Ms sect c 20161211 sunday

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Business

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2016 Ray S. Eñano, Editor / Roderick dela Cruz, Issue Editor business@thestandard.com.ph

YOUNG ZALORA CEO CHANGES FASHION RETAIL

By Othel V. Campos

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32-YEAR-OLD executive is driving the growth of electronic commerce in the Philippines, encouraging millennials to shop for fashion items through their smartphones.

Paulo Campos III, the Princeton University-educated co-founder and

managing director of Zalora Philippines, says his company is scaling up operations to keep up with the frenetic activities during the holiday season.

“The market is accelerating this year compared to last year and even faster than the last time we talked.

Christmas is drawing more and more customers to shop online,” Campos says in a news briefing.

“Sales momentum started to pick-up as early as October, a few weeks earlier than last year. And the peaks and highs are even higher than last year. But I can tell you in December we’re averaging more than double the traffic last year, or more than 100 percent,” says Campos, while announcing Zalora’s biggest sales event—12.12 Online Fever—a four-day campaign that starts midnight of Dec. 12 across Southeast Asia.

Zalora Philippines, which is supported by Germany’s Rocket Internet GmBh, is Asia’s leading online fashion retailer. Campos helped establish Zalora Philippines in January 2012 when he was 28, after working for The Boston Consulting Group in Singapore and Ayala Land Inc. Campos graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Princeton University in 2005.

He also has an MBA degree from Harvard Business School.

Campos says this year’s cyber sales event offers exclusive deals on more than 200 fashion and beauty brands across six markets, including the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Indonesia.

Campos says 12.12 Online Fever is a region-wide sales event that aims to drive the e-commerce industry across the region, bringing to consumers some of the best deals that encourage online purchases and convert traditional shoppers into e-consumers.

He observes that buyers have been spending more time on the net, especially when the holiday season peaks.

From browsing an average of 10 minutes in previous years, consum-

ers are now spending 13 to 14 minutes per browse on the net “which maybe small from a consumer point of view but big for us already.”

“The more they spend time visiting our site, the more they get engaged, the more they tend to make a purchase,” he says. “More engagement, I think, is because of more brands [and] better assortment [of products]. They are more coming to the website and the figure is doubling.” Globally, Zalora has seen an increase in new customers by 32 percent. With most of the major brands now housed in Zalora, the company is focused on deepening engagements with brands and with customers.

“We are always adding more brands, but at this rate we got almost the big ones. Now we’re going deeper as we are shifting our focus to deepening the engagement with customers. We will be doing other brands, as well. Those big names that haven’t signed up up with us, we intend to convince them more,” Campos says.

“The thing about big brands is that they create incremental demand. In fashion, it’s all in the brand.

Our progress this year, why we move from strength to strength, is because we’ve proven that our brand profile is one of the best in the online world,” says Campos.

As sales grow brisk, operations are also expected to keep up with the volume. Zalora is beefing up its delivery system, hiring more riders on top of the current fleet of 400.

Zalora is pro-active, he says, as it moves to determine fashion trends, globally and on the regional scale.

It also helps consumers arrive at a decision via the shopper’s price comparison.

Cyber shopping has changed the mindset of Filipino consumers, he says. In 2016, the Philippines reached the average global e-commerce penetration rate.

A study by an independent research company in Singapore shows that about 46 percent of Filipinos now have access to the internet, while 29 percent of Filipinos have experienced online shopping.

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ONLINE RETAILER.

Zalora Philippines co-founder and managing director Paulo Campos III

TECH TRENDS IN 2017 LOCAL cloud services and data center pioneer IP Converge Data Services Inc. predicts the top ICT trends that will dominate the Philippines next year.

IPC director for product management and marketing Niño Valmonte says the integration of various digital tools and solutions in the workplace will continue to lead as increasing trends and the benefits that go with them emerge.

“The adoption of digital tools which started in 2016 extends to 2017 and beyond, as Filipinos become more digitally reliant not only in their personal lives but at work as well,” Valmonte says.

With office space generally becoming smaller and smaller, and the traffic situation worsening over time, SMEs and large enterprises are now starting to look at the possibility of implementing “work-at-home” or “work-from-anywhere” options.

“With almost everyone having devices and Internet connection at home or on the go, the option of telecommuting is viable for employees who want to stay productive,” says Valmonte.

The support of telecommuting has increasingly found support even from the government as the Department of Information and Communications Technology recently suggested this option during the 1st DICT Summit in November.

With the proliferation of various SaaS (software-as-a-service) business applications available today, companies can maintain and even increase productivity anytime and anywhere.

