Hwm philippines october 2017

WIN

These PrIzes

!

Pioneer Se-MJ511 Foldable dynamic HeadpHones

Auto-GArd car Kit

Q+A John herrera

Jaguar xe sV project 8

collaborates with epson

Kazuhiro ozawa

Tag heuer Link LaDy

talks about canon in Ph

oppo a71 sony X80e asus ZenBook UX370

Best Both Worlds of

Technology and Fashion Fusion

MicrosoFT at singapore grand prix 2017

ViVo’s Mccoy De Leon & Verniece enciso

Try Me! DownloaD HWM PHiliPPines app ToDay!

singapore toy, gaMe & coMic conVenTion 2017 OctOber 2017

VOLUMe 13, ISSUe 10

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CONTENTS O c

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70 ViVO V7+

12

Scene

18

Bulletin

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Q+A

30

Spotlight

86

Learn

Follow us

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HWM PH | OctOber 2017

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CONTENTS O c

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gEAr 38

51 test

TEST 50 OPPO A71 torque eGO Note 4G Sony X80e Skyworth 49G6 tcL c2 tcL X3 Sony Ht-Mt500 Samsung Gear 360 Fujifilm X-A3 Polaroid Snap Touch JBL Trip Focal Wireless Spark Beyerdynamic DTX 350 m Apacer Armor 240GB ASUS Zenbook UX370 cUbIX cube book

30 SpOTLighT

FEATurE 70 Vivo V7+

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ShOOTOuT 76 Portable Speakers B&O Beoplay P2 creative Muvo 2c JBL Clip 2 Sony SrS-Xb10 X-mini Kai X2

76 ShOOTOuT

test

LEArN 86 Wedding Photography Tips from Adobe What makes a good lens?

68 test

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CONTEST 96 Auto-Gard

HWM PH | OctOber 2017

86 LEArN

editorial (editor.ph@hwzcorp.com) group editor LIONELL GO MACAHILIG lionell.macahilig@hwzcorp.com senior writer JONNAH LYNNE PANTE jonnah.pante@hwzcorp.com staff writer NESTOR DOMINGO JR. nestor.domingo@hwzcorp.com YRDA VEANSSA FERNANDEZ yrda.fernandez@hwzcorp.com intern LORRAINE MAE NEVADO Creatives (design.ph@hwzcorp.com) art director and photographer VICTOR FELIX PULGAR victor.pulgar@hwzcorp.com graphic artist GLAIZA AUREA PILARCA glaiza.pilarca@hwzcorp.com sales and marKeting (sales.ph@hwzcorp.com) media manager APRIL SALAZAR april.salazar@hwzcorp.com senior media executive REA GRACE REYES rea.reyes@hwzcorp.com media executive IDA BAGAPORO ida.bagaporo@hwzcorp.com management managing director CHARITY IBAY charity.ibay@hwzcorp.com hr and admin supervisor MARIA THERESA SANTOS tess.santos@hwzcorp.com accounting supervisor JONALD ALBUERO jonald.albuero@hwzcorp.com marketing and Circulation Coordinator JOEL MOLA CRUZ joel.molacruz@hwzcorp.com office service assistant GENE TOMA CRUZ Company driver JEFFREY USI porter LEO MENDOZA

hardware Zone phils. Corp.

Unit B-4, Topy Main Building, No. 3 Economia Street, Bagumbayan, Quezon City 1110, Philippines Tel: (+632) 634-9179; Fax: (+632) 634-9180 HWM (HardwareMAG®) is published monthly by Hardware Zone Phils. Corp., under license by SPH Magazines Pte. Ltd., Publisher of HWM (HardwareMAG) Singapore.

HWM (HardwareMAG), Copyright and trademark registered by SPH Magazines Pte Ltd. All rights reserved.

The trademark and content may not be used or reproduced without the permission of SPH Magazines Pte. Ltd. and Hardware Zone Philippines Corp.

ChieF exeCutive oFFiCer LOH YEW SENG lohys@sph.com.sg group editor-in-ChieF CAROLINE NGUI nguislc@sph.com.sg group editor RETA LEE retalee@sph.com.sg general manager PANG LEE CHENG panglc@sph.com.sg

strategiC development direCtor FOONG SEONG KHONG foongsk@sph.com.sg publishing serviCes direCtor LEONG TSCHENG YEE leongty@sph.com.sg Corporate CommuniCations head CHIN SOO FANG soofang@sph.com.sg senior human resourCes manager IRENE LEE leebl@sph.com.sg

international oFFiCes hardware Zone indonesia office Martin Wijaya (Chief Editor) PO Box 6169 JKUPL 14440 Jakarta, Indonesia Tel: (62) 21-612-0233 / 0955 Fax: (62) 21-6220-2580 Email: info.id@hwzcorp.com

hardware Zone malaysia office Michael Low (Editor) 30, Jalan Kartunis U1/47, Temasya Industrial Park, Glenmarie,Seksyen U1, 40150 Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia Tel: (603) 5569-6800 Fax: (603) 5569-6810 Email: sales.my@hwzcorp.com

hardware Zone taiwan office Dennis Chou (Asia Media Contact) 2F-2, No. 35, Sec 2, Fushing South Rd, Taipei 106, Taiwan Tel: (886) 2-8773-4199 Fax: (886) 2-8773-4200 Email: sales.tw@hwzcorp.com

hardware Zone thailand office Pongsawat Wongterasoot (Exec. Editor) 345 Soi Ratchadapisek Rd, 10 Sub-Junction 7, Huaykwang District, Bangkok 10320, Thailand Tel: (66) 2645-2588 Fax: (66) 2645-2008 Email: sales.th@hwzcorp.com

Copyright © 2017, Hardware Zone Phils. Corp.

All rights reserved. No part of this magazine shall be reproduced in any form without the written consent from the Publisher. Comments, opinions, and views of individual contributors expressed in the magazine do not necessarily represent those of the Publisher. Under no circumstances whatsoever shall the magazine/publisher be liable for any direct, indirect, special, incidental, or consequential damages that may arise out of or in connection with the use of the information made in the magazine. All views, opinions, results, and benchmarks used in this publication are based on the prerogative and expertise of the writer(s) serving the respective market and readership of which the publication and products are marketed in.

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HWM PH / october 2017

zeiss.com/virtual-reality

facebook.com/ZEISSLenses.SEA.ANZ

carlzeisslenses

Ed’s NotE O

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WHEN FASHION AND TECH COLLIDE Gone are the days when technology and fashion were considered as two unrelated concepts. either by mere observation or intensive information gathering, one can easily say that the two have become interrelated, and technology is driving the future of fashion, just as how technology is affecting the several other facets of our lives. one basic manifestation of this is seen in bags. today, bags, especially those that are intended for work or school, are expected to have compartments that are dedicated to protect your smartphone, tablet, or laptop from bumps and scratches. Speaking of these mobile devices, their looks have continued to improve every year, and they are now expected to complement your style while keeping functionality in mind. the continuing miniaturization of hardware components, and the need for staying healthy as well as always connected to the Internet and social media contributed to the emergence of wearable devices such as fitness trackers and smartwatches. Digital printing technology has also found its way to the atelier of fashion designers. epson, for example, has made collaborations with Filipino designers like Avel bacudio and, more recently, John Herrera, to demonstrate the practical application of digital printing technology on various fabrics, resulting in award-winning creations. Home appliance makers, like electrolux, have been continuously developing washing machines that can help consumers in keeping their clothes clean and even look newer, in spite of repeated washing. More details of these examples that we gave are discussed in the following pages of this issue of HWM Philippines.

We wish you an enjoyable and enriching reading experience!

The HWM Team comments about this issue? Suggestions? the HWM team would love to hear from you!

Send us your thoughts at editor.ph@hwzcorp.com.

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HWM PH / october 2017

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S c e N e

BEAUTY AND INFINITY

vivo Philippines has introduced its newest flagship - the v7+, along with a number of celebrity ambassadors top-billed by one of the most celebrated love teams of this generation, kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla.

The v7+, vivo’s newest pride in its line of leading edge smartphones reinforces the brand’s leadership in selfie and smartphone display technology. it features a 24-megapixel front-facing camera that provides a clearer selfie and the perfect shot, 5.99-inch all-screen display, and a screen-to-body ratio of 84.4 percent, making it stand out from the crowd. The v7+ runs on Funtouch OS 3.2 based on Android 7.1 nougat powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 SoC coupled with 4GB rAM and 64GB rOM expandable up to 256GB. it rocks Smart Split 3.0 which allows users to check their messages and emails, among other things, without interrupting the current running app. The vivo’s Game Mode also prevents incoming calls and messages from interrupting the user’s

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HWM PH | OctOber 2017

gaming.

The security feature is augmented with the introduction of the Face iD access feature that allows users to unlock phone with mere facial recognition. The v7+’s Smart Screen enables users to maximize the usage of phone by automatically unlocking the phone when they are not looking on the device.

An eye-protection mode is also an option, a facet providing comfort and protection during longish phone usage.

Launched at the Manila Marriott Hotel on September 20, the v7+ launch is packed with the biggest names in the entertainment industry as vivo introduces its newest additions to its roster of brand ambassadors, including Julie Anne San Jose, Barbie Forteza, Maris racal, Loisa Andalio, Paul Salas, the Boyband PH, and many more.

Priced at PhP 17, 990, the vivo v7+ will be available in the market in sophisticated shades of Champagne Gold and Matte Black.

S c e N e

Gaming Spies AOC, a global-leader in display technology has once again collaborated with a powerhouse in the global entertainment industry – Twentieth Century Fox Film, in promoting the “kingsman: The Golden Circle,” making the latter the official monitor partner of the said film. AOC has also staged this move in promoting previous films like the Assassin’s Creed, independence Day: resurgence, and X-Men: First Class, among others. During a pre-screening program for the showing of “kingsman: The Golden Circle,” AOC Philippines

showcased two products under their gaming monitors AGOn portfolio – the 27-inch AG271QG intended for high-performance gaming, and the 31.5-inch AG322FCX best for affordable gaming.

Derived from ancient Greek, AGOn stands for competition; a meaning that connects with the ever-growing PC gaming and eSports industry.

Perfect Meld Following the success of John Herrera’s Aguila-inspired collection printed using epson’s textile printers which granted Herrera the Britain’s Top Designer 2017 award, the two once again collaborated for a 30-piece collection dubbed as “Armada,” which according to John Herrera, was derived from the map created by Diogo ribeiro depicting the world in 1529, the first world map in history to include the Philippine islands. Details related to king Philip ii of Spain were also integrated into the design to further emphasize a historic look embodied on combined hues of sepia and brown. The intricate design of the collection was transferred to fabric using the epson SureColor F9200 printer which utilizes the dye-sublimation transfer process and epson PrecisionCore printhead technology with printing speeds of up to 1,044 square feet per hour and widths of up to 64 inches.

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HWM PH | OctOber 2017

Edge of Beyond

ASUS Philippines has welcomed Asia’s next Top Model Season 5 Grand Winner Maureen Wroblewitz as the newest ambassadress of their notebook lineup which has fresh additions including the zenBook Flip S, zenBook Flip 15, vivoBook Flip 14, and the vivoBook e Series. Carrying the same elegance and style common to the rest of ASUS’ zenBook and vivoBook range, the latest names also promote productivity through seamless user experience and other premium display and audio features.

New Space international smartphone brand OPPO has strengthened its presence in the Philippines as it stormed the Queen City of the South to launch its new concept store. OPPO has cited Cebu as one of its key markets. The inauguration of a new concept store in Cebu is part of the company’s continuing efforts to expand nationwide in the remaining quarter of 2017. Customers may visit the OPPO Concept Store located at the 3rd level (near the activity area) of Ayala Center Cebu.

Celebrating Heritage Celebrating its 15th year in the Philippines, electrolux kicked off the FashionCare Campaign in partnership with one of the country’s top fashion designers. The said campaign puts emphasis on the innovative UltraMix technology featured in electrolux washing machines. This technology helps in retaining the softness, shape, and color of clothes, making them look new in spite of frequent washing. in line with the campaign, the FashionCare Council was created, headed by Fashioncare ambassador rajo Laurel.

hardwarezone.com.ph

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S c e N e

First of Firsts in celebration of its 5th year of OLeD expertise, LG has brought to the Philippines its LG Signature OLeD Tv in 44-inch and 77-inch variants. Unveiled a day before Apple officially announced its updated Apple Tv, the LG Signature OLeD Tv is the world’s first to have both Dolby vision and HDr10 on a television. These features make it capable of delivering life-like images with deeper blacks and brighter colors in 4k resolution. This is complemented with Dolby Atmos audio which makes up a sound bar system that also doubles as the television’s stand.

Holiday Treat Acer Philippines has collaborated with SM Supermalls fashion brand Salvatore Mann to introduce its preholiday promo for this year, which entitles customers exclusive Salvatore Mann bags with every Acer purchase, and introduced their newest brand celebrity ambassadors Alessandra De rossi and empoy Marquez who both starred in the Philippines’ highest grossing indie film kita kita, through a short film titled as #kasyaPa. The video is uploaded on Acer’s Facebook page and has recorded 6.7 million views.

Storage Sufficed

Seagate is extending its array of storage solutions with the launch of the new Seagate Game Drive for PS4, Seagate Game Drive Hub for Xbox, and the Seagate DJi Fly Drive. The Game Drive for PS4 answers storage gaming woes with its ample 2TB storage, while the Game Drive Hub for Xbox comes with 8GB of capacity. The DJi Fly Drive, on the other hand, streamlines the editing process by letting drone flyers store, consolidate, and organize up to over 250 flights worth of content into one portable external hard drive with up to 2TB storage capacity.

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HWM PH | OctOber 2017

Smart Wheels nissan is bringing to the Philippines the enhanced version of its popular compact crossover three years after the launch of its first iteration, the nissan X-TrAiL, packed with nissan intelligent Mobility technologies, together with new enhancements. The new X-TrAiL is the first nissan vehicle in the country to be integrated with the largest range of available advanced intelligent Mobility technologies. The nissan X-TrAiL will sell in 4x4 and 4x2 variants for PhP 1,728,000 and PhP 1,399,000 respectively, starting this month in all nissan dealerships.

Ride On Honda has unveiled its newest underbone, sports, and AT lineup comprised of the all-new XrM 125 series, rS 125, and the new zoomer-X, now available in all Honda flagship stores and 3s shops nationwide. HPi President Daikhi Mihara said that these new models are assured to intensify Honda’s commitment to bold and exciting changes in its extensive and complete lineup of products in terms of unique Filipino design, high performance, latest technology, and joyful riding experience.

Bike for a Cause eyeing to provide the proper outdoor equipment and transport to remote communities, recreational Outdoor exhange (r.O.X.) has teamed up with Bikes for the Philippines and Heroes on Wheels to give the proceeds of the Bike for a Cause 2017 event to Talahib Pandayan national High School in Batangas City. Bikes for the Philippines is a non-profit foundation that aims to provide bicycles to underprivileged people in the country, while Heroes on Wheels provides assistance to Center for Outdoor recreation expedition.

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B u l l e t i N

LEArNiNg BOOST

Microsoft, Deped inaugurate eGG Classroom and Disaster Command Center in nueva ecija Microsoft Philippines has partnered with the Department of education (Deped) and the provincial government of nueva ecija to launch the eGG Project which aims to provide public schools in Cabanatuan City a free and easier way to access the internet as well as a command center which residents can utilize in times of natural disasters.

According to Microsoft Philippines Managing Director Bertrand Launay, this move is Microsoft’s way of recognizing how digital transformation is inherent in education. The eGG Project is also the first education-related venture of Microsoft outside Metro Manila.

“We can see how technology affects how we live, work, and interact with everybody. now, we can see how technology can engage every student even though they live in an unconnected area,” Launay said during the official turnover ceremony held at the Old Provincial Capitol in Cabanatuan City, nueva ecija. “Launching the eGG Command Center in Cabanatuan, the Gateway to the north, is a great start to bringing quality education to every single Filipino wherever they are located,” he added.

More information about the eGG project at www.microsoft.com/en-ph and www.cabanatuancity.gov.ph.

