys, Twin Wheel 900FF offers commonly used features in racing games such as press horn, emergency brake, lights, maps, and more. The Force Feedback and the Immersionpatented TouchSense technology let you feel what it’s like to experience racing; such as bumps, collisions and crashes. The gear shift offers sequential shifting function. Three suction cups and one Y-clamp come bundled so the wheel can fit on any table or desk.

APACER MICROSDXC 64GB MEMORY CARD

Apacer has recently come out with possibly the world’s fastest high-capacity Ultra High Speed microSDXC 64GB memory card with UHS-1 interface and SDA 3.0 memory card standard. It provides up to 30MB UHS ultra-high transmission speed for high-end mobile devices and can easily store 1080p Full HD videos, 3D games, digital music/photos, apps and other multimedia files. This memory card perfectly meets the demands of HD audio-visual transmission with its lightning-fast speed and super-large capacity.

AKG K 402 HEADPHONES

If you’re looking for portable and great-sounding headphones, then look no further. With a stylish, throwback design, the AKG K 402 is able to quickly fold flat and is instantly ready to go, thanks to its unique 3D axis folding mechanism. These pair of dynamic on-ear headphones come in three vivid colors: blue, red, yellow and is compatible with virtually any portable device.

Since it’s extremely light-weight, it is the perfect companion for your workout or travels, whether you’re jogging outdoors or simply going to the office.

With the AKG K 402, you get the best of both worlds: pristine sound quality in a featherweight and chic design.

AKG K 309

IN-EAR BUD HEADPHONES Get your music the AKG way, with the K 309 semi-open in-ear bud headphones. These are extremely lightweight, which makes it the perfect companion for travels. With high-performance drivers and a broad frequency response of 18Hz-20kHz, the K 309 is the ultimate upgrade towards superior sound. It’s compatible with virtually any mobile device, and arrives in two tasty colors of Cocoa Brown and Juicy Orange. Enhance your personal soundtrack today with the AKG K 309, designed and engineered to sound great anytime and anywhere.

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ALACATEL ONE TOUCH GLAM 810D MOBILE PHONE

Fashion meets technology in the Alcatel One Touch Glam 810D, a dual-SIM mobile phone that has been designed specifically for women. The chic compact shape will fit in perfectly with anybody's style. Available in either Mystery Pink or Light Chrome, the Glam 810D opens up like a music box, revealing a QWERTY keyboard and a brilliant 2.4-inch screen. It also has a 2-megapixel camera which can also capture video. The 810D helps you stay connected and up to date with your favorite social networks, and you can also browse the Internet with its Opera Mini web browser.

PHP 3,999

ALCATEL BLAZE GLORY 918N SMARTPHONE

The tech-savvy will definitely rejoice at the site of the Alcatel Blaze Glory 918N, a dual-SIM Android phone that has it all. It has a sleek and sophisticated metal finish with a 3.2-inch capacitive screen, and its 320x480 resolution will definitely make using it a delightful experience. Running on Android 2.3 Gingerbread, you can now have all the features you want in an affordable and elegant smartphone. Access to the Marketplace lets you download all the apps you want, so that you can spice up and personalize your home screen. The Glory 918N also has a 3-megapixel camera on the rear which lets you take quality photos and instantly upload it to your favorite social networking sites. Rounding out the list of its impressive features is 3G, Bluetooth 3.0, and TouchPal Curve—which lets you type text just by swiping. With the Alcatel Blaze Glory 918N, you have everything you need in a mobile phone, at a great affordable price.

ENERGIZER XP1000K POWER KIT

PHP 5,999

PORTABLE CHARGING KIT

Give your gadget more energy with the XP1000K Power Kit from Energizer, providing you that extra power whenever you need it the most. It comes packaged with 3 charger types—for your home, the car and an emergency power pack for on-the-go devices like your smartphone or MP3 player. The XP1000K comes with two tips to connect your devices via mini USB or micro USB and additional tips for compatibility with Samsung and Apple devices.

This handy lightweight charging kit lets you enjoy not having to bring around large power adapters and having to deal with tangled cords. The XP1000K can maintain its charge for up to a year, and can be recharged up to 500 times, which is more than enough energy for anybody. Other features include Smart LED's to indicate the battery's charging state, and a convenient weather-proof travel case is also provided. Smartphones receive an extra 2 hours, MP3 players at 25 hours and Bluetooth devices at an impressive 34 hours.

PHP 2,195

PD-09

UD-09

KINGMAX PD-09 & UD-09 USB 3.0 FLASH DRIVE

Kingmax has launched two stylish metallic looks for the UD-09 USB 3.0 flash drives to cater to more users who pursue comprehensive high-speed data transmission. The speed of new UD-09 grows twice faster than USB2.0 and the gray and piano black with stylish shinning plating in the middle adds to the excitement of UD-09. Its read speed is rated at 90-99MB/sec and write speed at up to 13-23MB/sec. 8GB/16GB/32GB variants are available.

The new entry-level PD-09 projects simplicity in style with pink and mist gray to choose from, and the scratch-resistant design makes this 3.0 flash drive most durable. This flash drive has a read speed at 50-66MB/sec and write speed at up to 7 to 11MB /sec outperforming USB2.0 4GB/8GB/16GB/32GB variants are available.

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PROJECTORS

ViewSonic has released its reinvigorated PJD 5 Series projector line-up with a number of new-generation models. Quality projection displays that are ideal for use in the classroom or boardroom, on the road of for recreation. The PJD 5 Series consists of five models aimed at providing a variety of options for users, including two with SVGA, two with XGA resolution and a WXGA model.

PJD5523W

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VIEWSONIC PJD 5 SERIES

BE UP-TO-DATE ON THE FRESHEST GADGETS TO HIT THE MARKET

Packed with plenty of features, the PJD5523w is an advanced DLP projector with a widescreen 1280x800 WXGA native resolution that delivers 2700 ANSI lumens and 3000:1 dynamic contrast ratio. With BrilliantColor technology to produce more vibrant colours, as well as high brightness and contrast ratio, the PJD5223w shines in virtually any background and provides exceptional display quality. The PJD5523w comes with an HDMI port, 120Hz/3D-ready for any PC-based 3D applications, integrated speaker for multimedia and supports HD 1080p video; plus with its filter-less design and energy-saving eco-mode, the PJD5523w requires zero maintenance and extended product life. Measuring only eight centimetres in height and weighing a light two and a half kilograms, the PJD5523w is ideal for use in the education, business (enterprise and small business) or home setting.

PJD5123 A high performance SVGA 800x600 DLP projector with 2700 ANSI lumens and 3000:1 contrast ratio, the PJD5123 is lean and light, making it completely portable and practical to move from room to room for tabletop use – alternatively the device can be ceiling mounted for a more fixed purpose. The PJD5123 also offers a range of hardware and software features including multiple PC and video input options, 1.1x manual optical zoom, auto vertical keystone correction, 120Hz/3D-ready, support HD video signal and integrated speaker. Furthermore, its filter-less design and energy-saving Eco-mode provide for easy maintenance and longer product life.

PJD5223 Perfect for the campus, company or crib, the PJD5223 DLP projector delivers crystal clear images with 2700 ANSI lumens, 3000:1 contrast ratio and XGA 1024x768 native resolution.

Multiple PC and video inputs, 120Hz/3D-ready for any PC-based 3D applications, HD 1080p video support and integrated speaker for multimedia ensures excellent performance and value for various applications. With high contrast ratio and brightness, the PJD5223 also incorporates ViewMatch technology for flawless colour adjustment, energy-saving eco-mode to lower power consumption and extend lamp and at a lightweight 2.5kilograms, it is a purely portable device.

The PJD5133, PJD5223 and PJD5523w are all equipped with the components essential for a home entertainment or multimedia system. Every projector in the PJD 5 Series range is 3D-ready, capable of supporting 120Hz input from sources such as Sky 3D, 3D Blu-ray or Sony Playstation 3. Along with the ViewSonic VP3D1 and PGD-250 3D glasses, the PJD 5 Series projectors deliver an immersing 3D experience. Other models in the ViewSonic PJD 5 Series range include the PJD5133 SVGA 800x600 DLP projector and the PJD5233 XGA 1024x768 DLP projector. www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

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SAMSUNG GALAXY Y PRO SMARTPHONE

Featuring Samsung’s integrated Social Hub Premium and the innovative dual-input control via a touch-screen and full QWERTY keyboard, the Galaxy Y Pro is the perfect business partner and social secretary for your smart life.

Powered by the Android 2.3 "Gingerbread" platform, the Galaxy Y Pro also gives you access to over 150,000 apps on Android Market, opening your mobile life to a world of new possibilities. It also comes equipped with the "Think Free" Office Document Editor, allowing you to view and edit MS Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents on-the-move. The dual-input combination of a touchscreen and QWERTY keyboard, allows the user to react, respond or reply in double-quick time.

PHP 9,990

NIKON 1 J1

MIRRORLESS INTERCHANGEABLE LENS CAMERA If you want the creative freedom to capture life and your surroundings, the Nikon 1 J1 is the perfect camera to tell your story. It is an ultracompact system with incredible autofocus performance, with an accurate 73-point array and quick 10fps response, allowing you to shoot as fast as your inspiration and the action leads you. The palm-sized J1 can take Full HD (1080p) movies too, and you can even simultaneously capture still images while recording, for maximum creativity. You can express yourself even further with the various 1 NIKKOR lenses that you can equip and interchange onto this portable palm-sized camera, giving you a vast array of tools to capture the perfect moment. The J1 also has a crisp and clear 3-inch display with anti-glare coating to ensure that you easily view your photos and movies even when under direct sunlight. What makes the J1 great is that it's also easy very easy to operate, so that you can concentrate on composing and capturing.

NIKON 1 V1

PHP 31,999

MIRRORLESS INTERCHANGEABLE LENS CAMERA Nothing can compare to the great feeling of capturing precious moments, especially when the quality is utterly amazing. The Nikon 1 V1 is the perfect compact camera that will lift your creativity to even greater heights, providing you with limitless freedom to express yourself. This 10.1-megapixel camera is equipped with Nikon's EXPEED 3 dual image processor, which will consistently deliver quality results, thanks to its state-of-the art focal-plane phase detection and amazing 10fps burst mode autofocus response. If you're accustomed to using a viewfinder, the V1 has a 1,440,000-dot SVGA electronic viewfinder, providing seasoned photographers a comfortable point of view. What makes the V1 even more amazing is when you utilize the brand new 1 NIKKOR interchangeable lenses, providing you with high quality optics in an extremely compact system. You can take your creativity even further by equipping the V1 with the optional Nikon 1 SB-N5 Speedlight, which attaches via hotshoe.

PHP 43,999

SAMSUNG GALAXY NOTE SMARTPHONE

If you’re an advertising executive that is constantly on the go, then you may want to pick up the Samsung Galaxy Note, so you’ll no longer let a “eureka” moment slip away ever again. It brings together the best characteristics of a tablet and a smart phone, along with the latest breakthrough in pen-input technology, the S Pen, which accurately digitizes your sketches and notes, making it the ultimate digital notepad. If you want to take a snapshot of something to get your wheels turning though, the Galaxy Note also has an 8-megapixel camera, and you can review images on its brilliant 5.3-inch Super AMOLED display. Rest assured that the Galaxy Note will perform as quickly as your ideas come, since it’s powered by a 1.4GHz dual-core processor, expandable memory up to 32GB, and is equipped with HSPA+ for blazing fast connection speeds.

PHP 35,990 18

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SANDISK CRUZER SWITCH USB FLASH DRIVE

NOONTEC VENUS

IPHONE CASE/BATTERY PACK

NOONTEC POWERME MOBILE BATTERY PACKS

Recharge your life with these stylish Noontec PowerMe portable battery packs, the perfect companion for your mobile device. It’s crafted especially for iPhones and iPods, but these versatile and virtual lifesavers will also work with a wide range of devices, thanks to multiple adapters that come with the box. This long list of compatibility includes Sony, Samsung and Nokia brand devices, but it is practically limitless since microUSB and miniUSB connectors are included as well. The PowerMe battery packs also have added security measures, such as auto-disconnect to prevent overcharging and integrated short-circuit protection, to ensure that your precious gadget won’t be damaged. Now, you can further enjoy all your multimedia wherever you are, because with the compact PowerMe battery pack in your bag or pocket, you can instantly bring your gadget back to life, with a little bit of style.

Noontec expertly blends form and function with the Venus, an ultra-slim mobile battery pack that also doubles as a protective case for your iPhone.

You can now double your battery life which lets you enjoy additional hours of multimedia and keeping in touch with your family and friends. The Venus also adds extra defense for your delicate device and has security measures such as auto-disconnecting to prevent overcharging. The best part about the Venus is that it is ultra-slim and integrates seamlessly with your iPhone. It also has a built-in smart LED that lets you keep tabs on how much power you have left, before re-charging it via USB. The Noontec Venus comes in a variety of stylish colors to suit your tastes and lifestyle, making it the perfect accessory for your iPhone.

PHP 1,999

POWERME 2200 PHP 1,600 POWERME POLO PHP 2,999 POWERME 9000 PHP 4,500 POWERME 2200

SANDISK ULTRA SOLID-STATE DRIVE

POWERME POLO

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Keep your data secure and your PC efficient by upgrading to the new SanDisk Ultra solid state drive. This 2.5-inch SATA SSD comes in capacities of 60GB, 120GB and 240 GB, providing a compact and secure form with generous disk space. It’s guaranteed to boost your computer’s performance due to its sequential 280 MB/sec read and 270 MB/sec write speeds, delivering optimum data faster transfer rates for maximum productivity. Additionally, with 3GB/sec random speeds, it will improve program launch time and provide quicker system bootup and shutdown. Since solid state drives have no moving parts, the SanDisk Ultra therefore ensures greater reliability, consumes less power and performs silently. So, if you want to make the most out of your PC, then upgrade your regular HDD to an SSD—where performance and security is reliably rock solid.

FEBRUARY 2012

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BE UP-TO-DATE ON THE FRESHEST GADGETS TO HIT THE MARKET

With the SanDisk Cruzer Switch flash drive, it doesn’t get any more compact than this—since it can literally attach to a keychain. Now, you can keep valued data or your favorite music with you all the time, no matter where you are. In order to keep your flash drive safe, the Cruzer Switch has a unique flip-top design that makes sure the cap stays as close as your data, ensuring that the essential bits and bytes are protected all the time. If security is your concern, you can also take advantage of the included SanDisk SecureAccess software, which allows you to encrypt your private files. Additionally, you can take safekeeping a step further, by availing of the secure online backup offered by YuuWaa, which doubles up the safety and portability of your data.

With the SanDisk Cruzer Switch in your pocket, you have everything you need to make sure your valuable information stays safe—and always stays with you.

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TRANSCEND JETFLASH 760 CAPLESS USB 3.0 FLASH DRIVE

Transcend Information offers its latest USB 3.0 flash drive, the JetFlash 760.

It features USB 3.0 connectivity and a smart, colorful pushout USB connector, striking a well-executed balance between performance and style. By taking advantage of next-generation USB 3.0 technology, the JetFlash 760 is capable of providing more than double the performance speed compared with the previous generation. Combining the latest USB 3.0 standard with vast storage space, the JetFlash 760 makes it much easier and less time-consuming to transfer, store, and share numerous or large files than traditional USB 2.0 flash drives. Moreover, the JetFlash 760 features a handy and colorful sliding USB connector. With a simple flick of the thumb, users can effortlessly push up or pull down the connector for easy one-handed operation. The JetFlash 760’s inseparable outer case makes the drive more solid and rugged, and improves its tactile and visual appeal thanks to its use of ultrasonic welding technology.

2-SPEAKER

TDK BOOMBOX

PORTABLE SOUND SYSTEM

TDK SOUND CUBE BOOMBOX

Fill up any room with great sound with TDK’s expertly designed Sound Cube, which is a perfect display of visual craftsmanship and sonic engineering rolled into one. With its sleek design, it will instantly be the centerpiece of conversation, that is, if you can hear beyond its powerful pair of 5 ¼-inch coaxial drivers and total power output of 20watts/RMS. The Sound Cube provides 360-degrees of booming bass and crystal clear vocals, with four striking sound ports that align its compact shell. And you can rest assured that audio fidelity will be pristine because of TDK’s premium digital audio decoding and playback technology. This boombox is also lightweight and solidly built, making it easier to show off wherever you go and to whomever you run into—it features an illuminated visual equalizer, rotary dials and touch-sensitive buttons, combining a classic look with the fresh edge of modern design. TDK has also put a lot of thought into compatibility, for there are USB ports, analog RCA’s and even a line-in for microphones and guitars to plug into, guaranteeing that any audio source can be played. The Sound Cube is the total portable boombox, and a must-have for any music enthusiast with a keen eye for design.

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The original music culture icon is back, as TDK combines the best of the past and the present with its revival of the classic and beloved boombox. Blast out your favorite tunes with its two powerful 6-inch coaxial drivers that deliver full range sound, and a 3-speaker variant features a dedicated highexcursion subwoofer for even bigger bass and a total output of 35 watts.

The boombox features old school rotary dials and a sleek front facing screen which accentuate its striking and minimal design. The 2-speaker model of this modern day revival also comes with its own classic leather strap, so you can easily take your music on the move and share it with your friends. It’s also ultraflexible, providing USB ports, 3.5mm and auxiliary jacks, as well as a USB to Apple cable for your iDevice. It doesn’t just play your favorite tracks, but it can be your own personal amp as well, since it features a line input for microphones, guitars and virtually any electronic instrument. With the TDK boomboxes, not only does your music beg to be heard, but the sleek and exquisite design is meant to be shared with the world.

3-SPEAKER

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CANON IXUS 1100 HS DIGITAL CAMERA

PHP 19,998

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At only 21.9 mm thin, the 12.1-megapixel IXUS 1100 HS from Canon is the world’s slimmest 12x optical zoom lens camera. The flagship model’s improved lens barrel and advanced mounting technology make both highquality imaging and an ultra slim body design possible. With a wide, 3.2-inch touchscreen, the new Touch Shutter function enables users to get the shot they want by simply tapping their finger on the screen. Users will also enjoy the highly responsive touch screen with intuitive features such as Touch Auto Focus and Touch Auto Exposure.

HTC SENSATION XE WITH BEATS AUDIO SMARTPHONE

Feast your eyes on the first HTC smartphone that exclusively features the Beats Audio technology, which guarantees to deliver studio-quality audio right into the palm of your hands. Now, you can enjoy music the way it’s meant to be heard, thanks to the custom made headset that was specially calibrated to deliver richer bass and crisper vocals. The Sensation XE ships with an 8GB microSD card, so you can create your music library right away, filling it up with thousands of your favorite tracks. This smartphone by HTC is beyond being sonically impressive—it also features a brand new 1.5Ghz dual core processor and an extended battery life, making sure you get the best performance possible. Music enthusiasts finally have the smartphone they’ve always wanted, in the form of the HTC Sensation XE.

HTC SENSATION XL WITH BEATS AUDIO

PHP 31,500

SMARTPHONE

The Sensation XL combines the best of both worlds—HTC’s stellar smartphones and Beats Audio’s sonic prowess. With this new collaboration, the result is a revolutionary smartphone that shakes mobile entertainment to its very core. Beats Audio defines a new audio standard to adhere to since the Sensation XL was carefully tuned to bring bigger bass and clearer vocals.

Users will be thrilled that HTC’s new smartphone also comes packaged with the new lightweight urBeats headphones, which pairs perfectly with Sensation XL’s audio profile and includes a built-in microphone that allows for hands-free calling and transport controls. In addition to delivering pristine audio, the Sensation XL has a brilliant 4.7-inch screen, ultra-slim 9.9mm design, and an 8megpixel wide-angle camera with enhanced low-light performance. So, if you love music, and want it expertly crafted into a smartphone, then the HTC Sensation XL is the perfect choice.

PHP 32,500

CANON IXUS 230 HS DIGITAL CAMERA

The sleek Canon 12.1-megapixel IXUS 230 HS—available in four playful colors of aqua, lime, plum, pink, silver and black—incorporates a 28 mm 8x optical zoom lens to support a variety of focal lengths, from wide angle to telephoto.

The world’s slimmest 8x optical zoom lens camera, with its power switched off and lens retracted, measures only 18.89 mm thin, smaller than the diameter of a 25-centavo coin. Additionally, the improved High-Speed Burst function enables the capture of a maximum of 8.7 images per second while the High-Speed Video feature supports video shooting at 240 frames per second, perfect for making dramatic slow-motion videos.

PHP 16,998 www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

FEBRUARY 2012

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TRIED AND TESTED TO FIND OUT WHAT’S HOT AND WHAT’S NOT

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AKG K 390 NC

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SAMSUNG GALAXY NOTE

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AVT-PN403

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NOKIA C2-03

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CANON PIXMA MG5370

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BLACKBERRY BOLD 9900

NOISE-CANCELING EARPHONES

SMARTPHONE

PERSONAL NAVIGATION SYSTEM

MOBILE PHONE

MULTIFUNCTIONAL PRINTER

SMARTPHONE

31 NOONTEC ZORO HEADPHONES

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HTC Sensation XE SMARTPHONE

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WESTERN DIGITAL WDTV LIVE

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SAMSUNG GALAXY Y PRO B5510

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ASUS ZENBOOK UX21

STREAMING MEDIA PLAYER

SMARTPHONE

ULTRABOOK

www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

By John Nieves

Beats Audio that comes with it. It’s implemented via two components: a Beats Audio enhancement software and the bundled Beats branded in-ear headphones.

Beats Audio is a line of audio speakers and headphones created by Dr. Dre and a former Geffen records executive. HTC promises that Beats Audio delivers the music “the way the artist intended” and to be honest, I have to agree with them. The sound quality is just so much better. Some may find that the whole experience is a bit too bassy but considering the sound quality, it’s a minor complaint.

The headphones are pretty nice too, and are made out of aluminum. These are basically rebranded iBeats cans with in-line controls which, when bought separately, are about Php 7,000. There are also a couple of different-sized earbuds in the package.

The Sensation XE comes with its own Sense UI 3.0 overlay, offering the muchloved widgets, additional functionality and the ability to remotely ring and lock your phone (as long as it’s connected to the Internet).

Internally, the XE gets a bit of a speed bump and a slight increase of 300 MHz from the original’s 1.2GHz to 1.5 GHz. The XE still uses the same processor and GPU as the original (Adreno 220 GPU, Qualcomm MSM 8260 Snapdragon) so we assume that HTC has either

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overclocked the processor to reach 1.5GHz or the original one was slightly underclocked to conserve battery life.

Speaking of battery, the XE gets a slightly higher rated battery (1730 mAh compared with the original’s 1520 mAh) to deal with the increased processor speed.

What really sets the Sensation XE apart is the

Battery life is similar to the original Sensation, in that a day’s worth of moderate use (internet, music, calls and messaging) drains the battery to almost nil at the end of the day.

Probably the only nitpick I have is with the Beats Audio cans, or rather, the finish on them. After a few days of use, there was already serious wear and tear on the anodized finish which isn’t something you’d expect

SPECIFICATIONS: OPERATING SYSTEM: Android 2.3 with HTC Sense 3.0 CPU: 1.5 GHz dual-core processor, Adreno 220 GPU, Qualcomm MSM 8260 Snapdragon LCD SIZE: 4.3 inch S-LCD capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors, 540 x 960 pixels PHYSICAL DIMENSIONS 126.1×65.4×11.3mm WEIGHT: 148 g BAND: GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900, HSDPA 900 / 2100

TRIED AND TESTED TO FIND OUT WHAT’S HOT AND WHAT’S NOT

When HTC made a “substantial investment” in Beats, we knew that the Taiwanese firm wanted a piece of the music phone pie. Unsurprisingly, its first Beats Audio branded device is a remake of its best-selling HTC Sensation.

well as the Beats logo at the back.

4.0

/5

SMARTPHONE

The Sensation XE is a virtual twin of the original—4.3inch capacitive S-LCD screen (540 x 960 pixel resolution), unibody aluminum construction and 8-megapixel camera. The only thing that’s changed externally are the red accents on the front of the device (along with the red LED backlight on the buttons at bottom of the screen) as

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HTC Sensation XE

BUY METER

WHAT’S HOT: • Faster processor than the original • Bigger battery • Included Beats Audio earphones • Sense 3.0

WHAT’S NOT: • Anodized finish on the headphones wears out easily • Expensive

BOTTOMLINE: The HTC Sensation XE is a good choice for people who like music phones and don’t already own the original Sensation.

from a pair of headphones that demands a hefty premium.

The question is, should you buy the Sensation XE? Well, it depends entirely on you. Some have said that the Sensation XE’s included headphones and Beats Audio software is merely a marketing gimmick to get you to drop cash on it, and claim they can get the same experience by buying a decent pair of cans and downloading good EQ software for their smartphone. While that’s totally possible, if you’re just a regular Joe that wants a good music-playing smartphone with a decent set of cans (and don’t already own the original Sensation) then buying the Sensation XE might seem like a good idea. The Sensation XE retails for Php 31,500.

FEBRUARY 2012

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gadgetslab TRIED AND TESTED TO FIND OUT WHAT’S HOT AND WHAT’S NOT

AKG K 390 NC

BUY METER

By Steven Vea

Known primarily for their pro-grade microphones and headphones, AKG has been diving deeper into the trenches of consumer-level products. With the K 390 NC, mobile professionals are offered a pair of noise-canceling earphones. work effectively if you’re only wearing a simple tee that doesn’t have buttons or a breast pocket. Additionally, the short cable makes it almost impossible to set the box down, unless you find or create a surface that is chest high. In short, if you don’t have anywhere to clip it, the NC box awkwardly hangs about, even when you’re sitting down.

The K 390 NC is luxuriously packaged and will immediately catch your eye with its elegant design.

Upon opening the box, you’ll instantly spot the sleek wallet-sized leather carrying case, which could very well be the envy of whoever is sitting next to you on the plane. Its overall look caters to a well-dressed executive, with its deep black color and silver trim, so rest assured that when it comes to aesthetics, the K 390 NC has got it covered.

Taking a look at its packaged accessories, you’ll notice that an airplane adapter has been provided, which clearly conveys AKG’s intended market—the frequent flyer.

After all, the origins of noise cancelling earphones 24

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are rooted in blocking out the thunderous hum of jet engines.

There are basically two types of noise-cancelling earphones—passive and active—and the K 309 falls under the second category. The thing about active noise cancelling is that while it’s supposed to be more efficient, it also requires power. Larger headphones usually have a battery chamber built-in and concealed into one ear cup, but when it comes to in-ear models however, the only real way to provide power and conceal the noise cancelling unit is to have a separate, external box. This is the case with the K 390 NC.

Powered by one AAA battery, the NC box features a blend of a polished metal and matte, and is roughly the size of a pack of gum.

It features a simple On/Off switch and curiously, a mute button. Unfortunately, there are no transport controls to advance through your playlist, which would have been a welcomed feature.

In short, while the noise cancelling unit looks sleek, it is regrettably and ironically, the flaw in the K390 NC’s design.