The future of telecommuting is seen to be clearer in light with high smartphone penetration rate which is expected to reach 70 percent by 2018, and general price reduction of other mobile devices becoming prevalent in the market.

Online chat apps allow teams to both collaborate in open forums or just casually talk or catch up in private messages.

This saves precious time and effort since employees need only to type on their PCs or even in their mobile phones anytime and anywhere.

“Being a social people, we Turn to C2

WELCH’S LAUNCHES NEW CAMPAIGN IN PH

Welch’s marketing representative Erika Rodriguez

WELCH’S, a leading brand for bottled fruit juices, has been a part of the dinner table for over 140 years. The brand is named after its founder, Dr. Thomas Bramwell Welch, who decided to serve grape juice instead of wine to his fellow parishioners in Vineland, New Jersey back in 1869.

Welch’s has since been popularly known for its grape juice variant that’s made with 100-percent grapes, particularly of Concord grapes that give it a distinct bold taste.

These grapes are grown and harvested by about 1,000 family-farmer owners in vineyards found across the United States and Canada. For these families, farming is not just their source of livelihood but a way of life.

The anecdote also encapsulates what the brand has become synonymous and what has endured to this day – the company’s desire to bring

goodness to people and places. In the Philippines, families have enjoyed the freshness of Welch’s juices for the past 20 years.

“Filipinos give value to the presence of their families more than anything,” says Erika Ro driguez, Welch’s marketing representative in the Philippines. “This value resonates with Welch’s thrust on family and tradition as we are a family-farmer owned organization.”

In line with the brand’s global vision, Welch’s Philippines has embarked on a new campaign called “Share What’s Good.” The campaign aims to start a movement that’s all about sharing the goodness of intimate moments and celebrations made even more special by Welch’s great-tasting fruit juices and sparkling beverages.

“Welch’s believes in the magic of ‘kitchen table’ moments and has

been helping families enjoy them for generations. In the time it takes to drink a glass of juice or share a sandwich, a special moment can happen. It’s all about sharing those special moments that occur each day with family, friends, and loved ones – whether it’s at home or on the go,” says Erika.

Goodness not only refers to the taste and refreshing quality of Welch’s products. The campaign also aims to highlight the health benefits of drinking Welch’s grape juice.

The entire Concord grape is pressed into the juice so every glass contains a concentrated amount of polyphenols, a natural plant nutrient, that plays a key role in supporting a healthy heart. Welch’s also presents a convenient and easier way of making healthier choices for family since Welch’s 100-percent Grape Juice Turn to C2

Business

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SUNDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2016 business@thestandard.com.ph

MINDANAO LASS WINS CARMUDI SCHOLARSHIP ONLINE car classifieds site Carmudi Philippines announced the winner of its third scholarship program, created to help diligent but financially needy students in the Philippines.

This semester, the winner of the scholarship program hails from the city of Koronadal in South Cotabato. Lorraine Pajarillo, an Accountancy major from Notre Dame of Marbel University in South Cotabato, has shown diligence and perseverance with regard to her academic endeavors, securing her place as Carmudi’s scholar this term.

Carmudi Philippines believes that education plays an important role in the development of an individual and society as a whole.

As such, the Carmudi PH Scholarship Program was created to encourage and provide support for academically gifted students all over the country.

Kape Umali owner Rondel Olarte

THERAPIST COUPLE REVIVES BAGUIO’S COFFEE INDUSTRY

By Anna Leah E. Gonzales Lorraine Pajarillo (center) receives a certificate of scholarship from Carmudi.

The program is open nationwide to all 3rd and 4th year college students who have good academic standing. If selected, the chosen scholar will receive a financial grant amounting to P30,000.

The grant can be used to pay for school tuition and other academic fees.

Pajarillo is the eldest of three siblings and the daughter of a bank employee and a housewife. With her father being the family’s only source of income, she has taken the initiative to buy and sell books in order to help her parents cover some of the expenses at school.

Currently, Pajarillo is in her 7th semester and is about to graduate as one of the top students in her batch. She has consistently excelled in her studies and has always been at the top of her class. She has also consistently made it as a dean’s lister and will be a remarkable candidate for Latin honors when she graduates next year.

Aside from having excellent grades, Pajarillo has also been known for her cocurricular and extracurricular activities.

This is evidenced by her participation in a team that competed against larger schools and popular universities in a national scientific investigatory contest. Her team’s project about the effects of coconut, bamboo, cogon grass and banana tree on blood clotting won them the award.