LOuD AND prOuD

Beyond innovations introduces HeOS by Denon sets of Av products in PH Beyond innovations has formally launched its newest addition to its roster of brands that provide the most respected audio-video smart home systems technology solution. executives from Beyond innovations and Denon – who flew from Singapore and Hong kong – introduced the product lineup of HeOS to the dealers and select members of the press.

The HeOS family is comprised of the audio-video systematized products that allow consumers to control their music in such an effortless way from anywhere inside their homes. These acoustically sculpted, stylish, and powerful multi-room wireless speakers aim to deliver an uncompromising entertainment experience. Specifically, the HeOS speakers are comprised of advanced digital signal processing that enables them to produce great sound in spite of having a very small form factor. Aside from that, all of these speakers can work as a Stereo Pair for an even better audio performance. it supports Bluetooth that enables them to stream audio even without the need of a WiFi network and a USB input for providing mass storage which gives you also more available options in music sources.

Aside from the speakers, HeOS also has several devices that can transform any other device into a HeOS zone-driven HiFi System, such as the HeOS Link, HeOS Amp, and HeOS Avr. Learn more at www.denon.com.

prODuCTiViTY AiD

ricoh Philippines introduces all-new Pro C5200s production printer Fresh from its product launch two months ago, ricoh Philippines has unveiled another product that is a significant addition to its family of production printers, just in time for the holidays and as part of its campaign to redefine the standard in print technology. ricoh has introduced on Thursday the ricoh Pro C5200s, a light production printer with a commercial production engine that is designed to help reduce print costs for in-house company print centers and commercial printers. it has the capability of delivering highvolume and high-quality print outputs with a minimal footprint, thanks to its print speeds of up to 65 pages per minute at 1200 x 4800dpi vCSeL quality and a duty cycle of up to 300,000 pages per month. The ricoh Pro C5200s boasts a total paper capacity of up to 8,250 sheets and four paper trays that can accommodate several media types. Furthermore, the device’s print quality is enhanced by a fusing belt that provides more consistent transfers and toner adhesion on specialty stocks and allows printing across a wide range of media with a variety of finishing options. With these tons of features, the ricoh Pro C5200s joins the family of innovative printers of ricoh Philippines – the ricoh Pro C9100 and the ricoh Pro C7100X. Discover more about ricoh printing solutions by visiting its website at www.ricoh.com.ph.

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HWM PH | OctOber 2017

BALANCED OppOrTuNiTiES

PLDT financial technology arm FinTQ introduces kasamaka digital referral system

CONVENiENT COLLABOrATiON

Western Union, PayMaya tie up for online remittance service

Western Union recently entered a deal with PayMaya Philippines to provide convenience for customers when receiving funds. The agreement between the global money transfer and payments services company, and the leader in mobile money and digital services will allow consumers to have the choice of receiving cross-border money transfers via the PayMaya app.

Aside from picking up cash from a Western Union agent location, this deal will allow customers to avail PayMaya payout option and get a message confirmation that the money has been paid to their account, then they can use the fund via PayMaya app to pay bills and shop virtually as well as buy prepaid load from telco companies with a discount. “remittances are crucial for millions of Filipinos. We are thrilled to provide this digital capability as part of Western Union’s remittance service portfolio in the Philippines so Filipinos working abroad can send their hard-earned money in an innovative, reliable, and convenient way,” President and CeO at voyager innovations and PayMaya Philippines Orlando B. vea said. read more about this new way of payment and money remittance at paymaya.com and www.westernunion.ph.

NAmES rEFrEShED

WSi reintroduces ADDASOUnD voice and unified communications solutions in PH Originating from Denmark, ADDASOUnD is a global leading provider of voice solutions and unified communications devices. ADDASOUnD is devoted to delivering superior voice solutions and comprehensive aftercare services. its wide range of products caters to professionals not limited to contact centers and offices, with a focus on speech recognition and unified communications.

All products are based upon its customer’s specific needs.

Wordtext Systems inc. (WSi), the country’s oldest pure iT distributor, recently reintroduced the ADDASOUnD to BPO companies and partners at the #WSiAddasoundPartnerenablement event. WSi let its consumers and partners experience the superior sound quality by trying and testing ADDASOUnD products. ADDASOUnD is equipped with the world’s most advanced electroacoustic devices, providing powerful support for products design, development, and testing. its products have advanced noisecanceling technology, ensuring high-standard sound quality and the best user experience. ADDASOUnD has products from wired headsets to wireless headsets. WSi offers the ADDASOUnD products in the Philippines at good deals with 2-year warranty. To inquire or become an ADDASOUnD product reseller, visit WSi’s at www.wordtext.com.ph.

FinTQ, the financial technology arm of PLDT in collaboration with Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) and groups from the banking, financial services, civil sectors, and the government, has launched kasamaka, a digital referral system intended to give Filipinos a lending scheme with reasonable cost of credit and incentives. kasamaka aims to dissolve the unequal access to financial instruments nationwide, in relevance to the report cited by the FinTQ inclusive Digital Finance Study 2017 which reveals only 23 out of the 82 provinces in the Philippines are virtually involved in the domestic deposit and domestic loan volumes for the past two years, majority of which are from Metro Manila and South Luzon.

The initiative is also in line with BSP’s national Strategy for Financial inclusion (nSFi) framework which intends to push the share of digital transactions in the country to 20% by 2020, as part of the government’s plans of boosting the digital economy. kasamaka will also roam around the Philippines to teach financial literacy through a nationwide caravan.

“Many Filipinos remain at the outskirts of society when it comes to access to finance, which translates to limited economic opportunities needed to drive inclusive growth. We welcome FinTQ’s kasamaka as a private sector initiative that supports the objectives of the national Strategy for Financial inclusion. We see its potential to promote the development of inclusive digital finance and establish a mechanism where Filipinos can become ambassadors of financial inclusion in their respective communities,” said nestor A. espenilla, Jr., Governor at Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.

To become a kasamaka builder, interested individuals only have to register via www. kasamaka.com or text kkk to 292901555 to receive their unique Builder iD.

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B u l l e t i N

rEADY FOr ThE FuTurE

Lenovo lets customers harness intelligence revolution with new server portfolio Lenovo recently announced 42 new world record benchmarks for the ThinkSystem server portfolio, powered by the latest intel Xeon Scalable processors. The ThinkSystem portfolio of solutions is engineered to help companies tackle their most challenging workloads.

The new ThinkSystem portfolio brings the gold-standard for the industry under a single unified brand spanning servers, storage, and networking systems. it can adapt to changing iT needs while reducing complexity and cost. Lenovo’s latest server portfolio includes 14 highly configurable servers across rack and tower, dense and blade platforms, as well as new hyperscale designs, all of which are designed to streamline iT infrastructure and lead to increased service levels in the data center that tie directly to business growth.

Customers can choose between different technologies and scale technology as workloads change. Lenovo engineered the ThinkSystem portfolio to work seamlessly with an organization’s previous investments, without the need to completely re-architect the data center.

Lenovo Group Ltd. is seeing internal growth in the Philippine market as Filipinos are getting more familiar with technology such as usage of smartphones. The external factor of good, skilled Filipino workers is also moving Lenovo with its vision of the industry in the Philippines. To get more information about the ThinkSystem and ThinkAgile, visit www.thinksolution.asia.

SETTLED priOriTiES

AXA Philippines launches MyAmbition investment and life insurance plan Designed to give consumers their need for investment and protection, AXA Philippines has launched an affordable investment and life insurance plan that you can avail of online – the MyAmbition plan.

The company addressed the busy lifestyle of consumers, with this, the plan eyes to offer the convenience of availing of an investment product with just a few clicks. it can be availed of with a one-time investment that starts at only PhP 50,000, or up to a maximum of PhP 125,000. MyAmbition gives consumers a range of options to suit their risk profile and financial goals. There’s an investment fund for conservative investors, a balanced fund for those who have a moderate appetite for risk, and an aggressive growth fund for those who want to maximize the potential of their investments. Apart from these benefits and conveniences, MyAmbition gives consumers life insurance coverage of 125% of the single premium or the Account value. Also, if consumers decide to keep their funds longer, they can receive a Loyalty Bonus of 5% of the average account value to be paid on the 10th and 20th year.

To apply, just visit www.axa.com.ph, and click on MyAmbition. Consumers can assess their investment profile, pick an investment portfolio, and pay for the policy with their credit card. Debit card and other online payment options are available too.

mAkE miNE mOTO!

Moto and HWM Philippines join forces to launch Moto Z2 Play user trials Moto and HWM Philippines have joined forces to bring to consumers an exclusive opportunity to explore the features and innovations of the Moto z2 Play. Through the Moto x HWM Philippines: Moto Z2 Play user trials, five lucky participants will be chosen to take part in a two week-long user trials where they will experience the Moto z2 Play and share their insights about the smartphone through social media. One participant who imparted the most valuable and insightful perspective on the Moto z2 Play will be chosen as the sole winner of the user trials. The other four participants will receive consolation prizes.

Flaunting a 5.5-inch Full HD display with Corning Gorilla Glass planted in its all-metal unibody design, the Moto z2 Play conceals a Snapdragon 626 octa-core processor clocked at 2.2GHz. The device also comes with Android 7 nougat OS topped with Moto experiences including Moto Display, Moto Actions, and Moto voice. in terms of storage, the Moto z2 Play has a generous 4GB rAM plus 64GB of internal storage with microSD card support of up to 2TB. in the Philippines, the Moto z2 Play sells for PhP 24,999.

Discover more about the Moto z2 Play and other Moto products at www.moto.com/ph. regularly visit the HWM Philippines Facebook fan page to view updates regarding the user trials at https://www.facebook.com/HardwareZonePH/.

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hOmE COurT

Achieve study-life balance at SMDC’s Green 2 residences Dasmarinas real estate developer SM Development Corporation (SMDC) launched a new high-rise residential building in Cavite, the SMDC Green 2 residences that feature high-quality residences and provide a new option for those who opt to reside or invest in real estate properties.

The SMDC Green 2 residences is located in Dasmarinas, Cavite, currently home to three of the province’s most populous universities ‒ De La Salle University Dasmarinas, De La Salle Health and Sciences institute, and emilio Aguinaldo College Cavite ‒ all three having a combined population of more than 20,000 students. The Green 2 residences comes after the success of Green residences across the De La Salle University along Taft Avenue which sold at an average PhP 1.9 million in 2011 and is now valued on average of PhP 2.7million per unit. The Green 2 is ideal for both end users and property investors looking for a good yield. The University Town portfolio of SMDC tends to attract transients among students and faculty members looking for spaces to rent for proximity and convenience. To help unit owners, SMDC offers support for easy management and leasing of units. SMDC’s in-house leasing services range from property listing management and unit viewing arrangements to negotiation of terms, lease contract preparation, and tenant move-in assistance.

For more information, visit the Green 2 residences website at www.smdcgreen2residences.com.

FOr TEChiES iN ThE NOrTh

SM Supermalls commences north Luzon leg of TechieMania With the objective of bringing the latest trends in technology closer to consumers, SM Supermalls has launched the north Luzon leg of the Techie Mania, an event intended for tech geeks and enthusiasts, in SM City Cabanatuan.

Techie Mania is a part of a much bigger event called the Fandom Mania which hosts different segments for people who are fond and passionate about movies, sports, food, fashion, beauty, and health among others which will take place across SM malls in north Luzon including branches in Tarlac, Baguio, and Pampanga for the month of September and October.

The Techie Mania event spearheaded by SM City Cabanatuan presented a number of virtual reality games which mall-goers and customers tried and played for free. Blogger guests including blogger-model-actor victor Basa also graced the kick-off ceremony.

According to Jefferson Suarez, Assistant vice President of SM Malls in north Luzon, aside from letting the Tech Mania event be the avenue for customers to be updated on the latest trends, this is also a way of boosting the presence of Cyberzone, SM Supermalls’s dedicated space for high-end gadgets and tech accessories.

Visit www.smsupermalls.com for more information.

1ST wOrLD iNTErNET FOr piNOY FAmiLiES

Globe Telecom teams up with HWM Philippines to Globe Prepaid Home WiFi User Trials Globe Telecom and HWM Philippines have made an alliance to bring closer to Filipino families an exclusive opportunity to experience fast and flexible internet connection at home. Through the globe telecom x HWM Philippines: globe Prepaid Home Wifi user trials, five lucky families from different parts of Metro Manila and nearby provinces will be chosen to take part in a two week-long user trials where they will experience the Globe Prepaid Home WiFi and share their insights about it through social media. The family which imparted the most valuable and insightful perspective on Globe Prepaid Home WiFi will be chosen as the sole winner of the user trials. The other four participating families will receive consolation prizes. introduced earlier this year, Globe Prepaid Home WiFi allows users to enjoy fast internet speeds, stay connected, and stream their favorite shows with no installation required and no monthly fees needed. All the users have to do is to subscribe to the following GoSUrF promos: GoSUrF15 (40MB for two days), GoSUrF50 (1GB for three days), GoSUrF299 (1.5GB for 30 days), GoSUrF599 (4GB for 30 days), and GoSUrF999 (8GB for 30 days).

Learn more about Globe Prepaid Home WiFi and Globe At Home promos at www.globe.com.ph.

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let the results speak for themselves Epson Philippines and John Herrera flaunt the beautiful outcome of mixing technology, fashion, and art.

by The HWM Team

How convenient is it for designers like you to have this printing technology that Epson offers?

First of all, every fashion designer dreams of designing and making his or her own fabric designs, designs that are personal and original to them. It is convenient because until the Epson digital textile printer was introduced to designers, the only way to achieve this is to go to a fabric manufacturer and order a minimum of 1,000 meters of fabric. For a lot of designers, this is excessive and expensive. So it is a wonderful development, creatively and economically, for us designers.

Life was easier before because you can just buy fabrics, but I don’t think I’ll ever go back to not designing prints. It’s interesting and exciting, and it becomes part of the creative process. You learn as much as you share. I’ve always dreamed of designing my own fabric. Now that I get to do it, I don’t think I’ll ever stop. I don’t think I’ll ever buy a printed fabric again. If I can design it, I’ll design it.

From a designer’s standpoint, how important is technology in the progress of the fashion industry?

Fashion continues to move forward.

And we designers can benefit from continuously learning new things that modernize and improve our craft. I feel very fortunate to be

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able to learn and create things with Epson’s digital textile printing technology, and I am a better designer because of it.

This is your second collaboration with Epson Philippines. The first one, which was an Aguila-inspired collection, granted you the Britain’s Top Designer Award. How does it feel to clinch an award from a prestigious fashion event?

I feel very honored. I join competitions to help promote my craft more than anything. The creation and completion of the collection is reason enough to celebrate for me. Winning is such a huge bonus. And when you add making my countrymen proud of me into the equation, then it’s all worth it.

Joining competitions is not what I think I’ll be doing a lot. I had to join competitions because I was a nobody. I wasn’t known to the people and the crowd of the UK fashion scene. Because of the Aguila collection, Vogue noticed my work. After my Vogue feature on UK Vogue online, a lot of doors opened for me and the celebrities as well.

Now, I’m sending pieces of clothes to Lady Gaga.

What’s the inspiration for the Armada collection?

The “Armada” collection was inspired by the accidental discovery of the Philippines by the Spanish

Armada in 1521. Diogo Ribeiro was commissioned by King Philip of Spain to make a new world map including the newly discovered Las Islas Filipinas. It was released in 1529, marking the year Diogo literally put us on the map.

It was the discovery of the Philippines that I was studying while making the collection, and what it revealed to me is that there are so many things to know while looking at this map that’s supposed to signify the discovery of my country. It’s called ‘Armada’ because what they’ll be wearing will be long voyages, so there will be a lot of capes and a lot of vintage tailoring. When I say vintage, it’s really not of this lifetime. It’s 1520s style of fashion that we created to fit the modern woman.

What advice can you give to local and aspiring fashion designers?

Keep aspiring, keep dreaming, and always keep learning. Collaborate.

This is what I always want to share with young designers anywhere – always become a student. Never say and believe that you know everything. Continue becoming a student, and at least once a year you have to become a student. You have to learn from someone. You have to try new things and just continue to learn, because if you say that you know everything already, you’ll stop improving.