The earphones are permanently attached to the noise-canceling unit and the wire is quite short, so that the NC box literally dangles uncomfortably from your ears. Even though the box has a clip, it doesn’t really

3.5

/5

NOISE-CANCELING EARPHONES

With the elements of design and comfort out of the way, we can now focus on sound quality. Let’s first state that active noise-canceling works by analyzing the frequency of the unwanted noise and by generating its anti-frequency to thereby “cancel” it out. Sometimes, producing this opposing signal often leads to slight white noise and/or hiss, which is usually hardly noticeable. With the K 390. however, this mild static is quite audible, although it isn’t distracting to the ears and is disguised once you begin to play music. So in effect, while it’s noticeable, it’s not a deal-breaker.

However, AKG always has a trick up its sleeve, and the finest feature of the K 390 is minimal loss in audio fidelity once active noise cancelling is turned on. Usually, there’s a significant dropout in the lower frequencies, but the K 390 pretty much maintains the same audio quality, which is refreshingly impressive.

But then again, the K 390 doesn’t really pack much bass to begin with, even when noise cancelling is turned off. While this helps make it a great pair of noise-cancelling earphones, if you’re looking for great bass even when you’re

SPECIFICATIONS: WEIGHT: 9 grams (0.02 lbs) TYPE: Dynamic, Binaural, In-ear FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 12Hz – 24 KHz SENSITIVITY: 125 dB IMPEDANCE: 32 Ohm CONNECTOR TYPE: 3.5mm

WHAT’S HOT: • Leather carrying case • Minimal loss in fidelity with noise cancelling on

WHAT’S NOT: • Short earphone cable • Awkward design of the box

BOTTOMLINE: AKG has always had a great track record, but the K 390 NC leaves us wanting just a little bit more. Although the design could use improvement, the sound it delivers still lives up to our standards.

grounded, then you may want to go for something else in AKG’s line. But the K 390 excels in clarity, with vibrant mids and clean highs that will satisfy and surpass anybody’s sonic expectations.

Moreover, the K 390 has significant amplification, with a sensitivity of 125dB and impedance of 32Ohms, which will definitely help when you’re thousands of kilometers in the air. The ear buds fit comfortably in your ears as well, even if you’re not a fan of the form factor, and will definitely last you long hours of flying in comfort with great sound.

In the end, the K 390 NC is a good pair of earphones for the frequent flyer looking for something sleek that sounds clean at the same time.

While the noise-canceling box’s design could have used a bit more thought on AKG’s part, the K 390 NC still holds its own against other products in its class and price range.

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SMARTPHONE

By John Nieves

4.5

/5

SPECIFICATIONS: OPERATING SYSTEM: Android 2.3, TouchWiz UI CPU: Dual-core 1.4GHz ARM Cortex-A9 processor, Mali400MP GPU, Exynos chipset LCD SIZE: 5.3 inch Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, 800 x 1280 resolution PHYSICAL DIMENSIONS: 146.9 x 83 x 9.7 mm WEIGHT: 178 g BAND: GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900, HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100 INTERNAL MEMORY: 16GB/32GB storage, expandable through microSD

TRIED AND TESTED TO FIND OUT WHAT’S HOT AND WHAT’S NOT

In a world of ever increasing screen sizes, what is too big? We used to think that a smartphone that had a screen of 3.7-inches was big enough, but now a 4.3-incher is considered normal.

gadgetslab

Samsung Galaxy Note

BUY METER

WHAT’S HOT: • Fast processor • Extremely large screen • Excellent battery endurance • S Pen gives creative types more options

WHAT’S NOT: • Expensive • Not for people with small hands

BOTTOMLINE: The Samsung Galaxy Note might be expensive, but you’ll definitely be getting your money’s worth.

Curiously enough, the Samsung Galaxy Note isn’t the first smartphone to traverse the it-might-betoo-big-to-be-a-smartphone category. This device is very pretty in a simple, elegant way. There are few controls scattered about—a volume rocker on the left side, a power/unlock button on the right and a back button on the bottom that’s flanked by two backlit touch-sensitive keys. Like any selfrespecting smartphone, the Note has an 8-megapixel camera on the back, along with a smaller front-facing one. The Note also has a stylus that’s stored at the bottom left rear side, near the speaker grille.

The 5.3-inch Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen is simply gorgeous. The screen is the reason for the Note’s 146.9 x 83 size, but Samsung managed to trim

the its overall thickness to just 9.7mm. Internally, you’re looking at a dual-core 1.4GHz ARM Cortex-A9 processor with a Mali400MP GPU. A customary glance at the Galaxy S II’s processor tells us that the Note is 200MHz faster than its smaller smartphone brother. Other specs include 16GB/32GB storage and about 1GB of RAM. As expected, the Note is packing Android 2.3.5 from the outset.

Like any other implementation of Android, Samsung has infused the Note with its own TouchWiz interface. We’ve seen it before on the Galaxy S II and the Tab 10.1, and as always the apps and widgets it brings to the table is a welcome addition to the Android experience we’ve known and loved.

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So what does the Note bring to the table? Well, the included capacitive pen dubbed the “S Pen,” which allows you jot down notes during meetings via the built-in handwriting recognition software.

You can also answer text messages using the pen, something that old school Palm Pilot users might appreciate. The pen also makes it possible for you to doodle sketches during meetings, which is especially important for creatives when dealing and talking to their clients.

When it comes to performance, the Note doesn’t disappoint. It’s able to power through most apps without any issues. As always, our synthetic benchmark was AnTuTu, and the Note scored extremely high marks at 6,348, beating out the Galaxy S II and the recently launched

Galaxy Nexus.

Battery life was astounding.

One of the biggest perks to having a big frame is that there’s a lot more room to squeeze a battery in and Samsung has managed to cram a huge 2500mAh battery in there. Combine that with the energy efficient Super AMOLED display, and you get a rock solid battery life of 9 hours with near-constant use.

Call quality was good, and we never experienced a dropped call while using the device.

One of the things that the Note does inherit from the Galaxy S II that we didn’t like was the flimsy battery cover.

Possibly the biggest issue people will have with the Note is it’s sheer size. It’s a heck of a lot of phone to grab with a single hand, and

even with our larger than normal hands, our thumbs had a bit of trouble getting from one edge of the screen and back. People with dainty hands are almost guaranteed to use this device two handed. The size of the device also means that you’d want to get a decent Bluetooth device for it, unless you want to look foolish when handling voice calls.

Of course, all of that screen real estate and cutting edge speed means one thing: the Galaxy Note demands a premium price. Retailing at Php 35,990, it’s definitely not cheap. But we think the performance, battery life and utility the Samsung Galaxy Note brings to the table is well worth its price.

FEBRUARY 2012

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gadgetslab TRIED AND TESTED TO FIND OUT WHAT’S HOT AND WHAT’S NOT

AVT-PN403

BUY METER

By Steven Vea

Audio-Video Technology (AVT) has been offering a range of navigation systems lately, and one of their latest products, the PN-403, has more to it than meets the eye. route options to choose from: Fastest Route, Highway prior, Avoid Highway, and Shortest Route. We found that choosing “Highway Prior” was the most accurate and most straightforward, since choosing the other options sometimes led to misleading (and even impossible) routes. Sometimes, when choosing the “Shortest Route,” the PN-403 would direct us to pass through subdivisions or closed roads.

Fortunately, the PN-403 updates quickly during missed turns and speedily redirected us to alternate routes.

Out of the box, the PN-403 looks pretty sleek, with its glossy black finish and minimal design. So if we’re talking first impressions, suffice to say, we’re definitely impressed. Rest assured AVT’s navigation system will blend in well (and perhaps even improve) your car’s interior.

On the left side of the unit, you’ll find all the ports—the headphone jack, microSD slot, USB port as well as a pin-sized reset button.

On the top you’ll discover the power button, and on the mono speaker is the rear. Measuring at 122mm x 81mm x 12.4mm and weighing around 205grams, it’s very portable, slightly larger and heftier than your average smartphone.

Turning it On/Off requires you to hold down the button for a few seconds, and the software boots up relatively fast, ready for you to use.

Coming from a complete shutdown, it does take a few minutes to acquire a GPS signal and requires you to be completely outside of any structures, which some users may find a little long,

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especially if you’re rushing towards your destination.

However, coming from a “sleep” state detects a signal faster, which is great.

It comes packaged with a USB cable, car charger, and the car mount. You will always want to make sure the car charger is with you, since the PN-403’s battery life leaves more to be desired. The car mount is excellent though— it’s easy to install and we were surprised at how extremely secure it was, holding on tightly despite hitting the many bumps and humps on the roads that our country is known for. Not once was the PN-403 in any danger of falling off.

Once it’s in place, the PN-403 bright 4.3-inch widescreen is easy to see even when under direct sunlight, so you can rest assured that you’ll be able to clearly see the map, which can be viewed in either 2D or 3D graphics.

The PN-403 also features great 3D modeling of elevated roads or flyovers to give you a better visual of where you’re heading.

The PN-403’s database contains up over 300,000 points of interest (POI) and house numbers, and it was surprising that it detected numerous locations, ranging from popular restaurants in the area all the way to small shops. At times, the rather small 4.3-inch display does become a factor, and makes the map a little congested and text heavy, which some users might find confusing.

Nevertheless, the display is actually pretty great – it’s bright with rich colors and can still be seen even when viewed in direct sunlight.

Designating your destination is easy. You can either specify an intersection, an exact address or even longitude/latitude, just to name a few. Once you begin typing where you want to go, the PN-403 quickly finds suggestions after only a few letters, which makes it very efficient. The touchscreen is very responsive, and you’ll have no problems telling the PN-403 where you want to go.

Once you’ve put in your destination, you have four

4.0

/5

PERSONAL NAVIGATION SYSTEM

Overall, vocal instructions were clear, although there were still a few vague directions every now and then, which has always been a problem with all navigation systems anyway.

The PN-403 did warn us whenever there was a “speed camera ahead” which is great, and we secretly hoped that it would tell us if there were traffic enforcers lurking around the corner as well.

Nevertheless, even with unclear vocal instructions, you can always visually confirm it on the display anyway.

The mono speaker is relatively clear, but could be improved. The overall volume is a little soft, and when turned up to its maximum setting, the audio distorts heavily. So you’ll have to keep your windows up, and play music at a bare minimum (or not play any at all) so that you can effectively hear the instructions. We would suggest that you use an adapter that lets you connect the PN-403’s headphone jack to transmit

SPECIFICATIONS: Dimensions: 122mm x 81mm x 12.4mm Weight: 205g Display: 4.3-inch Colour TFT Touch Screen CPU: Atlas IV 533MHz OS: Microsoft WinCE.NET 5.0 Memory: 64MB/Flash 128MB (SDRAM), microSD up to 32GB

WHAT’S HOT: • Fast real-time update • Responsive touchscreen • Great display

WHAT’S NOT: • Acquiring signal takes time • Speaker could use improvement

BOTTOMLINE: If you’re looking for a personal navigation system, you can’t go wrong with the AVT PN403.

to your car’s speakers for better sound.

What makes AVT’s navigation system unique is that it can also be a portable media device.

Using a microSD card of up to 32GB, you can view photos, listen to music, play a few games, just to name a few. Having the ability to access multimedia makes the PN-403 very versatile— you literally have a “tablet” of sorts wherever you are, and can be especially useful in keeping kids entertained during long trips.

Overall, the PN-403 performed well, at least when we tested within Quezon City. It would be interesting to see how it performs in other areas such as Makati (with its tangled web of one-way roads) and further out of the main cities, where it could prove to be more useful. Nevertheless, the AVT PN-403 performed as advertised and impressed us with its detailed database and relatively accurate instructions.

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Nokia C2-03

BUY METER

3.0

/5

MOBILE PHONE

By MR Gavin

SPECIFICATIONS DIMENSIONS: 103 x 51.4 x 17 mm WEIGHT: 115 g DISPLAY: 2.6 inches TFT resistive touchscreen BAND: 900 / 1800 - SIM1 & SIM 2 * GSM 850 / 1900 - SIM1 & SIM 2 CAMERA: 2 MP 1600x1200 pixels MEMORY: microSD up to 32GB

TRIED AND TESTED TO FIND OUT WHAT’S HOT AND WHAT’S NOT

I bring two mobiles every day, a personal phone and another for work. It helps me to organize contacts and everything that I need to accomplish but for such a klutz like me, using two phones is not really practical. I usually misplace one or the other; luckily I haven’t lost one yet. A dual-SIM phone could be the answer to my prayer.

WHAT’S HOT: • Dual-SIM • Touch and type

WHAT’S NOT: • Unresponsive touchscreen display • Awkwardly placed volume and lock buttons • Poor camera resolution

BOTTOMLINE: A good phone—nothing exemplary—but you can’t beat its price.

Out of the box, the Nokia C2-03 has an interesting design, though the exterior is mostly plastic. Its curved edges made it easier to hold and added simplicity to the overall design. Most mobile phone buyers will be attracted to the C2-03 because of how it looks; it has a shiny finish on the bottom and is available in black chrome or golden white.

On the top side of the phone are three ports—a 3.5mm jack, microUSB and charging ports. On the left side is the port for your second SIM card while on the right side is the volume control and

lock key. I use the lock key often, although its location on the right side makes it a bit difficult to reach.

There is a 2.6-inch QVGA touchscreen display, although sadly this is not responsive enough. I had to calibrate the screen six times for it to work properly.

I had to click the buttons a couple of times before it responded. It wouldn’t really work for those who text or use their phone often like me. The slide-out numeric keypad is decent enough to let you input your messages but I wish there were other navigation buttons to use aside from the Call and End

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Call buttons.

The C2-03 can perform all the basic phone features like messaging, calendar, alarm and such. There is also an e-mail client. The Nokia Maps app is also a thumbs-up, where you can check maps and locations even without going online.

You can also preload maps for future reference. The Nokia Ovi store is also okay for games and apps that you wish to install your phone.

The highlight of the C2-03 is its dual-SIM feature.

The first SIM card slot is located under the battery and another is on the right

hand side. The two can work simultaneously and you can even task a certain SIM to carry all messages and calls and another just for connectivity.

A 2-megapixel camera accompanies the C2-03. I am not impressed with the camera because they could have done a better job with it; there is no flash or autofocus, resulting in very gritty photos and videos— but for its cheap retail price, who can complain?

Listening to music is good because of the 3.5mm headphone jack, the standard size for most

headphones. It can also be expanded to 32GB microSD, giving you enough space to store your music files.

You can also watch videos because it supports mpeg formats, though if the video size is too high, it will eventually hang or quit running.

Blame it on the test unit, but the phone practically died on me for four times during the test period even though the battery indicator said it was still full. It can’t handle multi-tasking, because it tends to hang and you have to restart.

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gadgetslab TRIED AND TESTED TO FIND OUT WHAT’S HOT AND WHAT’S NOT

Canon PIXMA MG5370

BUY METER

4.5

/5

MULTIFUNCTIONAL PRINTER

By Benjamin Arnold

Multifunctional printers are popping up everywhere nowadays. With the way the economy is now, everyone if looking for a way to get the most “bang for their buck.” This is where the Canon PIXMA MG5370 shines by offering what everyone else does with a little more in regards to the tiny details.

SPECIFICATIONS PRINT RESOLUTION (HxV): 9,600 x 2,400 dpi PAPER HANDLING: Rear tray (Plain paper) 150 sheets; Auto Document Feeder (plain paper) 150 sheets INK SYSTEM: 5-color individual ink tank system SCAN RESOLUTION: 2400 x 4800dpi CONNECTIVITY: Multi card slot and direct scan PDF/JPEG file to memory card / USB drive; USB 2.0 Hi-speed, WiFi 802.11b/g/n, PictBridge, Optional Bluetooth unit DIMENSIONS: 450 x 366 x 166 mm (W x D x H) WEIGHT: 8.3 kg POWER SOURCE: AC 100-240V 50/60 Hz POWER CONSUMPTION: Standby: 2.9 W, Off: 0.4 W, Printing: 22W

WHAT’S HOT:

Based on looks alone, the Canon PIXMA MG5370 takes the gold with its sleek lines and elegant curves. The glossy black finish gives it a level of class that isn’t found too often in printers which makes it pleasant to look and wonderful to work with. Located on the top of the machine via a three inch colored LCD screen is the menu which is easy to understand and simple to maneuver through.

The surface is fitted with a variety of buttons and an easy-scroll wheel to cycle through the different options.

It has two paper trays—one in the rear and one below the printer itself. This allows the printer to handle a variety of paper sizes and 28

FEBRUARY 2012

material ranging anywhere between Legal sized bond paper to 4R photo paper.

The printer is also fitted with an auto-duplex print and copy option to make printing back-to-back documents simpler and faster.

from or save directly to after scanning. The file types to choose from are either PDF or JPEG, making viewing of the scanned photos stressfree.

Upon lifting the initial cover, the scan/copy bed becomes visible. The scanning bed is marked with the different sizes of paper that the scanner can handle—which is limited to the height of an A4 sheet of paper and the width of a letter-sized sheet of paper—making it easy to line up and center any documents you plan to scan.

A nifty feature that I learned of while testing the Canon PIXMA MG5370 is the automated opening of the printing tray. The moment the printer senses that you will be printing a document, the printing tray from which the paper comes out of instantly drops at a steady speed making no sound at all. This is a small detail that adds to the beauty of this printer.

To the front right of the printer, a multi-card slot and USB port can be found which allows you to print directly

The printer also features a variety of options for printing: from direct USB connection via a USB

2.0 high-speed port WiFi connection or an optional Bluetooth unit allowing you to set up a wireless network where ever you set up the printer to allow effortless printing from anywhere within the range of the WiFi signal. Another bonus feature added into the printer is made possible through Canon PIXMA Cloud Link which allows anyone to print their images from any Picasa web album without accessing a computer.

Canon took into consideration their camera technology by including a variety of camera effects to tickle any camera enthusiast’s creative bone.

The printer can apply a fisheye, miniature, toy camera or soft focus effect instantly

• Sleek and elegant glossy black design • Menu buttons and easyscrolling wheel paired with 3 inch color LCD screen for easy viewing and maneuvering • Automated printing tray • Auto duplex printing • Variety of connectivity options • Variety of camera effects • 5-color individual ink tank system • Prints even if one ink is out • Professional photo quality prints • Can scan text and convert it to a word document • Scans multiple items into individual files

WHAT’S NOT: • Loses alignment and catches two to three pieces of paper when printing in draft mode • Individual ink cartridges seem insufficient for the size of the printer

BOTTOMLINE: The Canon PIXMA MG5370 multifunctional printer is a wonderful printer that host a variety of standard features and a few special perks that set it above the rest.

with a few pushes of a button, while capturing and printing HD movie frames taken with any Canon digital compact camera or DSLR. In terms of print time and quality, the Canon PIXMA

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When printing out a blackand-white word document in draft mode, the printer could produce an average of 13 ppm; in standard mode, the printer produced an average of 10 ppm; while in high-quality, it produced 3 ppm. In draft mode, the print quality was slightly lighter and less precise than compared to standard mode—while the high quality produced prints that where less scattered and more defined than it did in standard mode. The only problem I had while printing was when I would print in draft mode, the alignment of the printing was slightly off and at times, the printer would pick up two or three pages at a time.

The next test that was performed was a combination of text and

The last printing test was the photo printing. It took on average 52 seconds to print one letter sized photo in standard quality and 1 minute and 55 seconds to print a photo in high quality.

For a standard 4R photo, it took 48 seconds to print in standard mode while it took 1 minute and 43 seconds to print in high quality. In terms of print quality, the photos produced by both modes were phenomenal in the sense that the photos seemed as if they were developed professionally— with the high quality mode being slightly sharper than the standard quality. This is mainly due to Canon’s high-performance Fullphotolithography Inkjet Nozzle Engineering also known as FINE technology print heads. This allows the printer to print in a 9,600 x 2,400 dpi through the use of nozzles that put out precise microscopic ink droplets.

The color reproduction was also above par by maintaining the closest to the original photo. This is because of the photo black ink which develops the overall contrast of an image making the photo gradation richer. The only let down on the ink is that for the

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size of the machine, the 9 ml individual ink cartridges and the 19 ml hi-capacity black ink cartridge seems slightly insufficient in terms of printing a large mass of documents as a few of the cartridges of ink ran dry after printing around 200 black-and-white documents, 100 mixed text and graphic documents and about 20 full color photos. This must mean that the printer was mainly designed for printing small projects for personal use rather than full standard business style documents.

The last test for this multifunctional printer was the scan speed and quality.

When scanning a letter sized color photo at 300 dpi, it took an average of 17.39 seconds from start to finish—which meant I saw the final finished image on the screen of my computer. For simple color graphic document, it took an average of 14.62 seconds, while plain blackand-white text documents took an average of 6.63 seconds. In terms of quality, the definition was vivid while the details were precise. The scanner can also scan text and transform them instantly into word documents while scanning multiple items at once, the scanner instantly scans the items as separate files.

Over all—though there were a few let downs in relation to printing in draft and the ink running dry only after a few hundred prints—the pros greatly outweigh the cons. With its stylish looks, variety of connectivity options, simplicity of function and quality of prints and scans—the Canon PIXMA MG5370 proves that it can compete in the big market of all-in-one multifunctional printers.

Vibration-based exercise app lets users run through virtual cities The Virtual Active iOS app enables users to virtually travel through iconic cities and landscapes around the world while on the treadmill or exercise bike.

TRIED AND TESTED TO FIND OUT WHAT’S HOT AND WHAT’S NOT

The benchmark test used to determine the print speed and quality of the printer involved printing out a set number of pages. This was timed and repeated twice wherein the results for each test were added and then divided by two to get the average speed for the printer in terms of pages per minute (ppm). This was tested for each common print setting that the printer offered—after which the quality of each print-out was reviewed.

graphic which simulates a standard business document that contains images or graphs. When set in draft mode, the printer produced an average of 9 ppm; in standard mode, 7 ppm; and in high quality, 2 ppm.

In term of quality, again, drafts mode was slightly lighter and less precise while high-quality was much more vivid and well defined. I also noticed that the printer would stall after it printed large images or graphics which initially led me to think that my computer was causing the delay. But upon checking the printing status, it turns out that the printer takes a short pause after printing large graphics to allow the previous page time to dry before continuing—another small detail that added to the printer’s ingenuity.

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MG5370 is top of the line.

The printer handles a 5-color individual ink tank system that features the standard CMYK along with an additional high-capacity document black ink for printing large masses of standard black-and-white word documents. Pair that with the fact that the 5-color individual ink system allows you to only replace the inks that have been used up—the printer becomes an economical saving machine.

I also love the fact that the printer doesn’t become useless even if one of the ink cartridges is empty—the printer will still continue operations with whatever ink is left as compared to other brands of printers.

Over recent months we’ve seen numerous apps and devices designed to motivate users into physical activity using games and rewards. Now in the US, Virtual Active and Bit Gym have teamed up to create a free iOS app that enables users to virtually travel through iconic locations around the world while on the treadmill or exercise bike.

Users can choose either a basic or guided workout on the app, which will then begin to play video footage of journeys through famous cities and landscapes, shot from a first person point-of-view. Then, by placing the iOS device on an exercise machine, the app will monitor the speed at which the user is exercising and match the video playback to that pace, using “vibration-based exercise tracking”. If the user wishes to take a break the video will stop until they start moving again. The Virtual Active: Bit Gym Edition is compatible with treadmills, bikes and ellipticals, with ten videos currently available priced at $7.99 each—the app itself is free to download. They plan to add more features and content to the platform soon.

Bit Gym and Virtual Active aim to remove the boredom barrier of exercise by making it entertaining. What other ways could reluctant exercisers be motivated into action?

Website: www.bitgym.com or www.vafitness.com Source: Springwise

FEBRUARY 2012

29

gadgetslab TRIED AND TESTED TO FIND OUT WHAT’S HOT AND WHAT’S NOT

BlackBerry Bold 9900

BUY METER

4.5

/5

SMARTPHONE

By Roni Callanta

Smartphone users have always been in the search for that perfect one. Research in Motion (RIM) has been working non-stop when it comes to enhancing its touchscreen handhelds.

SPECIFICATIONS: OPERATING SYSTEM: BlackBerry OS 7 CPU: 1.2 GHz processor LCD SIZE: TFT capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors PHYSICAL DIMENSIONS: 115 x 66 x 10.5 mm WEIGHT: 130 g BAND: GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 / HSDPA 900 / 1700 / 2100; HSDPA 850 / 1900 / 2100 / 800

WHAT’S HOT: • Professional look • Enjoyable browsing experience • Crisp and sharp display • Impressive compatibility with various multimedia formats • Bigger display but much slimmest BlackBerry handheld

WHAT’S NOT: • Lags on command (shifting from typing and browsing orientation)

BOTTOMLINE: The BlackBerry Bold 9900 is a great upgrade for RIM users, especially for Bold loyalists.

It’s simple but much more sophisticated in design and in use.

They gave you the latest touchscreen from the Torch family—the all-touch 9860.

But for those who fancy the simpler, candybartype smartphone that carries both the features of a touchscreen and your average Bold design, the Bold 9900 is the way to go.

The Bold 9900 is one of the most professional-looking handhelds to date. Despite it being slightly bigger than its predecessor, the 9780, it compensates with its width and weight. At 115 x 66 x 10.5 mm, you can slide it into your pocket without too much bulk. In fact, that’s one of the 9900’s key selling points, and RIM says this is the slimmest BlackBerry yet.

With this phone, you won’t have to worry whether your 30

FEBRUARY 2012

handheld will be bulging from your pocket at a business meeting.

the option to use the touchscreen for easier navigation.

can also playback DivX and XviD video files, plus OGG and FLAC audio files.

This device is also so sleek and professional-looking, you can’t help but feel an air of sophistication every time you whip it out.

Packing the BlackBerry 7 OS, the capacitive screen is quite impressive as well, displaying the same stunning features (contrast and color) with the latest Torch 9860.

In terms of connectivity, the 9900 features the same array of plugs and protocols as the Torch 9860.

It supports Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP for stereo headphones and HSDPA downloads up to 14.4Mbps. You can synchronize the Torch 9860 with a PC using the microUSB port, and it has a GPS receiver built in, as well.

For those who are social networking site junkies, this is the handheld for the task—“tweeting” and updating your Facebook status are made more comfortable with the QWERTY keypad with

But for those multimedia file junkies, the 9900 is an absolute joy, sporting an impressive compatibility with a range of multimedia formats. Beyond the standard mix of AAC, MP3 and MP4 video, the Torch

Photo and video-taking is also made fun because of its awesome 5-megapixel camera with a bright LED flash. Building a great reputation for having decent point-and-shoot replacement cameras, the 9900 is no exception. With its many camera and video features, I was able to use the Bold for a number of events and every still image and video had that crisp finish we all look for in our average camera. The camera also has awesome features such as Geo-tagging, face detection, image stabilization.

its hugely improved processor. This new 1.2GHz processor and GPU mix is a big leap forward from the 528MHz ARM 11 chip in the original BlackBerry Storm, and this performance bump is evident in using this newer model, and browsing in the web is done in a silky-smooth finish.

For those who want to stick to Research In Motion and who aren’t so keen on the fancy slider and/ or complicated touchscreen handhelds, the Bold 9900 is the perfect handheld to date. Not only is it simple, it’s the most sophisticated RIM handheld to date and at the end of the day, it gets the job done.