Aside from that, she has been a member of the Girl Scouts of the Philippines and is also one of her school’s top competitive debaters.

This balanced life inside and outside of school has made Pajarillo the recipient of this semester’s Carmudi PH scholarship grant.

WELCH’S...

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comes in a variety of sizes (64oz, 46oz, 16oz and 10oz), which means children can bring a bottle of Welch’s to school, to a potluck family event, or to an out-of-town trip.

“Nothing brings together Filipino families like a spread of delicious food and Welch’s is a brand that reflects the Filipino’s love for celebrations and sense of community,” says Jun Cochanco, president of Fly Ace Corp., Welch’s Philippine distributor.

“We are proud to share the goodness of Welch’s to Filipino families.”

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Filipinos are known for our use of a variety of communication apps. In fact, a study made by We Are Social revealed that Filipinos tops the list of countries with the most time spent on social media each day with an average time of 5 hours and 12 minutes,” he says.

Businesses of all shapes and sizes will also increasingly spend time to derive business value from data. Organizations

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physical therapist couple has revived Baguio City’s coffee industry with an initial capital of P10,000, creating dozens of jobs from farms to stores since 2004.

Rondel Olarte, 37, is currently managing Kape Umali, the first coffee shop in Baguio. The shop, which was established by her grandmother in 1948 in Shangri-La Village along Asin Road, offers espresso-based latte, cappuccino, Americano, macchiato and mocha.

“It’s coffee from earth to cup. But we also provide coffee seedlings for farmers and give coffee 101 seminars and consultations for farmers, cafe owners and baristas,” says Olarte.

He says the coffee shop aims to excite customers by serving premium quality coffee, espresso beverage and coffee cocktails with the traditional Filipino touch.

“Growing up, I was exposed to the coffee industry at an early age as I recall from the stories my family told me and to some accounts from relatives and business colleagues. In 1948 after the Japanese invasion of the Philippines, Arsenia Umali fled Lipa, Batangas with her only son Alberto Umali Olarte—my father to the highlands of Baguio City,” Olarte says.

Olarte says to provide for her son and family, her grandmother brought the barako coffee to the Cordilleras to make a living. “Buying and selling coffee, they stumbled upon the Benguet coffee locally grown in the Cordilleras. The first store was established in 1948 located in Baguio City public market as a family business and became a prominent name as a coffee supplier in cooperation with several farms providing coffee around the region, helping each other for the love of coffee. Using the family name Umali which also means welcome in the Cordilleran dialect. Hence, the store was called Umali Coffee Store,” he says.

Umali Coffee became the number one source of coffee beans, not only in the city, but in the entire province and most parts of northern Luzon in the 1960s and 1970s. It had two store branches located at the public market and Baguio hangar market. In the 1980s, they started venturing into cafeterias located at Hangar Market, Hilltop Hotel and 2nd Kayang Street.

After her grandmother’s death, most of the stores were under different administrations mostly because of unsettled debt, mismanagement and many other reasons.

“However, the first store held its ground and survived the turmoil. Then, almost my entire family left for the United States. The stores were offered to other companies and were in lease for almost a decade,” Olarte says.

“When my wife [Sheila Marie Gumban Olarte] and I came into the picture, we revived the coffee shop. Caffeine Addict was established 2004 in Nevada Square in Baguio City under the collaboration of Sendero Luminoso and Umali Coffee Store, and tried to regain the Umali name as a dominant coffee provider,” he says.

In 2010, Umali Coffee Store and Caffeine Ad-

will have to adapt technologies to map with IoT. With big data analytics, a company can enhance customer experience, streamline existing processes, achieve more targets, and reduce costs.

“Analytics drive business by showing how your customers think, what they want, and how the market views your brand. In the coming year, this will be a cornerstone of how businesses operate. Every important decision can and should be supported by data and analytics,” says Valmonte.

dict were consolidated under Kape Umali Coffee Company in cooperation with GFI (established in 1987), as its coffee farms and roasting partner, reclaiming its original stature in the Cordillera market with the help of loyal customers, good relations with local coffee farmers and other client companies.

In 2011, Kape Umali reopened at its original location at Hangar Market and in Shangri-La village.

In 2013, the simple coffee shop became a micro roaster and a diner.

Olarte says in 2014, he and his wife re-invented the coffee shop and roaster into a jazz café. They also started offering barista training to friends who also want to start their own shops.