PHOTOGrAPHy AnD ArT DireCTiOn Victor Felix Pulgar

“I feel fortunate to be able to learn and create things with Epson’s digital textile printing technology. I am a better designer because of it.”

John Herrera, Fashion Designer, Epson Digital Textile Printing Ambassador

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Q + a

eight decades of delight and beyond

Canon’s new Philippine head shares what’s in store for the local market.

by The HWM Team

Considering that smartphones are getting more powerful in terms of imaging capabilities, they have now become the primary photographic device of many consumers. How did Canon innovate its products in response to this change in consumer behavior?

We have smartphones to thank for reigniting people’s interest in photography. People take more photos than they have ever done before. The more photos they take, the more demanding they are of their photo-taking device.

Our compact cameras take better pictures than your average smartphone, especially in challenging settings such as in dark conditions. Should they wish to level up, we have a vast library of options at their disposal, thanks to our EOS lineup of interchangeable lens cameras and accessories. Since 2016, almost all our interchangeable lens cameras come with wireless connectivity, making transfers from a camera to a smart device convenient and quick. Smartphones have become a camera’s companion rather than a competitor.

The Canon PhotoMarathon is set to make a comeback this October.

What are some of the changes that participating photographers should anticipate in this upcoming iteration of the PhotoMarathon?

We have made a few changes to the PhotoMarathon. Leading up to the main event, we will be launching pocket workshops led by our esteemed Crusaders of

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Light. These are open to Canon and non-Canon users alike. Online, we have also introduced a series of challenges to warm up participants’ photography skills. Logistically, we have improved our processes.

Registration, for example, is easier now that it is purely automated.

We recognize that the market may have changed since our first runs of the PhotoMarathon, and we are consciously adjusting the program to suit the market’s evolving tastes and requirements.

As the new President and CEO of Canon Marketing Philippines, Inc., what are your agenda for the remaining months of 2017 and for the entire 2018?

This year is the 20th anniversary for Canon Marketing Philippines, Inc. and the 80th anniversary for the entire Canon Group.

We are targeting to bring more Canon technologies to the market and we want to communicate them very well. We have a lot of new technologies that are not yet known in the Philippine market, including those that are already available in other markets, but not yet available in the country, and those that are yet to be launched globally.

We are thinking of several events such as a product launch of new business machines. We want people to focus more on creativity, and spend less on unnecessary and rudimentary administrative tasks in the office by taking advantage of our business machines that can efficiently handle printing and

scanning jobs with the help of our software. The technology behind our business machines may be complicated, but the message that we want to say to our clients is that business can be simple with Canon.

In addition, a Technology & Solutions Expo, Leadership & Productivity Workshops, and strengthened ongoing government partnerships are already in place in line with Canon’s efforts to help different industries streamline processes and improve productivity in the workplace. The company believes that making businesses and its operations simpler could bring more delight to customers.

Recognizing the emerging number of Filipino photography enthusiasts and hobbyists who aspire to hone their craft and be able to capture memorable smiles and experiences, Canon will conduct a series of Thematic Workshops for them that target specific areas of interest such as food, fashion and beauty, art, and landscape photography. Filipinos are in for insightful experiences as Canon partners with photography professionals, ambassadors and influencers, and camera clubs to impart their knowledge in these exclusive activities.

We are excited to share all these things with our customers as we continue to help them celebrate their passions, hone their skills, and improve their lives at the capacity of our Canon technology, ultimately carrying out our mission of bringing them delight all the time.

“We help our customers celebrate their passions, hone their skills, and improve their lives at the capacity of our Canon technology.�

Kazuhiro Ozawa, President and CEO, Canon Marketing Philippines, Inc.

PHOTOGrAPHy AnD ArT DireCTiOn Victor Felix Pulgar

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BuON giOrNO!

An internationally-known brand of gelato café has finally reached the Philippine shores. Located at Bonifacio Global City in Taguig, Gelatofix is the newest destination where you can get a quick fix for your gelato and anything Italian cravings.

by The HWM Team

gelato and more, amore Making its debut in the Philippines in an event graced by important personalities such as Senator richard Gordon, Gelatofix is known as an italian artisanal gelato café, wherein top gelato products and exquisite italian cuisine converge, with the latter boasting the creations of award-winning chefs Gelato World Cup Champion Master Chef Filippo novelli and Gelato Master Chef David Chang.

“Like a true italian, we love our gelato and believe no day is complete without our fix of gelato. With Gelatofix, we wanted to showcase a piece of italian heritage with

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each gelato experience to our Filipino customers. Here, we use only the most natural ingredients, prepared via a process that is both masterful and artisanal,” said Wilson Lim, executive Director, international Business, Singapore’s Commonwealth Capital Group.

“We are known for having the smoothest and creamiest italian gelato and for our first class and exquisite gourmet from piatti (in plates), coppe (in cups), toasts and cakes. But what we are most proud of is the ‘Gelato Sushi’ creation by Master Chef novelli,” added Lim.

another First “We will be the first in the Philippines to launch an authentic italian dessert lifestyle café chain under Gelatofix. it will be the destination of choice for both young people and working adults who are on the prowl of mouth-watering yet guilt-less gelato and food offerings which make a serious play on both italian and local flavors,” said Mr. von Lacorte, Director, Gelatofix Philippines.

In spite of the moniker, Gelatofix also serves other classic Italian dishes based on rice and pasta such as risotto and spaghetti with shrimps. Brewed coffee is also a must-try at Gelatofix.

the right blend Gelatofix lives up to its philosophy where it provides a place for people to ‘hang their hats’ or simply an italian way of saying ‘take a break.’ The franchise has been known for having the most remarkable handcrafted gelato masterpieces, a menu comprised of nutritious gourmet salads, rich-flavored-soups, lavish mains, to-die for beverages, and their signature toast box called ‘Magic Boxx,’ which is comprised of a unique fusion of Asian bread toasted to perfection, cubed in sweet buttery texture that is topped with italian gelato and served with a treasured chest of renowned Gelatofix chocolate sauce. Gelatofix’s menu also includes an array of best and locally-curated Filipino-inspired dishes.

Gelatofix’s Magic Boxx consists of cubed, buttered, and toasted bread with a rich chocolate dip. The place also serves an array of gelato sushis, another unique creation.

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SiNgApOrE TOY, gAmE AND COmiC CONVENTiON TurNS TEN! Text by The HWM Team The HWM Philippines team recently flew to Singapore to personally witness the Singapore Toy, Game and Comic Convention (STGCC). Celebrating its 10th anniversary, we captured the highlights and sidelights of the said event in these pictures. STGCC 2017 took place from September 9 to 10 at the Marina Bay Sands.

STGCC 2017 would never be complete without special treats for Star Wars fans at the experience the Force zone! For the first time, visitors got a chance to see at the experience the Force zone of STGCC kylo ren’s Tie Silencer before it will appear in the upcoming film Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Fans were also treated to plenty of model kits from everybody’s space opera, such as the new X-Wing first seen in episode vii. Spotted also was one of the most detailed Millennium Falcon model that we have seen to date - complete with laser-burnt markings. Star Wars cosplayers were also present on the floor.

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Making STGCC 2017 a more exciting event, especially for gamers, one of the key highlights was the Singapore Grand Finals of ASUS’s rOG Masters! Winning teams in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) and DOTA 2 will fly to the Philippines in October this year to vie for PhP 25-million worth of prizes at stake in the rOG Masters Asia-Pacific Finals.

As expected, STGCC was plentiful with action figures.

One of the booths, Bandai’s was full of HG 1/144 Gundams, especially those from the U.C. Universe. Characters from Marvel, DC Comics, as well as Capcom’s Megaman and Street Fighter series were also seen during the event. XM Studios’ booth, where visitors can purchase premium collectible figurines was perpetually full for all two days.

Cosplay STGCC was also the place to be if you are a cosplayer or someone who wants to take photos of cosplayers. The lady on the right played Mai (remember the femme fatale character from Fatal Fury?) next to her is, pretty sure, Widow from the game Overwatch.

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S p o t l i g h t

Racing to the podium Just in time for 2017 Formula 1 Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix, Microsoft Asia shared with us how it is taking the driver’s seat for Renault Sport Formula One Team’s digital transformation journey, and how it is creating a holistic cybersecurity platform for today’s enterprises.

PIctUreS renault SPort ForMula one teaM

Text by Lionell Go Macahilig

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the exterior of oPPo’s manufacturing facility in dongguan.

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DriVing renault SPort ForMula one teaM’S Digital tranSForMation journey Digital transformation is happening everywhere, even in the field of sports. Formula One, for example, though it is famed because of the driving skills of its racers, is all about technology at its core. Watched by over 1.6 billion cumulative audience each year, every competing team in Formula One requires meticulous planning that can be achieved through extensive data gathering and profound analysis. Comprehending these requisites, renault Sport Formula One Team (formerly known as Lotus F1 Team) has been working together with Microsoft since 2012 as it drives through its digital transformation strategy.

With Microsoft cloud, insights can be immediately retrieved and further analyzed by renault’s engineers in its two factories based in the united Kingdom and france in reduced time.

With initial goals of optimizing business processes and enhancing operational efficiency, the partnership kicked off with the team choosing Microsoft Dynamics AX as its enterprise resource planning (erP) solution in 2012. Utilizing Microsoft Cloud, the team eventually achieved greater collaboration and response even while on the go in 2015. Today, renault Sport Formula One Team heavily relies on technologies such as data analytics, artificial intelligence (Ai), machine learning, and cloud computing to ultimately enable its engineers to better plan and report on the performances of the driver and the car in real time, even during actual, fast-paced races.

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from right to left: Microsoft asia’s VP for dynamics Simon davies, renault Sport formula one team cio Pierre d’imbleval, and Microsoft asia’s commercial communications director Marina levina.

“With Microsoft Cloud, we are now able to analyze sets of data retrieved from the race cars on the track in real time in order to maximize race simulations. insights can be immediately retrieved and further analyzed by our engineers in our two factories based in the United kingdom and France, in reduced time,” renault Sport Formula One Team CiO Pierre d’imbleval explained.

Microsoft’s Windows azure Platform addresses the team’s need to understand and optimize factors in its race cars’ performances such as tire degradation through simulation and machine learning.

Specific Microsoft platforms that are used by the team in its operations include Dynamics 365, PowerBi, Office 365, and Windows Azure. With Dynamics 365 and PowerBi, renault Sport Formula One Team was able make informed decisions faster, improve manufacturing efficiency by up to 20 percent, and decommission 30 servers that were replaced with one cloud environment, resulting in reduced

an inside look at the garage of renault Sport formula one team during the 2017 formula 1 Singapore airlines Singapore grand Prix in September.

cost spent on power consumption and maintenance. With Office 365, the team was able to cut down transportation expenses between sites by up to 50% and communications costs by up to 30 percent. Meanwhile, Microsoft’s Azure addresses the team’s need to understand and optimize factors in its race cars’ performances such as tire degradation through simulation and machine learning.

With emerging technologies such as Ai and internet of Things (ioT), d’imbleval sees a rosy outlook at the race car of the future. “in fact, our team is already working to tap on the power of Ai by integrating telemetry data captured by the 200 sensors in the cars to better anticipate issues on and off tracks - including engine and power unit performance in various race conditions,” d’imbleval said. “The team is also exploring the use of HoloLens for the maintenance of the race cars and equipment, and for design review between factories to enable a perfect integration of the chassis and power unit,” he added.

2017 marks the first year when renault Sport Formula One Team built its r.S. 17 car as one single entity. At the 2017 Formula 1 Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix, renault’s Jolyon Palmer landed the sixth spot. The team is aiming to break into the top three in three years’ time.

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inVeSting billionS in creating a HoliStic Security PlatForM For enterPriSeS Cyber threats today behave much differently from those that emerged five or ten years ago, when cybersecurity issues were more focused on malware. At Microsoft’s Transparency and Cybersecurity Center in Singapore, Microsoft Asia’s Assistant General Counsel & regional Director for Digital Crimes Unit (DCU) keshav Dhakad shared the company’s study showing that 46% of compromised systems today are discovered that they didn’t have malware on them. Worsening the situation, in spite of the incessant warnings from cybersecurity experts, many people are still easily victimized by these threats. The study adds that 23% of recipients opened phishing messages and 11% clicked on attachments, fifty percent of which opened the malicious file within the first hour.

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From the individual level, Dhakad proceeded on tackling the cybersecurity concerns on the organizational level. Getting insights from Cisco’s Annual Cybersecurity report 2017, he identified operations and finance as the two key functions that are most likely affected by breaches at 36% and 30% respectively. These are followed by brand reputation (26%), customer retention (26%), intellectual property (24%), business partner relationships (22%), supplier relationships (20%), legal engagements (20%), and regulatory scrutiny (19%). While these functions have no direct relationship with profit generation, successful breaches on these have impact on stakeholders’ and customers’ confidence, which may result in a huge drop in stock market and public perception.

That said, cybersecurity has become one of the C-level concerns in every organization today, with the Chief executive Officer (CeO) being held as the most accountable when a major breach happens. Locally, as the Philippines gears toward a more digitally driven economy (DX economy), international Data Corporation (iDC) is seeing that by next year, iT spending on cybersecurity will exceed for about 30% in top 1,000 Filipino companies.

Helping in convincing local organizations to give more priority to cybersecurity are the successful breaches that took place in 2016 such as the leakage of private, confidential information of voters from Comelec, and the bank heist that involved the transfer of USD 100 million from a Bangladesh bank by hackers.

in light of these predicaments, Microsoft is investing more than USD 15 billion or around USD 1 billion in research and development each year in addressing cybersecurity concerns that are taking place around the globe.

Microsoft has created and developed a comprehensive security ecosystem based on artificial intelligence and machine learning, in partnership with industry partners and anti-malware entities. With this, cybersecurity solutions have become embedded in every Microsoft platform such as Windows 10, Office 365 as well as enterprise mobility and security, collectively known as Microsoft 365.

in Microsoft 365, Microsoft has put cybersecurity tools on points where breaches may occur, from users, devices and applications, to the actual data. For example, Windows 10 are loaded with Windows Hello and Microsoft Passport for users, Credential Guard, Device Guard, Windows Defender, and Windows Update for devices and applications, and enterprise Data Protection for data the operating system’s security features. Office 365, Microsoft’s productivity suite comes with Customer LockBox, Microsoft exchange, Online Protection, Advanced Threat Protection, and Data Loss Prevention as its security solutions. Meanwhile, Microsoft’s Mobility and Security platform for enterprise features Microsoft Azure Active Directory, Cloud App Security, Microsoft intune, Azure information Protection, and Advanced Threat Analytics.

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luxurious extreme performance Jaguar XE SV Project 8 www.jaguar.com With 600PS from 5.0 liter Supercharged V8 engine, Project 8 is the most powerful road legal Jaguar in history. A total production of strictly limited 300 cars worldwide, each one is hand-assembled at the SVO Technical Center in Warwickshire, England. Project 8 uses motor sport derived suspension and a modified All-Wheel Drive system for outstanding driving feel and agility. Choose between the two-seat Track Pack version and a road-biased four-seater‒both exclusively available in left hand drive.

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don’t crack under pressure TAG Heuer Link Lady 2017 www.tagheuer.com The Link Lady 2017 collection features TAG Heuer’s reworking with its Legendary Link – a design that dates back to 1987 – conveying an S-shaped bracelet. The new Link Lady now features a bracelet which is fully integrated into the case, and horns are removed. The Link Lady 2017 now comes in steel, with an elegant diameter of 32 millimeters. It also has a water-resistance of down to a depth of 100 meters.

The finishes are even more sophisticated, but the bracelet still has a curved profile. The entire contour of the S radiates a highly polished shine, while the upper surface of each link is fully brushed.

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move to the beat of you Fitbit Alta HR www.fitibit.com Track your all-day activity, plus get smartphone notifications and friendly Reminders to Move with the Fitbit Alta HR, the heart rate wristband that motivates you to reach your health goals in style. Use the PurePulse heart rate to optimize workouts and gain insight into your sleep. With its new auto-sleep tracking and sleep stages, automatically track how long you sleep, and see your time spent in light, deep, and REM stages. Its long battery life will keep you up to seven days without needing a charge.