The Bold 9900 also boasts www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

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Noontec Zoro

BUY METER

3.5

/5

HEADPHONES

By Paolo Toledo

SPECIFICATIONS: PLUG TYPE: 3.5mm DRIVER DIAMETER: 40mm INPUT IMPEDANCE: 16 ohms FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 1522,000 Hz SENSITIVITY: 1 KHz (SPL) 110±3dB TYPE: Supra-aural AUDIO CABLE: 1.2m, OFC+TPE SIZE (UNFOLDED): 175mm x 175mm x 65mm SIZE (FOLDED): 175mm x 110mm x 65mm NET WEIGHT: 150g

TRIED AND TESTED TO FIND OUT WHAT’S HOT AND WHAT’S NOT

There’s always that tickle of excitement when you’re faced with something new. It’s like a dive into the unknown—not sure what to expect. In this case, the excitement came with testing out a brand that I had no idea about. Admittedly, it was the first time I encountered Noontec, and I was clueless about its products or performance record.

WHAT’S HOT: • Classy and durable material • Comfortable interior and adaptive earmuffs • Well-balanced sound • Plug-in flat audio cable

WHAT’S NOT: • Looks like a Beats by Dre copycat • Lacks a bit of punch in the bass

BOTTOMLINE:

Right off the bat, a few first impressions immediately crept up. From just looking at the box, it seemed as if these Zoro headphones were made to emulate the now infamous Monster Beats by Dre (Solo).

Everything about the first look screamed Beats all over it: from build, design, and even its colors. But I hoped to find out how the Zoros set itself apart, despite its ridiculously close resemblance.

Unboxing the headphones revealed pretty much the standard contents: the device, carrying pouch, and plug-in flat audio cable.

I personally find the flat cables a nice touch for headphone models because it offers less risk of being tangled, knotted or frayed.

Plus, these plug-in gold-

plated cables of the Zoros ensure reliable connection and longevity, made for the daily wear and tear.

A close look at the design shows the more obvious influence of Dr. Dre’s iconic headphones. The Zoros sport that same classy appeal via the surface piano varnish that makes the colors vibrant, and applies a lasting overall gloss to the cans. If I had one point of improvement, it would be to change the layout and placement of the Noontec logo on the cups so it won’t look exactly like a pair of Beats. A little originality never hurts.

It’s made of heavy-duty hard plastic, has steel reinforcements at sensitive areas for added durability, and an adjustable headband

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that comfortably suits various head shapes.

Adjusting the scale of the band is natural and easy, unlike headphones that require you to take them off and actually use more force to find the right adjustment.

Comfort and portability are also two strong suits of the Zoros. Aside from the band, the bi-directional adaptive earmuffs ensure comfort, even when worn over longer periods of time, as they adjust to the angles and movements of your head. The interior of the band is lined with cushioned faux leather, and the cup has protein skinfriendly material that allows breathing room and protects the ears from annoying sweat rashes. Carrying around the Zoros is also not a problem with the fold-up

design that tucks in both cups under the headband, giving it a more compact size that fits easily inside the convenient carrying pouch.

Offhand, I was not disappointed with the performance of these headphones, although I was not blown away as well. They sounded, well, above average. Don’t expect pro-studio sound or noisecancelling features from the Zoros, given that the cups are semi-open (supra-aural).

That being said, the sound quality was well-balanced and all levels were clear and crisp, mostly due to Noontec’s Surround Closed Cavity Body (SCCB) speaker technology. Across different music types, the headphones were pretty consistent and clean even at

The Noontec Zoros are a good economical option to the more high-end, pro studio headphones. They provide the right balance of sound, design, durability and comfort made for everyday personal listening. If you don’t mind the resemblance to other models, then these cans are worth an ear.

higher volume levels. There was a skew towards mids and highs, but I did find the bass punches a tad weak for my tastes. But if you could do without the hard “bump” then you’ll find the Zoros very suitable.

All in all, the Noontec Zoro Headphones provided a nice surprise in terms of comfort, durability, and performance.

First impressions might hint towards trying to copy the Beats by Dre, but these ear cans did offer their own brand of balanced sound – making it a good economical choice and more than just a “half-baked Monster”.

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31

gadgetslab TRIED AND TESTED TO FIND OUT WHAT’S HOT AND WHAT’S NOT

Western Digital WDTV Live

BUY METER

4.5

/5

STREAMING MEDIA PLAYER

SPECIFICATIONS:

By Steven Vea

The new WD TV Live builds off the success of its predecessor, retaining the same features that made it great, while adding some new bells and whistles. All this was done at the same great cost-friendly price.

DIMENSIONS: 125mm x 100mm x 30mm CONNECTIVITY: Ethernet, USB 2.0, HDMI, Composite A/V, Wi-Fi, Optical audio VIDEO COMPATIBILITY: AVI (Xvid, AVC, MPEG1/2/4), MPG/MPEG, VOB, MKV (h.264, x.264, AVC, MPEG1/2/4, VC1), TS/TP/M2T (MPEG1/2/4, AVC, VC-1), MP4/MOV (MPEG4, h.264), M2TS, WMV9, FLV (h.264) PHOTO COMPATIBILITY: JPEG, GIF, TIF/TIFF, BMP, PNG AUDIO COMPATIBILITY: MP3, WAV/PCM/LPCM, WMA, AAC, FLAC, MKA, AIF/AIFF, OGG, Dolby Digital, DTS PLAYLIST: PLS, M3U, WPL SUBTITLE: SRT, ASS, SSA, SUB, SMI

WHAT’S HOT: • Built-in WiFi • Easy to set up • WD remote app

WHAT’S NOT: • Heats up • No web browser

BOTTOMLINE: The new WD TV Live is extremely useful and affordable. We absolutely recommend it.

Western Digital’s new compact media streamer is still diskless, allowing the overall size to remain compact and non-intrusive to your existing setup. It measures 125x100x30mm, which makes it palm-sized and approximately the size of a sandwich (for lack of a better comparison).

Even though the housing is 32

FEBRUARY 2012

constructed out of plastic, it feels fairly solid and looks great, with a smooth modern finish.

On the front you’ll find a conveniently placed USB port, so that you can easily plug in a thumb drive to watch movies or view photos instantly. On the rear, you’ll find the rest of the

ports, and Western Digital has all the basics covered— there’s an optical S/PDIF, Gigabit Ethernet, HDMI, another USB port and an AV out. The connection for the 12V wall wart is located in the rear as well. I would like to have seen the addition of standard RCA connectors in addition to the AV out, but then again this does help

keep the WD TV Live small and tidy.

The clean-cut and simple design that Western Digital is known for will definitely help sell its newest media player. Just by looking at it, it doesn’t feel complicated at all to set up. And in fact, it isn’t.

As soon as you connect the WD TV Live to a display and turn it on, a set-up wizard will instantly initiate, taking you through the necessary steps to configure it in your home’s network. The complete process is quick and simple, just the way we like it. It detected my access points immediately, and was able to connect swiftly as well.

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We liked the remote control that came with the WD TV Live—it’s just the right size and the buttons are intuitive and ergonomic. You can also avail of the free WD Remote app, so you can use your tablet or smartphone to control it.

How does it perform? On a DSL connection, the WD TV Live streamed excellently.

When playing an MKV file, initial startup took a little long, but once the movie began playing, it was actually quite surprising at how efficient it was. Naturally, stutters in playback occurred when there were multiple users accessing the network, especially if somebody was watching YouTube or downloading torrents at the same time. With a congested network, streaming videos on the WD TV Live became choppy and would pause mid-stream to buffer, similar to how YouTube usually operates.

Now, one of the greatest selling points of the WD TV Live is that it can turn any television into an Internet TV, and this got us quite excited. However, since the interface does not come with a web browser, you still won’t get an authentic full-fledged Smart TV. Instead, access to the net is limited to the “apps” that are provided for you, which pretty much cover all of the essentials, such as Facebook, YouTube, DailyMotion and even Spotify.

The addition of WiFiconnectivity to the WD TV Live does prove to be invaluable if you want to

Nevertheless, what makes the WD TV Live great is that it also appears as a distinct access point on a home shared network. Therefore, if a USB drive is plugged into it, you are able to access its files using your

other computers at home.

So if a family member was watching a movie on the WD TV Live, you can also stream the same movie on your laptop.

We did notice that the WD TV Live becomes quite hot, even when it’s on standby mode. Even though it’s propped up by rubber pegs on the bottom, you may want to elevate it a little higher so that the air vents in the bottom have more room to breathe. Or, you can simply make sure you turn it off when you’re not using it, since according to the tech specs, the WD TV Live consumes the same amount of power on standby and when it’s in use.

Despite that, the WD TV Live is definitely impressive.

It supports virtually all file formats—the ability to play MKV files was a Godsend, especially for HD TVs that are not compatible with DTS audio. Moreover, having Wi-Fi built in makes this little box a cost-friendly solution to add some intuitive features to your high-definition display—such as accessing the net and streaming your movies wirelessly.

In short, we were amazed at the WD TV Live, and it’s definitely one of the most underrated products to be recently released.

TRIED AND TESTED TO FIND OUT WHAT’S HOT AND WHAT’S NOT

access your media files wirelessly over your home network, whether they are on a dedicated Network Attached Storage (NAS) or your desktop computer.

Having the option to stream your movies wirelessly via the WD TV Live no longer limits you to the amount of memory your thumb drive has— you can stream large Blu-ray MKV rips over your home network.

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Once everything is set up, you’ll be surprised that Western Digital’s Moshi user interface greets you, which wasn’t included in the previous version. The new UI is a breeze to use— everything is well organized, visually pleasing and navigating through it is userfriendly. You simply browse through the categories (i.e. photos, videos, etc.) using the included remote control.

Produce fish & veggies on rooftops Frisch vom Dach is building an aquaponic farm on the roof of an old malthouse in Berlin that will produce both vegetables and fish.

Rooftop farms have graced our virtual pages on numerous occasions before, but recently we came across an example with an interesting twist. German company Frisch vom Dach is building an aquaponic farm on the roof of an old malthouse in Berlin that will produce both vegetables and fish.

Frisch vom Dach has already built a container farm on the same premise as the rooftop version it’s now in the process of creating. Constructed from an upcycled shipping container with integrated fish tank and attached greenhouse, the container version operates on a closed water cycle whereby fish waste fertilizes the plants, and the plants purify the water. Now, plans call for the rooftop version atop Malzfabrik Berlin, operating with a similar system and producing both vegetables and fish reared according to sustainable aquaculture guidelines. The rooftop farm is expected to be ready for its first harvest in 2013, with a portion sold in an onsite shop and the rest going to local retailers.

Frisch vom Dach is currently seeking partners for investment, planning and purchasing opportunities.

Website: www.frischvomdach.de/english Source: Springwise

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gadgetslab TRIED AND TESTED TO FIND OUT WHAT’S HOT AND WHAT’S NOT

Samsung galaxy Y Pro B5510

BUY METER

2.5

/5

SMARTPHONE

SPECIFICATIONS DIMENSIONS: 110.8 x 63.5 x 11.5 mm WEIGHT: 108.6 g DISPLAY: 2.6 inches TFT capacitive touchscreen BAND: GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 CAMERA: 3.15 M MEMORY: microSD, up to 32GB OS: Android OS, v2.3 (Gingerbread)

By MR Gavin

There are basic functions we look for in a phone. Aside from sending messages and making calls, users want a decent camera and a music player. WiFi connectivity is a plus too, and the Samsung Galaxy Y pro covers all this and probably more.

WHAT’S HOT: • Optical trackpad • Touch and type

WHAT’S NOT: • Lags when multitasking

BOTTOMLINE: If you are just starting out on Android phones, you can give the Samsung Galaxy Y Pro a try.

Just make sure that you have the patience when crashes or goes on kernel panic upload mode.

The Samsung Galaxy Y Pro sports a candy-bar form factor and has a few ports and buttons on the side. On top is the 3.2mm jack for your headphones, on the left is the volume rocker, the charging/USBport is on the bottom. and on/off/lock button on the right side.

The Y Pro is a QWERTY touchphone that stands 110.8 x 63.5 x 11.5 mm, which sits comfortably in my hands, just the right size to navigate through its QWERTY keypad and its 2.6-inch TFT capacitive touchscreen. Just below the screen are the End call, home, back and search buttons. There is also an optical trackpad which makes it easier to navigate through the pages compared to the prior Galaxy Pro 34

FEBRUARY 2012

B7510. The screen is an average size for QWERTY phones. Though you can rotate the screen, it’s a little small for apps I use. Talking Tom was cramped into the screen and Angry Birds was too small to launch.

Just like other Samsung Android phones, you can customize your homescreen depending on the applications you use. This way you won’t need to navigate through all the pages of your menu to find the app you are looking for. You can also put your favorite shortcuts and widgets on your homescreen. Though sometimes when my homescreen shortcuts won’t work, I go to the main menu to look for the original

application.

Running on Android 2.3 Gingerbread, it gives you a very swift experience in using the phone. It also gives you access to thousands of apps on the Android market though it can be a bit tricky because some might not be pleasant enough for a small screen.

No matter how I try to type in the right message thread, it keeps going back to a different one. I had to erase all my messages so it wouldn’t be mixed up, because honestly, sending the wrong message to the wrong person is embarrassing.

WiFi capability is a must for a person who constantly goes online to check social networks and emails, especially since broadband surfing is still a bit pricey.

But being online all the time has its downside; it eats up battery juice.

The best feature of the Samsung Galaxy Y Pro for me is its ability to open and edit documents that I receive from my email. I can finish my deadlines even when I’m not in front of my computer. It can support Word, Excel, Powerpoint and PDF files, as long as the size of the file can be processed.

When typing my messages I notice that it goes to the previous message thread.

The 3.15-megapixel camera is good when taking pictures outdoors and when there

is enough light. There is no flash on the camera which makes it harder to use indoors. Photos are a little noisy but it’s decent enough for Twitpics or a quick snapshot for Facebook.

I noticed the Y Pro lags when I multitask and most of the time I just restart the phone. There are also times that it will go on “Kernel panic upload mode” even when the phone is not in use or “CP crash mode.” I even experienced it in the middle of an important phone call. The fact that I missed calls and messages because of these problems made me very frustrated and made me insert my SIM into another phone.

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gadgetslab

ASUS Zenbook UX21

BUY METER

4.5

/5

ULTRABOOK

By John Nieves

SPECIFICATIONS: SCREEN SIZE: 11.6-inch 16:9 HD (1366×768) LED MEMORY: 4GB DDR3 CPU AND CHIPSET: Intel Core i5 2467M Processor (1.6GHz) PHYSICAL DIMENSIONS: 299 x 196 x 9mm WARRANTY: 1 year on parts and labor

TRIED AND TESTED TO FIND OUT WHAT’S HOT AND WHAT’S NOT

Anyone who has ever used an ultraportable knows all too well the sacrifices that come with mobility. The rule of thumb was that the lighter and thinner the notebook, the greater the hit in performance. That’s why I was pretty skeptical of Intel’s ultrabook initiative.

WHAT’S HOT: • Solid construction • Fantastic styling • Extremely thin and light • Good performance • Excellent sound

WHAT’S NOT: • Keys are mushy and have shallow travel

BOTTOMLINE: Looking for an absolutely beautiful, thin and light notebook that runs Windows?

Well, you might want to pick up the UX21.

Battery life wasn’t that stellar though, and the UX21 managed roughly 4 ½ hours on a single charge with constant use. Then again, there isn’t a whole lot of space in the UX21 to cram a large battery in, and we suppose that’s the price you pay for added mobility.

At first glance, the notebook looks so impossibly thin. The whole thing is only 9mm thick (3mm at the thinnest).

It sports a beautiful 11.6inch 16:9 HD (1366×768) LED backlit display which was very bright. Externally, the UX21 is beautiful—its chassis is made from aluminum, and the way the notebook just refracts light makes it look like something else other than a notebook.

And while it looks like the UX21 would be a hefty notebook, it lightly tips the scales at 1.1 kilos.

Of course, some sacrifices had to be made to make the notebook as thin and as light as possible. The

keys are slightly smaller than the regular keyboards on notebooks, and you only get two USB ports though kudos to ASUS on making one of the ports 3.0. There’s no optical drive (understandably) and no Ethernet plug either. You’ll also have to buy mini-VGA and HDMI ports if you want the image on the notebook to stream on a TV or projector. You also get an all-glass trackpad that’s clickable (like the one on MacBooks) with a subtle separator for the left and right mouse button.

Internally, the UX21 uses an Intel Core i5 2467M Processor (1.6 GHz) with

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about 4GB of DDR3 memory.

Storage is done by way of a 120GB SSD drive which, in theory, should speed up access and boot times and improve battery life.

Because the UX21 uses an SSD drive, it’s able to post extremely fast boot times, both in cold boot (with the notebook off) and from hibernation. The UX21 turns on quickly, requiring less than 20 seconds from switching the power on to actually seeing the Windows 7 desktop. Recovering from hibernation takes about 13 seconds.

Overall performance was great. The UX21 was able to

handle almost everything I used it with, from watching video to browsing several sites. Streaming HD video wasn’t a problem with the UX21 and though it’s not the right device for hardcore gaming, it’s still capable of running casual and mainstream games at acceptable resolutions.

And while I typically don’t expect much from notebook speakers (ultraportables, especially) the UX21 managed to delightfully surprise me. Music and video clips played from the UX21 were loud, crisp and clear, and though it had pathetic bass, it’s still a leg up against other similar notebooks.

Of course, being ASUS’ first ultrabook, it’s not perfect.

The keyboard for example has shallow travel, and as a result, the keys feel really mushy. The trackpad also exhibited some weird behavior, and doesn’t recognize input right away— it actually felt like the same kind of lag when using a wireless mouse.

Possibly the biggest thing that potential users will balk at is the price—it retails for about Php 53,995, which puts it on par with the MacBook Air. Then again, the UX21 is possibly one of the most beautiful notebooks developed so far for the Windows platform.

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snapshots

DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY IN A SNAP

Little Adjustments for

By Benjamin Arnold

Big Improvements

I remember when I got my first DSLR camera-a Canon EOS 450D-I committed possibly all the mistakes an amateur photographer could make when taking photos.

Š BENJAMIN ARNOLD

DETAILS: CANON EOS 450D, 18MM, F/8.0, 1/800 SEC, ISO 100

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snapshots DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY IN A SNAP

© BENJAMIN ARNOLD

DETAILS: CANON EOS 450D, 55MM, F/16.0, 1/500 SEC, ISO 400

I

would take pictures of anything and everything that moved—and when nothing was moving, I would take pictures of anything and everything that stayed in place. This led me to setting my camera to the lowest possible file size so that it could accommodate the maximum number of photos I could take. This led to me taking multiple photos of the same scene or subject.

Now, after three years of pretending to be a professional, I am confident to say that I have evolved from being a trigger-happy toddler into a well-bred semi-pro. Here are some tips to help you minimize waste and maximize function.

COMPOSE THE IMAGE IN YOUR MIND. In the latter end of 2009, I took up a photography workshop wherein the instructor commented on my work, saying I had a very creative and interesting way of composing my images. He attributed this to my skills as a graphic artist, saying graphic artists often become successful photographers. This is because they know how to compose an image before looking into the view finder.

Though I can’t say I have become a highly successful

photographer yet, that little insight into how my brain works stuck with me until today. So before taking a shot, I think of how the final image will look. I compose the image in my mind and adjust my position or the elements to fit what I have envisioned for the photo. This will allow me to minimize the amount of time wasted on retaking shots, going through multiple photos to find the right one and lessen postproduction work.

LEARN TO CONTROL YOUR TRIGGER. Taking hundreds of shots that you will never use is a bigger waste of time and space than taking a few winning shots that you will love working on in post-production. This will allow you to spend less time looking through photos you will never use and more time fine-tuning the one that could make you big someday.

BE DECISIVE. One of the biggest mistakes a photographer can make is to constantly think in the back of his mind that he might need a certain photo later even if these shots look almost identical. It is very important to be able to decide on which photo is the best and to dump the

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rest that look similar but don’t quite meet up to par. A good way to avoid multiple copies of a single subject is to change your perspective or pose the subject in a different manner. This will give you a wider variety of photos to choose from.

© BENJAMIN ARNOLD

DETAILS: CANON EOS 450D, 18MM, F/16.0, 1/200 SEC, ISO 100

SET YOUR CAMERA TO THE HIGHEST FILE RESOLUTION. I have a photographer friend that constantly asked me if I shot in RAW. I would tell him I didn’t because it took up too much space—as I only had a 2GB SD card back then and when paired with my heavy-trigger finger, wasn’t conducive with the limited amount of memory I had on hand. He would constantly pester me to start shooting in RAW format saying it would change my view on photography. Eventually, I upgraded to a 4GB card that allowed me to shoot in RAW. I never went back to JPEG since then.

RAW files are shot in a lossless format that, when paired with a good editing software—like Adobe Lightroom or Adobe Camera RAW—allows me to achieve shots I couldn’t have gotten while shooting in JPEG format. RAW files allow me to adjust the overall look of my photos giving me the freedom to fine-tune the temperature, tint, exposure,

© BENJAMIN ARNOLD

DETAILS: CANON EOS 450D, 55MM, F/5.6, 1/500 SEC, ISO 200

brightness, contrast and a whole lot more.

In the end, it is important to be creative by looking at things from different

perspectives or trying new things by taking risks; work with the technology you have rather than being limited by it and learn to let go of unnecessary baggage.

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apps

THERE’S AN APP FOR THAT

Apps for the Earth Compiled by Judith Martin and Marianne Aganon

Go Green SWAT Team iOS

Shop Green iOS

Go for Green US Army Nutrition Android

Go Green SWAT Team has created a list of tips and facts that can help you “green” your life.

This is a great tool to help you to become more environmentally friendly. Small changes, big impact and great minds are all here in this team, join and have this amazing app!

Use ShopGreen to save the environment and your pocket book. This app gives rewards to the user by calculating, logging and saving each green action taken to reduce the carbon footprint. It even has daily tips and great suggestions. Less talk; more work!

Don’t you wish you have a personal assistant to remind you every day of what you eat and help keep your body in shape? This nutrition guide provides procedures for Basic Training with information to eat more nutritiously. Go Green.

Go Army!

Free at App Store

Available at iTunes for $0.99

Free at Android Market

Battery Saver BlackBerry

A Real Tree iOS

Eco Mobile Android

Wondering how you can save on battery life? Save battery life by managing your power settings with this app.

A Real Tree works with organizations that provide materials and education to local communities to plant trees in an ecologically beneficial manner.

Whenever you buy a Real Tree App, a real tree is planted. So grab one now! Make it as a gift to the planet and for future generations.

Eco Mobile is an application created by a group of socially conscious individuals to encourage environmental responsibility and believe that there can be a way to power small, handheld electrical devices in a safe, simple, earth-friendly and affordable way.

Available at App Store for $0.99

Free at Android Market

Available in BlackBerry Appworld for $2.99

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apps THERE’S AND APP FOR THAT

Green Machine BlackBerry

Good Guide iOS

Green Me! Android

This app is centered on the color green—and making it look good on a BlackBerry! It includes custom wallpapers, custom fonts, custom indicators and more.

The GoodGuide app instantly reveals whether products are safe, healthy, green and socially responsible while you do your shopping. The app’s barcode scanning feature even lets you quickly access GoodGuide’s science-based health, environment and social ratings for over 120,000 products.

With GreenMe! you can be a part of the world’s largest “green” mobile community and help to grow the biggest collection of earth-friendly living ideas ever put together. It even offers hundreds of tidbits on how to live a “greener,” environmentally-friendly life.

Available at BlackBerry App World for $ 2.99

Free at Android Market Free at iTunes

GreenPeace iOS /Android

Earth Hour App iOS 3.1.3 or higher

GreenEarth Cleaning iOS 4.2 or later

Looking for an application that helps us choose which papers products to buy? Here’s the perfect application for you. Always keep in mind that recycled tissue products help protect the forest, water and wildlife.

This app takes from an annual global event usually held every last Saturday of March. The Earth Hour app encourages people to do their part not just for one hour but continue saving the earth as much as possible.

This is just any any other social networking site, which allows you to share your thoughts, creative ideas, upload a photo and video, and connect to your friends—with a bonus. The app also comes with a listing of the largest group of Green Dry Cleaners found all over the world.

Free at iTunes and Android Market

Free for iPhone, Apple App store Free at Apple App Store/ iTunes

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FEBRUARY 2012

39

gaming

WHERE PLAYING AROUND IS A GOOD THING

I’m not a stranger to tower defense games, and I’m pretty sure that a lot of you have possibly wasted time erecting towers to decimate slowly advancing waves of enemies in a flash game (or three before).

It’s only lately that indie game developers have been taking the idea of tower defense and putting their own unique twist, like placing you directly in the middle of the action. Dungeon Defenders is one such game, and though it wasn’t made by a big name developer and backed by a heavyweight publisher, it still proves to be a fun experience.

The premise of tower defense games is simple: protect your base from advancing waves of enemies using the strategic use of automated towers to kill them. Dungeon Defenders builds on this by putting you in the thick of the action as one of the four usable classes—Mage, Squire, Huntress and Monk. Each character has its own strength, and its own way of wiping out enemies.

Mages and Squires use turrets and barricades for direct damage, while the Huntress and Monk use traps and auras for buffs and indirect damage.

Published and Developed by: Trendy Entertainment

By John Nieves

Once you pick the class, it’s off to the battlefield. There are a couple of levels to choose from—each consisting of mazes and chokepoints where you can strategically place traps and towers to defend your Eternia Crystal(s).

After you and three of your online buddies place your traps, the round begins. Depending on the difficulty level and the class you picked, you’ll either be in the front lines whittling down enemies before they hit your main defenses or hanging back giving support and repairing towers that get hit by the occasional Ogre.

Once the round ends you get to scour the battlefield of the booty your enemies left behind. While the item drop system is similar to games like Diablo and its ilk, the game makes it easy for you to evaluate what item would be an upgrade to what you’re currently using and which one would better serve you as merchant fodder.

Little menus pop up when you’re looking directly at an item that automatically gives you an idea of what it can do with a little thumbs up or thumbs down icon.

As mentioned before, you can play with three other friends—or if you’re feeling particularly brave, you can play the game solo, although this is not recommended when you are just starting out. The game can be particularly brutal at times, and it seems that the game adjusts the difficulty of the enemies according to the levels of the people playing, so if you’re a level 20 Squire playing with a couple of level 60 players, expect your attacks against enemies to be impotent at best.

Is the game worth it? For the price (which is around $15 or Php 660) it’s a bargain. I’ve spent easily a couple of nights on this particular game with a bunch of friends, and it never fails to keep us occupied for a few hours, even if we are crushed horribly by the oncoming Orc hordes. You can grab the game via Steam (store. steampowered.com).

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tablets

A PORTABLE PERSONAL COMPUTER

Taking the Green Track

By Presy Alba

Gadgets make our lives a lot easier and more comfortable, but they consume energy, and if we are not careful, our device could run up a big dent in our electric bill.

Getting a tablet is one big step in reducing your carbon footprint because they consume a lot less energy than desktops, laptops or even netbooks, and their batteries are more energy efficient.

of these practical energy conservation tips.

Using your tablet for multiple purposes is also a great way to save on energy. For example, you can run a sleep pillow app for a relaxing night’s sleep and, at the same time, set the alarm app to wake you up the next day.

Most of us automatically plug in our gadgets to an AC outlet whenever we can because we don’t want our gadget to run out of juice. But letting it go to zero level is not only healthier for your battery, it can make it last longer. You can always get a power booster or backup battery that you can plug in to your gadget to extend battery life when needed..