“At present, Kape Umali is inching its way once again as one of the biggest source of roasted coffee beans in the region. We are now providing coffee all throughout the Philippines and other parts of the globe. Venturing to coffee shops, cafeterias and coffee merchandising. We are also advocating agriculture development in-support of farmers’ better welfare, empowering start-up coffee shops through supply and barista assistance, and uplifting the coffee industry in the Philippines,” he says.

Olarte says while they have managed their own farms, most of their supplies are from local farmers of Benguet and Cavite single-origin farms and consolidated farms.

According to Olarte, the business is currently doing well as people start to appreciate the local coffee industry. “It’s doing well. We are currently on the rise because of the nationwide awareness of the coffee culture. If I remember correctly back in 2013, during the Department of Trade and Industry’s first Coffee Conference, where I was one of the speakers.

There were just a handful of stakeholders, farmers that are into coffee, roasters and even local coffee shops around. In just a span of three years, these numbers doubled in size,” says Olarte.

Olarte says despite the success, he did not plan to be an entrepreneur, initially. “I just did what I had to do to survive and to keep the legacy alive.

My wife and I are licensed physical therapists. I graduated at Pines City Colleges in Baguio City and had my Master’s at Philippine Rehabilitation Institute in Quezon City,” he says.

“It was the circumstances, opportunities that opened—the simple passion about coffee and the desire for self improvement that drove me into this line of work,” Olarte says.

As the business started to gain popularity, Olarte said there were a lot of challenges along the way. “Of course there were challenges, and I believe there will be more to come. When we started, the first thing that we encountered was emotional distress. A lot of people did not have faith in what we were doing. Some even laughed and said we were crazy.”

“The solution—ignore them and focus on what we do. Next would be funding, although we started small and business was okay. Small capital means small income. We have to upgrade and increase our stock. Since saving what was left was not enough, we resulted in loans, consignments and even doing a lot of garage sales. It was all worth it,” Olarte says.

Olarte says people could not believe that they were able to revive the business from an initial capital of P10,000. “If they ask me how, I usually just answer it was keen planning and right tim-

ing,” Olarte says.

Olarte says that as they ventured into the coffee industry, they found things that made them more interested to improve their business. “Being in the medical field, we managed to incorporate our profession into the business. Treating coffee like a pharmaceutical, we try to suggest coffee drinks that suits our client’s age, lifestyle and even medical condition. Another thing that made us curious is the history of coffee. We are fond of trivias and coffee has lots of them. There were so many interesting personalities, events and discoveries that coffee had fueled and revolutionized. And we get to encounter clients with the same passion as us which makes it more fulfilling,” says Olarte.

Olarte says when they have time, he and his wife draw and paint. Some of their artworks are displayed in their shops.

“Being an artist myself, making coffee is also an art form. From agriculture to processing to roasting all the way down to making latte art,” he says.

“I’m also a member of the band Cortado. I play double bass [contrabajo], electric bass guitar, guitar and I’m also a vocalist. We have regular sets in some establishments in Baguio city and of course in our own shop,” he says.

On weekdays, Olarte says most of his time goes to coffee roasting. “We roast two to three times a week. Most deliveries are done on the weekdays and most of our meetings as well. Wednesdays, we do cupping and quality check on our coffee, in-house barista training and our monthly coffee seminar. During weekends, most of our patrons come to have coffee. The coffee stores as well as the shops, are bombarded with different customers from all walks of life. Weekends at the Jazz Café is the only time that there are bands playing and events are held,” Olarte says.

Olarte believes that one of the things that made the business successful is dedication.

“Since we are 100 percent involved or as they say, hands on to our business, most of our employees are my relatives and friends just numbering to 20. As a coffee provider, we want to earn the loyalty of customers and grow the business by developing and marketing coffee products such as Arabica, Liberica, Excelsa and Robusta that are leaders in quality and customer interest.

To enable and inspire customers to enjoy a coffee experience by providing distinctive, excellent service, high quality products, superior coffee and knowledge,” says Olarte.

Olarte says the company is undergoing expansion. “We started branching out within Baguio.

We now have four branches within the city. We are also partnering outlets in La Trinidad, Manila, Bacoor, Tuguegarao, Cebu, San Fernando, Tarlac, and also in Budapest, Hungary.”

“We are very optimistic and highly enthusiastic to move forward with all our plans for the next five or ten years. As coffee has transcended from the simple house brewing to the first second and third wave of coffee shops. We anticipate the rise of the coffee culture globally especially in the Philippines,” Olarte says.

“I could say that my biggest accomplishment would be making a mark in the coffee industry especially here in the Cordilleras. If you entered a business, engulf yourself into that industry.

Know everything about it and love what you do.