Get yours now at PhP 8,490. It comes in colors of black (available online only), blue gray, fuchsia, coral, black/gunmetal, and soft pink/rose gold, and in sizes of small, large, and extra-large (in black only).

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give in to the perfect selfie VIVO Y69 www.vivoglobal.ph In a sea of selfie-centric devices from various brands, the Vivo Y69 is your sweet selfie surrender.

Equipped with a 16-megapixel front camera, the Y69 allows the soft light-enabling moonlight glow for flawless photos. It is paired with a 13-megapixel rear camera with “Live Photo” feature and has an F2.0 aperture. A special feature called “Group Selfie” allows panorama panning effect for the perfect ‘barkada shots’ without leaving anyone left out of the frame. The Y69 runs on the latest Android 7.0 Nougat OS with MediaTek MT6570 SoC as its processor clocked at 1.5GHz and 3GB RAM. It sports a 5.5-inch HD display, furnished with Corning Gorilla glass on top. The Vivo Y69 is an easy-on-the-pocket smartphone that supports your lifestyle with 3000mAh battery. Get yours now at PhP 10,990.

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expensive performance Acer Aspire GX-281 www.acer.com.ph The GX-281 is the first pre-assembled desktop PC system powered by the semiconductor giant AMD’s next-generation Ryzen 7 processor. This computing device is designed to deliver speedy data transfer, massive storage, and stunning 4K resolution visuals, and Qi standard wireless charging. It packs a Ryzen 7 processor that boosts system performance further with its eight cores, 16 threads, 3.4GHz base clock speed (up to 3.8GHz), and Extended Frequency Range (XFR). The GX-281 is also poised as a powerful disruptor, equipped with Sense MI that allows the processor to accurately and expertly monitor itself. It promises a strong and dependable tool in gaming and content creation at a reasonable price point.

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Withstand the rigors of the road Pioneer DJ HDJ-X Headphone Series www.pioneerdj.com The new flagship HDJ-X series headphones that include the HDJ-X10, HDJ-X7, and the HDJ-X5 are designed for professional DJs to use at clubs and festivals. First in the world to reproduce frequencies from 5Hz to 40KHz, these allow you to hear frequencies other DJ headphones can’t reproduce, so you can make a deeper connection with the music and the dance floor. In addition, these are the first headphones in the world that feature nano-coating in the DJ headphone market. All models have cleared the US Military Standard MIL-STD-810G shock test, as well as Pioneer’s durability tests.

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travel Without limits Apex Elite 2.0 hawkbag.com Leave the comforts of your home and explore unfamiliar places with Hawk’s Apex Elite 2.0. Equipped with a lead pocket and a front pocket with a laptop compartment, this bag lets you do more. Its two bottle holders will not leave you dehydrated while on the road. With 18L storage capacity, truly, the Hawk Apex Elite 2.0 is going to make you travel without limits.

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must-haves from moshi

Before you buy that next handbag to join your collection, you must have to check these hip bags from a famed brand in Taiwan.

Edited by Yrda Veanssa Fernandez Moshi has always been a brand associated with various Applerelated accessories. However, as its direction becomes more geared toward tapping the lifestyle of different consumer types, Moshi witnessed the expansion of its product line which now includes trendy travel bags. in our productive trip to Taipei, Taiwan, we momentarily veered away from the hustle and bustle of the city to visit Moshi’s cozy office, inside Cathay Landmark (one of the tallest buildings in Taipei) where the folks there introduced us to some of the brand’s latest stylish satchels.

Moshi bags have been making appearances in the local fashion scene, one example was the Philippine Fashion Week along with Mixy Dy’s creations.

MOsHI vacanza traveL wItHOUt wOrrIes Coming with a capacious main compartment, the vacanza also features a padded section that can accommodate laptops with up to 15-inch screens.

The bag also includes a crush-resistant front pocket for sunglasses and other delicate items as well as a reusable wet/dry bag for storing damp clothes. Adding convenience to users are Moshi’s very own viscoStrap that alleviates shoulder strain and a rear trolley strap compatible with rolling luggage handles.

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MOsHI cOsta FOr aLL yOUr essentIaLs Complement your attire and carry all for your essentials in style with Moshi’s travelfriendly Costa. The more compact Moshi Costa shares similarities with the vacanza, featuring viscoStrap, a weather-resistant exterior, a crush-resistant front section, a rear trolley strap, and padded compartments that can store sensitive electronic devices such as cameras, headphones, smartphones, tablets, and notebook PCs with up to 15-inch display size.

MOsHI Urbana MODern styLe On-tHe-gO Coming with a water-repellent coating, the Moshi Urbana is a timely must-have for the rainy season. Sporting a slim profile and light weight, the Urbana is also equipped with viscoStrap which reduces shoulder strain and has fully padded compartments that can accommodate tablets and notebook PCs with screen sizes ranging from 13 to 15 inches.

MOsHI LULa styLIsH, sweet PetIte The last but not the least, the Moshi Lula flaunts a weather-resistant exterior made of sophisticated twill with vegan leather accents. Coming with a removable shoulder strap, the Lula can transform from a shoulder bag into a stylish handbag that can hold daily essentials, from an iPhone to an iPad mini. it also features an rFiD pocket for personal data protection. Discover more about Moshi bags at www.moshi.com.

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45

g e a r

Luxury in your hands

Fall in love with the authenticity and craftsmanship of these dainty handbags from the lavish Fall 2017 collection of different fashion designers from North America and Europe.

Text by Yrda Veanssa Fernandez

cOacH x seLena gOMez Ft. seLena grace bag UnFUssy, aLL-aMerIcan styLe The Selena Grace is a double-handled carryall named after the star. The handbag featurea Gomez’s personal touches: a hangtag bearing her signature and a storypatch sewn inside with her empowering message: “To be you is to be strong.” And a phrase inspired by one of Selena’s tattoos that writes: “Love yourself first” is embossed onto the base of the bag. www.coach.com

MIcHaeL kOrs bancrOFt cOLLectIOn LUxUrIOUs casUaL FUnctIOnaLIty The Bancroft is made from the highest quality european-sourced smooth and pebbled leathers, and an array of exotic finishes and trims. The thoughtfully designed interior includes zipper and flat pockets, plus italian cotton-twill lining. Side gussets snap in or out, altering the shape of the bag for a versatile sensibility, while the polished lock hardware is reminiscent of a classic train case. www.michaelkors.com

JIMMy cHOO LOckett PetIte HanDbag strOng styLe stateMent Jimmy Choo creates a strong visual identity with the Lockett Petite Handbag Collection. The patented exclusive push lock closure is a combination of chic and functionality. The sides and base of the bag are fastened to the body using round riveted studs, visible both from the inside and outside. Coated in luxurious dark midnight blue enamel, the lock is subtly offset with rich gold accent detailing. row.jimmychoo.com

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HWM PH | OctOber 2017

kate sPaDe new yOrk FaLL 2017 cOLLectIOn break tHe rULes Travel to 1920s’s Paris with kate Spade new york, offering novelty handbags featuring sequin cherries, idioms, and Antoine, the French bulldog.

Dive into the creative melting pot of Cameron Street Large Lane handbag in the classic shape of a duffle bag shrunken in to a small crossbody. Go with the favorite petite satchel shape in classic colors of the Stewart Street Little Joy. www.katespade.com

gIvencHy InFInIty bag FaMILy by rIcarDO tIscI

sara battagLIa FOr saLvatOre FerragaMO

stanD FOr strengtH anD FeMInInIty

exUberant ItaLIan FasHIOn

This season, for the first time, Givenchy debuts the infinity handbag

Combining quirkiness with complex craftsmanship, geometric patterning

collection by ricardo Tisci. An unbreakable chain ruins from the past to

with curvaceous forms, and linking heritage to modernity, this is a series

the future. With pure lines and sophisticated chain embellishments, six

of striking bags for the modern woman. An accompanying range of fur

handbag styles pick up on Givenchy’s distinctive allure, offering a variety

charms has been designed to attach to any bag, echoing the zigzag motif

of attitudes and shapes for day and night. www.givenchy.com

and add further vibrancy to the collection. www.ferragamo.com

hardwarezone.com.ph

47

TOTAL

AT

20

THe PrOMiSe TO MOve AnD enerGize THe rOAD AHeAD To meet the energy needs of the burgeoning Filipino population, TOTAL continually innovates to produce sustainable and responsible solutions in oil and gas, helping to “energize the road Ahead.”

As it celebrates its 20 years in the Philippines, TOTAL continually develops new oils and lubricants to further power industries and protect drivers across the country.

Since establishing base in the Philippines 20 years ago, TOTAL has stayed committed to serving all Filipinos - from the hardworking tricycle, jeepney, and truck drivers to the most discerning of motorists, and the most demanding of motorsports drivers. TOTAL caters to all. ensuring that each product delivers to standard, TOTAL Lubricants are developed by leading scientists in the Solaize research Center in Lyon, France. For TOTAL, the product must not only perform up to standards in the lab, it must also exceed expectations on the road. TOTAL Lubricants exemplify the company’s philosophy of driving excellence and innovation.

As the dynamic market evolves, so does TOTAL, developing new products that meet the urgent needs of drivers around the world. From the lab to the road and the racetrack, TOTAL keeps your vehicles performing at their optimum level.

www.totaloil.com.ph

total in tHe PHiliPPineS in the Philippines, TOTAL Lubricants is led by its flagship products: Total Quartz engine Oil and Total Hi Perf Motorcycle engine Oil.

total QuartZ For four-wheeled vehicles, the Total Quartz engine oil - which comes in both gasoline and diesel ranges - leads the pack. TOTAL’s researchers and engineers have focused all their substantial work and expertise on developing automotive oils specifically designed to extend engine life, even under the most extreme conditions. Total Quartz boasts of A.r.T or Age resistance Technology, which takes protection and performance to the next level by counteracting the three key aging acceleration factors: friction, corrosion, and sludge build-up. With A.r.T., your engine’s fitness can be pushed to the limit.

energiZing tHe road aHead

total Hi-Perf For the two-wheel segment, motorcycle engines need a special oil to ensure best performance in extreme conditions. That’s why Total Hi Perf Motorcycle engine Oil is formulated with Super Strong Film Technology to protect motorcycle engines from severe heat and friction. it prevents friction even at the highest of rPMs, and is able to withstand engine temperatures even above 300°C. Smoother gear shifts and better anti-clutch slippage are easily apparent with Total Hi Perfs’ anti-wear and anti-corrosion benefits, promising complete protection and ultimate performance for your bike, whether on the road or on the race track.

TOTAL and its extensive line of lubricants is elevating the automotive experience, providing optimum engine performance in the toughest conditions.

Whether used for the slow, long drive or high intense speed races, TOTAL Lubricants protect motorists and their vehicles, providing confidence and expertise every day. As the company moves on from its 20th year onto its next milestone, be assured that TOTAL is “energizing the road Ahead.”

Since 1997, TOTAL has been paving the way to better fuel technology, and making it accessible to the millions of Filipinos across the country.

From its services and superior fuel products such as TOTAL excellium and TOTAL lubricants, to its innovative concept stores such as Café Bonjour and Bonjour Convenience, TOTAL commits to making a mark and serving the greater community.

While a renowned global French fuel leader, TOTAL started out as a new player in the Philippines 20 years ago. While competing against more established names in the local market, TOTAL, through its innovative products and exceptional service, built itself into a reputable name that Filipinos could trust. Steadily, TOTAL’s network of service stations grew and its influence expanded across the archipelago, with every year gaining more success and support for the global brand.

On its 20th anniversary, tOtAL makes a bigger statement and a promise of even greater growth in the Philippines.

TOTAL’s growth in the past two decades has been slow yet steady, but now the time is ripe for the global fuel giant to energize the future! With a strong foundation in place, dealers and customers can expect exponential growth and success in the immediate years to come.

With TOTAL, enjoy success and discover impressive growth and excellence that endures.

totalinthePhilippines

Every Month, behind the doors of our super secret gadget testing facility, the latest tech products are put through their paces using industry-recocognized benchmarks and our own blend of real-world usage scenarios. Here are our findings!

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HWM PH | OctOber 2017

OppO A71

Speedy, Handy Smartphone

by Yrda Veanssa Fernandez From the fast-growing camera phone brand OPPO, the A71 will surely be enjoyed and loved from young people around the world.

OPPO launched the A71 which boasts speedy operation and trendy design.

The sleek unibody design finished with nano technology makes the OPPO A71 easy to grip. Upon purchase, the A71 comes with a pre-installed screen protector, an OPPOmade jelly case, earphones, charger plug, cable connector, and user manual. inside, the A71 comes with 1.5GHz MediaTek MT6750 octa-core processor with 3GB rAM and 16GB internal storage. its processor and amount of memory gave our team a seamless experience of browsing the Internet and launching different applications. To better test its capability, we browsed through different applications simultaneously, and it’s no surprise that loading of

applications is a breeze on this phone. The dual SiM feature makes the A71 ideal for those who have multiple mobile networks. Considering that this is an entry-level phone, our team noticed that the A71 is snappy and fast.

True to the OPPO’s title The Selfie Expert, the A71’s rear and front cameras do not disappoint. its 5-megapixel front camera gave us crisp and detailed selfies. The front selfie camera also features bokeh effect which we easily turned on and off, and it gave our selfies a lot more focus on the subject than the background. its rear camera on the other hand, has quick and easy focusing. it also has the expert photography mode that allowed our team to manually adjust the settings according to what we want our photo to look like. not to mention that the phone barely lagged when we were taking multiple shots.

The OPPO A71 sports a

5.2-inch iPS scratch-resistant screen and has a thickness of 7.6mm, weighing 137g. its HD display is both bright and saturated. The device is pre-loaded with Google applications and a phone manager. For audio, the A71 comes with two grille speakers placed at the bottom part.

Overall, the device produces good quality sound. even if we set the volume from 50 to100 percent, the A71 didn’t give us awry sound, a perfect device to listen to our music playlist.

We ran and tested the A71 with AnTuTu Benchmark and it scored 42627, while with Quadrant Standard it got 28709. Packed with a 3000mAh non-removable battery, the A71 lasted almost eight hours in our battery test that consisted of playing a 480p video on a loop with maximum brightness, and active Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. By and large, the OPPO A71 is a speedy and trendy smartphone that fits the bill.

at a glance

oPerating SySteM Android 7.0 nougat ProceSSor MediaTek MT6750, 1.5GHz octa-core MeMory 3GB rAM, 16GB rOM caMera 13-megapixel (rear) 5-megapixel (front) battery 3000mAh (non-removable) Price PhP 8, 990

it has an expert photography mode that lets you manually adjust camera settings.

conclusIon

Although classified as an entry-level smartphone, the oPPo A71 goes beyond its range. It is a speedy and trendy smartphone that fits your budget.

TESTED & RATED

8.5

/10

PHILIPPINES hardwarezone.com.ph

51

Torque Ego Note 4g Proud Local Budget Smartphone

by Yrda Veanssa Fernandez in line with the celebration of its 9th anniversary, Filipino mobile device brand Torque has released three new smartphones from its eGO line, one of which is the Torque eGO note 4G. Priced at PhP 4,599, the eGO Note 4G gets its job done as a smartphone. With 5.5inch display, the smartphone gave us a nice viewing experience with a satisfactory color saturation, just enough for an iPS HD display. The chamfered 2.5D edges makes the handset easy to grip. the eGO Note 4G runs on the latest Android 7.0 nougat, 1.3GHz quad-core processor, 1GB rAM, and 8GB internal storage. These days, the norm for the internal storage of smartphones starts at 16GB, but the eGO note 4G has only 8GB and it did not suffice the installation of our mobile applications such as Facebook, Twitter, instagram, Snapchat, and Spotify, among

others. nevertheless, you can easily expand its storage by using a microSD card.

We further observed eGO note 4G’s speed by launching and using applications simultaneously, and it barely lagged. With only just 1GB rAM, it is quite surprising that browsing on this phone is a satisfactory breeze. running AnTuTu Benchmark on this device, it scored 22535. Meanwhile, it scored 5635 on the Quadrant Standard. Packed with a 3000mAh battery, the phone lasted up to 8 hours and 12 minutes in our stamina test that consisted of playing a looped video with a maximum brightness and volume, and Bluetooth and Wi-Fi enabled.