In the office, you don’t have to turn on your desktop all the time to keep track of your email, and you can even go paperless by bringing digital copies of documents to meetings instead of printing them out.

Batteries thrive when kept cool—between 0 to 35C is ideal. So if you don’t leave your tablet inside a hot car, hot surfaces or under the sun for long periods, you can prolong your battery life and keep it at optimum performance.

At home, your tablet becomes your all-around entertainment gadget: you can browse the internet, shop online, watch TV shows, movies and videos, play games, read ebooks and listen to audiobooks.

There are also chargers that automatically shut down your gadget when it is fully charged and does not consume electricity when no gadget is plugged in. An added advantage is that you can simultaneously charge up to 4 devices via USB that helps reduce clutter.

I can go on and on about how you can save on power consumption by using your tablet more often, but you can still do more by following some www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

Plugging in your charger to a timer plug can also save energy. Knowing how long it takes to

fully charge your gadget you can set the timer and have a fully charged gadget in the morning without wasting electricity.

Another option is to charge your tablet using solar power. Solar powered lamps like SunTransfer’s ST2 have USB ports can recharge your tablet without adding to your electricity bill.

Developers are continuously looking for ways to improve and enhance the performance of their gadgets and apps, including improving energy consumption, so it is just practical to update to the latest version of the software or firmware as soon as possible.

By adjusting your gadgets’ settings, like turning on auto-brightness, turning off WiFi when you don’t need it, and minimizing use of location services and push notifications can also extend your battery.

Following these practical tips will not only save you money and help you conserve energy, you should also be proud that you are doing your part in saving the planet.

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tablets A PORTABLE PERSONAL COMPUTER

s o h c Ar 9 n Ge

By Steven Vea

ARCHOS is a French company that was founded in 1988 by Henri Crohas, and is known primarily for producing portable media players and storage solutions. The company’s name is actually an anagram of Crohas’s surname, and also means “master” in Greek.

Its current slogan is “Entertainment Your Way” and their latest line of Gen9 or G9 tablets, aims to live up to the task, in the form of the A101 and A80.

Form and function The A101 G9 is a 10.1-inch tablet that is designed to maximize your entertainment experience.

It has a brilliant high-definition capacitive touchscreen with a resolution of 1280 x 800, which makes it perfect for multimedia optimized for wider viewing angles.

The A80 G9, on the other hand, arrives in the 8-inch form factor, which makes it the perfect ultraportable tablet for browsing the web and reading eBooks. It features the same touchscreen technology as its larger sibling, with a 4:3 display and a resolution of 1024 x 768.

The G9 tablets can have either 8GB or 16GB of storage, but what makes these ARCHOS products stand out is the option to acquire a hard disk drive (HDD) version, with a massive 250GB of storage.

This allows you to store over 40 full HD films, and features an intelligent caching system with 4GB of memory dedicated to running the OS and the multitude of apps you’ll be downloading.

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Offering you the best web and multimedia experience, the G9 series is equipped with ARM Cortex dual-core processors of up to 1.5GHz in speed, and currently the only tablets able to natively decode 1080p HD264 media. They feature a wide range of supported formats and codecs, guaranteeing that these ARCHOS tablets will virtually play anything, and will play it seamlessly.

One unique selling point of ARCHOS slates has been its unique built-in kick stand, which seamlessly blends in with the rest of the design and ingeniously flips out to prop up your tablet for a hands-free experience. However, the French company takes innovation a step further by introducing a new distinct feature that will surely appeal to those that are constantly on the go—the 3G stick.

The A101 and A80 are both 3G ready and can be equipped with 3G capabilities through a unique dongle that seamlessly fits into the rear of the www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

The ARCHOS G9 3G stick will accept any standard SIM card, or you can avail of the optional ARCHOS Connect SIM card, which brings affordable pay-asyou-go and subscription data plans, allowing you to add more credits directly from your G9 tablet or laptop.

Apps and Multimedia Powered by Android 3.2 Honeycomb, the ARCHOS G9 tablets arrive pre-installed with Google’s full suite of mobile applications. This includes Gmail, YouTube, Google Maps, Google Calendar and Google Talk with video chat. Powered by an OMAP 4 ARM Cortex dual-core processor with support for OpenGL and Adobe Flash 10.3, ARCHOS aims to provide you the ultimate web and gaming experience when you’re on the go.

Since the G9 tablets also feature a micro HDMI port, you can mirror your tablet onto a larger high-definition display to enhance your multimedia experience, whether it’s sharing photos with friends and family or using the tablet as an HD media player. What’s more, if you own an Android smartphone, you can control the G9 Tablet with the unique ARCHOS Remote app, which can be downloaded from the Marketplace.

The G9 tablets are not just for multimedia, but can also be an ultraportable workstation. It arrives with several applications that can turn the tablet into an indispensable tool such as Pixel Office Suite, which lets you work and edit Word, PowerPoint and Excel documents. Evernote is also included, granting you the ability to take notes and upload it directly to the cloud, arming you with a portable digital notepad.

Battery Life The G9 tablets are capable of up to seven hours of watching videos or up to thirty-six hours of music playback, which makes it the perfect companion for long trips. With the G9 tablets, you can literally go on a movie marathon in full HD or have music to keep you company. When it comes to web browsing, the G9 has got you covered as well, providing up ten hours of continuous surfing on a full charge, guaranteeing you stay connected and entertained even when you’re on the go. www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS: A101 G9 276 x 167 x 12.6 mm (15.6mm HDD) Weight: 649g (755 g HDD) 10.1-inch Screen, 1280x800 Capacitive Touch Screen 16GB Flash Android 3.2 Honeycomb 1.5GHz dual-Core ARM Processor (OMAP 4 ARM CORTEX dual-core A9) 3G Ready (dongle) GPS Sensor Full HD 1080p Video Playback Built-in Webcam Mini HDMI Video Output Bluetooth and Wifi USB Slave/USB Host Built-in Mic 3-Axis Accelerometer Micro SDHC Slot Built-in kick stand 0.50-inch thickness

A80 G9 226 x 155 x 11.7MM (14.7MM HDD) Weight: 465g (599g HDD) 8-inch screen, 1024x768 Capacitive Touch Screen 8GB Flash/250GB HDD flash Android 3.2 Honeycomb 1.0/1.5GHz dual-Core Processor (OMAP 4 ARM CORTEX dual-core A9) 3G Ready (dongle) GPS Sensor Full HD 1080p Video Playback Built-in Webcam Mini HDMI Video Output Bluetooth and Wifi USB Slave/USB Host Built-in Mic 3-Axis Accelerometer Micro SDHC Slot (8GB only) Built-in kick stand 0.46-inch (8GB)/0.58-inch (250GB) thickness

A PORTABLE PERSONAL COMPUTER

tablet via USB. What makes it even better is that the ARCHOS 3G stick can also work with PCs and laptops, providing you an instant, ready-to-use network.

tablets

Offering you the best web and multimedia experience – the G9 series is equipped with ARM Cortex dual-core processors up to 1.5GHz in speed, and are currently the only tablets able to natively decode 1080p HD264 media.

Video Playback: H.264 HD (HP@L4.2, up to 1080p@30fps and 1080i/720@60fps) MPEG4 HD (SP/ASP@L6,up to 1080p@30fps) With optional plug-in: Cinema: MPEG2 HD (MP/HL, 1080p@30fps) AVI, MP4, MOV, 3GP, MPG, PS, TS, VOB, MKV, FLV, RM, RMVB, ASF, WM Audio Playback: MP3, WAV (PCM/ADPCM), AAC, AAC+5.13, OGG Vorbis, FLAC Photo Viewer: JPEG, BMP, PNG, GIF Subtitles: SRT, SSA SMI, SUB Webcam: 720p front camera with 720p encoding Interfaces: USB slave 2.0 Mobile Transfer Protocol (MTP) USB host: Mass Storage Class (MSC), Micro USB/USB host cable sold separately microSD (SDHC compatible) HDMI output Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n Bluetooth 2.1+ EDR Other: Built-in speaker, compass, mic, kick stand GPS, G-Sensor, Vibrate Power Source/Battery: Lithium Polymer batter, power adapter Music playback up to 36 hours Video Playback up to 7 hours Internet browsing up to 10 hours Minimum Requirements: Windows 7 / Vista/ XP and Windows Media Player 11 Mac OS.X with Android Transfer Files application Linux with Android MTP tool USB 2.0 interface FEBRUARY 2012

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websites

ENTER THE INTERNET

The Essence of Being Green

By Presy Alba

Climate Change, Energy Conservation, Recycling, Save the Planet — these are some of the common Green Science discussion points that we hear and read about more often these days. Many news and magazine articles on these topics assume that we already know and understand the how’s and why’s of this subject matter.

Every one has some idea, but it is even better when you have a more comprehensive and deeper understanding of the topics. If you feel 44

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that it is important to know more, I recommend that you go to the How Stuff Works (www. howstuffworks.com) website and visit its section dedicated to Environmental Science - http:// science.howstuffworks.com/environmental as well as its subsection that is focused on Green Science. The section explores topics like “How Global Warming Works,” “How can ozone be both good and bad?” and “How many sheets of paper can be produced from a single tree?” It also ponders the intriguing question: “What if the US put all its trash in one giant landfill?” — reading through the articles in this section alone will take up a good portion of your afternoon, but you’ll definitely come out better informed and more environment conscious.

After reading through the material, I am confident that if you have not yet made changes to your lifestyle to be more environment-friendly, you will now be ready to take the plunge. It is not easy to dive in and small steps are more effective rather

than a dramatic turn around. I recommend that you go to http://science.howstuffworks.com/ environmental/green-science/save-earthtop-ten.htm and check out the top 10 things that you can do to start living responsibly to save our planet. When you’re ready to take the next step, visit http://www.wethechange.com/40ways-you-can-save-the-environment/ and checkout the longer list of 40 practical and specific things that you can do to save energy and reduce pollution and minimize harm to the environment.

Conscious or not, we already recycle, reuse, and reduce. But once we become aware of our personal impact, we tend to try to minimize our carbon footprint even further. Many of us already use the energy efficient fluorescent lamps instead of incandescent bulbs in our homes and workplaces. We’re all moving to CFC-refrigerators and air conditioners; we’re using more fuelefficient stoves, lamps, and cars—not only because they are more efficient, but also because www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

websites

they make sense and save us money in the long term.

On the surface it looks like we are on the right track to saving the planet, but every time a calamity happens, we realize that whatever we’re doing as individuals is just not enough. We look to government to do their part and many government officials do care for the environment in their personal capacity and even in their initiatives but the implementation of environment protection policies always fall short when faced with development in the name of progress: swamp lands are filled so that new subdivisions can be constructed, coastal lands are reclaimed to make room for commercial buildings and more economic activity – we never realize how much harm and imbalance we do to the biodiversity of an area until the calamities befall the human residents.

The Philippines is especially vulnerable.

Conservationists have identified this country as one of the most bio diverse places in the world but also one of the most threatened. There are so many species of flora and fauna that are unique here, but many of us who live in the urban areas cannot appreciate it—because we have no idea how rich and fortunate we are to have such unique creatures in our islands and how fast it is all disappearing.

In the rural areas, local governments and nongovernment organizations are struggling to preserve small pockets for the next generations through their conservation efforts, but lose ground every time a wetland, forest or mountain territory is converted for human occupation or an offshore drilling exploration is approved. To learn how human encroachment has affected our country’s biodiversity, go to http://www. biodiversityhotspots.org/xp/hotspots/ philippines/Pages/impacts.aspx.

Read all the interesting information about our country as a hotspot at http://www. biodiversityhotspots.org/xp/hotspots/ philippines/Pages/default.aspx.

I hope that you’ll stay on to read about how many threatened species there are and maybe you can think of a way to mitigate your personal impact by supporting some of the conservation efforts by local groups who are fighting for the survival of the most threatened species and save them from extinction in this generation.

When you’ve thought it through, I highly recommend visiting www.wwf.org.ph and see how you can take part in the conservation efforts in the Philippines. You may donate, invest, adopt an endangered animal or become a volunteer.

Doing our part, as individuals and as a community and increasing public awareness to environmental issues is the essence of being green — and how we can make a difference. www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

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ENTER THE INTERNET

“After reading through the material, I am confident that if you have not yet made changes to your lifestyle to be more environment-friendly, you will now be ready to take the plunge.”

mobility

THE HOTTEST MACHINES THAT GET YOU PLACES

E H T T E E M

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“I am very proud to mention that the all-new BMW 1 Series has achieved maturity, offering an even better balance between sportiness and driving comfort, improved functionality, and numerous driver assistance systems previously available only in higher segments. Suffice to say, the newest generation of this premium compact vehicle is everything you expect a BMW should be,” said ACC president Maricar Parco.

The All-New BMW 1 Series features the new generation 4-cylinder petrol and diesel engines with the BMW TwinPower Turbo technology. Not only do these new generation engines offer a sporty feel, but it also has exceptionally low fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. The All-New

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The new generation of petrol and diesel engines offer dynamic power delivery and outstanding fuel efficiency thanks to BMW TwinPower Turbo technology.

The All-New BMW 116i’s four-cylinder engine provides significantly improved driving dynamics compared to its predecessor. It has an output of 136 hp at 4,400 rpm and a maximum torque of 220 Nm between 1,350 and 4,300 rpm.

Meanwhile, the four-cylinder diesel engine of the 118d has a maximum output of 143 hp at 4,000 rpm, and maximum torque of 320 Nm between 1,750 and 2,500 rpm. It accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 8.9 seconds, and has a maximum speed of 212 km/h.

The All-New BMW 1 Series boasts best-in-class suspension technology, with a double-joint cross-strut front axle with MacPherson struts and sway bars, and a five-link rear axle. It has a wider track than its predecessor at both front and rear, and the almost perfect 50:50 weight distribution helps to translate the dynamic advantages of the

rear-wheel drive layout into an exciting response and a more comfortable ride compared with the predecessor model.

The electromechanical power steering of the All-New BMW 1 Series combines typical BMW precision with very low energy consumption. The standard Servotronic function provides speeddependent power assist. The instant responses of the All-New BMW 1 Series are due to the combination of a powerful, reliable braking system and DSC (Dynamic Stability Control), which is fitted as standard. Proven features such as ABS (anti-lock braking system), DTC (Dynamic Traction Control), CBC (Cornering Brake Control) and DBC (Dynamic Braking Control) are now augmented with braking assistance, fading compensation, brake drying, hill assist, and, in DSC Off mode, an electronic rear axle differential locking system.

Crumple zones and clearly defined load paths absorb the force of an impact and deflect it away from the passenger cell. The standard safety package comprises front airbags, side airbags built into the seatbacks, front and rear head airbags, three-point automatic belts in all seats, front seatbelt tension limiters and pre-tensioners, and ISOFIX child seat mountings in the rear.

The 116i retails for P2.29 million, the 118d Urban Line for P2.49 million, and the top-of-the-line 118d Sport Line is priced at P2.69 million.

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THE HOTTEST MACHINES THAT GET YOU PLACES

Available in three variants—BMW 116i, BMW 118d Urban Line, and BMW 118d Sport Line— the premium compact BMW 1 Series is already synonymous with driving pleasure. Now, the AllNew BMW 1 Series offers state-of-the-art engine and suspension technology, further improvements in fuel efficiency, significantly more space and an innovative range of features and equipment.

BMW 1 Series also comes with the wide range of BMW Efficient Dynamics technology such as Brake Energy Re-Generation, electromechanical servo-assisted steering, as well as the uniquein-its-class features including the Eight-speed automatic transmission with the Automatic Start/ Stop function and ECO PRO mode.

mobility

Asian Carmarkers Corp. (ACC), the official importer of BMW cars in the Philippines, recently unveiled the all-new BMW 1 Series.

mobility THE HOTTEST MACHINES THAT GET YOU PLACES

MMDA’S MOTORCYCLE LANE

The Macapagal and Commonwealth motorcycle lanes that the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) implemented has become a hot issue. But what’s the real story?

It was in the ‘90s when people started asking for a separate lane for the motorcycle riders because jeepneys, buses and trucks were fond of huddling. They thought it would be safer if the motorcycles had their separate lane.

According to the Global Road Safety Partnership (GRSP), the separate motorcycle lane implemented in Malaysia resulted in the decrease number of accidents up to 39%.

GRSP is a group of government and nongovernmental associations led by Red Cross and Red Crescent.

According to GRSP: “Motorcyclists contribute to many fatal road crashes. In some Asian countries they count up to 80% to 90%. Motorcycle riders often have limited training and are high-risk. Often, problems stem from human error resulting in a conflict either by the rider or another driver, or there is just not enough time for the rider/driver to avoid the collision whatever the level of skill. One effective technique to tackle the problem is to separate the motorcyclists from the other motorized traffic.”

“What we want to accomplish here is to minimize the accidents caused by motorcycle riders who constantly change lanes” A recent study by the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research has shown that 3.80 meters is the safe control width in Malaysia for the riders’ safety and that there is enough space for overtaking.

“What we want to accomplish here is to minimize the accidents caused by motorcycle riders who constantly change lanes,“ said Francis Tolentino, MMDA Chairman.

“We also believe that traffic will flow much faster if motorcycles will stick to their own lane.”

The motorcycle lane in Commonwealth Avenue is on the fourth lane; while in Macapagal it is on the first. MMDA allows a 100-meter allowance for making turns. The motorcycle lanes are also non-exclusive; this means light vehicles like cars can use it if there are no motorcycles in sight. But it is off limits to trucks and buses.” Tolentino said.

The Motorcycle Philippines Federation (MCPF), a group of motorcycle organizations, federations, associations and clubs, agreed on the plan but asked to extend the turning allowance to 200 meters. v “One hundred meters is too short to make the turn, especially if there are a lot of vehicles on the road,” said MCPF Director Atoy Sta. Cruz. “If you’re sharing the road with other vehicles, the distance should be 200 meters, at least.”

For comments and suggestions, you may get in touch with Safe T Ryders Facebook page (www.facebook. com/safetryders).

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mobility THE HOTTEST MACHINES THAT GET YOU PLACES

Ford Ranger: 21st-Century Tough

By Steven Vea

The Ford ASEAN drive kicked off with a test drive of the brand-new Ranger in Chiang Rai, Thailand.

A handful of Filipino journalists were fortunate enough to be the first Asian team to test drive Ford’s brand new pickup.

The day began just at the first hints of sunlight, softly illuminating the serene surroundings of the Le Meridien Resort. After a wonderful heartwarming breakfast at Latest Recipe, the resort’s restaurant, it was time to be briefed on the Ranger’s brand new design, technical specifications and smart features.

Built from the ground up primarily by Ford’s Global team based in Australia, the new Ranger is the first pickup to be manufactured under the One Ford Strategy. It was revealed that the truck was literally developed from scratch—every single part of the Ranger, from the engine to the interior, is completely brand-new. “Developing the Ranger from scratch was an exciting opportunity that allowed us to closely benchmark what our competitors are doing, listen to what our customers want and to deliver a vehicle that would exceed their expectations,” said Jim Baumbick in a written statement, who is the engineering director of product development for Ford APA. The Ranger has a multitude of design elements that strive for a perfect blend in portraying a sense of strength and style. The “aggressive” and sporty look intends to introduce a high caliber and fuel-efficient vehicle that promises to be one of safest and smartest in the market today.

After witnessing the official unveiling of the Ranger, a few words on safety precautions followed, and it was finally time for our test drive. By this time, the sun had begun its ascent towards noon. Approaching my assigned truck, an Open Cab 2.2L Hi-rider, I immediately noticed that the design overhaul worked well to make the Ranger look modern and dynamic.

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Ford’s signature three-bar grille was ever present, and the smoothly curved aerodynamic exterior definitely made a bold statement.

Climbing into the Ranger, I settled into the spacious cabin with generous knee and head rooms. Aside from comfort, storage space was definitely well thought out—it has more than 20 places to stow away your stuff, including rear underseat stowage and a glove compartment that can fit up to a 16-inch laptop. Before fastening my seatbelt, I placed my water bottle on the front cup holders, adjusted the dual-zone electronic air-conditioning, and turned on the radio via the mobile phone-inspired control panel.

It was now time to begin our 132-kilometer journey throughout the city streets and rural landscape of Chiang-Rai. The thunderous roar of the Duratorq TDCi 2.2L VG Turbo engine echoed as I started up the Hi-rider and shifted the automatic transmission to drive, officially starting the first leg of our trip.

Our convoy was led by police escorts, and we tore through the highways of Chiang Rai, passing red lights on a non-stop 37.9-km journey of accelerating through predominantly straight and empty roads. The cityscape whizzed past us as we reached speeds of up 120kph. I had no qualms about running out of fuel either since the Ranger has the potential of traveling up to 1000km on a single tank of diesel.

As we trekked through the city, I advanced through the local radio stations via the mounted audio switches on the steering wheel, which also features cruise control and a Bluetooth activated Voice Control System. The 4.2-inch color screen was visible throughout the entire drive—it was

clear and vivid even when the sun reached its peak and hovered blazingly above our convoy.

After a lunch stop and a quick coffee break, we were told to change trucks so that everyone could have a chance to drive the flagship model, the Wildtrak. The switch came at an opportune moment for me, especially since our next leg was off-road, which was a rigorous test of the Ranger’s performance.

We blazed through the dirt roads located deep in the heart of Chiang Rai, but I was confident in the Wildtrak’s ability to traverse even the toughest slippery slopes. Ford has equipped this truck with an all new active safety system, dubbed the Electronic Stability Program, with smart features such as Hill Descent Control, Hill Launch Assist, Traction Control System and Roll-Over Mitigation. Additionally, the new rear leaf suspension, increased wheelbase and hydro mounts provided a comfortable ride, despite the difficult topography.

After trekking through 24.5km of challenging and muddy terrain, we arrived at one final hurdle to overcome—a makeshift dam that was filled waist-deep with water from a nearby river. The Wildtrak had no problems pushing past the flow, since it has an impressive water-wading capability of 800mm.

Once our tires were on dry land once again, we began our journey back to the resort via a winding downhill road that was 33.9km long, before ending back in the city. We were graciously able to gun the accelerator one last time before we reached our hotels to conclude the ride-and-drive. As we headed back, we let the windows down a peep to take in the local atmosphere as the slowly setting sun signaled our trip’s end. www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

The New Breed Ninja ZX-14R The new Ninja ZX-14R, now hailed as the King of the Beasts, is not only the biggest of the 2012 lineup, but is currently the biggest of all Kawasaki leisure bikes—boasting a 1400cc engine displacement. The Ninja ZX-14R is a direct descendant of the Kawasaki Ninja, known to be a forerunner in the sportbike category for its dominating performance perfectly matched with sophisticated styling and comfort. Like that of an alpha beast, the Ninja ZX-14R possesses unmatched confidence, power, and prominence that is fit for a king.

Ninja 1000

Z1000

Ninja 650

Vulcan 900 Custom

Trailing closely is the Ninja 1000, designed to fulfil every rider’s biking fantasies with its seductive styling, sporty performance, and convenient features such as its adjustable windscreen, under-seat storage, and lowered seat for a more relaxed riding position. Equipped with a 1000cc engine displacement for maximized riding impact, the new Ninja 1000 is like the well-rounded male we all dream to be—brains and brawn combined with an easy-going character; there is no doubt why animal magnetism surrounds the Ninja 1000.

Another new addition to the Kawasaki Leisure Bikes line-up is the Kawasaki Z1000. What sets the Z1000 apart from usual motorbikes is its unique design, notably conceived with full freedom from customary design patterns.

In addition to this, each part of the Z1000 draws volume and mass towards its center, allowing excellent manageability. All these qualities of the Kawasaki Z1000 is devoted to provide a great riding experience for the biker that is all about excitement and maximum impact; and with its unusual yet strikingly handsome appearance, the Z1000 is surrounded by mystery that draws attention from the common folk.

Here comes another new guy in town – specifically of the Ninja variety – the new Ninja 650. The new Ninja 650 sports a new look plus improved performance and convenience for its’ master. It adapts the sophisticated styling of its predecessor; at the same time it improves upon its balanced package, now with an adjustable windscreen and a slimmer, more compact physique. Fans of sport touring bikes are sure to salivate by the sight of the Ninja 650 with a new flair.

Last but definitely not the least, Kawasaki Leisure Bikes presents the new Vulcan 900 Custom in a new Candy Sparkling Orange color. It is the same Vulcan 900 Custom that stands with arresting confidence coupled with a sexy and mysterious vibe, but now available in a cool and more distinct shade for those looking for something a tad nontraditional. Like a beast with oneof-a-kind animal skin, the orange Vulcan 900 Custom is guaranteed to draw attention and admiration from the intrigued crowd.

With the revelation of this new breed of beasts, 2012 is expected to be another roadgasmic year for Kawasaki Leisure Bikes. www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

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THE HOTTEST MACHINES THAT GET YOU PLACES

Throughout 2011, Kawasaki Leisure Bikers have revelled in a roster of testosterone-laden activities dubbed as “Roadgasmic”. As a new day rises for the year 2012, Kawasaki Leisure Bikes reveal the new of breed of “beasts” to grace the streets with the raw and animalistic sex appeal that envelopes each motorcycle.

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Road-worthy and roadgasmic

mobility THE HOTTEST MACHINES THAT GET YOU PLACES

Team Air Asia-Land Rover Philippines at the Rainforest Challenge

By Mike Antigua

The motoring press was invited to a luncheon briefing at the Land Rover Jaguar Lifestyle Center to send off the official Philippine team to this year’s Rainforest Challenge of Malaysia (RFC) held in Terangganu, Malaysia from December 3-12, 2011.

“We believe that Filipinos have the talent to excel globally, and especially in a sport such as offroading.” said LRPhils Motors Inc. Executive Director Marc Soong.

The event also officially launched Team Air Asia-Land Rover Philippines, composed of multiawarded off-roading father and son duo Larry Mendiola as driver, and Hirryan Mendiola as co-driver and winch man. The team is sponsored and supported by Land Rover Philippines (LRPhils Motors Inc.), in partnership with AirAsia Philippines, Timberland and MAA General Assurance Philippines, Inc. The ten-day Rainforest Challenge is considered as one of the world’s longest, toughest 4x4 offroad extreme competitions. It is an event for the serious 4x4 enthusiasts who like to go on a jungle adventure / competitions with all its hardships, endurance and extremities.

“Time and again, the Filipino has proven his dominance in the international 4x4 arena, and in no less than the Malaysian RFC, the longest and arguably, hardest and most unpredictable rainforest challenge. It’s also our pleasure to announce that we have AirAsia on board to become our official partner in this venture. We are fortunate to have a partner who equally believes in Philippine Motorsports and Land Rover,” he added.

LRPhils Motors Inc., is the only importer-distributor in the country that continually supports Philippine motorsports.

AirAsia Inc. CEO Maan Hontiveros was also present as a show of support from the new airline company. “AirAsia has constantly dedicated itself to supporting sports both here and abroad. We believe that the Land Rover Philippine Team will give their best in their quest for the title in the

Rainforest Challenge of Malaysia as they have shown in past competitions. They have the full support of the AirAsia family and the Filipino people,” she said.

The Mendiolas drove a Land Rover Defender 90, powered by a 3.9-liter V8 petrol engine. The Defender 90 is designed with brilliant simplicity and is known worldwide for its unrivalled strength and legendary off-roading ability. It has been made to withstand the rigors of the toughest off-road competitions in the world.