Don’t learn how to love your job. You should love it even before you know it’s your job,” Olarte says.

With more and more companies becoming aware of the benefits of “going digital,” the integration of automated processes in businesses will continue to rise. This evolution is perpetuated by the convergence of multiple trends across different sectors such as mobile technology,

social media, IT, and data security.

This year, IPC held a series of workshops and training seminars to urge companies to further develop their businesses using digital tools.

Called “Gear Up to Innovate: An essential blueprint for digital transformation,” the seminars featured an immersive demo of collaborative business applications and witness how workplace productivity can be elevated through these tools.

Gadgets & Games

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SUNDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2016 rumallari@thestandard.com.ph

OPPO GIVING AWAY 100 F1 UNITS

Jay Ranola, Alvin Habaña, Chris Papa and Don Navarro of Dell are shown during the Dell Inspiron 15 launch.

DELL INSPIRON 15 GAMING LAPTOP PACKS A WALLOP

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F you want a truly powerful laptop for an exciting gaming experience, look no further, Dell Inspiron 15 is here.

Extra-capacity heat exchangers connected by oversized piping to dual cooling fans with high-efficiency blade pitch is specifically engineered to handle the powerful combination of Intel’s 6th generation quad-core mobile CPUs and NVIDIA’s latest GeForce® GTX 960M discrete graphics with 4 GB of blazing fast GDDR5 memory, thus giving high frame-per-second rates in games and immersive experience while playing.

Its 6-cell 74WHr battery can power your favorite games or uninterrupted creative works up to 13.5 hours.

Dell Philippines recently introduced its newest baby, the Inspiron 15 Gaming laptop that is expected to fit the needs of gaming enthusiasts.

Featuring the most aggressive performance design and components offered within the Inspiron laptop family, Inspiron 15 boasts of powerful quad core processors from Intel, discrete graphics and a deepreserve battery for users’ ultimate gaming experience.

“Game development industry in the Philippines continues to grow and the growing number of colleges and universities in the country offering formal game development courses means we’ll see a large number of developers and game enthusiasts in the near future, said Chris Papa, country manager, Dell Philippines.

“Game developers and enthusiast expect outstanding outcome of creative works and performance that demonstrate true professional quality and at the same time bringing rich entertainment experience to life. This new Inspiron gaming laptop is the essential device for them.”

Even the screen looks stunning with its Truelife Ultra HD (4K resolution) and its FHD anti-glare displays, allowing one to enjoy the games in stunning, brilliant details. For power users, the ability to see things to the finest detail is a critical advantage to deliver high-quality creative works.

The stunning display is complemented by its Dell-designed high performance speakers with onboard subwoofer and Waves MaxxAudio® Pro, delivering a pure audio experience.

Tailored for gamers

After sales service

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Inspiron 15 houses dedicated forFor those concerned with its after ward and rearward thermal outlets. sales service, buying a Dell Inspiron

15 Gaming comes with Dell Premium Support service, with improved support and simplified steps. Just call Dell’s Hotline at +63 2 663 2000 or 1800 1601 0061.

Dell Premium Support eliminates the hassle with award-winning SupportAssist technology that automatically detects hardware and software issues and proactively alerts consumers with system alerts and by email when they occur. Dell’s expert technicians even call consumers with all the information they need to quickly resolve critical issues.

Dell Premium Support key service offerings include: • 24x7 support access by phone or online • Onsite service after remote diagnosis within 1-2 business days

• Single resource for hardware and software expertise • Proactive resolution of issues automatically detected by SupportAssist technology • Comprehensive software support and collaborative assistance for preinstalled software titles like Microsoft Office, Explorer, Outlook, and more • Help and “how to” for network connectivity, printer setup, back-up, anti-virus set up, operating system upgrades and more For more information, visit www. dell.com/premiumsupport.

Availability and Pricing

The Inspiron 15 Gaming (7566) will be available starting mid-December 2016 with starting price of P49,990.

The Inspiron 15 Gaming laptop that is expected to fit the needs of gaming enthusiasts.

measurements a second.

Commenting on the Tango technology, Ngan said that Tango makes spatial data accessible and useful for everyone.

the market for new furniture as it simulates the appearance of an object inside the house before buying the actual furniture.

The Technology behind Tango

Three core technologies bring Tango experiences to life: motion tracking, depth perception and area learning.

Through motion tracking, the Phab2 Pro’s “eye” sees its own location in 3D. Area learning tells the smartphone its location.