The grille speakers of the eGO Note 4G are placed on its back. it gave us a decent sound, but we do not recommend it for outside listening when on loudspeakers. On the other hand, its sound has no any

distortion as we listened to music and watched videos on this device.

On the imaging front, the eGO note 4G’s 5-megapixel front camera gave us good, decent photos. its front camera is equipped with LeD flash that enhanced our selfies in low-light conditions. its 8-megapixel camera also gave us decent photos during daylight, however, in lowlight, it is not recommended unless you opt to use its flash.

The eGO note 4G’s camera is surprisingly snappy and barely lagged when we were taking multiple shots. Mind that there is a slight bump along its camera and we recommend putting on a phone case. the torque eGO Note 4G’s design resembles a combination of the Samsung Galaxy S3 and the Apple iPhone 6. From the proudlyFilipino brand, the Torque eGO note 4G is an amazing battery-efficient and budgetfriendly smartphone.

at a glance

oPerating SySteM Android 7.0 nougat ProceSSor 1.3GHz quad-core MeMory 1GB rAM, 8GB rOM caMera 8-megapixel (rear), 5-megapixel (front) with LeD flash battery 3000mAh Price PhP 4, 599

The front camera’s LED flash helps in enhancing your selfies in lowlight conditions.

conclusIon

Hailing from a 9-year old Filipino brand, the EGo note 4G shows us how Torque has matured. It is a battery-efficient smartphone for budgetconscious consumers.

TESTED & RATED

8.0

/10

PHILIPPINES 52

HWM PH | OctOber 2017

Sony X80E Primetime with a Punch

by Lionell Go Macahilig the Sony X80e is another affable television option for consumers who want to switch from Full HD to 4k without spending too much. in this review, our focus is on the basic 43-inch model of the series (kD-43X8000e). Priced at PhP 44,499, it is more expensive than the similarlysized LG 43UJ6520 which costs PhP 39,990.

Japanese televisions typically flaunt a more subdued design compared to their korean counterparts, and the Sony X80e seemingly wants to keep things that way. The 43-inch TriLUMinOS display panel, bordered by a 57mm-thin dark metal frame, is easy to carry and attach to the one-piece metal stand. running on Android OS (ours was preloaded version 7.0 nougat), the X80e is preinstalled with several apps, particularly streaming ones such as netflix, youTube, and Spotify. More apps can

be downloaded and installed through Google Play. We liked the neat and unfussy layout of the X80e’s onscreen menu.

Connectivity options are plentiful on the back of the X80e. Wireless connectivity is also available through Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. As expected, the X80e is bundled with a remote control that features gapless buttons. With the buttons seemingly less mechanical and gapless, we expect the remote control to last longer and accumulate less dirt and dust.

Out of the box, we noticed that the X80e’s picture quality has a stronger color saturation that leans toward being warmer, compared to other 4K tVs that we encountered such as the LG 43UJ6520 back in June. i personally liked this Sony’s default color intensity, but for those who prefer toning it down, feel free to explore the settings. The X80e comes with a set of six picture presets:

vivid (default), Standard, Cinema Pro, Cinema Home, Sports, and Animation.

Sample 4k content that we used looked good on the X80e, regardless of the picture preset that we used.

Completing the entertainment experience with the X80e is the sound. in this department, we can say that this Sony delivers with its two 10W Bass reflex Speakers. The X80e’s speakers were able to sustain the bass variations in The Crystal Method’s Cherry Twist, and render instrument- and voicecentric pieces like Sam Smith’s Writing’s On The Wall and Shawn Mendes’s Stitches with remarkable clarity even at the maximum volume level.

The Sony X80e could be one of the pricier offerings in its category, but it seems that it was able to justify its higher price tag based on the additional features that it has and the positive experience that we had with it.

at a glance

diSPlay 43 -inch LCD, 3840 x 2160p oPerating SySteM Android 7.0 nougat audio 10W + 10W, Bass reflex Speakers connectiVity HDMi, USB, rF, component video, composite video, digital audio, headphone outputs, ethernet, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.1 Price PhP 44,499

a one-piece metal stand supports the entire weight of the Sony X80e television.

conclusIon

The sony X80E could be one of the pricier 43-inch 4K TV out there, but it justifies its price with a better set of features and the positive experience that it can deliver.

TESTED & RATED

9.0

/10

PHILIPPINES hardwarezone.com.ph

53

Skyworth 49g6 Like a G6

by Lionell Go Macahilig Back in June, Chinese television manufacturer Skyworth joined forces with Japanese electronics and semiconductor giant Toshiba in launching a new series of Android televisions. The Skyworth G6 is the product of the said partnership. This series consists of Tv models with display sizes ranging from 43 inches to 75 inches.

For the Philippine market, Skyworth priced the 49-inch variant of the G6 (49G6) at PhP 35,000, and this is the subject of this review.

The panel weighs 12.2kg. it may sound light, but taking into account the 49-inch size, you might need a company when setting up the 49G6.

The unit is bundled with two L-shaped metal stands that are quite hefty, giving you an assurance that they can support the entire display panel. A metal frame with brushed finish borders the panel, while below it, conspicuous is a metal grille

that is almost as broad as the width of the panel. This component represents the G6’s Geek soundbar. We’ll talk about its performance later. inspecting the back, there’s the usual set of connectors that you’ll find in Tvs these days. Most important of these are HDMi and USB ports. internet connectivity is supported through an ethernet port. running on Android 6.0 Marshmallow, you get a plain Android Tv user interface with the 49G6. in spite of this, you actually get everything that you need, but if you are missing something like a streaming app or a media player, simply donwload it through Google Play.

The 49G6 comes with four picture presets: Cinema, Sport, vivid, and Hi-Bright.

Out of the box, we noticed that its picture quality has softer colors compared to the other 4K tVs that we reviewed before. Mad Max:

Fury road, notable for its warm and intense colors, looked more subdued on the 49G6. nevertheless, some viewers will find it satisfactory as softer tones are relaxing to the eyes.

The Geek soundbar, 49G6’s integrated speaker system, made a modest performance, particularly with songs that put more emphasis on voice and instruments like Shawn Mendes’s Stitches and Sam Smith’s Writing’s On The Wall. However, bassy titles, like The Crystal Method’s Cherry Twist, may sound shallow with the Geek soundbar. it even missed several details of the piece during our test. you should consider getting a separate sound system for the tV if you are particular about audio.

With a price lower than PhP 40,000, the Skyworth 49G6 is one of the cheapest 4k Tv models out there. it is an attractive deal for the budget-minded consumers.

at a glance

diSPlay 49 -inch LCD, 3840 x 2160p oPerating SySteM Android 6.0 Marshmallow audio GeeK Soundbar with Dolby Digital Sound connectiVity HDMi, USB, rF, composite video, digital audio, headphone outputs, ethernet Price PhP 35,000

adding more value when you get the Skyworth 49g6 is the built-in geeK soundbar.

conclusIon

With a price lower than PhP 40,000, the skyworth 49G6 is one of the cheapest 4K TV models out there. It is an attractive deal for the budget-minded consumers.

TESTED & RATED

7.5

/10

PHILIPPINES 54

HWM PH | OctOber 2017

TCL C2

at a glance

Premium Pixels

diSPlay tyPe 75-inch UHD Tv

by Jonnah Lynne Pante More than just another name in a wide array of television offerings in the market, the TCL C2 from the company’s Cityline Series stands unique with premium qualities of its own – boasting a prime combination of visuals, sound, and style.

Available in 75-, 70-, 65-, 55-, and 49-inch variants, the C2, although not considered as the flagship Tv of TCL, can simply turn a space into an elegant and immersive viewing nook. it flaunts an Ultra High Definition display (3840 x 2160p resolution) enclosed in a slim and sleek, almost-bezel-less frame in a 178-degree viewing angle. viewing 4k videos on this television is a joyful experience as it displays lifelike images with vivid colors and deep contrast, thanks to TCL C2’s HDr Pro technology.

To complement this, TCL has equipped the C2 a built-in Harman Kardon soundbar situated right below the

television. Aside from bringing that Hi-Fi sound, the Harman kardon adds to the TCL C2’s overall high-end aura.

To be at par with today’s televisions, of course, the TCL C2 comes as a Smart Tv, running on Android 6.0 Marshmallow. This makes the television have access to application like netflix, Spotify, and youTube through an internet connection, plus a Google Chromecast built-in.

Putting all these to test, we tried streaming a couple of songs in Spotify including Alessia Cara’s Here and Adele’s Hello, and the C2’s Harman Kardon soundbar did not disappoint. We also watched Beyonce’s Super Bowl 2013 performance uploaded in youTube in 4k (2160p) quality. The combined performance of C2’s sound and display made it looked like we were watching and hearing the performance live.

We also tried playing other 4k contents rich in color and

sceneries, and similar to our earlier sentiments, the C2 is capable in delivering just the right touch of hues and gradient with the apt amount of saturation.

Since it is an Android Tv, the C2 also comes with a preinstalled Tv Guard application that is useful for application management and security, and speeds up the system by cleaning junk files.

The C2 is also as neat as it can be. its ports are located at the back part of the television which can be concealed with a top cover. For connectivity, the C2 is equipped with one USB 2.0, one USB 3.0, LAn port, three HDMi ports, one socket each for cable and antenna, one SPDiF socket, and one headphone socket.

Tweaking the TCL C2’s settings is also made easy with its two remote controls – one remote for standard functions while the other one is for voice commands and has cursor support.

reSolution Ultra High Definition (3840 x 2160) oPerating SySteM Android 6.0 Marshmallow connectiVity USB 3.0, USB 2.0, HDMi, LAn, Wi-Fi audio Harman Kardon Soundbar Price Starts at USD 1,599

the tcl c2 comes with a built-in Harman Kardon soundbar that delivers Hi-fi audio.

conclusIon

More than just another name in a wide array of 4K TVs, the Tcl c2 stands unique with premium qualities of its own, boasting a combination of visuals, sound, and style.

TESTED & RATED

8.0

/10

PHILIPPINES hardwarezone.com.ph

55

TCL X3

at a glance

Flagship Player

diSPlay 65-inch Curved QLeD, 3840 x 2160p

by Lionell Go Macahilig TCL’s current Tv line is top-billed by the flagship X3 model (C65X3US).

As what its specific model name suggests, the X3 bears a 65-inch QLeD display panel, one of the largest that we personally encountered this year. The X3 takes advantage of quantum dot technology, with the promise of better picture quality backed by a 64-bit processor with HDr10 decoding feature.

Apart from having a curved display panel with a thin bezel, the X3 also carries a builtin harman/kardon speaker system located right below the screen, consisting of six drivers with 40W output. The built-in speaker system is clad in a band with a brushed metal finish.

When online, users can access streaming content through the pre-installed apps on Android 6.0 Marshmallow OS. More apps can be downloaded from Google Play. These apps as well as

the onscreen menu can be navigated and accessed by using the bundled slim remote control. The onscreen menu is as straighforward as the remote control and, unlike most televisions from other brands, has less submenus that are simply divided into three categories: Picture, Sound, and System. There are five picture presets: Standard, Dynamic, natural, Stadium, and Movie. the X3 has a saturated color quality, a matter which i personally like but some people might dislike. in any case, to users who do not want it color saturated, you have to simply lower the television’s saturation level or switch the picture preset from Standard to Movie.

Surprisingly, in the case of the X3, the Movie preset reduces color saturation, resulting in a picture quality that has a relaxing effect to the eyes. Meanwhile, in terms of sound, we can say that the

harman/kardon speaker is a good addition and it let us adequately enjoy watching content even in Standard mode and even without using a separate audio system. The X3’s Sound menu includes a Graphic eQ and six sound presets (Standard, Movie, Music, voice, Game, and Stadium) to help you finetune audio quality. Listening only to music, the X3’s speaker system delivered highs (classical instruments) and mids (vocals) very well, but if you are into pieces with heavy bass such as The Crystal Method’s Cherry Twist, you’ll really need a dedicated speaker set for the X3.

The TCL X3 has a power consumption rating of 170W and this much lower than that of Samsung’s kU6300 and Sony’s S8500D televisions.

The X3 is also one of the most affordable and more recent 65-inch curved Tv models in the market today capped with a price tag of PhP 149,995.

oPerating SySteM Android 6.0 Marshmallow audio harman/kardon (2x 15W + 2x 5W) connectiVity HDMi, USB, Tv antennas, digital audio, headphone outputs, ethernet Price PhP 149,995

the X3 carries a built-in harman/ kardon speaker system located right below the screen.

conclusIon

The Tcl X3 stands out because of its curved design matched with a built-in harman/ kardon audio.

Get these for a price that is relatively more affordable in its category.

TESTED & RATED

9.0

/10

PHILIPPINES 56

HWM PH | OctOber 2017

Sony hT-mT500 Sleek Sound

by Jonnah Lynne Pante The emergence of soundbars can be accounted to the rise of slim televisions, as these Tvs need an equally stylish sound system for a complete viewing experience. Sony, being one of the brands to beat in the home theater audio department, has a lot of sleek and premium soundbars to offer, one of which is the Sony HT-MT500.

Dressed in all-black with a minimalist look, the HT-MT500 easily fits in any space in any room and aesthetically adds elegance to television users who will be using it. The whole set is a 2.1-channel soundbar that comes in a two-piece setup comprised of one soundbar rated at 25W and one wireless subwoofer rated at 20W. Setting up and installing the soundbar with the Sony Bravia OLeD Ae1 went on like a breeze, and without taking too much time, we found ourselves already enjoying the premium sound

brought by the HT-MT500.

Speaking of performance, the HT-MT500 comes equipped with S-Force PrO Front surround sound technology and Digital Sound enhancement engine (DSee HX) softtware that help the soundbar deliver the trademark Sony Hi-res audio. The HT-MT500 also has Dolby Digital Audio and DTS features. This can be further modified to meet the best sound requirement to fit users’ preferences by using a variety of sound effects including ClearAudio+, Digital Game Studio, Movie, Music, Sports, and the usual Standard mode. Tweaking the soundbar’s settings is also a seamless task to do, and we liked how its control buttons are neatly-placed on the top of the soundbar.

Aside from Bluetooth and AUX in options, the HT-MT500 also allows online music streaming through its Chromecast built-in and

Spotify Connect services, as well as tracks accessible through the Sony Music Center Application, which of course, work when the HTMT500 is linked to a network or through an ethernet cable.

The HT-MT500 also has a built-in 2.4GHz/5GHz WiFi 802.11a/b/g/n. its other terminals include USB, analog, optical, and HDMi. Putting its real capabilities to test, we played a number of tracks from different genres, and we really enjoyed listening to music with powerful vocals like Sam Smith’s Writing’s’ On The Wall, Alessia Cara’s Here, and Adele’s When We Were young using the HT-MT500. Playing an instrumental and acoustic song like Chon’s Sleepy Tea and ed Sheeran’s thinking Out Loud is also a delight to our ears. The soundbar’s cinematic experience is also notable, too. All in all, we’re impressed with the Sony HTMT500’s performance.

at a glance

outPut PoWer 25W (soundbar), 20W (subwoofer) diMenSionS 500 x 110 x 64mm (soundbar), 383 x 380 x 95mm (subwoofer) WeigHt 8.6kg (gross weight) connectiVity Bluetooth, Wi-Fi (2.4GHz/5GHz) 802.11a/b/g/n, HDMi, USB, analog, optical, ethernet Price PhP 29,999

the Sony Ht-Mt500 has a removable speaker grille that allows for easy cleaning.

conclusIon

other than its exemplary performance, the sony HTMT500 easily fits in any space and aesthetically adds elegance to televisions users will be using with it.

TESTED & RATED

9.0

/10

PHILIPPINES hardwarezone.com.ph

57

Samsung gear 360 (2017) Wide-Eyed

by Jonnah Lynne R. Pante An iteration of the original version, the second generation Samsung Gear 360 which we will call the Samsung Gear 360 (2017) in this review is a whole lot better especially in the design department.

Shifting from the initial look similar to a standard external web camera, the new version of the Gear 360 exudes a steady look.