The team finished in third place after the race was cut short due to torrential rains. They actually had a shot at finishing in second or even grabbing the top prize if organizers did not decide to cancel the last day of the event due to the weather.

The cancellation saw the remaining teams unable to score more points from the special stages that were set to be run that day. Only 143 points separated the top five teams from one another, with Team Air Asia-Land Rover Philippines just behind by 51 points from the race winner, Melaka Motorsports from Melaka, Malaysia.

Meet the New Isuzu Crosswind & D-Max Isuzu Philippines Corp. recently launched the updated 2012 versions of its best-selling Crosswind Asian utility vehicle (AUV) and the D-Max pickup.

With the new upgrade, Isuzu is confident that Crosswind owners can now truly “Drive with Confidence,” which is the popular AUV’s marketing slogan this year. For 2012, the Sportivo variant of the Crosswind has been equipped with a new entertainment system, more cargo space and a fresh identity. There’s now the availability of a navigation system as a dealer option. There’s also the very practical roof basket for more cargo-carrying flexibility. And a new “Sportivo+” badge now adorns the exterior.

Isuzu Crosswind

Isuzu D-Max

Other class-leading features of the Crosswind are projector-type headlamps, which are 12% brighter than ordinary headlights, and side mirrors that have turn signals and are power-folding (Sportivo and XUV). The Sportivo also has a reverse sensor and camera for enhanced safety when backing up; an SUV-type rear bumper step with an oval-shaped tail-pipe finisher (also for the XUV); and bigger and more rugged 235/70 R15 all-terrain tires (also for the XUV).

The above improvements complement the Crosswind’s standard list of impressive specifications, including its tried-and-tested 2.5-liter 4JA1-L diesel engine; well-built chassis frame; side-impact beams; child-proof door locks; responsive alarm system; large interior cargo space; leather seats (Sportivo); and lots of cup holders.

“The Crosswind has always had a reputation for being the best value-for-money vehicle in its

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class,” says IPC president Ryoji Yamazaki. “With this latest addition of new features, the award-winning Crosswind becomes an even better proposition for those who are looking for a reliable and capable vehicle that will serve them well for many years to come.”

The 2012 D-Max further proves that when it comes to versatility and dependability. The cosmetic and functional upgrades complement the D-Max’s proven standard equipment: powerful 3.0-liter 4JJ1-TC iTEQ common-rail diesel engine; durable ladder-type chassis; comfortable Flex-Ride suspension system; 2-DIN audio-video head unit with navigation-ready system; projector-type headlamps that provide 14% more illumination than their ordinary counterparts; side-impact steel beams; dual front airbags; ABS with electronic brake-force distribution; reverse camera and sensor; two-tone (4x2 LS) and Elegant Black (4x4 LS) seat materials; and a high-center console box.

The 4x4 D-Max LS has been designated the “Radikal” variant and features a color-keyed bumper over-rider up front, genuine Isuzu bedliner at the back, and the distinctive “Radikal” badge on the sheet metal.

“The continued sales and critical success of the D-Max is proof of its world-class quality,” said Yamazaki.

“This is the result of our sensitivity to the unique requirements of the Philippine pickup market. The 2012 model is designed to preserve the D-Max’s lofty stature in its highly competitive segment.”

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IN-DEPTH TOPICS ON ALL THINGS TECH AND LIFESTYLE

coverstory

‘Green’

GADGETS

By JC Ansis

The growth of technology has been increasing at a rate no one could ever imagine. But in this fast-paced and innovative digital world lies an obvious issue—that we are destined to place an even bigger burden on the environment and the planet’s resources in the coming years.

With this mind-boggling information at hand, I think it’s time we explore and indulge ourselves with eco-friendly gadgets. With an ever-expanding environmental awareness, many people are looking for ways to reduce the burden on the environment. There are technologies now that allow us to continue to thrive in this information age, without blatant disregard for its impact on the planet.

Here are a few eco-friendly gadgets that could help make our planet greener:

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coverstory IN-DEPTH TOPICS ON ALL THINGS TECH AND LIFESTYLE

NOKIA 700

smartphone

Yes, some little things can make a big difference. With an extensive use of eco friendly materials, some say the Nokia 700 is Nokia's most environmentally friendly phone. The Nokia 700 has a 3.2-inch capacitive AMOLED ClearBlack touchscreen (with Gorilla Glass on top), a 5-megapixel full focus camera with LED flash, and WiFi support. It uses highquality sustainable materials and many of its features work together to minimize power consumption, like the energyefficient OLED display and the fast and eco-friendly Nokia fast charger AC-15 that comes with it.

SAMSUNG NP-NC215

laptop

The Samsung NP-NC215 is the world’s first solar-powered 10.1 netbook. notebook runs on a high-performance Intel ATOM Processor N570 and displays a 1024 x 600 resolution. The NP-NC215 takes advantage of Samsung’s exclusive Fast Start technology and has you up and running in less than three seconds from opening the lid. Its integrated solar panel means you never need to run out of power; just simply leave your netbook under the sun for around two hours and you’ll generate up to one hour of power. Sounds cool, right? This makes you much more mobile, plus you're also more environmentally friendly with no consumption of fossil fuels or resulting carbon emissions.

SONY CX520

internet tv

High-tech TVs are produced more and more each day, each looking to take customers through an exhilarating array of entertainment features and visuals. And the Sony CX520 is no exception. This 46-inch television set is packed with innovative eco features and state-of-the-art networking and image processing technology. It’s a great entry-level HDTV with a 1920 x 1080 resolution and uses low energy consumption of 94W. Since it is dubbed as an ‘internet TV’, you can access the latest movies, TV shows, videos, and music from your favorite websites right on your television. With its customizable widgets, you can also keep up to date with the latest news and sports results.

USBCELL

rechargeabl e battery The USBCELL is a revolutionary new NiMH rechargeable battery that saves you money and battery waste. It can easily be recharged in desktops and laptops so they are ideal for use in the office, or businessmen on the go. With over 15 billion Alkaline batteries made and thrown away each year, USBCELL offers a eco-friendly alternative since it can be used over and over again. Run out of power and just plug them right back in that USB port.

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WESTERN DIGITAL CAVIAR GREEN

hdd

With the vast amount of games and movies and data being kept here and there, it’s no secret that users need a lot of storage.

This is where the WD Caviar Green comes into play. This eco-friendly hard disk drive not only allows you to store to up to 3TB of data, it offers performance for the power conscious. It uses four platters, as opposed to five, which equates to less heat and less power, which also brings the price down for the consumers. The Caviar Green undercuts the competition by delivering reasonable performance. This cool, quiet and ecofriendly device will make you feel better about the environment as you use it. www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

A few months back I did a piece on monitors and I was surprised at the wide variety of choices. Today, new LED monitors have come in the market and each manufacturer claims that their products provide more natural colors, improved brightness and contrast levels.

Aside from the fact that no mercury is used during manufacture of LED monitors, they are eco-friendly because they produce 40% less power than an LCD monitor of similar size. That’s why the Samsung SyncMaster S23A300B is worth mentioning. This monitor’s maximum power consumption is 29W in full brightness or only around 26w when you enable the Eco Saving. The SyncMaster S23A300B uses MagicAngle technology to improve the off-angle viewing performance of the monitor so that it maintains superb image quality even if you are leaning back, lying down or watching from side. For those environment-conscious movie and game buffs in search of a legit monitor, better add the Samsung SyncMaster S23A300B to your list.

alarm clock

Just mouthing those words make it sound very interesting.

Obviously, this is NOT your ordinary alarm clock—as it doesn’t use batteries and runs only on water. The H2O multifunction alarm clock is a small but highly efficient gadget in the market. It’s not only friendly to us (because it saves us money), but also to Mother Nature. All of its components are completely recyclable. This clock is green gravy for three months with every fill of water.

POWERPLUS HP DESKJET INK BEETLE ADVANTAGE

solar usb

This little thingamajig is powerful in its own big way. The Beetle is a small USB and solar charger for mobile phones, PDAs, iPods and other MP3 players. You can charge it two ways: with its foldaway USB connector or from the integrated solar panel. Since it is a USB, I don’t have to stress the fact that it’s small and light and fits easily into any pocket, which is portable and ideal for travel. A fully charged Beetle will give you up to one hour of emergency talk time, or up to 72 hours of standby time. It comes with four connector tips for the different phone power ports. And not only does it recharge mobile phones, the Beetle also has a built in super bright LED light that can be used for power cuts and emergency situations.

These offerings from Hewlett-Packard are advertised to cut printing cost by up to 40% versus other inkjets.

With its HP eco solutions, these HP Deskjet Ink Advantage Printers save money, energy and resources. This new line of HP printing solutions, equipped with the new Ink Advantage color and black ink cartridges, will entice customers with a low cost of ownership as well. The different models of HP Ink Advantage printers are all nature-friendly and can still deliver the same quality, reliability and convenience customers have consistently relied on from HP. Plus, the ink cartridges that are used in these printers are made of up to 70% recycled plastic.

printers

In this rapid and ever expanding digital era, we must come up with ways to aid in tackling these nature problems such as global warming and climate change. There are a lot of other eco-friendly gadgets and it’s up to us to adhere to them in helping to preserve our environment, save resources, especially energy. Life isn’t just about technology and owning the coolest gadgets, it’s also about living and saving our planet. Now is the perfect time to start exploring the energy-saving options and using eco–friendly gadgets could be the best way to join the green campaign. www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

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IN-DEPTH TOPICS ON ALL THINGS TECH AND LIFESTYLE

monitor

H2O WATERPOWERED

coverstory

SAMSUNG SYNCMASTER S23A300B

feature

The Greenpeace Guide to Electronics

By Steven Vea

Ever since 2006, Greenpeace has consistently released its “Guide to Greener Electronics,” which takes top technological manufacturers and grades them in the order of how they incorporate environmental friendly policies into their existing infrastructure.

While there have been some rearrangements and additions to their list and criteria of ranking, the guide has essentially remained the same—now on its 17th edition. Greenpeace has taken the top 56

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15 tech companies (which are familiar to all of us for they produce the personal computers, mobile phones, televisions, etc.) and classified them according to their earth-friendly processes.

Greenpeace’s mission is to have these manufacturers “take responsibility for the full life cycle of their product.” Its criteria have also expanded to now include a product’s environmental impact beyond the state of assembly and creation; the various wastes and the energy consumed by a device is now part of the ranking system.

The electronic companies are judged under three main criteria: energy and climate, greener

products and sustainable operations. Other factors that weigh in on the rating include the tech companies’ ability to lessen emissions of greenhouse gases, openness in declaring toxic components in their products and steps they are taking towards creating greener devices.

How does this list affect you? This guide provides you the choice to take part in helping the global movement for a greener planet—you are able to choose which company to support based on their green ranking.

Ironically, as you take a look at the following list, you’ll be surprised at the results at how far away tech companies have gone to being truly green. www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

features

image courtesy of Greenpeace.org

Guide to Greener Electronics Version 17 (released November 2011)

15) RIM: 1.6/10 RIM makes its debut in this guide, and it ended up on the bottom tier because of the lack of complete disclosure regarding environmental policies.

14) Toshiba: 2.8/10 Toshiba has improved its standing by doing away with harmful substances in its products.

Samsung scores high for honest disclosure in the Energy criteria, but it scores best on sustainable operations. However, they could improve their standing by using more green energy efificiently.

6) Sony Ericsson: 4.2/10 Sony Ericsson receives high ratings for its energyefficient mobile phones. It has also done well to avoid toxic substance in its products, but can improve on reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

5) Philips: 4.5/10

LG has moved up a spot, having made all its mobile phones free of PVC and brominated flame retardants. Greenpeace says its still need to improve their use of renewable energy.

Philips has been praised for advocating energy policies and supporting environmental friendly directions. Its products are free from a number of toxic substances, but still needs to improve on reporting processes.

12) Acer: 2.9/10

4) Apple 4.6/10

13) LG Electronics: 2.8/10

Acer maintains its position, but needs to take greater strides to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

11) Sharp: 3/10

Sharp has toughed it out on it spot, doing well in publicly advocating environmental policies, but needs to set firmer goals on reducing emissions of toxic substances.

10) Sony: 3.6/10

Sony has made great efforts in creating greener products, as well as meeting and even exceeding Energy Star standards. However, Greenpeace penalized them for not agreeing to comply with stricter energy efficiency standards.

9) Panasonic: 3.6/10 Panasonic actually shares the 9th position with Sony. The company has improved its product rating, but still needs to provide a clear directive on how it plans to reduce and improve the use of renewable energy.

8) Lenovo: 3.8/10 Lenovo has moved up six notches from the last version of the guide, but it needs to strive harder to comply with its goal of putting out PVC-free products. However, its “e-waste take-back� program is praised by Greenpeace. www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

7) Samsung: 4.1/10

Apple has moved up five notches since the last guide, as it has taken greater steps towards creating green products. Its e-waste programs earn the Californian company the most points, but it needs to reduce emissions even more.

3) Nokia: 4.9/10 Nokia held the top spot in the last green guide, but fell behind last year, particularly in displaying how it will be more energy efficient. It continues to excel in sustainable operations, with a wide recycling and e-waste program.

2) Dell: 5.1/10 Dell has made an incredible leap to the second position, moving up eight rungs. It has disclosed a clear and ambitious plan to reduce emissions and improve energy use, but it still needs to improve on creating greener devices.

1) HP: 5.9/10 HP tops the list at No. 1 for effectively supervising its supply chain hand decreasing the emission of greenhouse gases. It still needs to improve e-waste programs and greener products, but it has set ambitious goals to comply with greater environmental policies.

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feature

a d r a Tow ’ r e n e ‘Gre es n i p p i l i Ph

By Michelle Callanta-Toledo

Striving for a cleaner, greener environment is no longer just a trend. It’s become a necessity. But even if we aren’t as advanced as our Western counterparts on the ‘green’ ways, we are now doing our share in hopes to save the planet, one country at a time—starting with our own.

Here are a few local advocacies that promote a cleaner, greener Philippines.

Isang Litrong Liwanag (A Liter of Light) Using the simplest of technologies to brighten dim and dreary shanties, simple plastic bottles, which contain bleach and water, are placed snugly into a purpose-built hole in the roof. A hole is cut in a corrugated iron sheet, and a one-liter plastic bottle that has been filled with water and about four teaspoons of bleach is inserted to prevent the water from getting moldy. A hole is cut in the house’s roof, the bottle is put in, and then the iron sheet is fixed to the roof with rivets and sealant.

These polyethylene bottles with their unique grooves have been found to reflect sunlight and help it spread throughout the room.

The project called “Isang Litrong Liwanag,” (www.isanglitrongliwanag.com) which means A Liter of Light, helps some of the poorest Philippines residents save and live better in a renewable way.

“If you can make a grassroots revolution wherein each and every person can have an improvement of life with green technology, then that little if added together can cumulatively improve Filipino 58

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living,” said Iliac Diaz, an eco-entrepreneur who launched the project. “A Liter of Light lights up the house, saves a lot and, at the same time, improves the standard of living across the board of the bottom 90 percent of this country.”

Bazura Bags!

For the past eight years Bazura.Biz has worked closely with a women’s cooperative in the Philippines to collect used juice containers, rice bags and discarded advertising banners. The co-op members then transform these trash into handbags and accessories.

The collection of this trash helps clean up the environment in and around Manila and throughout the Philippines, while eliminating tons of material for local landfills. The use of Bazura’s shopping and tote bags also help eliminate the disposal plastic shopping bags which produce millions of pounds of waste that clutter the environment, clog landfills and prevent the use of huge quantities of petrol chemicals in plastic production. See www.bazurabags.com for the latest items.

Green Architecture Advocacy in the Philippines Pinoy Green Academy (www.pinoygreenacademy. typepad.com) is an advocate of Green Architecture in the Philippines and is a civil society organization for environmental concerns that promote sustainable development. Its primary mission is to continuously learn green strategies and to impart green architecture principles to members and the general public.

The Green Architecture Advocacy Philippines encourages and promotes the global adoption of sustainable green building and development practices by implementing universally accepted tools and performance criteria. As members construct, remodel, and renovate buildings, this initiative encourages the building industry to incorporate and support the use of a generally accepted green rating system. This mindset is also seen to help educate and guide consumers in green building practices, including sustainable site selection and development, energy efficiency, water conservation, clean air, use of low-impact materials, renewable resource, and indoor air quality preservation. www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

features

KEDS Goes Artsy

By MR Gavin

Keds is the first shoe with a soft rubber sole. The original sneaker called the “champion” remained as a style icon for almost 100 years and was worn by legends Paul Newman, Audrey Hepburn, The Ramones, John Lennon, Marilyn Monroe and Jackie Onassis. Though there had been drastic changes in the fashion industry, but Keds continues to become a fashion mainstay, versatile enough to adapt to fads and ever-changing fashion trends.

Keds continues its legacy of feel good style keeping it original, aspirational, inventive and fun as it recently relaunched the brand: The Original Sneaker Exhibit at the Ronac Art Center on December 5, 2011.

Keds collaborated with young local designers like CJ de Silva, Valerie Chua, Danika Navarro, Soleil Ignacio and Julius Sebastian. These are familiar names in the visual arts scene, who came up with ideas of personalizing your Keds the way you like it.

CJ de Silva, more known as the Promil gifted child, is still in the art scene as a senior art director and musician, while Valerie Chua specializes in watercolor and other traditional work as an illustrator. If fashion flair is a concern, Danika Navarro has that covered as a style blogger and graphic artist. Feminine touch is Soleil Ignacio’s forte with her talent as a graphic illustrator and designer. Last but not the least is Julius Sebastian, whose doodles for his Keds pair are worth a million bucks.

Local celebrities like Marvin Agustin, Jake Cuenca and Kris Lawrence were at the exhibit along with Pinoy rock legend Pepe Smith. A true testament that Keds fashion is not just in Hollywood but also here with local artists, whether for music, art or television.

The gallery was decorated with furniture and accent pieces from Heima: Home and Lifestyle, while unique archive of first-edition models was also put on display—some of which were created way back in the ‘70s.

Keds is available at Complex Lifestyle Store in Eastwood Mall, Ayala Center Cebu, Festival Mall and Alabang Town Center, at Hideout in Greenbelt 5, SM Supermalls, Rustan’s, Shoe Salon, and the Keds x Sperry Top-Sider in Mega Atrium. www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

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WHEN GORGEOUS GIRLS MEET HIGH-TECH GADGETS

s s e d d o G rban

U

a n e h At al i r e p Im

this city s e v i g 1 ater 201test gadgets to W h t r a E Miss he la t , l s a i a r l l e e p w m Athena tIh sh air asthe new year. e r f f o grace a brea Photographed by Erwin Barleta | Make-up by Gold Sergio Magtoto | Hair by Rose Soriano Art Direction by Benjamin Arnold & Michelle Callanta-Toledo Styling by MR Gavin | Clothes by Tomato Shot on location at Bonifacio High Street, Taguig Thanks to Bel Galsim-Madamba of Tactical Mix

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photofeature WHEN GORGEOUS GIRLS MEET HIGH-TECH GADGETS

Samsung Galaxy Note

You might mistake the Samsung Galaxy note as a tablet or a smartphone, but it’s actually a little bit of both. The world’s first 5.3-inch HD Super AMOLED display provides you with an expansive high-resolution screen for an immersive viewing experience. You will never forget to take down notes with the best multi-input tablet.

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Pentax k-5

The Pentax K-5 is the perfect piece of equipment to help you get your photo fix. Capture those special moments with its 16.3-megapixel CMOS sensor with integrated AD conversion circuit. It can fit any lifestyle with its rugged build that can stand water, fog, snow, sand, dust, and more, for top performance in extreme field conditions as well as in the studio. You can also film stolen moments with full HD 1080p resolution and 25 frames per second, including sound via a built-in or external 3.5mm stereo microphone jack.

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Archos 101 G9

Storage space will never be a problem with the Archos 101. It has a 10.1-inch display running on Android 3.2 Honeycomb and 1GHz dual-core processors. It has 16GB of flash memory that can be expandable to a massive 250GB of memory. It can also play your movies with its full HD 1080p video playback, packed into a thin 0.50-inch tablet. The Gen9 101 is your portable multi-media specialist.

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Athena Imperial

gets personal in our Q&A portion and shows us why she deserves her place and crown (Mother Earth couldn’t be any prouder) Interiewed by Michelle Callanta-Toledo What are some of your favorite gadgets?

iPhone 4: It is user friendly, simple yet stylish. I like the quality of pictures and videos taken using this phone because of its 5-megapixel cam. Also, I like the retina display of this phone. It allows me to read small texts. Its battery life is also good. You don’t have to charge it everyday. The phone also does multitasking. I can check my Facebook and Twitter accounts, and my emails simultaneously.

More so, the iPhone allows me to watch films. I also enjoy playing numerous games which my boyfriend downloaded for me. This phone is perfect for my lifestyle. I’m still thinking if I’m going to avail of the iPhone 4s. I’m not used to buying new gadgets just because they’re in the current trend.

If mine still functions and if they still fit my need, I will not replace them.

Dell Inspiron Mini Netbook: It’s the first gadget I bought with my salary when I was still a researcher for a documentary program. I bought the purple one because it’s my favorite color. This laptop is sleek and chic, light weight, has the basic Windows apps that I need and has enough space for the files I save and use for my profession.

Nikon D3000: I bought this camera to capture the behind the scenes of the episodes/ segments I handled when I was still with a documentary show.

It’s also good for aspiring photographers like me.

It enhances the skill to really use the viewfinder and not rely on the live-view screen, and to play with the lenses and light to be able to produce a nice shot.

As this is for our “going green” issue, what are some of the things you do to personally to help protect the environment?

It has been a yearly project for Miss Earth winners and other beauty queen volunteers to do school tours and teach students about their role in environmental protection and preservation. Last year, Miss Philippines-Earth Batch 2011 educated the young about the harms of using plastic materials and the advantages of utilizing reusable and recyclable materials. We set ourselves as role models for the Plastic-Free Philippines campaign.

This year, on the other hand, the focus of our roomto-room discussions will be energy conservation in line with the United Nation’s declaration that 2012 is the International Year of Sustainable Energy.

Apart from this, I have been attending conferences about the environment together with the Executive Director of Miss Earth Foundation, Catherine Untalan.

reunions which my family attends, whenever I am asked to share and give a speech, I see to it that I incorporate each person’s role for the preservation of the environment; cleanliness at the least. I am also fond of using products made of recycled materials. I alternately use three bags made of woven juice tetra packs/ foils and one made of woven pieces of old newspaper. By using them, I influence and encourage people to also avail and use recycled yet stylish bags and other products of same kind.

How else do you think gadgets and their manufacturers can create more earthfriendly products? Perhaps a type of invention or proper disposal. What would you suggest?

I encourage more experts and companies to invent, manufacture and produce high-quality gadgets which use less electricity. I am not sure if this is possible but I hope that the use of recycled materials will be a fad in inventing new premium commodities, even gadgets, and make sure that they also are durable. Also, I am positive that more companies will be responsible with their (toxic) production waste. In as much as these companies manufacture gadgets and other products which gets better and better almost every year, they should also do better in reducing and reusing waste because most of the resources they use are finite.

Are you following any particular “green movement”? If so, why did you choose this particular one?

Miss Philippines-Earth is not just following the plastic-free Philippines movement but is pushing for it. Scattered plastics continue to remain one of the biggest environmental problems. Two hundred (200) million tons of plastics are being produced annually. Using conservative estimates, we will be able to encircle the earth more than 41,000 times with these plastic materials. Most of the used plastics are thrown away to the landfills, drainage, rivers, and to the other water forms. Marine and terrestrial animals mistake them for food. More so, because plastics are non-biodegradable, littered plastics are nuisance to the environment.

Nonetheless, it is never too late to solve this dilemma. And solving this involves a change in our lifestyle. We should start by avoiding the use of straws, plastic bags, plastic spoons and forks, plastic cups and bottles. Eventually, we get used to avoiding the use of plastics; we can totally stop using them and switch to using eco-friendly utensils and materials, and use recycled and reusable ones. By doing so we choose to contribute to the solution of the environmental problem.

Also, it is a responsibility and privilege for me to do some talks to different organizations. Even in 64

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feature

3D 3D Me Me Despite contrary views, it appears that 3D is here to stay. A Philippine company is making its mark in this field by offering 3D products that can be easily enjoyed by everybody, not only by the well off.

3DMe Novelties said 3D is not an easy and straight forward application, it requires knowledge and precision. In order to print 3D images, three things are needed—3D software, 3D Lens and high-resolution printer. The company uses a procedure that captures a photo with a standard 2D camera and manually converts the image into a 3D photo. This allows 3DMe customers to send in their 2D photos to be converted into 3D as well as capture an image with a dual lens digital camera to produce 3D photos.

3DMe’s combined proprietary and dual software and lenticular technology makes 3D printing easy, simple, cost effective, and immediate. The company has made 3D conversion and printing less complex and intimidating. This translates to creating a broader and more universal mass consumer market for 3D apps. These include face morphing (animated); face swapping and for use in single-use 3D posters including the world’s first and only re-usable light box for advertising.

Clients can even use 3D pictures for corporate gifts such as keychains, luggage tags, photo frame, etc.

At present, the company’s photo booth can be found in theme parks and can be used in sports photography and in events such as weddings.

It has also developed a 3D camera with a 3D print solution. Powered by 3DMe’s proprietary software, Simply 3D’s dual lens camera is a world’s first in providing an alternative and cost-effective solution for photographers wanting to offer 3D photos, particularly in leisure/attractions industry such as green screen, animal encounters, themed, props or costume setup. This 5-megapixel camera has CMOS sensors and can switch between 2D and 3D. It offers a glasses-free 3-inch 3D parallax barrier TFT-LCD display with 480x320 resolution.

3D Me also has offices in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and in North America.

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lifestylefeature

Eco-friendly wear

By MR Gavin

With the ever-so-changing fashion trends, it’s a little hard to keep up with what’s hot and what’s not. But being able to show your style and help the environment will always be thumbs up to fashion critics.

Going green for fashion requires a lot of work, from transforming materials to creating a garment that will suit today’s style.

•When did you start designing?

I started designing clothes professionally in the late ‘70s. Classic lines are a staple since my clients are mostly professionals who are into business or politics. There was a time early in my career when I delved into costumes for film, TV and stage. My very first costumes were for group and solo vocalists.

•Do you use recycled or indigenous materials?

Following through with the desire to create original designs, I did experiment with traditional and nontraditional indigenous materials. Recycling materials is a continuing interest. It is a challenge that remains attractive to this day. I have worked with sleeping mats as an integral part of garments and as an accessory like belts. I have also used abaca and raffia as bustiers and kimonos. My inspiration starts with a basic material. I allow it to guide me to which design direction to take. The flow of inspiration includes the muse or the person for whom I am designing. Inputs from that person are important.

They help me flesh out the particular garment into performing a specific function.

When I create, images creep slowly into my mind; at other times they assault me in ways that become www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

confusing. Sifting through all of these images is part of the editing that is all-important in the process.

•What advise will you give to the next-

generation designers, particularly those hoping to follow your footsteps?

I have been fortunate enough that in the past several years as a teacher of fashion design, I am able to exchange ideas with young students on a regular basis. I always tell them that perfecting the craft is of utmost importance and establishing a name based solidly on professionalism and integrity must follow even before the selling and the marketing to which their consciousness is presently focused on.