Depth perception lets the device analyze the shape of the world around it by detecting surfaces and obstacles. And now for the first time ever, your smartphone can visualize and understand its surrounding objects and environment via sensors that capture more than 250,000

Uploaded selfies must be in JPG, GIF, or PNG format and should be at least 300x300 pixels. For the entry to be valid, a creative caption must accompany the selfie along with the hashtags #OPPOSelfieExpert and #NationalSelfieDay. Judges will select the winners from entries with the most votes. Participants can vote for only one entry but not their own selfie.

Winners will be announced on Dec. 28 via OPPO’s Facebook page. They will also be notified through e-mail.

For more details about the contest mechanics, please visit https://www. facebook.com/OPPOPH/.

VIDEO REFEREES, ANYONE?

LENOVO UNVEILS 1ST TANGO-ENABLED PHONE AUGMENTED Reality took the country by storm this year thanks to Pokémon GO, but fans of the technology will have another reason to rejoice as Lenovo Philippines unveiled the much-awaited Phab 2 Pro. LenovoPhab2 Pro, the world’s first Tango-enabled smartphoneprovides users an elevated AR experience with Google’s Tango technology. The said feature can map physical spaces and overlay it with virtual effects, track objects, and map indoor spaces. Those abilities allow for new types of apps, experiments, and designs that previously couldn’t be carried out on standard AR-enabled phablets out in the market.

At the launch, Lenovo Philippines Country General Manager Michael Ngan expressed that the arrival will open up new opportunities.

“With the limitless capabilities provided by Tango, we hope that the Phab 2 Pro can raise our customers to new heights by making them into designers, innovators, and builders with no boundaries stopping them.”

Buyers of the Phab 2 Pro are in for a treat as well as Google recently launched 25 Tangoenabled apps on Google Play.

Want to turn your living room into a scaled-down version of the Solar System?

Well, then Solar Simulator app should be just right up your alley! Once enabled, the app can automatically scale the entire Solar System to fit inside your room.

There are also other fun apps such as Raise which gives you a virtual 3D pet to take care of and Lowe’s Home Improvement which allows you to place items everywhere—a must for those looking in

DECEMBER is indeed a season of giving.

As a way of extending gratitude, mobile technology brand OPPO is giving away 100 units of F1s to lucky Facebook users who will participate in the National Selfie Day Contest.

“The National Selfie Day Contest is OPPO’s way of giving back after all the milestones we made this year. It’s also our way of rewarding netizens for creatively expressing their most unforgettable holiday moments in selfies,” said OPPO Philippines Brand Marketing Manager Stephen Cheng.

To join the contest, participants must first go to OPPO Philippines’ Facebook page and click the National Selfie Photo Contest tab.

Upon registration, participants must provide their full name, contact number, and email address. Each Facebook account can upload only one selfie entry.

Premium Smartphone Design

While Tango makes the Phab2 Pro unique, the device stands on its own as a premium smartphone. It is powered by the Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 652 processor, which brings efficient hardware integration and processing, leading 4G LTE connectivity, and cutting-edge time stamping and camera and sensor processing capabilities. Demanding computer vision processing is performed by a single, integrated and highly efficient Snapdragon processor with a tightly integrated suite of key modules including a DSP, ISP and integrated sensor hub. The

Snapdragon heterogeneous computing platform is optimally balanced for a Tango workload and is designed for all-day use. The Snapdragon 652 processor also quickly processes and time stamps all the rich sensor data simultaneously received from multiple camera sensors, gyro and accelerometer, resulting in a fast, smooth augmented reality experience, where 3D AR graphic overlays track more naturally to the physical surroundings.

The Phab2 Pro features Dolby AudioTM Capture 5.1 with Dolby Atmos® playback capabilities to help capture life’s moments on video with great quality audio. With Dolby Audio Capture 5.1, you can use crystal-clear 5.1-channel surround sound to record and share the full panorama of your life, adding amazing richness, clarity and depth to your special moments. Making this possible are three microphones, spatial capture with noise reduction, along with an onboard 16mp camera that supports crisp 4K video recording. Also, when you watch Dolby Atmos content over headphones, you’ll feel like you’re in the middle of the action on screen with immersive, moving audio. The 6.4-inch Phab2 Pro boasts an intelligent Assertive Display with a pin-sharp QHD (2,560 x 1,440) resolution, capable of optimizing image quality based on ambient lighting and content.

Aside from the Phab 2 Pro, Lenovo also launched the Phab 2and Phab2 Plus in the country. Made for an augmented entertainment experience, the Phab2 features a 1280x720 HD IPS Screen and Dolby Atmos speakers that enable the device to play sounds in crisp and clear 5.1 surround sound quality.