Samsung has replaced the original version’s tripod-like stand with a sturdy-looking handle that makes the new Gear 360 (2017) even more portable and easier to grip. its control buttons for power and Bluetooth are neatly placed on the device’s left cheek, while the microSD card slot for storage expansion and USB Type-C port for file transfer and charging are located on the bottom right part. The record/capture button and

the LeD indicator are on the device’s back part. its camera again is presented as an eyeball-shaped form factor that carries a 15-megapixel camera from combined two 8.4-megapixel CMOS sensors and dual wide-angle, 195-degree lenses applied with F2.2 aperture. in terms of video recording, Samsung has leveled up the Gear 360 (2017) with 4k capabilities shooting at 24fps. Using a single lens, however, might be quite disappointing as the device only has a maximum resolution of 3-megapixel in the said setting.

Last year’s Gear 360 had compatibility issues with some Android smartphones, and we encountered the same caveat with the Gear 360 (2017).

Pairing it with the Huawei Mate 9, for example, required us to download the Samsung Accessory Service application

aside from the Gear 360 app itself, while pairing it with the Samsung Galaxy J7 Pro and the Apple iPhone 7 went on like a breeze. The Gear 360 app also allowed us to switch easily from modes of video, photo, time-lapse, video looping, and landscape HDr. One of the main feats of the Gear 360 (2017) is its livestreaming support for youTube, Facebook, and the Samsung Gear vr headset, which we must admit is one of our favorite part of testing the handheld device.

Considering its affordable price, the Samsung Gear 360 (2017) decently performs for what it is made to do as it gave us acceptable 360-degree footages, though some snippets appeared to be off the advertised 4k quality.

Photos are acceptable, too, as the device gives a natural fisheye effect.

at a glance

caMera 2x 8.4-megapixel CMOS sensor with F2.2 lens MeMory Up to 256GB via microSD card support connectiVity Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac (2.4GHz/5GHz), Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth v4.1, USB 2.0 battery 1160mAh rating iP53 dust- and splashproof Price PhP 10,990

Samsung has replaced the tripod stand of the first Gear 360 with a sturdy stand for easy handling.

conclusIon

An iteration of the original version, the second generation samsung Gear 360 is a whole lot better especially in usability and design departments.

TESTED & RATED

8.0

/10

PHILIPPINES 58

HWM PH | OctOber 2017

Fujifilm X-A3 Fun for Starters

by Nestor Domingo Jr. The past 12 months saw the camera tech brand Fujifilm launched a series of new products that promise photography enthusiasts – both professional and newbies – a great user experience, be it on the classic film paper or on the digital electronic side. One of these products is the Fuijfilm X-A3 (released August 2016), a digital mirrorless camera featuring a classic and dynamic range finder design, 24-megapixel sensor, touchscreen display that can tilt up to 180 degrees, and an electronic shutter option.

From formal portraits to the always-popular selfies, the X-A3 promises to bring the picture-taking experience to everyone, which includes those noobs like yours truly, and somehow they delivered close to perfection works and customizable features that could have run much better in a menu without leaving the preview screen.

The X-A3 sports a retro design that bags numerous features that can deliver potentially-stunning classics, while embracing the brand’s long history with the inclusion of Film Stimulators and Advance Filters, making this device a convergence of old and new camera technologies in more ways than one.

This camera device has two dials for a much needed on-the-spot previewing before taking a shot. That makes up for a settings menu that takes you out of the LCD viewfinder momentarily to make further adjustments such as iSO, white balance (WB), and even filters. Apart form that, it has a 24.2-megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor that runs good in most lighting conditions and has the capabilities to take more detailed images at various sensitivities.

Taking shots in the dark, however, is another thing, as the X-A3 relies heavily on the focusing light that is emitted

on the front of the camera.

Sharing photos from the camera to smartphone, computer, or even to a printer can be also more convenient with the Fujifim Camera remote Control which can be downloaded from App Store and Google Play. impressive to notice the near-flawless connectivity, while retaining the transported-images’ quality for it to be more bearable to upload in your preferred social media sites. it helps that the Fujifilm X-A3’s battery can be recharged by just plugging in a universal USB cable to its USB port. Charging time lasts barely two hours, though.

With superb film and digital features enclosed in a retro-designed mirrorless digital camera, the Fujifilm X-A3 provides fun experience for most of the time and your money. in the Philippines, the X-A3 sells for the price of PhP 34,990 bundled with a 1650mm Super eB XC lens.

at a glance

Mount Fujifilm X mount SenSor 24.2-megapixel 23.5mm x 15.7mm APS-c cMOS diSPlay 3.0-inch 180-degree flip-up LCD (1040k dots) SenSitiVity Up to iSO 25600 Storage SD, SDHC, SDXC Price PhP 34,990 (with 1650mm Super eB XC lens)

the touchscreen display can tilt up to 180 degrees, allowing users to take self portraits easily.

conclusIon

The Fujifilm X-A3 may be a good alternative to make stunning and impressive photos for an entry level digital camera and fun user experience for everyone.

TESTED & RATED

9.0

/10

PHILIPPINES hardwarezone.com.ph

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polaroid Snap touch Snap and Print

by Jonnah Lynne R. Pante Having the Polaroid Snap Touch in our lab is like revisiting an old memory from childhood when we used to play with toy cameras with instant make-believe prints made of paper. The Snap Touch does the exact same thing – snap and print.

With a nostalgic, vintage look, the Snap Touch comes with a 13-megapixel CMOS image sensor with a fixed focal length of 3.4mm and F2.0 aperture upfront and a 3.5-inch touchscreen display on the flip side that can house up to ten zink photopapers at

in taking self and group portraits.

Using the Snap Touch is as simple as it can get. Just turn on the device and you’re ready to take and print snaps. its touchscreen display allowed us to edit photos by adding frames, filters, and stickers.

Users are also allowed to choose between shooting modes of black and white, color, and vintage sepia. The Snap Touch also has a feature that can take up to four shots and place them all into one collage. The camera also has an HDr and self-timer option.

once. its power button which reveals the camera’s flash when pressed, as well as its capture button are located on the top while situated at the camera’s bottom are its microSD slot for storage expansion up to 128GB, micro-USB port for charging, and a tripod/monopod dock.

A tiny, rounded selfie mirror is also located next to the camera’s flash to aid users

The Snap Touch uses the same zink technology as the HP Sprocket which we reviewed last month.

Comparing their printouts, the Snap Touch is the better choice as its 2x3-inch full color prints exude accurate details and color correction, even those taken under a dim-lit setting. Plus, its 13-megapixel camera takes decent digital photos which we were able to

transfer to our smartphones through a microSD card. The Snap Touch also comes with a Polaroid Print App that works via Bluetooth connection.

Using the said application, we were able to use the Snap Touch in printing photos captured and stored on our smartphones. in addition, the Snap Touch is also capable in recording videos in Full HD resolution (1080p) with acceptable quality.

With regards to its stamina, the Snap Touch has a built-in rechargable lithium-ion battery that gave us a whole day coverage in a moderate use, and about an hour of wait-time to have it fully-replenished.

With its interesting features and capabilities, the Polaroid Snap Touch is a fun and useful addition to a techie’s list of must-haves. now priced at PhP 10,990, the Polaroid Snap Touch is distributed by indefinita Trading inc.

at a glance

caMera 13-megapixel diSPlay 3.5-inch LCD Touchscreen MeMory Up to 128GB via microSD card support connectiVity Bluetooth Printing tecHnology zink Technology, 2x3-inch Full Color Prints Price PhP 10,990

the Polaroid Snap touch has a 3.5inch touchscreen display where users can view and edit photos.

conclusIon

With its interesting features and capabilities, the Polaroid snap Touch is a fun and useful addition to a techie’s list of musthaves.

TESTED & RATED

8.0

/10

PHILIPPINES 60

HWM PH | OctOber 2017

JBL Trip

at a glance

Travel Companion

diMenSionS 134 x 64 x 34mm

by Nestor Domingo Jr. Of all the audio equipment brands in the world, JBL is no question one of the most resounding one the world ever have today. And why not? From amplifiers to loudspeakers, this audio electronics firm has been a resonating one to hear in both professional and consumer markets.

And with the advent of mobile and wireless technology that is sweeping and continuing to penetrate the worldwide market full of portable audio afficionados, JbL just went on board and rolling on the road with a speaker intended for some of car audio-less vehicles called the JBL Trip.

The Trip can function in an instant by simply having Bluetooth connectivity with your smartphone. not even a step and hassles of installation is required. it connects easily with both Android and iPhone devices, but hardly with a Windows

phone and laptop. But since they are basically intended for smartphones (specifically, the two popular mobile OSes), i quite understand where this speaker is coming from. Still it didn’t help that JBL only sports a USB port that is intended for charging and no audio jacks were present for a wired kind of alternative input.

Somehow, JBL provides the quite-balanced formula of highs, low, and kicks, which sounds good in either closed or open vehicles, with the all-treble setup speaker on the left and bass-dominated on the right, plus exclusive patented noise-cancelling technology it’s not just a simple playback speaker for your auditory pleasure. The Trip has another reason why it lived up to the role of being a travel companion: that is to serve its communication function. This small wireless speaker can be one’s virtual assistant by means of Siri and

Google now, and it can be either mounted or just placed atop of the compartment or anywhere in the dashboard as long as it doesn’t really distract you from driving.

However, the Trip’s main buttons appear to confuse the hell out of me sometimes. it could be highly sensitive on a random moment while the next time around, it requires pressing in a sort of precise fashion. either it changes constantly to the extent of confusion regarding its userfriendly experience, or one must learn that the power button (when pressed lightly) is alternately serving as its key security button. you better hope you remember your pressing history while using this speaker.

The JBL Trip is a promising journey companion with the technology it boasts. But that said, it also – and definitely – needs some issues on functions and portability so people can really get its worth.

Standby tiMe Approximately 800 hours battery Lithium-ion polymer (3.8v, 1200mAh) connectiVity Bluetooth 3.0 Price PhP 4,995

this speaker has a wireless mount that is screwless yet firm enough to withstand the road.

conclusIon

The JBl Trip is a promising journey companion with the technology it boasts. Yet, it also needs to address some issues on functions and portability.

TESTED & RATED

7.5

/10

PHILIPPINES hardwarezone.com.ph

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Focal Spark wireless Sparkle of Comfort and Hearing

by Nestor Domingo Jr. The Focal Spark Wireless appears to be the superior wireless headset product that Focal could offer, aside from their great Utopia.

By the looks, it was made out of solid bunch of materials with aluminum finish on each plug and rubberized cable wire that is flat and antitangle, something which i personally prefer. yes, it has two blocks that appears to put the weight on this device. And they looked large in the picture.

But much to my surprise, the Spark Wireless is relatively lightweight at only 14 grams, which can’t really hurt my neck despite not having a neckband and just these bricks holding the buttons and battery. Man, i am comfortable wearing this thing on my neck all day long even if i’m not playing anything with it.

However, while the design provides absolute comfort, the Spark Wireless turns out

to be just another item in the market with at least, a decent sound quality -- something that looks ‘a-okay’ for the usual passive novices, but not enough when you’re more critical of what you’re hearing.

The bass was superior by an inch among its competitors. The highs, lows, and even in-between mids can be really punchy elsewhere.

The treble, however, is just as fair as it gets, so don’t really expect something extraspectacular unless you’re bias for bass.

But apart from the slightly-above average sound quality, at least the Spark Wireless didn’t hurt my ear much unlike the other similar headsets i have used before. i could use this one for barely over a single hour and wear it off without any feeling of irritation in my ears, thanks to its silicone tips. Besides, hearing sounds isn’t just for the comfort of your mind, but also your physique.

Also, i have to commend the battery life of the Spark Wireless which runs for almost twice the time from a typical Bluetooth-powered headset (which is basically around 4-5 hours). These earplugs are running wild for nearly eight hours, suitable enough for a long trip.

Wireless connectivity is quite okay. it gives the Bluetooth-enabled mobile devices a much leeway to connect, as it is backed by Bluetooth 4.0 technology.

But somehow, it lags if you’re around 30 feet apart from your smartphones or other mobile auditory device. it’s just good to roam around the corners of your room.

Solid on the outside and decent on the inside, no wonder, the Focal Spark Wireless can be appealing for emotion listeners just as their tagline suggests. The Spark Wireless is a pair of midrange earphones that somehow makes up for its worth.

at a glance

driVerS electrodynamic 03/8” (9.5mm) Mylar freQuency reSPonSe 20Hz to 20kHz tranSMiSSion range >4.5 meters net WeigHt 14 grams battery life Up to 8 hours connectiVity Bluetooth 4.1 Price PhP 5,450

don’t be deceived by the blocks. the Spark Wireless isn’t putting on a sheer weight on your neck.

conclusIon

The Focal spark Wireless may look a bit different from a typical pair of wireless earphones, but its light weight and comfort make up for a heavy-duty sound quality.

TESTED & RATED

8.0

/10

PHILIPPINES 62

HWM PH | OctOber 2017

Beyerdynamic DTX 350 m Lesser Space for More Music

by Lorraine Nevado Headphones can be so large and heavy that it would be a hassle to even bring them anywhere, especially when you’re only bringing a small bag with you.

However, the Beyerdynamic DTX 350 m is totally made for customers who want to avoid leaving headphones at home because of packed belongings.

The DTX 350 m comes with smooth leatherette ear pads, with the top part of the headband also covered with leatherette. This leatherette adds to the softness of ear pads that are also not irritating even after long hours of wearing. Like most headphones, it has a sliding feature that allows users to adjust it according to their comfort, and a flat cord capable of preventing it from being tangled. in addition to these, the mic and remote hold control for taking calls and stop or play of sounds.

But what’s remarkable about DTX 350 m’s design

is its portable feature. it can be folded so that it only consumes little space wherever it will be put in. With the same headphones, users can stop worrying where to put it inside their containers.

Moreover, with its 131gram weight, it counts as a lightweight headset.

Trying the DTX 350 m headphones in different music genres, the vocals always stood out as what we’ve observed. The vocal harmonies and the clarity until the last note are impressive, and trying it on a capella at highs is an even greater experience.

Meanwhile, drum and bass-dominated music and songs that have a lot of strings are also amazing at highs.

The guitar bass can also be experienced very well at such volume, no matter how loud other instruments may be.

The sound isolation DTX 350 m is already impressive before even reaching mids.

From what we’ve experienced using these headphones, their isolation makes user miss sounds beyond the earphones, like people calling the user and sounds of motors and vehicles. There are sounds that may be heard when the other person is yelling at the user, but otherwise, its sound isolation is really great.

From its design feature to the quality of the sound it delivers, the DTX 350 m is a good companion for people who likes bringing smaller bags. it consumes lesser space than other headphones and is also lightweight. even if you bring a bigger bag with you, the DTX 350 m will never be a burden because you don’t have to give a lot of space for it.

With the Beyerdynamic DTX 350 m, we didn’t find a minute without music, because we can bring it anywhere we go, and with whatever size of bag we have.

at a glance

driVerS 40mm freQuency reSPonSe 20Hz – 20kHz iMPedance 32ohms MaXiMuM PoWer inPut 100mW connectiVity 3.5mm jack plug tyPe Dynamic Price PhP 3,590

the earpads and headband of the dtX 350 m come with smooth leatherette for user comfort.

conclusIon

From its design feature to the quality of the sound it delivers, the Beyerdynamic DTX 350 m is a good companion for those who like bringing smaller bags.

TESTED & RATED

8.0

/10

PHILIPPINES hardwarezone.com.ph

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Apacer AS681 Armor Toughened Armor

by Lionell Go Macahilig eight months after its global launch, the folks at Apacer sent us the AS681 Armor solid state drive (SSD) for us to review. Apacer introduced the AS681 back in February of this year in capacities ranging from 120GB to 960GB, making use of TLC nAnD flash storage. Looking at Apacer’s promotional materials for the AS681, they still show a comparison between the speeds of an SSD versus a traditional hard disk drive (HDD), suggesting that Apacer is still appealing to consumers to consider migrating from an HDD to an SSD to boost PC performance. the AS681 arrives in a 2.5-inch SATA form factor, clad in a metal casing with a gear like emblem on top of it. According to Apacer, such an emblem is often seen on comic book superheroes, which symbolizes superb speed. The AS681 makes use of the SATA 6Gbps interface. it has a height of 7mm, so fitting

it inside an ultrathin laptop should never become a big problem.