•How can the fashion industry be “greener”?

The fashion industry can only make attempts at being green since it goes hand in hand with commercialism, and commercialism is at the very base of excess and waste. Developing more earthfriendly materials is always commendable. Being green starts with each one of us; being collective consumers of fashion.

The Designer Danilo Franco is one of the most respected names in the fashion industry with his more than 30 years of experience in designing. He is currently a faculty member for the School of Fashion and Arts and College of Saint Benilde. He is also an illustrator for different publications and advertising campaigns and as well as a costume designer for television and stage. His aesthetics and staple design is renowned all over the world and was showcased not just in Manila but also in Hong Kong, Singapore and California. He was featured as one of the best designers of Asia in the Best of ASEAN designer show and a number of trade shows all over the world.

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lifestyleparade

SIMPLIFY YOUR LIFESTYLE DECISIONS

CK Free Blue

by Calvin Klein The sun on your skin and the breeze on your hair, fueled by the open road, the journey continues.

CK free blue embodies masculine freshness with its clean and airy quality – perfect for the cool, modern man. A bright, atmospheric feeling emerges from the scent, as its energetic ozone heart is balanced against a backdrop of warm, pure sensuality. The bottom scent is made out of amber crystals and white leather, mid with green cardamom, fresh greens, white nutmeg and ozone topped off with excited fresh scents of French lavender, Chinese mandarin and spearmint.

Its packaging depicts a calm ocean horizon which is truly free blue.

50ml Php 3,950 100ml Php 5,098

Sheer Beauty

by Calvin Klein If there are three words to describe Calvin Klein’s new scent of Sheer Beauty, it’s pure, sensual and confident. This Eau de Toilette evokes the sensuality and delicacy of bare skin with its luminous floral scent and skin-like warmth.

It is a mixture of peach bellini accord, red berry extract and bergamot.

30ml Php 3,098 50ml Php 3,950 100ml Php 5,098

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lifestyleparade

I’m Yours

by Guess

SIMPLIFY YOUR LIFESTYLE DECISIONS

This is definitely the original Femme Fatal from the GUESS Seductive line. Irresistibly flirty and intense, GUESS Seductive I’m yours is an ultra-sexy fragrance for the mischievous woman who loves to fully explore her feminine prowess. Equally youthful and sophisticated, she weaves a web of glamour and intrigue for the objects of her desire. The enchanting Tiare, revered as a sign of true beauty, blooms with an intoxicatingly exotic, heady scent that evokes the spirit and the passion of the GUESS woman. A pulsating heart of alluring florals features Magnolia Blossom, White Lily and Vanilla Orchid, while the fragrance’s dry down is wrapped in a deep, voluptuous, sexy veil of Patchouli flower, Exotic woods, Creamy Musk and Vetiver. No men can resist her—nor do they want to. She leaves them breathless every time.

30ml Php 2,200 50ml Php 2,900 75ml PHP 3,500

Seductive Wild Summer

by GUESS Seductive Wild Summer slowly reveals its steamy secrets. Its vacious notes signal a true summer scent: lushly floral with a musky base. The top notes are Fruity Lychee and Crispy Pear sprinkled with vibrant Red Berries. As a relationship blossoms in the steamy dusk, the heart of the fragrance unveils: a floral bouquet of Iconic Rose and tender Orange Flower draped in ethereal Jasmine vapor. Finally, night blooms: an intense dry down of sensual Vanilla, deep Cashmere Wood, and intoxicating Musk.

30ml Php 2,200 50ml Php 3,100 75ml Php3,700

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lifestyleparade SIMPLIFY YOUR LIFESTYLE DECISIONS

1 MILLION

by Paco Rabanne 1 MILLION is the expression of every man’s fantasies. It embodies the comeback of flamboyant masculinity. Everyone will be left breathless with its one of a kind tonka bean and amber ketal scent.

100ml Php 4,310 50ml Php 3,330

LADY MILLION

by Paco Rabanne LADY MILLION is an expression of a flamboyant and asserted femininity. It completes a creation of a global Masterbrand with 1 MILLION, respecting the feminine identity of LADY MILLION. She embodies the one who every woman dreams of becoming, and who men would love to seduce.

80ml Php 4,990 50ml Php 4,100 30ml Php 3,050

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Sand Dunes

Seabreeze & Sand Dunes Bandeau

by Cocomo

Seabreeze

Summer is definitely a year-rounder with Cocomo, especially in a tropical country like the Philippines.

Be fashionable while strolling by the shore with an asymmetrical bandeau in hues of sea breeze and sand dunes. Show skin just in all the right places to emphasize those curves.

Seabreeze Php 1,299 Sand Dunes Php 1,299

FASTSKIN

by Speedo Speedo Fastskin Racing System offers unrivalled benefits to swimmers, including a full body passive drag reduction and improvement in the swimmer’s oxygen economy enabling them to swim stronger for longer, and a reduction in body active drag.

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SIMPLIFY YOUR LIFESTYLE DECISIONS

Spring marks a key period for Gap as it goes back to its historic niche, an easy casual style with a lighter spirit and more optimism, warmth and color. The collection is sure to give that needed pop of color to your daily wear. Colored bottoms are the key pieces that include colored khakis, denim and shorts, updated in skittle brights and vivid primaries.

For her, the always skinny denim fit updated in pipe blue, fuchsia, blush pink and lilac; for him, the denim wash khakis in olive and burgundy. Top it off with colored leather accessories for the ladies, and colorful nylon windbreakers and soft blazers for the guys.

lifestyleparade

Spring 2012 Collection

by Gap

lifestyleparade SIMPLIFY YOUR LIFESTYLE DECISIONS

1460 TecTuff

by Dr. Martens Still keeping the classic 8-eye silhouette while deceivingly achieving a canvas-like look, the 1460 TecTuff boots are made of a new leather material known as TecTuff Express leather that is highly resistant to abrasion and oil stain, and is breathable and more durable than traditional leather. It is available in fresh colors including fuschia, purple, navy, green, gray, yellow, red and black.

Php 6,700

Big City

Watches

by Alive Athletics Alive made its debut in the Manila scene via LSC Tokie Inc. Its timepieces remind people to enjoy each moment as one of the finest luxuries in life..

Big City Php 20,000 Diver Down Php 13,000 Legion Php 15,000 Diver Down

Legion

AS High & Velt Sneakers

by FEIYUE

Velt

Comfort and fashion will never be out of style, that’s why Feiyue continues to wow the sneaker scene with its unique collections. Feiyue means flying forward in Chinese and its lightweight canvas material makes it easier to move around and have an active lifestyle. Feiyue Fall-Winter 2011 collection is an exact translation of the shoes’ journey from around the world inspired by urban art and music.

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lifestyleparade

Glass Trick

by MAJOLICA MAJORCA Just like Cinderella, everything will come together by midnight—not only the glass slippers but also tons of sparkling tricks. Smoothen your hands with gloves of sweet scent and pearlescent glow. Beautify your lashes with a black blue mascara that project length and sparkle every time you flutter your eyes. Kissable lips aren’t hard to get with honey. Use all these and it will seem like you just came out of a fairy tale book.

SIMPLIFY YOUR LIFESTYLE DECISIONS

Dress Glove Cream Php 325 Lash Expander Frame Plus in Blue Black Php 795 Honey Pump Gloss Neo Php 295

Floria Nutra Energy

by TONY MOLY Skin care is vital for all Filipinas out there, especially with the harsh weather and the crazy environment. This is why Tony Moly Floria introduces its Nutra Energy line which delivers beautiful hydrated and resilient skin at any age.

It contains all-natural ingredients that promote superb regeneration and vitality.

Emulsion Php 968 Toner Php 998 Cream Php 998 Essence Php 1,098 Miracle Serum Php 1,288 Eye Cream Php 1,298 Skincare Line

by Benefit Turn your beauty regimen into a ritual with Benefit’s skincare line. Start off by lightening those dark circles with It’s Potent! Eye Cream; moisturize your skin with the Total Moisture facial cream with tri-radiance complex.

Protect your skin with the heat with the Triple Performing Facial Emulsion and moisturize it with the Moisture Prep Toning Lotion. Clean your skin deep down the pores with the foamingly clean facial wash and for that instant glow, exfoliate with the refined finish facial polish. Don’t forget to take off that gunk with Remove it make-up remover and finish off with the ultra radiance facial re-hydrating mist.

It’s Potent! Eye Cream Php 1,800 Total Moisture Facial Cream Php 2,000 Triple Performing Facial Emulsion Php 1,500 Moisture Prep Toning Lotion Php1,600 Foamingly Clean Php 1,200 Refined Finish Facial Polish Php 1,200 Remove It Make-Up Remover Php 1,200 Ultra Radiance Facial Rehydrating Mist Php1,300 www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

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beautylab

BEAUTY SECRETS REVEALED

Zenyu ecospa:

Complete healing At the heart of the busy, bustling city that is Manila, there is a place where you can rejuvenate your senses.

Zenyu Ecospa may sound like your run-of-the-mill spa, no different from the rest that seem to riddle the city for that quick-fix stressbuster.

Upon walking along its corridors, you may very well think there’s nothing special about the place, save for its location on the 3rd floor of the Manila Ocean Park complex.

But don’t be fooled, it is actually the only one of its kind. Zenyu Ecospa is inside the only negative ion hotel in the world, Hotel H2O. For those who don’t understand the significance of negative ions, these are good clean air molecules found in nature. Considered “Vitamins of the Air,” negative ions are abound in untouched areas such as virgin forests and beaches, and protect

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us from bacteria, viruses, and free radicals that speed up the aging process.

Scientists have found that if the air is charged with too few negative ions and too many positives, we become anxious, fatigued and tense.

This condition is known as “pos-ion poisoning,” and often occurs as the result of weather disturbances, central air-conditioning, smog and driving too long within the confines of an automobile. It’s been linked to heart attacks, aggravated asthma, migraine headaches, insomnia, rheumatism, arthritis, hay fever, and most allergies.

To demonstrate the effect of negative ions in the body, I was

By Michelle Callanta-Toledo given a test to show the movement of the capillaries in my finger under a microscope. This is to illustrate how fast oxygen and blood is circulated throughout the body.

Healthy capillaries appear long, thin, and fast-moving (as were mine).

But when a negative ion fabric was placed on my hand, you can instantly see the capillaries moving oxygen into the bloodstream faster.

My colleague and I were treated to three of its services: a full-bodied fish spa jacuzzi (Php 300), massage (Php 700), and hot bed (Php 400). A jacuzzi is located inside each of the men’s and women’s locker rooms where hundreds of small fishes help remove old skin cells by nibbling on them. You can opt to dip just your www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

beautylab

OPPOSITE PAGE: Zenyu Ecospa Reception Area; RIGHT: Hot beds that feature mat fabric in a room lined with bricks and tiled walls that emit negative ions; LOWER RIGHT: The full-body fish spa jacuzzi

BEAUTY SECRETS REVEALED

feet or arms. I, on the other hand, decided only a full-body Dr. Fish treatment would do. The water is unforgivably chilly so it may take a while before you can get settled in—and that’s if the fish don’t start swarming all around you, which happens immediately, exfoliating your skin with their little teeth.

After 20 minutes of hugging my knees and giggling uncontrollably as the fish gnawed and pinched gently on my skin, I was treated to a relaxing 60-minute full-body massage inside one of the solo massage rooms. Now getting a massage is generally relaxing but to get one inside a room full of negative ions (as well as from a therapist who knows how to listen to your instructions regarding pressure), is definitely a plus. I honestly felt more relaxed and more at ease.

I was changing back in the locker room, I noticed that my skin was softer and my face had brightened.

Aside from these services, Zenyu Ecospa also sells products that emit negative ions. From pails that can turn mineral water into alkaline water in just a few hours, to powders that can help recycle water, to reusable plastic bags and containers that help food stay fresh longer, and to paints that release a lifetime of negative ions— you can now have all the negative ions you need right in your own home (like celebrity cosmetologist Dr. Vicki Belo) or workplace (like Philippine bread manufacturing company, Walter Bread).

“Considered “Vitamins of the Air,” negative ions are abound in untouched areas such as virgin forests and beaches, and protect us from bacteria, viruses, and free radicals that speed up the aging process. “

Lastly, we were treated to a 30-minute session inside the hot bed which emits negative ions. The room consists of four flat beds, almost like mats, on the floor. The mat fabric and the room’s brick and tile walls emitted negative ions. Though the room was hot, it wasn’t stifling or suffocating as in other steam baths or saunas.

And despite actually lying down on a hard floor with no pillow, I surprisingly fell asleep almost instantly. When I awoke, I didn’t feel like I needed to gasp for air. And as

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So if city-living has gotten you feeling “anxious, fatigued and tense,” I suggest a trip to Zenyu Ecospa for a “complete healing.”

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TECH LIVING AT ITS BEST

Earth-friendly aircons

By Michelle Callanta-Toledo

While the February chill remains upon us, it’s best to keep a practical amount of foresight just before the searing summer sun comes raging back in. And with the latest “green air-conditioners,” not only can you be sure you’ll keep cool all summer long, you can also keep those electricity bills from burning a hole in your wallet.

When it comes to purchasing an air-conditioner, you have one of two types of technologies: the inverter and the non-inverter. Right off the bat, you’ll find that inverter air-conditioning costs more than your non-inverter (or fixed speed) model. But even though you pay a slightly higher price for an inverter type, you also eventually get better value for your money.

Here’s why: • At least 30% to 50% cheaper to run as it consumes less power • Provides a more precise room temperature without the temperature fluctuations of fixed speed systems • Start-up time is reduced by 30% • Much quieter • No temperature fluctuations Consuming less energy means paying less on your electricity bill, and in the long run, you’ll see that you’d have saved more and gained more with your initial investment. Of course, if you want to maximize the benefits of your air conditioner, here are a few tips: • Make sure the unit you purchase is the right size for your room.

• Set your thermostat as high as comfortably possible.

• Put a shade on your air conditioner as well as your windows and walls.

• Use a ceiling fan with your air-conditioner to make the room feel cooler.

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home

Carrier FP-42CVSR016

X-Power Inverter Hi-wall 2 HP air-conditioner

TECH LIVING AT ITS BEST

Save as much as 50% on energy costs with the new Carrier X-Power Inverter Hi-wall. Its advanced DC Inverter Technology combines two innovative systems—Pulse Width Modulation and Pulse Amplitude Modulation. The result is a non-intrusive, worldclass technology in energy saving and comfort. This aircon has an energy efficiency ratio of 10EER, a cooling capacity of 16,200 (kJ/Hr), and an airflow volume of 690 cubic meters per hour.

PHP 53,296

LG HS-24IV

Split-type inverter air-conditioner A brilliant addition to LG’s lineup is a high-performance airconditioner with a high energy saving inverter. LG’s inverter air-conditioners provide superior energy efficiency performance that is tested and verified by the Environmental Technology Verification program of the Department of Science and Technology. These have significantly higher energy efficiency than constant-speed non-inverter units.

PHP 51,495

Panasonic CS-S18MKQ Inverter split-type air-conditioner

Experience the convenience of Panasonic’s ECONAVI intelligent eco-sensor feature and defined control programs that optimize appliance performance. ECONAVI will sense room conditions and make appropriate changes to cooling based on the presence of humans and their level of activity. When the ECONAVI Dual Sensor technology is active, two powerful sensors detect a wide-range of room conditions by sending out infrared rays and monitoring their reactions. The controls seek out ways to deliver comfortable cooling and reduce wasted electricity which results in an up to 30-percent increase in energy savings.

PHP 47,999

Sharp AH-XP10LF

Inverter split-type air-conditioner Sharp’s multi-type air-conditioning system allows you to combine up to 4 indoor units with a single outdoor unit. The indoor units are selectable from wall-mounted types, floor ceiling types, and the newly introduced floor standing types to meet all your needs. The new Sharp Inverter features Plasmacluster Ion which balances the positive and negative ions that gives us a fresher and cleaner feeling, purifies the air, and reduces some airborne mold and viruses. It also has an Inverter Controlled function that gives quick cooling operation and decreases instability in temperature and lessens power consumption. The air-conditioner contains the Gentle Cool Air System that allows cold air to travel upward. It also maintains room humidity to an optimum level, without lowering room temperature.

PHP 32,998 www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

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Say Goodbye to Creases

Whether ironing clothes for a fashion show, a formal evening function, or just a casual outing, fashionistas can now achieve that immaculate fresh off-the-runway look with the Philips PowerLife Iron GC2900 range.

American Standard launches new luxury line of bathroom fixtures American Standard recently unveiled its latest and most luxurious line of products that promises to make any home the envy of the neighborhood. The new line of shower heads, lavatories and water closets highlights the company’s commitment to design quality and innovation known worldwide.

“These new product lines represent American Standard’s uncompromising belief in the growing sophistication of the market. These products are here because of extensive product research into what the consumers want and what they need,” said Noel Tolosa, American Standard marketing manager.

As a trendsetter in the design and innovation sector, American Standard has always ensured that its designs remain relevant to the needs of today’s families and to today’s times.

The company’s Concept Cube is a line of compact but beautiful and stylish bathroom fixtures. The Concept Cube seamlessly blends the sleek modern lines with innovative technology, using strong and simple lines for a contemporary look. A signature soft inner rim that lends architectural style beautifully balances this and is ideal for even small bathrooms so common in today’s condominium housing. The Concept faucet series, on the other hand, complements the modern, compact and sophisticated styling 78

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Designed to make ironing as fast and effective as possible, the PowerLife Iron GC2900 range instantly removes creases with a strong steam output for faster, more effective results, while its premium soleplate allows for easy gliding across all fabrics like silk, jersey, satin, piña, organza or plain cotton.

This tool works for those who want to quickly remove unsightly wrinkles from their clothes and, at the same time, care for their garments.

With a steam boost of up to 110g/ min and a continuous steam output of up to 35g/min, the iron

easily removes creases to deliver a smooth and wrinkle-free garment, perfect even for the runway. Armed with up to 2200 watts of power, the PowerLife Iron GC2900 range ensures a constant high steam output to ensure that the steam penetrates through the layers of fabric, effectively delivering fast and good results.

For those who may be afraid that the steam droplets may stain their garments, the iron also has a Dripstop system for delicate fabrics so you don’t have to worry about stains from water droplets. Its calc clean slider also helps to remove scale out of the iron to ensure a longer lifespan and maintain the performance of this practical tool in the household.

of the water closets and lavatories.

Made of high-quality chrome, these faucets make even small bathrooms chic and stylish. The faucet allows better water saving because it provides better control for users and being leak free.

It is said that the evolution of the water closet is a reflection of how civilized human living has become.

This philosophy is reflected in the Satis Asteo water closet collection, which features amenities like LED dim lighting, soft music, automatic seat open and flushing, twin nozzle bidet, and air purification system that eliminates bad odors and airborne fungi and bacteria.

The Satis Asteo reflects American Standard’s mantra of innovating on products to meet its customers’ changing lifestyles. The EuroZen, on the other hand, brings the most innovative and convenient functions to bathroom hygiene in a sleek and compact water closet. With functions like siphon jet tornado flushing, powerful massage/cleanse function, deodorizer, warm dryer, nozzle with automatic cleaning, anti-bacterial nozzle, seat heater, and lift-off and slow-close seat cover, the EuroZen

gives new meaning to luxury, comfort and high-tech to water closets and will make any bathroom a conversation piece.

Looking at the company’s new line of shower heads, it is clear that the inspiration came from one thing: vibrant colors. The iColor Hand Showers evokes a fantasy world of plastic and bubble. Through a fascinating and playful concoction of art, science and technology, the iColor Hand Shower is well suited to today’s fun-loving and imaginative homeowner. The line of products pushes the boundaries of the human imagination—with refreshing results.

.The Ventuno collection is designed by award-winning Italian designer, Franco Bertoli. It is an absolute choice for cosmopolitan consumers as it reflects the patterns of today’s urban architecture and elements of modern style. Designed with the sophisticated urbanite in mind, the Ventuno’s rounded, essentialized forms and geometric edges create sensations of pure harmony in every bathroom.

The American Standard’s new line of bathroom fixtures are available in major building materials depots nationwide.

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yinyang

KNOW YOUR GADGET’S FORTUNE

It’s All About Directions

By Princesse Lim-Fernandez

Contrary to popular belief, you are not doomed forever when the bad stars fly your direction.

There are ways to ease the effect of these bad stars and enhance your good luck.

Lucky directions depend on the Flying Stars chart of the year. The chart below shows that of the current year, there are 5 lucky stars and 4 unlucky ones. Each direction has a certain cure to enhance luck or ease ill luck.

Sure Win Horse

Check the direction of your main door, bedroom, bedroom door, headboard, kitchen and office/ work table. If you are affected by any of the unlucky directions below, you may neutralize this by placing the appropriate cure for that specific direction.

Let’s start off the year with some good vibes.

On the center is the Travel Star—everyone who resides on it will get opportunities to travel and/ or to migrate. The Sure Win Horse should be placed in this direction. The horse literally means “you win money immediately,” so it promotes monetary gain in the near future. Since the travel star is in the center of the feng shui chart, the horse is considered the Superstar of the year’s chart. Having this in the center will enhance your winning prospects and attract money from overseas.

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Feng shui expert Princesse Lim-Fernandez of Yin and Yang Shop of Harmony at the Mandarin Oriental Manila Hotel was trained under the watchful eyes of two masters—the late Master Paul Lau Tak Lun who established Yin and Yang with her—and Master Joseph Chau Kam Shing of Hong Kong who is now the resident feng shui consultant of the Mandarin Oriental group.

She graduated from the Ateneo de Manila University with a degree in management engineering and now has successful businesses in various industries that are aided and supported by her knowledge of feng shui.

Princesse and Master Chau have been vital in the popularity of Mandarin Oriental’s annual Chinese New Year celebrations. Their clients include both corporate and private individuals from all around the world.

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HIT THE RIGHT BEATS WITH THE LATEST SOUND TECH

ATOMS & BITS

Thoughts on the Environmental Impact of CDs vs the Cloud

By Steven Vea

Do we really need statistics to address the fact that more and more people are downloading music online as opposed to physically buying them? And do we really need charts and figures to tell us that once people have their music on hand, they will most likely transfer it to their smartphones or MP3 players instead of burning a CD? Yes, perhaps many of us consider downloading and digital transfers inherently more convenient.

However, often times we neglect to address if cloud-based entertainment is also better for the environment. Our logic would state that if the cost of printing CDs and their packaging were removed, then this should translate into a smaller carbon footprint.

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listen HIT THE RIGHT BEATS WITH THE LATEST SOUND TECH

“Whether its tape, CD or vinyl, the romantic allure of visualizing and physically connecting with an artist’s product is an irreplaceable concept.”

But we simply can’t rely on speculation, so let’s turn to some facts. In 2009, researchers from several institutions (which included Carnegie Mellon University and Stanford University) conducted a study and published “The Energy and Climate Change Impacts of Different Music Delivery Methods.” Their findings were published on the Web and was then sent to Microsoft and Intel.

“The big takeaway from our study is that buying music digitally will reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions compared to buying music on a CD,” - Jonathan Koomey, project researcher As expected, the study revealed that acquiring music on the web resulted in an overall lower power consumption and amount of CO2 emissions when compared to traditional retailing. However, even though they concluded that online purchases resulted in 40-80 percent less environmental impact, this result came about only because of the high carbon footprint of the production of CD packaging. Moreover, the study did not include two critical factors—the impact of web servers and the disposal of electronic devices.

CDs are made mostly of polycarbonate, aluminium and petroleum-based plastics, and just by detailing its components you can already feel its disastrous impact on our surroundings. Thousands upon thousands of compact discs are created and discarded every day, which as one can surmise, gives web-based entertainment a few obvious advantages. However, Casey Harrell, an analyst at Greenpeace International, states that cloud-based services have a larger carbon footprint than we think.

For starters, it seems to slip our minds that web-based services require behemoth servers to operate, which are housed in facilities that can cover immense acres of land, consume a large amount of power, and produce a large amount of carbon emissions. We have become so used to the “intangible” web, that we forget that it has its own impact as well—and a significant one at that.

Secondly, a vast number of lethal chemicals and www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

heavy metals are incorporated in creating the very products we download and enjoy our media on such as portable MP3 and media players. If we add to the mix the concept of obsolete-ism, you can see how that doesn’t help a whole lot either.

A multitude of gadgets are thrown away aimlessly and replaced with new ones every day, and these discarded devices eventually find their way into landfills, slowly seeping out toxic chemicals into groundwater and the earth.

But don’t despair for all is not lost. A growing number of manufacturers are slowly becoming more aware of their products’ impact on the environment. Apple has eliminated toxic chemicals such as mercury, arsenic and PVC from the manufacture of its iPods. Sony has done the same with its MP3 player line as well, eradicating harmful substances such as lead and cadmium stabilizers.

Thankfully, there are also a number of local dropboxes today where we can smartly dispose and/or recycle our gadgets, located at select spots around the metro. Since we obviously cannot stop the rapid advancement of technology, the least we can do is be responsible in how we discard it. And we can always cross our fingers, and hope that perhaps one day, all electronic devices just might be genuinely bio-degradable in the near future.

With that said, comparing the environmental impact of atoms and bits results in no real winner.

Both purchasing CDs and downloading music still make a significant impact on the environment, and needs to be addressed more aggressively.

While the World Wide Web may provide the illusion of a lesser carbon footprint, in reality (and on a larger scale), it may even pose a more significant threat.

What really comes into question now is whether or not people can survive in that intangible and dull world of not holding an artist’s album in your hands. Whether its tape, CD or vinyl, the romantic allure of visualizing and physically connecting with an artist’s product is an irreplaceable concept. Leafing through the inlays and looking at the cover art in front of you and not on a screen, is not just something novel, but priceless.

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ARTISTS AND THEIR TOYS

Basketball, Arts, & Music Photos by Patrick Ilagan

The first Basketball, Arts & Music (BAM) event was held last December 11, 2011 at the Ronac Art Center. It was a fun-filled day that brought together various artists from different local bands all working toward an effort to promote their passion for urban culture and lifestyle.

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featuredartist ARTISTS AND THEIR TOYS Four teams consisting of local musicians played in a knockout-style basketball tournament that day, which consisted of: - Brgy Tibay (Greyhoundz) - LockedDown (Sandwich, Miscellaneous), - Phunky Juan (Dash, Death Threat, DRP) - Team Sunday (Turbulence, LDP) Team Sunday emerged the winner in the knockout-style tournament, becoming the 1st ever BAM Champion. Several of their team members also received 4 individual awards: PHD as Most Valuable Player, Flavamatiks at Defensive Player, and finally, MistaBlaze & Verb of People’s Future took two of the Mythical 5 awards. The other Mythical 5 winners were Seth & MC Defy of Phunky Juan, and Champ of Brgy. Tibay.

The event was opened with the official BAM Mixtape by D’Tech of Miscellaneous. Along with him to provide background music for the games were DJs Arbie Won, Umph, & BigBoi. Nathan J of Seven Shots of Wisdom hosted the day’s event.

In between games, several artists performed as well, which included Dash, Cambio, Protégé, Miscellaneous, & Flying Ipis.

Works of art were showcased by Team Manila and Pablo Gallery thru their live screening, and also included displays of Krissy/Crazy but Divine pieces. The BAM logo was also designed by Team Manila.