ZURICH—Assistant referees in video rooms with access to all match images will be used for the first time in FIFA competition at this month’s Club World Cup, FIFA said Wednesday.

The system will be trialed at the tournament in Japan which features Real Madrid and kicks off on Thursday, with FIFA appearing to be moving towards bringing in video referees for major competitions, including the World Cup. The video assistant referees— dubbed “an important piece of history” by FIFA—will correct referees in crucial match-changing decisions such as red card offences or penalty calls.

“This represents a big step forward in terms of testing the technology,” said Marco van Basten, FIFA’s chief officer of technical development.

“We are entering somewhat uncharted territory. Ultimately, these tests should prove invaluable in terms of determining whether the processes are sound or not.”

The match referee will continue to take the first as well as the final decision and will be able to review footage on a pitch-side monitor for certain decisions.

But the VARs (video assistant referees) will have access to all broadcast feeds, enabling them to alert the referee if he makes a call that images clearly suggest is incorrect.

“The VAR system has been developed, just like goal-line technology, to provide additional support for the referee,” said Massimo Busacca, FIFA’s head of refereeing.

“We want the essential flow of the game to be maintained.”

A follow-up series of tests will feature in competition in 12 countries, including in Brazil, France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands. AFP

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SUNDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2016 Riera U. Mallari, Editor rumallari@thestandard.com.ph

Gadgets & Games

IN SEARCH OF PERFECT CHRISTMAS GIFTS

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ESS than a month before Christmas Day, holiday shoppers are already poised to seek out the perfect gifts for their loved ones. Although different items will be chosen as presents for family and friends, the most thoughtful ones will always be those that can make the recipients’ quality of life better.

LG Music Flow P5 LG’s unique portfolio of convenience-enhancing electronics leaves the company well poised for success as people select the best gifts this festive season.

Share meaningful experiences together with LG’s 2016 TV line-up

Buying a new television set is in line with the heightened desire that many families have to spend quality time together during the holiday season.

LG’s all-new 4K OLED TV frontlines the best of LG’s 2016 home entertainment line-up with distinctive upgrades in producing perfect color imagery through Dolby Vision high dynamic range (HDR), a transformative technology that allows for a more dramatic visual experience.

New updates also include the innovative Picture-on-Glass Design, which brings consumers an ultra-thin 3.37 mm OLED panel with a translucent glass back to complement any decor scheme.

LG also partnered with top-tier

audio pioneer Harman/Kardon for a TV speaker system that delivers clean, distortion- and reverberation-free audio.

LG’s IPS panels are designed and developed with an advanced imaging technology that delivers ultra-realistic colors, as well as crisp details in stunning 4K. Compared to other types of television panels, LG IPS ensures true color accuracy, wide viewing angle, blur-free clarity, and a more durable, stable screen.

This impressive technology from LG is developed in their 2016 Super UHD TVs which redefine the ultra high definition TV category. Apart

LG OLED TV from the industry-leading IPS 4K Quantum Display, this includes the industry-leading and HDR Pro. These enable higher color reproduction rates, consistent, distortion-free picture quality from any viewing angle, and genuine HDR. There are also the LG Smart TVs, which are made even smarter by the new LG webOS 3.0, making for easier, faster navigation across various unique features.

LG’s TWIN Wash

Fully satisfy your music cravings with new LG portable speakers

While consumers go for

LG Dual DID Ref large U H D T Vs to upgrade the visual capabilities of their home theatre, re member that immersive high-quality audio systems play a key role in achieving the per fec t viewing experience.

LG’s latest models in LG’s popular Music Flow series—the LG Music Flow P5 and the LG Music Flow Sound 360—combine flexibility with premium sound quality to bring immersive home audio to a new generation of listeners.

Capable of connecting to TVs and smart devices over Bluetooth, LG’s Innovative sound bars and 360 degree portable speakers bring crystal clear sound to every any seat in the room.

The LG Music Flow P5 is a lightweight speaker, which offers unmatched style through its classic wooden variant and luxury pouch, provides rich and smooth sounds with up to 12 hours of battery life for the audiophile’s indulgence.

Meanwhile, the LG Music Flow Sound 360 offers the same powerful audio quality and pairing capa-

MOBILE APP MAKES AIRCON SHOPPING ECO-FRIENDLY THE hot tropical climate is driving air-conditioning sales in Metro Manila, with one out of five households having purchased an AC unit in the last two years according to German-based market research firm GfK. Similar trends are seen in neighboring countries. A joint 2015 study by the United Nations Environment Programme and the ASEAN Standard Harmonization Initiative for Energy Efficiency revealed that air-conditioning accounted for almost half of the total residential and commercial power demand in Southeast Asia.

“Increased energy consumption translates to higher carbon emissions,” said Engr. Arthur A. Lopez, ASEAN SHINE Country Coordinator for the Philippines. “While air-conditioning has become indispensible to our comfort and productivity in the Philippines, we need better ways to meet our needs so we can reduce our environmental impact.”

As part of its efforts to aid governments in building a regional policy roadmap on energy performance standards for air conditioners, ASEAN SHINE has developed a Cost Savings Calculator that can assist consumers in choosing the best energy-saving AC unit for their needs.

bilities as the P5, but it also sports a one-of-a-kind 360-degree design and can run on a 20-hour battery life.

Welcome the family home this festive season

As the family table is filled with a lot of feast-worthy delights, LG’s Advanced Door-in-Door refrigerators can keep food, including leftovers, fresh for longer periods, ensuring that nothing goes to waste.

G’s first-of-its kind Dual Door-inDoor refrigerator comes not only packed with features that improve efficiency but also exude class and style, as it sports two mini-doors, each seamlessly mounted on top of the unit’s main top doors, allowing owners to store and conveniently locate frequently consumed food and drinks. Its Hygiene Fresh+ feature and energy-efficient Inverter Linear Compressor work which keeps keep the temperature intact, keeping ingredients crisp and fresh for a long period of time with less vibration and noise than a conventional compressor system.

Minimize effort of the postholiday rush with LG’s TWIN Wash washing machine. Its ergonomic design features a revolutionary main washer and mini-washer system that ultimately saves time, space, and energy for homeowners.

The world’s first LG TWIN WashTM enables two separate loads to be washed simultaneously by combining a full-sized front loading washing machine that handles the bulk of the laundry while the miniwasher set in a hide-away pedestal can run a different cycle.

More savings at less energy

The Cost Savings Calculator is a mobile app that enables retail salespersons to compare two AC models by calculating total ownership costs including purchase price and yearly electricity costs. The results demonstrate how more energy-efficient air conditioners can provide consumers with greater economic benefits.

“A five-star air conditioner might seem more expensive at first, but the long-term savings compared with that of a three-star unit only show that higher efficiency models help you cut down your expenses over several years,” Engr. Lopez said.

Through the UNEP and the International Copper Association, ASEAN SHINE has also received a grant from the European Union to promote higher efficiency AC units by harmonizing test methods and energy efficiency standards across the ASEAN region.

The ASEAN SHINE Cost Savings Calculator is available via the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

For more information, please contact: Engr. Jovel C. Bulan Project Staff—ASEAN SHINE, Institute of Integrated Electrical Engineers of the Philippines, Inc., no. 41 Monte de Piedad St. Cubao Quezon City; Mobile #: +63 917-5166100 (Globe) / +63 927-9126129 (Globe); Email Add: aseanshine.phils@gmail.com

EXPERIENCE HUAWEI AT ITS SM CITY SAN LAZARO STORE

By Peter Paul Duran SIMPLE. Premium. Warm and comfortable. These are the characteristics that guide the newest in the line of concept stores by emerging global smartphone manufacturer Huawei, four keywords the company feels should embody the experience of every consumer at any of their more than 40 stores nationwide.

Huawei introduced a new store identity with its new Huawei Experience Store at SM City San Lazaro to match its even higher ambitions, welcoming consumers with exciting deals to spiceup the launch of its newest concept store—the first of three prospected to open next year in the country.

The third biggest global smartphone marketer’s latest concept store is located at the 3rd floor of the SM City San Lazaro, which formally opened its doors on November 29, 2016, to service mall goers and the surrounding community.

A customer tests the high-end Huawei P9

“We have launched this new concept store to provide a professional and efficient consumer experience for our customers. Ensuring that we will continue to grow, this is just one of the many stores we plan to open nationwide,” said Huawei Philippines country head Andy Fang during the ribbon-cutting ceremonies.

The company says they have also strengthened their commitment to high technology and innovation, and it’s important for the smartphone giant to be one of the world’s best-loved brands by consumers, always welcoming and intimate.

According to Huawei, each store reflects their more premium image and ambitions, and it must also reflect the same approachable spirit that has made them such a popular consumer choice.

In truth, the first six customers were offered 50 percent off of selected handsets after the formal launch of the store.

Huawei Philippines country head Andy Fang