For this review, we used a test bed consisting of a Gigabyte AX370-Gaming 5 motherboard, AMD ryzen 3 1300X quad-core CPU, 16GB DDr4, Gigabyte GeForce GTX 960 graphics card, and Microsoft Windows 10 Pro 64-bit for the operating system. We ran three different benchmarks on the AS681, namely Anvil’s Storage Utilities, AS SSD, and CrystalDiskMark. Specific details that we took from the tests include sequential read and write speeds as well as 4k read and write speeds.

Then we put the scores of the AS681 side by side with those of the Plextor S3C (256GB) and the ADATA SP920SS (256GB). based on the data that we retrieved, the AS681 emerged as the fastest SSD among the three models, followed by the SP920SS and the S3C. Describing the

performance of the AS681 based on the numbers, it is a consistent speedy performer in both sequential reading and writing, as well as doing random operations.

The versatility of the AS681 suggests that apart from poising as an upgrade solution for those systems equipped with HDDs, it can be used to boost the performance of a PC for content creation/ consumption or a gaming rig.

The SP920SS, a three-year old SSD, is more inclined toward random reading and writing tasks, according to the numbers that we got.

Meanwhile, the S36, which we reviewed last month, remained consistent in giving priority to sequential reading and writing tasks.

The Apacer AS681 Armor 240GB is on offer with a three year warranty program.

Whether you are upgrading from a traditional HDD or an older SSD, the AS681 is a pleasant proposition.

at a glance

tyPe 2.5-inch SSD flaSH MeMory TLC nAnD Storage caPacitieS 120GB, 240GB, 480GB, 960GB interface SATA 6Gbps diMenSionS 100 x 69.9 x 7mm Warranty three years Price Inquire

the gear emblem on the metal casing is meant to symbolize superb speed.

conclusIon

Whether you are upgrading from an HDD or an older ssD, the Apacer As681 Armor is a pleasant proposition, coupled with a three year warranty program.

TESTED & RATED

8.5

/10

PHILIPPINES 64

HWM PH | OctOber 2017

ASUS Zenbook Flip S uX370uA An Incredible Masterpiece

by Yrda Veanssa Fernandez ASUS, the worldwide top-three consumer notebook vendor, released the world’s thinnest and lightest convertible laptop in the form of the Zenbook Flip S UX370UA. its profile just measures 10.9mm and weighs 1.1kg only that makes it an effortlessly portable convertible notebook.

The zenbook Flip S UX370UA runs on Windows 10 Pro and is powered by a 2.133GHz intel Core i7 processor coupled with 16GB rAM and carries up to 1TB of storage, making this convertible laptop powerful. browsing the Internet and launching different applications were a cinch in our experience. The zenbook Flip S UX370UA did not give us any lags throughout our test.

Streaming a 4K video from youTube and this device gave us an astonishing ultra sharp viewing experience, thanks to its 4k UltraHD 13.3inch display. its exceptional

keyboard has an ergonomic backlit design that makes a great computing experience even under low light. The touchpad is so responsive and it gave us a seamless touch and browsing experience. it also has smart gestures that made our experience even more impressive. its 360 degree-flippable display makes it so versatile.

We tested the durability of its hinge by positioning the zenbook Flip S UX370UA at 180 degrees, tablet mode, vice versa for more than 100 times. The device’s ultrasharp display is paired with its immersive audio. We noticed that harman/kardon is engraved on the notebook’s right palm rest as ASUS’s Golden ear Team collaborated with these audiophile specialists. This resulted in our cinematic quality realism audio experience as we streamed the Avengers movie trailer and nothing stopped us from listening to our favorite

music playlist. This notebook is a bang for viewing and listening experience.

Our team ran Futuremark PcMark 10 and the Zenbook Flip S UX370UA scored 3305. Meanwhile, its battery lasted for almost ten hours with moderate usage. This notebook is also equipped with a fingerprint scanner, and to our experience, even a partial fingerprint unlocks the device. it also has a picture password that lets us choose our favorite photo, make a unique gesture in it, that let us unlock the notebook, so easy.

The elegant, sophisticated design of the Zenbook UX370UA made it a piece of luxury. Converting this notebook into a tablet is just a breeze. The ASUS zenbook Flip S UX370UA comes in royal blue with touch of gold, and black. retailing for the price of PhP 84,995, the height of its price is stunningly proportional to this powerful convertible laptop.

at a glance

ProceSSor intel Core i7 MeMory Up to 16GB rAM, LPDDr3 diSPlay 13.3-inch LeD-backlit Full HD Storage 512GB up to 1TB connectiVity USB 3.1 ports, 3.5mm headphones jack, a fingerprint sensor Price PhP 84,995

Its responsive fingerprint scanner made it easy for us to unlock this convertible laptop.

conclusIon

The elegant, sophisticated design of the Asus Zenbook Flip s uX370uA makes it a piece of luxury.

Its price is proportional to this powerful convertible laptop.

TESTED & RATED

9.0

/10

PHILIPPINES hardwarezone.com.ph

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Cubix Cube Book Notebook for Productivity

by Yrda Veanssa Fernandez Apart from the three Cubix smartphones that were released, Cherry Mobile is expanding their reach as they also launched a laptop under the same lineup, the Cubix Cube Book. its semimatte finish and sleek design make the device look beyond its price.

The Cube Book is a 14-inch notebook that is wide enough to stream videos online, view synced photos, and present a PowerPoint presentation to a small group. The laptop comes with a chiclet-type keyboard that feels great. The trackpad is wide enough and responsive for us to navigate freely and it smoothly sits on the device’s palm rest. running on Microsoft Windows 10, the Cube Book is powered by a 1.33GHz quadcore intel Atom z3735F CPU, intel HD graphics, 2GB rAM, and 32GB internal storage expandable up to 128GB via microSD. This laptop can

run basic productivity apps such as Word, excel, and PowerPoint smoothly, but not watching the downloaded videos. We also noticed that downloading files in the Cube Book is taking slow. Mind that the cube book is designed for productivity and not for entertainment.

What our team liked about the cube book is its light weight and thin profile that make it an on-the-go notebook. Checking on its sides, the Cube Book comes with three USB 2.0 ports, HDMi port, 3.5mm headset jack, and a microSD slot. The Cube Book can also produce decent sound through its grille speakers located at the both opposite sides of the laptop on its back. Whether we set the volume on half or 100 percent, the speakers did not give us crooked sound.

Our team tried to install and run the Futuremark’s PcMark 10 on the cube book

but unfortunately, the laptop is preventing the software to be installed in spite of the fast internet connection. in terms of stamina, its 10000mAh battery lasted up to almost seven hours when we used it as our actual laptop in writing articles and browsing the internet.

Due to its limited storage and modest processor, our team does not recommend the cube book for software programming, and photo or video editing as this notebook cannot manage the installation of heavy and massive apps. However, if you’re a student or a worker looking for an affordable notebook, for light browsing and office productivity tasks, then Cubix Cube Book should be on your shortlist. Priced at PhP 6,990 and can exclusively be bought on Lazada, the Cubix Cube Book will surely meet your productivity needs without hurting your pocket.

at a glance

ProceSSor intel Atom z3735F MeMory 2GB DDr3 rAM graPHicS intel HD Graphics Storage 32GB internal storage, expandable up to 128GB via microSD connectiVity Three USB 2.0 ports, mini-HDMi port, 3.5mm headset jack, microSD slot, Wi-Fi Price PhP 6,990

its 14-inch display makes your PowerPoint presentations and streaming videos look pleasing.

conclusIon

If you’re looking for an affordable notebook, for light browsing and office productivity tasks, then the cubix cube Book should be on your shortlist.

TESTED & RATED

8.0

/10

PHILIPPINES

66

HWM PH | OctOber 2017

CLEARER

SELFiE Revel in the newest addition to the Vivo’s V series-the first in the world 24MP front camera for a perfect clarity of the selfie game that complements its 5.99-inch full-view display.

Text by The HWM Team Art Direction by Victor Felix Pulgar

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PHotoS VIVo

F e a t u r e

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F e a t u r e

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F e a t u r e

ViVo V7+ The FirsT 24Mp FronT caMera sMarTphone

The Vivo V7+ packs the most advanced technologies from its champion 24-megapixel selfie shooter camera that provides a clearer selfie and the perfect shot, to its 5.99” all-screen display, and a slim-bezeled 18:9 aspect ratio display with rounded corners making it stand out from the crowd. It rocks a Smart Split 3.0 feature allowing users to check their messages, emails, among other things without interrupting the current running app. The Vivo’s Game Mode also prevents incoming calls and messages from interrupting the user’s gaming. Its security feature is augmented with the Face ID access that unlock phone with user facial recognition.

speciFicaTions Cpu Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 Octa-core BATTErY 3225mAh Li-ion SCrEEN 5.99-inch Full View Display Corning Gorilla Glass 4 DiSpLAY HD, IPS LCD mEmOrY 4GB RAM + 64GB ROM EXpANDABLE mEmOrY Up to 256GB microSD Sim CArD Nano SIM OpErATiNg SYSTEm Funtouch OS 3.2, Android 7.1 SizE 153.8 x 75.5 x 7.55mm wEighT 160g NETwOrk 2G/3G/4G

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Its 16-megapixel rear camera sports a phase detection autofocus, and LED flash to shoot sharp photos even in low-light.

VIvo V7+’s first in the world 24-megapixel front camera boasts a higher number of pixels, creating sharper and more distinctive selfies.

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t e S t

Good things come in small packages Want to pack light, but not compromise on the sound? These pocketable speakers offer you a better option than just cranking your laptop speakers up to their maximum volume.

By Marcus Wong ¡ Photography by Darren Chang ¡ Art Direction by Orland Punzalan

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b&o beoPlay P2 • creatiVe MuVo 2c • Jbl cliP 2 • Sony SrS-Xb10 • X-Mini Kai X2

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t e S t

B&O BEOpLAY p2 One of the newest speakers from B&O, pleasantly surprised by the amount of the Beoplay P2 is arguably the company’s atmosphere the speaker was able to create. cheapest speaker and the easiest to bring Pidgeon’s vocals are nicely centered, and around. The attention to detail speaks both highs and mids are well resolved. quality, so this is certainly one unit that There are shakers, pianos, and strings in scores in the looks department. this piece, and they all stand out nicely. it also scores in terms of smarts. you it also did well with rock, as a recording won’t find any physical of Guns n’ rose’s Sweet Child buttons on this speaker.

O’ Mine proved to be another instead, gesture controls and enjoyable listen. The highs a companion app allow you are sparkly and the mids to play/pause your music, or robust, though there does to call up Siri or Google now. seem to be a slight dip in We found the speaker performance in the high Great treble and bass wasn’t the most powerful in mids and some distortion on performance for a terms of volume, but was the absolute low end. mono speaker. able to produce surprisingly On our formal test tracks, full sound for a mono we thought the speaker did speaker, thanks to a tweeter/ best on Sail on Soothsayer Price is high for this woofer pair that is powered

by Buckethead. The bass category. by two class D amplifiers. was a little boomy to start, The speaker isn’t going to but the speaker did well to effortlessly fill a room, but it focus on Buckethead’s guitar easily pumps out more fullthroughout, with lush mids bodied music than you would expect from allowing the track to draw you in. There was something so small. good clarity on the solo too – especially in For example, on a recording of Spanish the highs, which seem to be a strength for Harlem by rebecca Pidgeon, we were this speaker.

at a glance

freQuency reSPonSe 68Hz-21kHz SiZe 140 x 80 x 28mm WeigHt 275g Price PhP 9,990

The B&O logo marks the on/off button for this speaker.

the companion app lets you configure the Tap and Shake feature.

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HWM PH | OctOber 2017

at a glance

freQuency reSPonSe 65Hz-20kHz SiZe 67 x 93 x 38 mm WeigHt 159g Price PhP 2,990

CrEATiVE muVO 2C Coming from the same company that gave small room. us the line of roar speakers, the Muvo 2C in our testing, we felt the speaker seems to have pretty large shoes to fill, and performed well over the highs and mids, it tries its hardest to impress. it comes in with a slightly bright sound signature. a selection of eight cheerful colors, boasts it turned in a lively performance on a iP66 dust and water resistance, and weighs recording of vivaldi’s Concerto No. 1 in E just 159g, making it the lightest of the major, Op. 8, RV 269, “La primavera” (Spring) speakers we have for this and showed good clarity on shootout. vocals with a recording of it also has a built-in MP3 Alicia key’s If I Ain’t Got You. player, so you can simply On our official test pop in a microSD card of tracks, it did best with songs to cover your listening Sail on Soothsayer by needs for the day. There’s a Buckethead and The eagles’ Large sound for such a microphone so you can use Hotel California, two tracks small speaker. it as a speakerphone, and that feature heavily in you can even custom tune the midrange. With Sail the speaker by connecting on Soothsayer, we felt the Lower mids and bass it to your Pc and using speaker handled the highs of can be a bit dry. the solo nicely and brought Creative’s Sound Blaster good energy to the piece.

Control Panel.

Where it fell behind when In terms of audio compared to the Beoplay P2 performance, one thing was in the lower mids and that immediately stood out the bass notes, which were slightly dry. was how loud this speaker goes. The Muvo Overall, Creative’s Muvo 2C is a speaker 2C’s 15-20% volume setting was easily that produces sound with good energy that equivalent to the rest’s 70%. This is one should work well for most genres. pocket speaker than could actually fill a

The bass flap vibrates during operation.

the rubberized buttons have a good tactile feel to them.

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at a glance

JBL CLip 2 One of the older models in this shootout, and the bass. the JBL Clip 2 is also the best designed for That was again reflected in our formal outdoor use. it has an actual snap link hook test tracks, where we thought the speaker so you can easily affix it to the back of your especially fell short on Tiesto’s Elements of bicycle or backpack. For added connectivity, Life. The speaker does a good job on the it also comes with a 3.5mm audio cable highs, but the lower frequencies fell short built in, so you can use it with devices that here, as the bass line really moves this piece don’t support Bluetooth. and that was missing on the it’s also waterproof, with rendition. an iPX7 rating, so you won’t Also, we found that the have to worry about using high notes at the end the it near a pool or even the piece started to distort a shower. you can daisy chain little, which is certainly not two speakers for bigger ideal.

Nice functional design. sound, which is a good Give it a less complex thing, as the single unit felt piece that features more underpowered compared to heavily in the midrange the other speakers. though, and the speaker much smaller sound in our testing, we can certainly deliver. Adele’s compared to the others. thought the Clip 2 gave us Melt My Heart to Stone was a slightly more restrained presentation, with reserved mids and bass. For example, Slash’s famous intro lick for Sweet Child O’ Mine by Guns n’ roses comes out nicely, but as the song progresses and Axl rose’s vocals start to come in, you start wishing there was more punch in the mids

freQuency reSPonSe 120Hz-20kHz SiZe 141 x 94 x 42 mm WeigHt 184g Price PhP 3,099

quite well rendered, with just enough separation of the vocals from the backing instruments.

There’s also good clarity on the vocals and a nice warm delivery, leading us to think you’re best to stick with pop and jazz with this speaker.

the snap link will let you better secure the speaker.

the speaker comes with a 3.5mm audio cable for use with older devices.

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HWM PH | OctOber 2017

at a glance

freQuency reSPonSe 20Hz-20kHz SiZe 75 x 75 x 91 mm WeigHt 260g Price PhP 2,999

SoNy SRS-XB10 Perhaps the smallest speaker in Sony’s and Let Die by Guns n roses, the track is lineup, the SrS-XB10 is part of their eXTrA delivered with the energy befitting of a rock BASS family, and features a selection of song. The piece falls primarily in the mids fun colors. it is iPX5 water-resistant, and and lows, suggesting that’s the sweet spot features buttons and ports hidden behind a for these speakers. it was further confirmed rubberized surface. with Keith Don’t Go by nils Lofgren, as That’s a good idea in theory, but it the speaker served up a measured doesn’t quite work as well performance with good in practice, as the contact details in the lower mids. area for each control seems no surprise then that the small relative to what you speaker did best on Hotel find on the Muvo 2C, making California by The eagles them less easy to activate. during our formal testing.