However, the event was not all about fun and games—BAM also collected Christmas gifts for the Bantay Bata Kids through donations from the crowd.

The event was made possible by Jam88.3, Pablo, Pinoytuner, Team Manila, BTV, Nike, Titan, Timbre, Sari-Sari Sounds.com, and Gadgets Magazine.

For video coverage of the BAM (Basketball, Arts, & Music) event, check out lockeddownentertainment.blogspot.com www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

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GET OUR TAKE ON THE LATES TRACKS TO HIT THE MARKET This studio album showcases tracks that feature her smooth flowing style of music that with exudes with relaxing energy. Her calming vocals, paired with her talent with the guitar, blend perfectly well. Paired up with two of the star singers—Sam Milby and Jericho Rosales—the flow of each song merges well to her humble beginnings.

Thermodynamic ‘stones’ help keep coffee warm

This 14-track album starts off strong with the album name, Your Love, which speaks of needing nothing more than the love of someone special.

Another track also features the same song, this time a duet with Sam Milby, giving the song a whole new feel.

“Your Love” Marié Digby MCA Music Inc. Marié Digby, an American singer and songwriter who became a YouTube sensation with her cover of Rihanna’s Umbrella makes her debut in the Philippines with her fourth studio album, “Your Love.”

I Do is a duet with Jericho Rosales. Unlike most tracks which generally have an upbeat tone, this one is much slower and has a smoother flow. The lyrics describe a more simple promise of love that seems unconditional at best. I could say that it is one of the best songs featured on this album.

Also featured are the songs Swoon, I Think I’m In Love, Loving You Is Easy as well as her hit single Say It Again and her cover of Rihanna’s Umbrella.

The album also includes six minus-one tracks that fit perfectly well with the Filipino desire to sing their favorite songs from the album.

creative word play and heartwarming beats that become relatable to anyone—young or old. MCA’s “’90s Music Comes Alive” has all of that, with an added twist of local flavors.

This 14-track album contains some of the most iconic songs sung by talented local bands and artists with their own arrangements and styles.

The album starts off with Chicosci singing EMF’s hit, Unbelievable. Chicosci’s take on the song still applies the same beat but with a little for alternative punk edge to it that gives the song a different style that merges well with the message of the song. Another noteworthy song is December Avenue’s rendition of Paula Cole’s I Don’t Want To Wait which was well known as the theme song for Dawson’s Creek.

Miguel Escueta put his own twist on a Cranberries classic, Linger, by bringing it into more of a ballad direction while Krissy and Ericka turned Eric Clapton’s Change the World into their signature acoustic style. Solenn also lent her talent by singing Natalie Imbruglia’s hit single Torn.

“MCA: ’90s Music Comes Alive” Various Artists One of the best years of music has to be the ’90 s. Listening to music from that decade is like hanging out with a close friend who is telling you a story that is interesting. This is done through 84

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Other songs found on the album are Madonna’s This Used To Be My Playground sung by Urbandub; Radiohead’s Fake Plastic Trees sung by Franco; Keith Sweat’s Twisted sung by Typecast; Radiohead’s Creep sung by Tanya Markova; Indigo Girl’s Power Of Two sung by Nyoy Volante; Lisa Loeb’s Stay sung by Toto Sorioso; Blind Melon’s No Rain sung by Sabrina; Sugar Ray’s Someday sung by The Lamars, and Lou Bega’s Mambo No. 5 sung by Richard Poon giving the 90’s a whole new sound in these modern times.

Over 2.25 billion cups of coffee are consumed every day, with drinkers invariably finding themselves walking a fine line between “too hot” and “too cold.” Aiming to help make that middle ground last longer, Coffee Joulies are small stone-like devices that can be immersed in hot drinks—cooling them while they’re too hot, and then heating them as they cool down.

Each Joulie is comprised of a thin, hollow stainless-steel shell filled with a lightweight, temperature-mitigating material; all told, they’re only 50-percent heavier than an ice cube of the same size, and they sink and stay out of the way in a user’s beverage. Constructed of all food-grade materials, the small devices are roughly half the size of a standard chicken’s egg and are each designed to regulate the temperature of about 5 ounces of liquid.

Users simply put the volume-appropriate number of Coffee Joulies into their hot drink as soon as it’s poured; the devices will then absorb heat from the liquid to quickly get it to the right temperature, then they slowly release that energy to maintain ideal drinking temperature for as long as possible.

Coffee Joulies launched as a project on Kickstarter and quickly earned its target funding goal. The company is now working full-time in Sherrill, New York, to fulfill the 8,000 pre-orders placed through its Kickstarter page. An inspired piece of product design to solve an everyday annoyance!

Website: www.joulies.com Source: Springwise www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

Somedaydream MCA Music Inc.

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Also featured is Somedaydream’s second single, Delivery Boys, which talks of spreading

Another notable song is Do-do With You which talks of the end of a real good relationship as all good things come to an end. The beat gives the song a brighter edge to the message: It’s only been a week since I left you / And already dreaming about / Do-do with you showing a longing to go back to the way things were.

Other love songs featured on the album are Break, which is a little less synth-pop and more alternative pop with a simple mix of acoustics, piano and percussions; and Sing This Song, which speaks of thinking of nothing more than the one you love.

The album closes with an acoustic version of Hey Daydreamer that gives the song a whole new level of style.

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GET OUR TAKE ON THE LATEST TRACKS TO HIT THE MARKET

“Somedaydream”

This talentedly crafted medley of digital instruments contains 7 tracks that emanate pure technological joy. The album starts off with a simple Prelude that gives you a sort of teaser to the flavor of music that follows.

This Prelude track seamlessly merges with the second song, Hey Daydreamer, which is the lead single and featured on the well-known ice cream commercial.

joy, love and happiness and making changes for the better. This song is also the only track in the album with Tagalog lyrics: Batang bata pa tayo at maraming pang kailangan matutunan / Panalangin nating di malilimutan / Sakit sa ulo ang patalong Pilipino na di marunong makisama sa pagpaplano / Paano natin gagawin itong pagbabago.

cdreview

Whether from the radio, TV music station or the Cornetto Disc ice cream commercial, you must have heard the synth-pop music from the Filipino project Somedaydream. Produced and managed by former Hale front man and solo artist Champ Lui Pio under MCA Music Inc., this one-man-band is spearheaded and created early last year by singer-songwriter Rez Toledo.

With a style and feel that can rival the likes of Owl City’s Adam Young, this locally produced album has that Filipino edge that makes it a treat for all.

events

Eureka Moments Shared by Samsung Galaxy Note & Ad Execs The Samsung Galaxy Note is the first of its kind in the market that cleverly combines the powerful capabilities of a tablet and the practical qualities of a smartphone. With a sleek 5.3-inch Super AMOLED display and the latest advancement in pen-input technology, the S Pen, this latest twist in mobile communication brings a whole new approach to jotting down or capturing creative ideas instantly—something that today’s advertising executive creative directors find so appealing.

Executive creative directors Merlee Cruz-Jayme of DM9 Syfu, Brandie Tan of BBDO, Leigh Reyes of Lowe, and Raoul Panes of Leo Burnett all attest to Samsung Galaxy Notes’ convenient way of replacing the traditional pen-and-paper method of putting ideas together. And in the world of advertising, these “eureka moments” happen when least expected in unlikely places.

As they go about town thinking of the next award-winning advertising campaign, they all agree that Samsung Galaxy Note is the perfect companion with its amazing features, and its size is never a burden to carry around. “It’s a do-it-all gadget,” said Raoul. “It’s most handy for people who are perpetually looking for and enhancing ideas. It gets you connected. You get to research. You get to craft. And you don’t have to strain your eyes to do those.”

“The S Memo is perfect for my random notes and doodles. I can put my notes on a compre print ad on the spot,” said Merlee.

Brandie couldn’t agree more. “I really like the S Memo. It takes the place of bringing around a notebook and looking for a pen,” he said.

“The Samsung Galaxy Note was designed based on how consumers generate ideas. People usually take cues from their environment, formulate ideas, and capture them through pictures, designs, and so on. And, now, with the Galaxy Note’s S Pen input technology, 8-megapixel camera, 1.4 GHz dual-core processor, and HSPA+ Internet speeds, these ‘Eureka!’ moments will always be easily captured and even shared from anywhere and at anytime,” Coco Domingo, Samsung product marketing group head for hhp, said.

It’s a fact that advertising think-tanks carry a big load on their shoulders that’s why they welcome any form of convenience that they can get. Combining business with a little bit of entertainment during their down time would be ideal, and Samsung Galaxy Note lets them enjoy the best of both worlds.

“Apart from making work easier, Samsung Galaxy Tab allows me to have instant access to my favorite applications such as Facebook, Twitter, Fousquare and, of course, my e-mails,” Brandie said. “One of small yet useful pleasures I get from Samsung Galaxy Note is that I can Google right away and download MP3 files,” Marlee said. “And maybe, just maybe, it’ll make me stop writing ideas on paper napkins and at the back of parking lot receipts.”

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events

Pioneer Steez Brings Beats to the Streets

By Steven Vea

Pioneer officially launched its Steez Audio line, a series of compact and portable speakers crafted specifically for “every style of dancer around the world.”

Launched in Makati with hosts Chelo A. and Knowa Lazarus, the Steez Audio line consists of three models: the Type S, Type T and Type Z. What makes these speakers unique is that they feature an “Auto Battle Mode” which includes a countdown timer that essentially selects and switches songs of the same genre automatically, simulating dance battles. Additionally, there is a Tempo Control function that allows users to change a song’s speed without altering the key.

All three systems can run on batteries, have remote controls and come with a 4GB built-in memory.

Additionally, these are equipped with an iPod dock and aux jack for maximum connectivity. There is also a USB port to connect an external hard drive or it can be used to link the Steez speakers to a computer to transfer songs. The port also serves as a bridge to use Pioneer’s unique MIXTRAX software, which can create fluid nonstop mixes by analyzing a user’s existing music library.

The Type S (STZ-D10S-L) and Type T (STZ-D10T-G) are the more portable products in the series with a total power output of 5W. The Type Z (STZ-D10Z-R), on the other hand, is the larger and more powerful model—it features a 2.1-channel system with a total output of 40W/RMS. The Type Z has a wider bass response as well, reaching as far as 50Hz down the frequency spectrum.

Suggested retail prices are as follows: Type S (Php 11,990), Type T (Php 15,990) and Type Z (Php 24,990). www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

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PONY FOOTWEAR says it’s time to Show Off!

The challenge has been posed and many have answered.

Numerous entries from various designers and aspiring digital video makers have been submitted to Pony Footwear’s digital video and poster art competition billed “Show Off.” Visionaries and cutting edge designers were asked to interpret Pony Footwear’s tagline, “Let’s Get It On,” using images, digital design, creative videos and a short narrative.

Over 200 Poster Art entries were submitted, showcasing the wealth of local talent in illustration, digital design, conceptual execution and photography. There were also original entries for the 60-second Digi-Film category, which took Pinoy artistry and creativity to greater heights.

Most of the entries submitted truly captured the spirit and character of the brand, which also an important consideration during the judging.

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Pony is an American brand of footwear, founded in Brooklyn, New York in 1972. It has since become a top global athletic brand.

The winners of the Pony Footwear “Show Off” digital film and poster art competition was revealed and awarded last December 11, 2011.

Each winner of the Digi-Film and Poster Art categories received the following: First prize is Php 40,000 cash plus Php 10,000 worth of Pony shoes; Second prize is Php 20,000 cash and Php 5,000 worth of Pony shoes; and Third price is Php 10,000 cash and Php 5,000 worth of Pony shoes.

The winners for the Digital Film Category: 1st Prize: Kevin Dayrit “Soundless Transposition”, 2nd Prize: Winson Rojo “Bold & wild”, 3rd Prize: Vancleef Emnacen “Pony Tale: Sneaky Sneakers” The winners for the Poster Category: 1st Prize: Jesus Genotiva “Rock n Roll”, 2nd Prize: Reuben Francis Vidanes “Dare:Grafitti Let’s Get It On”, 3rd Prize: Frederick Uy “Hot Dog.” Major awards were presented by celebrities and music icons such as Renz Fernandez, Devon of PBB Teen Clash, Champ Lui Pio, Baron Geisler and Bamboo. Check out the winning entries at www. facebook.com/PONYSHOWOFF. www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

events

BLOGGERS UNITE

By MR Gavin

If you headed down to Treston International College for a whole day of fun on December 3, 2011 you were a part of shopping history. Bloggers United II was one of the biggest shopping events of the holiday season.

Gadgets Magazine co-presented the event which made bloggers from all over the Philippines leave their laptops at home in order to mingle with their much-loved readers. Together with the amazing bloggers in holding this event is Multiply Philippines which is everybody’s much-loved companion when it comes to online shopping.

There were over a hundred bloggers who participated in Bloggers United II. Some of the big names were Kryz Uy, David Guison, Lissa Kahayon, Patricia Prieto, Kookie Buhain, Nicole Puetevella, Paul Jatayna, Karl Leuterio, Mike Magallanes, and JP Singson, to name a few.

When everyone’s energy was close to being drained, the bloggers united team came up with games and segments to keep everyone awake and happy. There were tons of giveaways from sponsors. Some of the giveaways were from Multiply Philippines, which raffled off Php100,000 worth of gift certificates. Gadgets Magazine gave away mobile phones and mobile bags. Everyone who attended the event got a little goodie bag so that no one went home empty-handed. To cap the night off, there were performances from the Walkie Talkies and Reese & Vica.

Definitely, everyone had a happy heart as the event was for the benefit of GMA Kapuso Foundation for its school building project. Gadgets Magazine will, once again, be at the next Bloggers United event, so watch out for it. www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

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events

BlackBerry DevCon Asia 2011

By John Nieves

Like any ecosystem, BlackBerry needs the support of mobile developers to develop applications for the BlackBerry operating system. Because of this, BlackBerry maker Research in Motion (RIM) has conducted several conferences around the world to help bring developers and their strategic partners together to share ideas and generally try to make awesome stuff within the ecosystem.

This year’s BlackBerry DevCon Asia was no different. Thousands of app developers, partners and students were in attendance in Suntec, Singapore during the three-day event. Web developers, native developers, Adobe developers and Java developers were all present during the event to get the latest word from RIM and explore what BlackBerry can do for them.

RIM also had the chance to talk to its community of developers and assembled press about the state of the platform and try to correct incorrect perceptions about the brand and the ecosystem.

While it’s no secret that RIM had a rough year in the US, it’s enjoying extremely great growth in Asia. Gregory Wade, regional managing director for East Asia, noted in his keynote address that BlackBerry will outgrow the smartphone market compared to Android, iOS and Windows Mobile in Asia-Pacific according to IDC. He was also very confident about the company’s position in 90

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the Asian markets, saying that BlackBerry is in “growth mode” in this part of the world, and is currently the No. 1 mobile phone in Indonesia, and the No. 1 smartphone in many other Asian markets like Thailand and the Philippines. RIM attributes this growth to a number of factors.

Alec Saunders, VP of developer relations and ecosystems Development for RIM, also weighed in at negative perceptions of the company: “To be blunt, it’s lazy reporting. If you sit down and looked carefully at RIM’s business, you can’t walk away with the notion that the company is going nowhere. This is a company that grew its subscriber base from 50 million to 70 million— that’s a 44% growth rate in one year.”

The past BlackBerry DevCon Asia was successful, and has been proclaimed by RIM as the most successful one yet, with a record number of attendees. The next one is already being planned and is reportedly heading to Thailand. www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

events

Archos Unveils G9 Series

By Steven Vea

Archos adds two new tablets to its product lineup.

The French manufacturer revealed its new tablet line, to be distributed by Iontech Inc. in the country. The new slates arrive in 8-inch (Archos 80) and 10.1-inch (Archos 101) models, running on Android 3.2 Honeycomb. Both models feature capacitive touchscreens with 1GHZ or 1.5GHz ARM dual-core processors.

The Archos 101 features 16GB of flash memory while the 8-inch offers 8GB or 250GB HDD memory. The G9 series is currently the only tablets that offer this amount of storage, and 4GB of flash will be dedicated solely to apps and Honeycomb. This means users have enough storage space for 40 full HD movies, and since the G9 line is able to natively decode 1080p H264 videos, users no longer have to pre-convert files before enjoying them.

The Archos 101 and Archos 80 also feature a fullsized USB port, allowing users to simply plug and play their media while on-the-go. Battery life is estimated at approximately 7 hours of continuous video playback.

Another unique feature of the G9 tablets is that these are 3G ready, but not natively equipped with it. Users have the option to purchase a unique 3G dongle that slides into the rear of the tablet, thereby giving consumers a choice of whether or not they want 3G in the future. The dongle accepts any standard SIM card, but Archos also offers its own, with a pay-as-you-go solution.

The unique dongle will also work on laptops via USB. The tablets were officially presented by Iontech’s Archos Brand Manager, Angelo Ricardo Mendoza.

Also present at the event was celebrity Aljur Abrenica, who is the Archos brand ambassador.

The Archos 80 8GB is priced at Php 16,999. The Archos 80 250GB and the Archos 101 16GB both retail for Php 19,999. www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

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events

SUZUKI AUTOMOTO GRAND INVASION

By MR Gavin

Suzuki Philippines Inc. recently rolled out the firstever Suzuki Automoto Grand Invasion at the SM Mall of Asia on December 15 to 18, 2011 and featured the latest automobiles and motorcycle models of Suzuki, plus the never-before seen 2012 motorcycle line up.

The Automoto Grand Invasion offered free aftersales servicing for Suzuki vehicle owners, which includes 20-point inspection process for Suzuki automobiles; and engine checkup, oil change and oil filter change for Suzuki motorcycles.

“The first-ever Suzuki Automoto Grand Invasion is Suzuki’s way of giving back to the public. This has been a great year for Suzuki and so, we thought of bringing Suzuki closer to the public by coming up with an integrated event for them,” said Satoshi Uchida, Suzuki Philippines president.

He explained that the company held in 2010 “the first Suzuki Grand Invasion, which was basically a culmination of a whole year of smaller Suzuki ‘Invasions’ held nationwide. However, it only focused on motorcycles. [For the 2011 event], we would like to underscore that we are the only integrated automobile and motorcycle company in the Philippines and that they can expect a bigger and more aggressive Suzuki in 2012.”

The event featured daily fun games, a cosplay competition showcasing Suzuki’s technological innovations, surprise celebrity guestings of Angel Locsin, Ramon Bautista and Philippine men’s football team members Ian Araneta, Chieffy Caligdong, Roel Gener, Paolo Araneta and Nestorio Margarse Jr. They also held a fashion show that featured the 2012 Suzuki Apparel lineup.

There was also a battle for regional pride as 18 of the best dance crews in the country vied for the glory of becoming the grand national champion of Suzuki’s “Show Me Da Moves” dance contest and took home a quarter of a million in cash.

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newsbits&bytes

THE BIGGEST NEWS SERVED FRESH IN BYTE-SIZED QUANTITIES

ABS-CBN News Releases Mobile App

People here and across the globe may access news and other contents of abs-cbnnews. com with just one click as ABS-CBN News releases its application for Android and iOS mobile devices.

Once installed, the mobile app automatically downloads news directly to the user’s device either via WiFi or mobile internet browsing connections. Users may also volunteer to be citizen journalists by sending in their reports through the Bayan Mo, iPatrol Mo ticker where they can type in their reports in a user-friendly interface that will be sent directly for verification and follow-up.

With the app’s customizable feature, users also have the power to choose which particular section—Latest Stories, Nation,

Sports, Recommended, Entertainment, Global Filipino, Metro, Business, and Lifestyle—they want to subscribe to.

Canon Customers Can Now Inquire About Repairs Online

The abs-cbnnews.com application is compatible with all devices running on Android and iOS operating systems. It is being introduced for the first time for various mobile touch screen devices like Acer, Dell, HTC, LG, Motorola, Nexus, Samsung, and Sony Ericsson that run on Android. As for the iOS, the app is an iteration of the one introduced early 2011 for the iPhone and iPad. To download the abs-cbnnews.com application, just go to the App Store on your iPhone or the Market on your Android devices and install free of charge.

Absolut Launches Legacy Book

Canon Marketing Philippines Inc. (CMPI) has improved its online customer support with the launch of a repair status inquiry tool in its website.

communications products vice president Bong Serevo.

The service provides information on the repair status of Canon digital cameras, compact photo printers, video camcorders, projectors, inkjet printers, laser printers, scanners and lenses.

To use the service, log on to canon.com. ph using any web browser, then select the Customer Care tab followed by the Repair Status Inquiry tab to bring up the login page. Enter the product serial and reference number to check the product’s repair progress.

“This allows our customers to know the status of the Canon product they have checked in for repairs using any Internetconnected device,” said CMPI imaging

Customers can still use Canon’s customer care hotline by calling (02) 884 9000, which is available from Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

The Party Drink For All Seasons

Captain Morgan Original Spiced Rum is one of the top-ranking spirit brands in the world, and it is now officially in the Philippines. The brand was launched via a Keys to Adventure on-ground event at Tides Grill & Bistro, Scout Albano Street, South Triangle, Q.C.

For over 30 years, Absolut Vodka has achieved unparalleled stature in the art of risk-taking. In a market where most vodka ads were loaded with heavy text and a photo of a man ready to engage in a brawl, it seemed a losing effort to produce an advertisement that showed and said so little. In a bold move by Absolut Vodka, the brand began producing ads that showcased the bottle photographed against a neutral background, and utilizing witty twoworded headlines for its captions.

Breaking the rules was a staple principle for the brand, as Absolut Vodka started commissioning visionary artists to lead their campaigns. Legendary artists such as Andy Warhol, Keith Haring, and Nam June Paik have headlined the long-running series of collaborations between Absolut and cutting-edge artists. Countless thought-provoking series of Absolut Vodka ads have been produced, and among the most popular ones were the Absolut

www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

Cities series where each landmark city is highlighted in an interpretation of an Absolut Vodka ad.

Over 1,500 Absolut Vodka ads have since been created. All of which are considered to be daring, humorous, and innovative.

This rich heritage and artistry that Absolut Vodka has been cultivating for over 30 years has been revealed with the official launch of the Absolut Legacy Book at the Marriott Hotel Manila on November 2011. Select media and artists have been presented with copies of the limited edition book containing a compilation of 400 of the most engaging Absolut Vodka ads produced. Considered priceless, the Absolut Legacy book is a true collector’s piece, not made commercially available to the buying public.

The Absolut Legacy Book Launch is brought by Pernod Ricard Philippines Inc., exclusive importer and distributor of Absolut Vodka.

Hundreds of customers were present at the party, which was led by Captain Henry Morgan together with his crew of Morganettes. His signature cocktail, Captain and Cola, was served. The drink mixes the unique blend of Caribbean Rum, mellow spices, and flavoring, with the right amount of cola and ice—the perfect serve for all occasion, any season.

More Keys to Adventure parties are set to take place at your favorite bars and hang-out places. Captain Morgan Original Spiced Rum is also now available at leading supermarkets and convenience stores nationwide. The market can also keep up to date with the Captain’s adventures, promos and other news through the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ CaptainMorganPhilippines.

Captain Morgan is distributed by Diageo, the world’s leading premium drinks business trading in more than 180 countries.

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Comfortable Banking Anytime, Anywhere

Indra Program enables PWDs To Enjoy Internet, Other IT Advances Filipinos who have limited mobility and other disabilities can now use computers and benefit from advancements in the Internet, email and instant messaging.

This is made possible by Indra, one of the leading multinational IT companies in Europe and Latin America, which launched its Accessible Technologies campaign in the Philippines during the 10th Asian Forum on Corporate Social Responsibility held recently at the Edsa Shangri-la Plaza Hotel.

Citibank gives you the convenience of accessing your credit card and bank accounts right in the comfort of your own home or office, anywhere and anytime. Avoid the rush by conducting your transactions and banking needs through Citibank Online, or the Mobile Banking Application for Android phones or Citi Mobile Payments.

Keep track of your accounts, pay your bills, transfer funds, view electronic statements and experience superior online banking services without having to go to the bank through Citibank Online. “It is simple to navigate, assures you of secure access and has world-class banking features that allow you to do your transactions whenever you wish,” related Roy Villareal, Consumer eBusiness Director. “It even has a Personal Budgeting tool that can help you keep a close watch of your credit card expenses by creating a monthly budget for all your spending.”

Citibank’s Mobile Banking Application or App for Android phones will also allow banking flexibility to transact anytime and anywhere, plus show you shopping and dining offers exclusively for Citibank customers wherever you may be. Simply download from the Marketplace application in your Android phone to get started on knowing the best dining deals in preferred locations, or check out the local partner retail stores for special offers, find out the latest promotions just for Citibank customers, search for the nearest Citibank ATM or branch, and claim your rewards all through Citibank’s Mobile Banking service. Search for “Citibank Philippines” and from the results list click “Citibank PH” then download. Once successful, the Citi Mobile icon will appear on your homescreen.

Staying clear of the hustle and bustle has never been this easy. No worries on the traffic because you can have food delivered to you with Citi Mobile Payments. You can also charge your utility bills through this facility and even purchase load credits for your mobile phone and broadband service.

Send your donations to your favourite charities too through Citi Mobile.

“Citibank anticipates what clients need during the holidays. They can skip the traffic and avoid the queues through our 24/7 selfservice channels such as Citibank Online for a stress-free banking experience at any time,” added Villareal.

Experience banking convenience to the fullest with Citibank. For more information, visit www.citibank.com.ph.

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The Accessible Technologies campaign, a corporate social responsibility (CSR) program designed to provide solutions to people with disabilities (PWDs), is in line with the company’s trademark – innovation for all. It brings good news to the 12% or 814 million of the global population who have disabilities.

Maria do Carmo Vidoeira, Managing Director and Vice President of Indra in the Asia-Pacific region, stressed the company’s belief in the “social value that our solutions and services provide, not only for our clients, but also for a

Nikon Opens New Concept Store

large segment of the public in general.”

The launch of the program in the Philippines, which is the first venture of Accessible Technologies in the Asia-Pacific area, saw its two foremost solutions, the Headmouse and the Virtual Keyboard, demonstrated to delegates.

The Headmouse is a virtual mouse that is controlled by the movements of a user’s head.

Edgar Rubión, one of the pioneers behind the development of the Headmouse in Spain, demonstrated how the software can be used as a free alternative to the common mouse for people with reduced mobility. The Headmouse, using an ordinary webcam, employs facial recognition to control the movement of the cursor and to identify the clicking gestures.

The Virtual Keyboard is a special on-screen keyboard for PWDs and is best used by people who cannot use an ordinary keyboard, allowing the writing of text using only a pointing device—a joystick, track pad, mouse, and even the Headmouse.

The Virtual Keyboard also features prediction capabilities. “The software tracks the number of times a word or phrase is used. When the user clicks on a certain letter, the keyboard displays the most frequently used words that begin with the clicked letter,” explained Rubión.

Chat Barretto, Operations and Business Development Director of Indra in the Philippines, noted that 813 million people worldwide have limited access to technology because of disabilities. “But with the use of the Headmouse and Virtual Keyboard, PWDs can have a more independent life and can now explore the Internet, communicate through email or instant messaging, or use other computer software for education or employment,” she added.

Barretto also affirmed the plans of Indra for Accessible Technologies in the Philippines such as partnering with PWD organizations, knowledge institutions and charity groups to come up with programs that will best utilize Accessible Technologies.