Also, the rubberized surface The speaker provides just Good energy and body. doesn’t give a premium feel enough weight for the lead to the speaker, especially guitar to stand out from when compared with the the rest, and just about Small buttons are hard other speakers. gives Don Henley’s vocals to use One thing that definitely the necessary separation to stands out is battery life. carry the track.

The speaker has the longest it feels like there’s stamina in this shootout at sometimes just a bit too 16 hours; impressive given much bass for accuracy, and the small size. in terms of we could have done with audio, we were pleasantly surprised to find that the speaker generally doesn’t overdo the bass, with good attention to the mids.

For example, on a recording of Live

more clarity on the all-important solo for this piece, but the SrS-XB10 certainly put in a lively performance befitting the “eXTrA BASS” moniker.

the control buttons on this speaker need a larger surface.

the SrS-Xb10’s ports are hidden behind a rubber flap.

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X-miNi KAi X2 The kai X2 is part of X-mini’s newest line Songs that heavily feature vocals seem of speakers, featuring a sleek new modern to work best with this speaker, but whether look that’s quite a departure from the old it was the rocking vibes of Jon Bon Jovi’s design. Unlike the rest of the speakers in Keep the Faith, or the frenetic string work this shootout, the kai X2 isn’t built with a of vivaldi’s Concerto No. 1 in E major, Op. 8, strap or hook of any sort, nor do they boast RV 269, “La primavera” (Spring), the kai X2 waterproofing. handled it all with equal vigor during our instead, it has a matte general testing. space grey finish with no As you can imagine, this visible controls. Those are translated to our formal found in the rubberized base test tracks too, with an even below, which means you’ll performance throughout. need your phone to do the the intro of Elements of Life heavy lifting once you’ve

by Tiesto was nicely handled works well with all placed the speaker down. with just enough bass and genres of music.

Clearly, the kai X2 is meant energy, but the speaker’s to be used at home, perhaps delivery left you wishing it paired with your laptop for was just a bit darker with a Playback buttons are casual listening. slightly wider soundstage. difficult to get to.

After running through it also did well with a few of our test tracks, it Adele’s Melt My Heat to became quickly evident that Stone, delivering a nice the mids are the best part of warm rendition that placed the speaker’s range. it neither has the crisp good balance on both vocals and backing highs of the Beoplay P2 nor the rumbly lows of the SrS-XB10, but it does provide energy and excitement to almost every track it takes on.

freQuency reSPonSe 65Hz-20kHz SiZe 78 x 78 x 70 mm WeigHt 270g Price PhP 3,670

instruments.

The X-Mini kai 2 sells for the price of PhP 3,670, more expensive than the Clip 2, but much more affordable than the Beoplay P2.

the microSd is hidden away near the base.

all the controls are at the bottom of the speaker.

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S p e c i F i c a t i o N S

Model

b&o beoPlay P2

creatiVe MuVo 2c

Jbl cliP 2

Sony SrSXb10

X-Mini Kai X2

Frequency response

68Hz-21kHz

65hz-20khz

120Hz – 20kHz

20Hz-20kHz

50Hz-18kHz

Bluetooth version

4.2.

ADk 4.0 supported

4.2.

A2DP, AvrCP, HFP supported

4.2.

A2DP v1.3, AvrCP v1.6, HFP v1.6, HSP v1.2 supported

4.2.

SBC/AAC/A2DP/ AvrCP/HFP/HSP support

4.0 A2DP, AvrCP, HFP, HSP supported

Battery life

10 hours

6 hours

8 hours

16 hours

8 hours

Charge time (full charge)

2 hours

3 hours

2.5 hours

4.5 hours

2.5 hours

Waterproofing

—

IP66

IPX7

IPX5

—

Size

140 x 80 x 28mm

67 x 93 x 38mm

141 x 94 x 42mm

75 x 75 x 91mm

78 x 78 x 70mm

Weight

275g

159g

184g

260g

270g

Price

PhP 9,990

PhP 2,990

PhP 3,099

PhP 2,999

PhP 3,670

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83

c o N c l u S i o N

TEsT

best value

TEsT

best

perFormanCe

ThE BEST pOCkETABLE wirELESS SpEAkErS iS… B&O BEOpLAY p2 Quite simply, the sound from Beoplay P2 was much better than everything else. What it doesn’t have in volume, it makes up for in imaging and clarity. That mid-woofer driver allows the speaker to excel on different genres of music. The tap and shake control options offered by the app also provide a fairly handy way of controlling the speaker without having to resort to buttons that are too small to touch. Thankfully, this is one time when the performance lives up to the higher price tag.

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HWM PH | OctOber 2017

ThE BEST VALuE FOr mONEY iS… SoNy SRS-XB10 not only was the Sony SrS-XB10 one of the most affordable speakers in this shootout, it also has the longest battery life of the group at 16 hours, which is certainly a big factor for a portable speaker. More crucially, it turned in one of the better all-around performances on our test tracks, hence justifying itself as our best value performer.

l e a r N

Wedding PhotograPhy tiPs from adobe Shooting weddings can be one of the most stressful assignments a photographer can get. Here are some tips from photographer Bryan Foong to get the best out of the images you capture.

PIctUreS bryan Foong

Edited by Marcus Wong

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HWM PH | OctOber 2017

after edits

1 before edits

during edits

1 shooting at the right time of the day WiLL give you the most sPectacuLar coLors. this is to avoid harsh or unfLattering Light.

This image was taken in New Zealand right about sunrise.

Bryan carefully controlled the exposure to make sure that the highlights would not be overexposed, and to allow enough details and light to come through in the shadows, so that he could enhance them later in Lightroom.

While editing in Lightroom, Bryan also adjusted the white balance, contrast, and exposure to bring out the warm tones of the sunrise. (It was actually a really cold autumn morning.)

He further enhanced the blues and orange via the Hue

Saturation Luminance (HSL) slider, adjusting the blue hue to bring out a slightly richer tone in the sky, and lowering the luminance to achieve a more dramatic background.

As the subjects’ skin tone shared the same orange tone as the sunrise, Bryan made minor adjustments to get the skin tone to what he wanted, and thereafter used the adjustment brush to bring out more saturation and vibrance in the sunrise at the top-left-hand corner.

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l e a r N after edits

2 before edits

before edits

after edits

3

2 the big cLean uP

To avoid the crowds, Bryan and the couple arrived at the train station way before the earliest boarding time. He placed the couple at the end of the train where they would get natural light at the highest intensity, letting him achieve an exposure where the couple would be properly lit up without overexposing the blue sky. Knowing that his camera had good shadow recovery capabilities, Bryan shot at a low ISO setting with the intention of brightening the shadowed area at the back of the image in Lightroom. He also adjusted the whites in Lightroom to achieve a soft, glowing look on the wedding gown.

Moving on to Photoshop, Bryan then made use of content aware fill to remove the small crowd at the back as well as the many distracting elements – such as the cross at the front of the train, the yellow line, and spots on the ground.

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HWM PH | OctOber 2017

3 modern minimaList image

This next image was shot one evening in Singapore. Bryan made use of the strong sunlight to create a nice light rim separating the couple from the background. He chose a higher perspective for this location to achieve a clean minimalist look, and at the same time, made use of the natural lines and curves to create an interesting, modern image.

In Lightroom, Bryan adjusted the curves to further accentuate the whites and blacks for a cleaner high-key look.

Moving on to Photoshop, he then used the clone stamp tool to remove the red object on the right side of the image.

4

after edits

before edits

before edits

5

after edits

4 skin tone and retouching

Bryan placed the bride near a natural light source to achieve a soft glow on her face.

In Lightroom, Bryan adjusted the white balance to show what the natural light and colors looked like that morning. He also adjusted the bride’s skin tone using the HSL sliders on the reds and orange.

Moving to Photoshop, Bryan used the spot healing tool to remove the slight blemishes on the subject’s skin, and also made use of frequency separation to even out the skin tone and slightly smoothen the skin. This technique creates two layers – one layer for the adjustment of the color and another layer for the adjustment of the details. The color layer helps even out the skin tone, while the details layer helps to smoothen out the skin.

As a final touch, Bryan used the quick mask tool to reduce the slight yellow tinge on the bride’s teeth created as a result of warming up the white balance earlier.

5 shooting into the Light

This image was taken in a summer at a desert in Nevada.

Bryan waited until the moment right before the sun set into the horizon. At this time, there was still enough ambient light to light the couple. Bryan had to control the amount of light entering the lens by strategically placing the sun between the roof of the car and the couples’ heads. If more light entered his lens, he would have gotten unwanted flare in his image and would lose the contrast he wanted.

In Lightroom, he used the vignette tool to darken the edges of the image, drawing attention to the couple. The vignette used had high feathering set so that it would appear more gradual and natural. Bryan says the key is not to create a dark outline on the image but a subtle look to enhance the mood.

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l e a r N

What makes a good lens?

Canon L lens technology, explained simply.

By Alvin Soh The Canon L series of lenses is marked by a bright red line on the lens barrel, and it’s the lens of choice for professionals using Canon cameras. A lot goes into the making of an L lens, so that the final image is sharp, clear, and free from optical distortions. Here are key L technologies, simply explained.

Photographed with ef 24-105mm

Light is dispersed and focal points do not converge

Spherical lens Focal points align

1

AsphericAl lenses minimize AberrAtions

90

2

GlAss isn’t AlWAYs best

Chromatic aberration, also known as color fringing or purple fringing, is when images look blurry, or when colors appear around the edges of objects, especially in high-contrast and backlit photographs.

Chromatic aberration occurs because the wavelengths of light bend at different points within a lens, and the lens is unable to focus all wavelengths onto the same focal plane.

To counter chromatic aberration, Canon developed lenses made from synthetic crystals, composed mainly of calcium fluoride. Fluorite lenses have better light

HWM PH | OctOber 2017

WhY White?

W

hy are some Canon L lenses white? According to Canon, it’s to reduce heat absorption when a lens is used in bright sunlight, where wildlife and event photographers might shoot. White reflects more light than black, and reduces the effects that heat might have on the lens.

PIctUreS canon

Spherical lenses are cheaper to produce, but because light passing through a spherical lens converges at different focal points, it results in a softer, low contrast image, like photographing through a sheer veil. This is an optical phenomena known as spherical aberration.

An aspherical lens, which has a non-spherical surface, is designed to converge light rays onto a single focal point, allowing the camera to capture high contrast images with uniform sharpness. Aspherical lenses can also reduce other optical aberrations like astigmatism and distortion.

Aspherical lenses, however, are difficult to make. Some of Canon’s aspherical lens designs require precision tolerances

that are in the nanometer range, or 1/1,000,000 of a millimeter. Deviations of more than that are rejected.

\

DiD You knoW?

Photographed with ef 16-35mm f2.8l iii uSM

dispersion properties than regular glass, helping in reducing chromatic aberration and producing clearer image delineation than conventional glass.

3

ultrAsonic motors for ultrAsonic Af

Almost all L lenses use Canon’s Ultrasonic Motor (USM), the company’s unique drive system. The USM converts ultrasonic vibration into rotational energy with one-thousandth of a millimeter precision, and draws minimal power from the camera while remaining quiet.

The USM has high torque, with virtually instantaneous starts and stops. All of its qualities make it ideal as a high-

speed, high-precision motor for the AF system.

4

ois holDs the shot steADY

Optical image stabilization (OIS) is critical in getting sharp and steady images, especially at long focal lengths where small nudges translate to big movements.

Canon’s OIS technology detects camera shake with a vibration gyro sensor and shifts parts of the lens to counteract the image blur.

While Canon’s IS technology is lens-based, there are also cameras that come with in-camera body OIS. There are pros and cons to either approach, but generally speaking, lensbased OIS is more fine-tuned, as it’s tailored specifically for

the lens it’s housed in. Lensbased OIS can also be more effective in compensating for the more violent shakes from long telephoto lenses.

5

coAtinGs reDuce GhostinG AnD flAre

Flare or ghosting optical aberrations can occur when light reflects off the lens or sensor. Canon’s L lenses contain a combination of unique coatings to combat these aberrations.

This includes the newly developed Subwavelength Structure Coating (SWC) which minimizes flare and ghosting by using wedgeshaped nano structures. The Air Sphere Coating (ASC) applies a film containing microspheres of air over the vapor-deposition lens

Lenses are still made by hand at Canon’s Utsunomiya Office in Japan.

Master craftsmen (and women), also known as ‘takumi’ in Japanese, shape, assemble, and check the lenses at the lens factory, hand in hand with automated processes. It takes 25 to 30 years before a lens technician can attain the status of a master. coating, resulting in exceptional anti-reflectivity.

There’s the Super Spectra Coating which allows up to 99.9% of light to emerge from each lens element, delivering optimum color balance, so that colors are reproduced accurately.

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91

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c o N t e S t

auto-gard brain Teaser a

b

c

1

2

3

rainy days are here again! Unfortunately, the wet season can be a big nuisance for many vehicle owners. Think of the flooded and mud-caked streets, or the sudden drizzle just after taking your auto to a carwash station. All of these can ruin the clean, polished look of your vehicle in an instant. Thankfully, auto-gard is here to help you in keeping your

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ride look good in spite of the weather. Making this issue more exciting, Auto-Gard is giving away a carwash Kit, together with a red X emergency Kit, Kobe car Mat, Kobe car cover, and a red X Hydraulic floor Jack 2ton! Win all of these by arranging the jumbled images above. Send your answer in the following format: 1.A., 2.B., 3.C.

win These

Send in your answer to editor. ph@hwzcorp.com with the title of this contest as the subject, together with your complete name, address, and contact number. For more details about the products, visit @ Autogardph on FB.

Terms and Conditions • This contest is open to all HWM readers except staff of Hardware Zone Phils. Corp. • The qualifying period for this contest is until 30 September 2017. • Only the winner(s) of the contest will be notified via email. • Winners are given 15 days to respond to the notification email and another 15 days since replying to claim their respective prizes. Prizes not claimed within this period will be forfeited. • Selection panel’s decisions are final and no correspondence will be entertained. • Only one (1) entry per reader in a particular contest. • Should the specified prize be no longer available (e.g., phased out), the contest sponsor may change the prize to another product of similar or equal value. • By sending in your entries, you are agreeing to the above-mentioned terms and conditions.

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HWM PH | OctOber 2017

GDG DevFest Philippines Highlights GDG DevFest is an annual global community-run developer event that focuses on community building and learning new Google Technologies. Each DevFest is inspired by and is uniquely tailored to the needs of the developer community and is powered by a shared belief that when developers come together to exchange ideas, amazing things can happen.

Annually, this event is hosted by Google Developers Group Philippines (GDGPH), a group of enthusiastic Filipino developers interested to collaborate and learn more about new technologies, and this year is different from the previous DevFest events held in the country.

As part of GDG PH’s celebration of its 10th year anniversary, DevFest Philippines 2017 was named the Grandest Technology Event of the year in the country last October 14 at the Green Sun Hotel, as it offered learning sessions on multiple product areas by speakers from reputable tech organizations and institutions, both locally and internationally. In this conference, participants were equipped with new knowledge and skills that can be immediately applied or brought back into their respective companies or businesses.

DevFest was as thrilling as it was insightful. It became an avenue for shared tech interests and catalyzed collaborations among the tech community. It only goes forwards from here, and GDG Philippines is en route to bringing brighter and bigger DevFests and events.

Catch the latest news about us and our events by following our social media accounts: Facebook (Google Developer Group Philippines); Twitter (@gdgph); Google Plus (GDG Philippines).

To know more about GDG Philippines, point your browsers to https://www.gdgph.org/

It’s seamless - With a dedicated team assigned, conference related activities (registration, acquisition of stubs, and feedback forms, among others) were digitized and gamified codelab apps were improved.

World-class talks and workshops - DevFest featured a pool of international and local speakers, from established organizations like Google, Mozilla, PayMaya, that are experts in various Mobile, Web, and Cloud Technologies. It also let its participants experience the latest Google technologies by setting up booths that showcased these devices.

Collaborative party and networking It was also aptly capped by an after event gathering and celebration through which participants were able to unwind and enjoy themselves. They were also able to expand their network through sharing insightful conversations and connecting with various tech enthusiasts.