Globe Unveils Augmented Reality Print Campaign

seen through the camera of a smartphone or tablet computer.

Data from ABI Research made a forecast that the market for augmented reality will reach $350 million by 2014 in the United States alone. During the recent Philippine Advertising Congress which talked about game-changing advertising initiatives, Singapore Press Holdings general manager Geoff Tan said that the use of AR is already prevalent and widely accepted by the Singapore market. AR is typically seen and used in events, exhibitions and roadshows, point-of-sale programs, interactive installation, website and digital marketing, and mobile marketing and m-commerce solutions.

Nikon officially launched its brand-new concept store at the 4th floor of the Annex in SM North EDSA. It’s the first outlet in the country where you will find the company’s brand-new mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras, the Nikon1 J1 and V1.

These two compact systems mark a new historical niche in Nikon’s growing product lineup. Both systems feature 10.1 megapixel CMOS sensors, 3-inch LCD displays, can shoot 1080/30p/60i HD video, and 12-bit RAW files. Since the J1 and V1 are mirrorless interchangeable lens systems that are equipped with the new Nikon-1 mount, four new lenses have been crafted specifically for these compact cameras, covering a range of focal lengths that should satisfy anybody’s needs.

Apart from the new optics, a range of accessories have also been introduced such as the F-mount adapter (use any NIKKOR lens with the Nikon 1 system).

The V1 also has its own unique add-ons which attach via the built in hotshoe: the SB-N5 Speedlight flash and the GP-N100 GPS unit which records geotags in EXIF data.

“Once again, Globe is pioneering another effort in the advertising industry. The use of AR in our marketing campaigns will engage our customers further. With the AR, we will establish a more personal affiliation with our brand, immerse them through the use of their senses, and forge a more robust interaction with our products and services,” said Yoly Crisanto, Head of Globe Corporate Communications.

Globe Telecom stands at the forefront of innovation once again as the first Philippine company to launch the country’s first-ever augmented reality campaign on print media.

Augmented reality (AR) is a live, direct or indirect, view of a physical, realworld environment whose elements are augmented by computer-generated sensory input such as sound, video or graphics which involves layering of computer-generated imagery on top of a view of the real world as

To jumpstart the use of AR in its marketing campaigns, Globe used the technology on its Christmas campaign entitled Globe Gets Me. Through the AR-empowered print campaign, Globe celebrates diversity in the way Filipinos celebrate the Yuletide season, including the way they connect and communicate with their loved ones. As a brand that lets subscribers enjoy their way, Globe leads the industry with a strong portfolio of innovative, customizable and affordable offers that truly enrich the lives of Filipinos.

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newsbits&bytes

Samsung Celebrates 300M Global Handset Sales

ShoreTel and Ruckus Wireless tie up to merge enterprise VoIP, Wi-Fi Ruckus Wireless and ShoreTel announced plans to deliver a Mobile Unified Communications (UC) Starter Kit, combining WiFi and voice over IP (VoIP) products,which is specifically designed for the small and medium-sized business (SMB) sector.

“We are incredibly proud of this record-breaking sales milestone and have exceeded the annual target announced early this year, which is testament to the enduring appeal of Samsung phones with consumers around the world,” said JK Shin, President and Head of Samsung’s Mobile Communications Business. “Our performance in the mobile industry remains unrivalled.

Samsung is the only manufacturer bringing such an exceptional choice of handsets to customers across a broad range of platforms including

Android, Windows Phone and Samsung’s own bada platform—and on a truly global scale. We look forward to extending this success going into 2012.”

Samsung’s 2011 sales results cap a hugely successful year for Samsung across its entire handset portfolio.

The company’s flagship Galaxy S range of products— Galaxy S and Galaxy S II—contributed significantly to the success, as the products have continued to gain popularity among consumers and propelled the Galaxy brand to one of the most recognized mobile brands in the world. The Galaxy S II, launched in 2011, set a new sales record for Samsung, generating 10 million sales quicker than any mobile device in the company’s history.

Meanwhile, Samsung’s portfolio of bada smartphones continues to gain sales momentum around the world, further boosted in 2011 with the launch of the newly upgraded bada 2.0. This year Samsung announced exciting new additions to the bada-powered Wave smartphone portfolio, including the flagship Wave 3 which is now available in Europe and continues to gain sales traction in all its launch markets.

In 2011, Samsung also pushed the boundaries of the mobile device category with product innovations such as Galaxy Note, a smart mobile device featuring the world’s first 5.3-inch HD Super AMOLED display that retains all the portability of a smartphone while introducing a unique user-interface that combines touchscreen and pen-input technologies.

As the corporate workforce becomes increasingly mobile, desk phones are giving way to smartphones, while powerful tablet devices marginalize PCs. As these smart devices pop up everywhere within companies, more Wi-Fi will be needed to achieve the same performance as traditional laptops, according to a recent report by Gartner.

Combined, the ShoreTel Mobility and Ruckus Smart Wi-Fi systems are ideally suited to address these growing concerns. IT professionals can now empower their users with enterprise unified communications on their personal smartphones while leveraging the IP PBX platform already in place— all while reducing costs and securing enterprise communications.

“Research reveals that half of enterprise knowledge workers are using smartphones as their primary communications device—a number that continues to grow, particularly as younger generations enter the workforce,” said Mark Arman, vice president of business development for ShoreTel.

Kaspersky Mobile Security WD TV Remote Improves Lite Now Available Media Player Navigation etc.) can also be wiped clean in exactly the same way. Moreover, by activating the FIND feature, the location of the stolen phone can be tracked on Google Maps. Kaspersky Mobile Security Lite also allows users to filter out unwanted calls and text messages.

Your smartphone is as likely to be lost or stolen as your wallet, bank cards or house keys—and that means the data on your phone could fall into the wrong hands. Now Kaspersky Lab presents a new product to secure that data from prying eyes—absolutely free of charge!

Kaspersky Mobile Security Lite, only available at Android Market, offers a basic level of protection for your Android OS phone.

If your phone is stolen, the thief will have access to all your personal data. That could give him new opportunities to steal your money.

However, the Anti-Theft feature included in Kaspersky Mobile Security Lite will stop the thief in his tracks. A stolen phone can be blocked simply by sending a special text message to the device.

All the folders containing personal information (contacts, logs, text messages, mail, calendars

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For those who are particularly concerned about the security of their smartphone—those who use their phones to store lots of valuable information, interact with social networks and send mail or instant messages—it is highly recommended to take a closer look at the paid version. It offers a broader range of features including real-time antivirus protection, ondemand and on-access scanning, and regular antivirus database updates via GPRS or Wi-Fi. By upgrading to the paid version of the product, you receive an Anti-Theft module with more features, for instance, SIM Watch which can block the phone as soon as the SIM card is removed.

The Privacy function also becomes available. It enables records in the telephone log, SMS folder and other similar information to be hidden from anyone who may pick up your phone.

Kaspersky Mobile Security Lite, like the paid version, is available in 13 languages. The paid version currently retails for Php433.70 at Android Market.

Western Digital, the world’s leader in external storage solutions and maker of the acclaimed WD TV media player family, introduced the WD TV Remote app, a new remote control app to improve the navigation experience for WD TV Live and WD TV Live Hub users by turning their iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, or Android compatible mobile device into an advanced feature remote control for their WD TV. The WD TV Remote advanced features allow users to more easily navigate the wide variety of digital media WD TV users enjoy on their television, from leading entertainment services like Vimeo, Dailymotion, TuneIn Radio, Deezer, Facebook and YouTube to personal video, photos or music.

The new WD TV Remote app provides all the features of the standard WD TV remote control along with several advanced features, including a gesture pad to help navigate menu screens and services with intuitive touch gestures, as well as QWERTY keyboard

support for text entry and search functionality.

A favorites screen provides quick access to entertainment services on the WD TV. WD TV Remote connects over the home wireless network and can work with multiple WD TV media players in the home. WD TV Remote is available in multiple languages, including English, Chinese Simplified, Chinese Traditional, Korean, Japanese, German, Spanish, Italian, French, Russian, and Portuguese.

“WD TV personalizes the entertainment experience for consumers better than any other digital media player,” said Chris Bull, director of marketing for WD’s Connected Home Solutions group. “Whether it is photos or movies on your PC, Mac, tablet, smartphone, personal cloud drive such as the My Book Live, or one of our exciting entertainment services, WD TV media players enable anyone in the family to easily enjoy a custom entertainment experience.”

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THE BIGGEST NEWS SERVED FRESH IN BYTE-SIZED QUANTITIES

Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd, a leading mobile handset provider, announced that last year it has achieved annual mobile handset sales of 300 million units for the first time in Samsung’s history.

The Ruckus ZoneFlex Smart Wireless LAN (WLAN) offeringis a verified system within the ShoreTel Innovation Network, ensuring tight coordination between the two platforms for end-to-end interoperability. For mid-size enterprises looking to test mobile unified communications over Wi-Fi, Ruckus and ShoreTel have also created custom, discounted product bundles for their respective channel partners.

buyers’guide

ADVERTISER’S ROW

NEO

SAMSUNG

SAMSUNG GALAXY FIT S5670 3.31-inch TFT capacitive touchscreen Android 2.2 (Froyo) 600 MHz processor 110.2 x 61.2 x 12.6 mm GSM 850/900/1800/1900, HSDPA 900/2100 Php 12,890

SAMSUNG GALAXY ACE S5830 3.5-inch TFT capacitive touchscreen Android 2.2 (Froyo) 800 MHz ARM 11 processor, Adreno 200 GPU, Qualcomm MSM7227 chipset 112.4 x 59.9 x 11.5 mm GSM 850/900/1800/1900, HSDPA 900/2100 Php 16,500

L5756 N Intel Core i7-2670QM Processor 2.2 GHz, 6MB Smart Cache Ubuntu Linux 8GB DDR3 Memory, 750GB Hard Drive NVIDIA GeForce GT 540M (2GB VRAM) 14” HD LED Display, Bluetooth Php 35,599 | 0% 12 months

MAGNUM 2X 3.8” Capacitive touch screen NVIDIA cortex A9 dual core 1GHz processor Android Froyo 2.2 Expandable microSD to 32GB WiFi Php 15,899

STELLAR 3.5” Capacitive touch panel Dual sim/Dual standby Android Gingerbread 2.3 Expandable microSD to 32GB WiFi Php 7,899

B3390 N Intel Atom N570 Processor 1.66GHz, 1MB Cache 2GB DDR3 Memory 320GB Hard Drive 10.1” LED Display Bluetooth Php 10,999

CANDY CHAT 14-inch LED 2.4” resisrive touch screen with Qwerty pad Dual sim/Dual standby Android Froyo 2.2 Expandable microSD to 16GB WiFi Php 3,699

CANDY 2.8” resistive touch screen Dual sim/Dual standby Android Froyo 2.2 Expandable microSD to 16GB WiFi Php 3,699

ECLIPSE 2.2 3.2 WQVGA resistive touch screen Dual sim/Dual standby Android Froyo 2.2 Expandable microSD to 32GB WiFi Php 4,899

B5122 N Intel Pentiu, B950 Processor 2.1GHz, 2MB Cache, Ubuntu Linux 2Gb DDR3 Memory, 640GB Hard Drive Intel HD Graphics DVDRW SuperMulti 14” HD LED Display, Bluetooth Php 18,999

CHERRY PAD 7” resistive touch screen via vm8650 800 MHz processor Android Froyo 2.2 Expandable microSD to 32GB WiFi Php 3,899

CHERRY PAD TURBO 7” resistive touch panel cortexA8 1.2 GHz processor Android Gingerbread 2.3 Expandable microSD to 32GB WiFi Php 6,899

SUPREME 10.1 capacitive touch screen nVidia tegra2 dual core 1 GHz processor Android Froyo 2.2 (upgradeable) Expandable microSD to 32GB WiFi Php16,899

B5125 N Intel Core i3-2312M Processor 2GB DDR3 Memory 640GB Hard Drive Intel HD Graphic 3000 14” HD LED Display Bluetooth Php 22,999 | 0% 12 months

SAMSUNG GALAXY MINI S5570 3.14-inch TFT capacitive touchscreen Android 2.2 (Froyo) 600 MHz processor 110.4 x 60.8 x 12.1 mm GSM 850/900/1800/1900, HSDPA 900/2100 Php 10,690

CHERRY MOBILE

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EEE PC 1215T 12-inch LED AMD V105, 1.2 GHz 2GB DDR3 1-year Warranty parts and labor 320GB HDD Php 19,995

K42F-VX329 Intel Core i3-380 2GB DDR3 1066 Mhz SDRAM 500GB HDD, 14" LED Display, Super Multi ODD, Card Reader, BT, 0.3MP webcam HDMI port, No OS, Bag Php 26,995

ESSENTIO CP6130 WITH VH2197T 18.5” LED panel DVI input with HDCP Intel® SnB G620, Intel H61 Express 2 GB DDR3, 500GB SATAII Intel GMA X4500 HD HD hardware solution Php 24,995

N43SL-V1G-VX132 14-inch LED Intel Core i5 2410M (2.3 GHz) 2GB DDR 1333 Mhz SDRAM 1 year Warranty parts and labor 500 GB HDD Php 39,995

1005PXD Red, 10.1" Anti-Glare display, N455 1GB DDR2, 250GB HDD, BT, 802.11 b/g wireless, 2 USB, BT, Card reader 0.3MP webcam, Win 7 Starter Available in red, blue, and black Php 14,995

EEE PAD TRANSFORMER 10.1” LED Backlight WXGA Android Honeycomb Nvidia Tegra2 Nvidia Tegra2 16GEMMC Memory 1.2MP front camera G Sensor Php 29,995

K43SJ Intel Core i3-2310, 2GB DDR3 1333 Mhz SDRAM, 500GB HDD, NVIDIA GT520 1GBgraphics,Super Multi ODD, Card Reader, WiFi B/G/N, BT, 0.3MPwebcam, HDMI port, No OS, No Bag Php 27,995

ML SERIES (ML229H) Wide Screen 21.5” Full HD 1080P Trace Free Technology Net Weight (Esti.): 3.1kg ASUS Smart Contrast Ratio Php 9,490

K42SJ 2nd generation Intel Core i3-2310 2GB DDR3 1333 Mhz SDRAM 500GB, 14" LED Display, NVIDIA GT520 1GB graphics, Super Multi ODD, Card Reader, BT, webcam, HDMI port Php 26,995

ADVERTISERS’ ROW

K42N-VX057O 14-inch LED AMD V140, 2.3 GHz 2GB DDR2 800 MHz SDRAM 1-year Warranty parts and labor 320 GB HDD Php 18,995

buyers’guide

ASUS

A SERIES (A43SJ-VX335) 14” LED Display DDR3 1333 MHz Intel B940 2GB DDR3 1333 Mhz SDRAM 500GB HDD NVIDIA GT520 512MBgraphics Super Multi ODD Php 24,995

ESSENTIO CM6830 DOS 2 x DIMM Dual Channel DDR3 1333/1066/800 MHz. SATA3 3.5” Supported Integrated Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator HD Php 31,995 w/ monitor

HTC

HTC DESIRE Z 3.7-inch S-LCD capacitive touchscreen Android 2.2 (Froyo) 800 MHz Scorpion processor, Adreno 205 GPU, Qualcomm MSM 7230 chipset 119 x 60.4 x 14.2 mm GSM 850/900/1800/1900, HSDPA 900/2100 Php 30,800

www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

HTC DESIRE HD 4.3-inch LCD capacitive touchscreen Android 2.2 (Froyo) 1 GHz Scorpion processor, Adreno 205 GPU, Qualcomm MSM8255 Snapdragon chipset 123 x 68 x 11.8 mm GSM 850/900/1800/1900, HSDPA 900/2100 Php 33,500

HTC HD7 4.3-inch LCD capacitive touchscreen Microsoft Windows Phone 7 1 GHz Scorpion processor, Adreno 200 GPU, Qualcomm QSD8250 Snapdragon chipset 122 x 68 x 11.2 mm GSM 850/900/1800/1900, HSDPA 900/2100 Php 36,900

O!PLAY HD2 USB 3.0 Flexible 3.5” HDD storage with NAS support TrueHD with 7.1 channel surround audio DLNA Php 6,990

FEBRUARY 2012

97

buyers’guide ADVERTISERS’ ROW

HP

MINI 110-3101TU 10.1-inch LCD Intel Atom N475 1GB DDR2 1-year warranty parts and labor 250GB HDD Php 18,990

MINI 210-2005TU/ 2025TU BLACK/RED 10.1 LED flush display Intel Atom N475 2GB DDR3 1-year warranty parts and labor 320GB HDD Php 22,990

MINI 210-1102TU/1103 RED/BLUE 10.1 LED flush display Intel Atom N475 1GB 667DDR3 1-year warranty parts and labor 250GB HDD Php 21,490

G42-368TX 14-inch LED Intel Core i3 380M 2GB 1066DDR3 1-year warranty parts and labor 500GB HDD Php 39,990

G42-370TX 14-inch LED Intel Core i5 460M 2GB 1066DDR3 1-year warranty parts and labor 500GB HDD Php 40,990

CQ42-292TX 14-inch LED Intel Core i3 350M 2GB 1066DDR3 1-year warranty parts and labor 320GB HDD Php 38,990

G42-372TX 14-inch LED Intel Core i5 460M 2GB 1066DDR3 1-year warranty parts and labor 500GB HDD Php 43,990

G42-366TX 14-inch LED Intel Core i3 380M 2GB 1066DDR3 1-year warranty parts and labor 500GB HDD Php 35,990

PENTAX

K-5 (18-55mm kit) 16.3-megapixel resolution with CMOS sensor Highest sensitivity 80-51200 ISO 1/8000 shutter speed 1080p HD video 3-inch LCD screen 77 segment metering system Php 74,990

PENTAX Q 12.4-megapixel resolution Sensor shift shake reduction 3-inch LCD screen Film filters including infrared 5fps continuous shooting Full HD movie 1080p (1920x1080) Built-in pop-up flash with extra-high extension Php 34,990

RZ18 16-megapixel resolution Wide angle 18x optical zoom 3-inch HVGA display HD movie 720p Dual shake reduction Php 13,990

WG1 14-megapixel resolution Wide angle 5x optical zoom 2.7-inch LCD screen HD movie 70p (1280x720) Water proof (up to 33ft), cold proof, shock proof, crash proof, dust proof Digital microscope mode 5 macro LEDs Php 17,990

DELL

RS1000 14 megapixel 3-inch LCD screen 4x optical zoom HD movie 720p (1280x720) Interchangeable faceplate Php 4,990

98

FEBRUARY 2012

INSPIRON 2320 ALL-IN-ONE 23 inch with 1920 x 1080 Full HD resolution standard Multi-Touch screen Intel Pentium processor G620 Up to 8GB Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1333Mhz Nvidia Geforce GT 525M Php 54,900

XPS 8300 DESKTOP Intel Core i7 3.4 GHz 1.5 GB - 7200 rpm ATI Mobility RADEON HD 5870 Microsoft Windows 7 Home Professional Php 54,990

XPS15Z 15 inch display 2nd generation Intel Core i7-2640M processor 2.80 GHz with Turbo Boost 2.0 up to 3.50 GHz Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium, 64-Bit 8GB Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1333MHz NVIDIA GeForce GT 525M 2GB graphics Php 62,000

www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

EOS 600D 18 megapixel resolution 3-inch wide LCD with vari-angle SD card, SDHC card or SDXC card EF-S 18-55mm f.3.5-5.6 IS II (Kit lens) 133.1 x 99.5 x 79.7 mm Php 49,950

EOS 1D MARK IV 16.1 megapixel resolution 3.0 inches TFT colour liquid-crystal monitor Type I or II CF card, SD memory card, MicroDrive 156 x 156.6 x 79.9mm Php 249,950 (body only)

EOS 1000D 10.50 megapixel resolution 2.5in TFT color liquid-crystal monitor SD card, SDHC card 18-55mm kit lens 126.1 x 97.5 x 61.9mm Php 27,950

EOS 5D MARK II 21.10 megapixel resolution 3-inch TFT color liquid-crystal monitor with Live view shooting Type I or II CF card, UDMA-compatible Canon EF lenses 152 x 113.5 x 75mm Php 129,950 (body only)

EOS 7D 18 megapixel resolution 3.0-inch TFT color liquid-crystal monitor SD, SDHC and SDXC card 128.8 x 97.5 x 75.3mm Php 89,950

DIGITAL IXUS 310 HS 12.1 megapixel resolution 3.2-inchPureColor II Touch LCD screen SD card, SDHC card or SDXC card 4.4x Optical zoom 100.6 x 55.4 x 25.0 mm Php 19,950

DIGITAL IXUS 220 HS 12.1-megapixel resolution 2.7-inch PureColor II G LCD SD card, SDHC card or SDXC card 24mm, 5x zoom, Optical IS 92.2 x 55.9 x 19.5 mm Php 16,950

POWERSHOT A800 10.0 megapixel resolution 2.5 TFT LCD SD, SDHC, SDXC, MultiMediaCard, MMCplus, HC MMCplus card 24mm, 5x zoom, Optical IS 6.6 - 21.6mm, 3.3 optical zoom Php 3,950

POWERSHOT SX130 IS 12.1 megapixel resolution 3.0-inch TFT colour LCD with wide viewing angle SD, SDHC, SDXC, MultiMediaCard, MMCplus, HC MMCplus 113.3 x 73.2 x 45.8mm Php 15,950

POWERSHOT A1200 12.1 megapixel resolution 2.7-inch type TFT colour wide viewing angle type SD, SDHC, SDXC, MultiMediaCard, MMCplus, HC MMCplus 97.5 x 62.5 x 30.7mm Php 4,590

www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph

POWERSHOT A3300 IS 16 megapixel resolution 3.0-inch TFT LCD SD card, SDHC card or SDXC card 5.0 – 25.0 mm, 5x optical zoom 95.1 x 56.7 x 23.9 mm Php 9,950

ADVERTISERS’ ROW

EOS 1100D 12.2 megapixel resolution 2.7-inch LCD with Live View shooting SD card, SDHC card or SDXC card EF-S 18-55mm f.3.5-5.6 IS II (Kit lens) 129.9x 99.7x 77.9mm Php 31,950

buyers’guide

CANON

POWERSHOT A2200 14.1 megapixel resolution 2.7-inch TFT colour wide viewing angle type SD, SDHC memory, SDXC, MultiMediaCard, MMCplus, HC MMCplus 93.2 x 57.2 x 23.6mm Php 6,950

VIXIA FS400 2.7-inch widescreen colour 37x optical zoom SD / SDHC / SDXC memory card 53 x 59 x 122mm Php 12,950

FEBRUARY 2012

99

links

YOUR GADGET’S DIRECTORY

Technology

Lifestyle Home

ACER

MILI

Unit 3401, 34/F Pbcom Tower, Ayala Avenue Corner Rufino St. Makati City

mili.philippines@gmail.com

www.aliveathletics.com

NOKIA

BENEFIT,CALVIN KLEIN, MAJOLICA MAJORCA

AKG SOUND & MUSIC PEOPLE 1142 Pres. Quirino Ave., Ext. Paco, Manila Tel. 588 0918

ARCHOS, ARNOVA Electronics Boutique Robinson’s Galleria Ortigas, Pasig City Tel. 816 2440 or 634 6800

ASUS Hanston Bldg., Ortigas Center, Pasig City Tel. 634 0309 http://ph.asus.com

AVT Tel. 413 7049

BELKIN belkin.com.ph

CANON 3RD Floor, Southpark Plaza, Phase 1 Santiago Street, Paseo De Magallanes Commercial Center, Makati City Tel. 884 8000

ENERGIZER EDSA, Mandaluyong City, Metro Manila Tel. 631 8421

HTC SiSPH Technologies, Inc. Suite 3003, 30th flr. Atlanta Center, 31 Annapolis St., Greenhills, San Juan City Tel. 728 3388

HUAWEI Unit 5302-B, 53/f PBCom Tower, Ayala Ave., Cor. V.A. Rufino St. Salcedo Village, Makati City Tel. 819 0500

LENOVO Unit 15-A,15th Floor, Citibank Tower, Paseo de Roxas, Makati City 1200.

Tel. 556 3106

100

FEBRUARY 2012

Nokia (Philippines), Inc. 40/F Philamlife Tower, 8767 Paseo de Roxas, Makati City Tel. 886 1234

ALIVE

B8, Bonifacio High Street 11th Avenue Fort Bonifacio Global City Taguig Tel. 856 2788

NOONTEC

COCOMO

Tel. 311 1799

33 Saudi Arabia Street Better Living, Paranaque City Tel. 346 8080

PENTAX 19 Don A. Egea Street cor.

Detroit Street, Cubao, Quezon City Tel. 570 8413

SAMSUNG Samsung Electronics, Phils.

Corporation 7/F Hanjinphil Bldg., 1128 University Parkway North Bonifacio Global City Taguig Tel. 1-800-SAMSUNG

TDK 119 East Science Avenue Special Export Processing Zone Laguna Technopark, Binan, Laguna Tel. 584 4380

DR. MARTENS Fort Strip Plaza, Bonifacio Global City Taguig Tel. 503 5866

GAP 5/F Midland Buendia building, 403 Gil Puyat avenue, Makati City Tel. 890 8424

PACO RABANNE,GUESS

CARRIER Km 20 East Service Road, South Superhighway, Alabang, Muntinlupa City Tel. 863 5555

LG ELECTRONICS PHILIPPINES INC. No. 15 F. Legaspi St., Maybunga, Pasig City Tel. 641 4181

PHILIPS

AMERICAN STANDARD

8-B La Fuerza plaza Chino Roces avenue Makati City Tel. 812 8643

18/F The Pearlbank Center 146 Valero Street, Salcedo Village Makati City Tel. 893 8681

8D Chatham House Bldg., Valero cor Rufino Sts., Makati 470 5491

www.wdthepowerofchoice.com

Ortigas Avenue Extension, Taytay, Rizal Tel. 636 3101

TOMATO

TONY MOLY

WESTERN DIGITAL

PANASONIC PHILIPPINES

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

Topstrasse Global Inc. Unit 415 La Fuerza Plaza I 2241 Don Chino Roces Ave., Makati City Tel. 515 8888

137 Aurora Blvd.

San Juan Tel. 723 4276

Km. 23 West Service Road South Luzon Expressway Alabang, Muntinlupa City, Philippines Tel. 842 1371

1779 Nicanor Garcia St. San Miguel Village, Makati City Tel. 899 9331

TORQUE

VIEWSONIC, LOGITECH INNOVISTA TECHNOLOGIES 3rd Floor, ATCO Building,

SHARP (PHILS.) CORPORATION

ZENYU ECO SPA 3rd floor Hotel H20 Manila Ocean Park, Luneta Manila.

Tel. 238 6190

Mobility

FORD GROUP PHILIPPINES FGP Bldg. #1 American Road Greenfield Automotive Park SEZ Santa Rosa, Laguna Tel. (049) 541 5000

ISUZU 114 Technology ave., Phase 2, Laguna Technopark Inc, Binan Laguna Tel. 541 0347

KAWASAKI Km. 24 East Service Road, Bo. Cupang, 1770 Muntinlupa City Tel. 842 3140

SUZUKI PHILIPPINES INC. Danny Floro Street Bagong Ilog Pasig City Tel. 671 9724

www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph