Next In Tech: Home Technology For The Future

What’s in store for household tech in the Philippines for 2016?

Internet-connected washing machines, lightbulbs and devices of all kinds - the home automation trend has swept the world, and the Philippines is no exception.

Smart homes have arrived in the Philippines, with developments such as Twin Oaks Place offering housing for the future: incorporating state-of-the-art technology that allows you to control and monitor your home on the go. Forgot to turn off the lights? Now you can do so remotely using just your smartphone.

With a range of new smart devices again on show at global consumer electronics show CES held in Las Vegas last week, it appears this trend is here to stay. So what’s in store for the connected household for the new year? Property portal Lamudi Philippines takes a look at five new gadgets that are set to change the way we live in 2016.



The connected refrigerator

Samsung’s Family Hub Refrigerator was one of the highlights of CES 2016. With its huge built-in touchscreen, this smart fridge acts as a command center for the whole family. You can update the family calendar and leaves notes for each other, all while keeping track of what groceries you need and which products are about to expire. Plus, cameras inside the fridge take high-quality photos every time the doors close, which you can access on the go - so you can check what you have at home while out shopping for groceries.


The smart vase

Wulian’s Dream Flower smart vase is not just for decoration - it also doubles as a multifunctional environment detector. The device can monitor your home’s temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide levels, PM 2.5 levels and even noise. The device can be connected to multiple devices, including your smartphone and air conditioners. It can also be used as an LED light and wireless router.


The futuristic locking system

Soon unlocking your devices could be as easy as looking in a mirror. EyeLock has launched its first iris module for PC products. This will bring the company’s iris-based user authentication to the PC, allowing you to unlock applications with just a glance. The company says the module will work from up to 60cm away. As EyeLock’s tagline goes, only your DNA could be more secure.


The smart home hub

Billed as a gateway for connected appliances, LG’s Smart ThinQ Hub will monitor and connect a range of devices within your home. Data collected from devices, from your washing machine to air conditioners, is displayed on the LCD screen or broadcast through the device’s speakers. The hub can also display calendar reminders and stream music.


The voice-driven smoke detector

Halo is a state-of-the-art device that combines both a smoke detector and a carbon monoxide alarm in one. Voice alerts will instantly notify you when the device detects a problem. At the same time, the device lights up in different colours to warn about any danger and also sends an alert to your smartphone. Plus, a built-in weather radio keeps you up-to-date about any major threats such as a hurricane in the area.

The Evolution of GMail

We are now celebrating the 9th birthday of Gmail. Google has prepared an infographic detailing the updates and added features through the years. Kust click to see the bigger view of the infographic.

Social Media Manager Explained

"What's a social media manager? And how do they function? I'm a social media idiot eh...hahaha"

You handle social media accounts like Twitter, Facebook, Blogs etc.Big Brands, Celebs, etc hire Social Media Managers. Senior writers who help manage our Facebook page are Social Media Managers

On a more serious note,

A person who manages accounts directly, like Facebook/Twitter, and engages with fans, members, audience, etc., creates and posts content, and acts as basic customer service is a Community Manager.

A person who creates content based on strategies on a per brand and per case basis, develops strategies for individual brands/campaigns, and conducts analysis and reporting on social assets is a Social Media Manager.

A person who develops strategies on how best to market or advertise a brand/business on social and executes them is a Social Media Marketer.

A person who handles SMMs and CMs is a Social Media Director.

Or, as many would have it, all are labeled as SMMs You will usually know what s/he is in 5 minutes.

Then, there's Jason Cruz, the Social Media Guy.

*credits to the WIM Team (Jason Cruz and Vince Golangco)

WD Expands Its SMB Storage Product Portfolio With Arkeia Software Solutions

WD, a Western Digital company, announced an expansion of its product portfolio addressing small- and medium-sized businesses with the addition of network backup software and appliances from Arkeia Software, Inc., a privately held data protection company based in Carlsbad, Calif., recently acquired by WD. WD also announced that the Arkeia Network Backup version 10.0 software, for which a release candidate was delivered in Dec. 2012, becomes generally available (http://www.arkeia.com/new-in-v100) today.

“Arkeia’s products expand WD’s growing product portfolio of solutions for small- and medium-sized businesses,” said Jim Welsh, executive vice president and general manager of WD’s Branded and CE products. “SMB organizations are managing ever-growing volumes of critical business data, which need to be stored, shared and secured. Our easy-to-manage small storage server, WD Sentinel™ DX4000, provides backup and storage centralization capabilities for small businesses and workgroups, while Arkeia’s network backup software provides a more feature-rich data-protection solution for larger SMB customers.”

2013 Business Trend: Switching to SaaS and the Cloud for Data Quality

To start off, businesses also commit to New Year's resolutions. From new marketing strategies to in-depth customer analytics, companies seek innovative services and programs that will enhance business operations and increase revenues. Software-as-a-service (SaaS) is a software distribution model that's designed to store applications and data on a reliable, external digital space, which is also known as the cloud. Switching to SaaS may be your business's essential resolution for 2013.

According to research from Martinwolf Global M&A Advisors that's reported on gigaom.com, SaaS companies experienced "hypergrowth" or "white-hot growth" in 2012 Although the value of SaaS slowed down at the end of the year, it still surpassed traditional IT services and providers. You may ask as you remodel and update your marketing plan: Do I really need SaaS and cloud computing? SaaS in addition to other efficiency solutions, such as address validation and customer profiling, can provide higher-quality data for marketing campaigns and reduction costs.

Sony NEX SEL50F18 Versus SEL35F18

We have the likes of SEL50F18 and the SEL35F18, which by all measures are and will be good enough, heck, better than enough. And they are affordable by a much larger majority of users. 

Which one you would recommend SEL35F18 or SEL50F18?

Computer Assembly : Learning To Do It On Your Own

You can learn to assemble a PC on your own.

When building a rig, two things are absolutely important: the first is "budget"-- how much are you willing to spend; and the second is "purpose" -- what do you want and need to do on the computer that you're building.

As for choosing parts, it also boils down to those same two things. In other words,

1. What do you want/need to do with the computer?
2. How much can you spend for it?

You can either ask a friend to show you, or watch video tutorials online. Some motherboard manuals have instructions on installing components like the processor, heatsink, etc.

Make sure that the parts are compatible with each other: processor and motherboard must be of the same socket, RAM type must be correct, etc. Keep everything in their boxes and anti-static bags until you're ready to build.

Huawei Ascend D1 quad XL and Ascend G600 to Hit Stores This Week

Huawei introduces the new Ascend D1 quad XL and Ascend G600, which give more functionality and longer battery life for people who expect more from their powerful device, at affordable prices.

“Huawei Device strives to combine what we know people want in a smartphone with our experience in delivering against those expectations. As part of our Ascend series of best-in-class smartphones, the Ascend D1 quad XL and Ascend G600 allow consumers to experience speed, long battery life and exceptional mobile entertainment in a high-quality, lightweight package. In addition, our more than two decades of experience has allowed us to optimize the Ascend smartphones’ network search algorithm and its base station auto-search technology, improving the speed of the phone’s signal detection to further extend battery life,” said Johnson Ma, country manager at Huawei Device Philippines.

Joining the growing members of the Ascend family -- Huawei’s strong portfolio of best-in-class smartphones – Ascend D1 quad XL and Ascend G600 are available at PhP18,990 and 13,990 suggested retail prices, respectively.

Startups Versus the Juggernauts

Should entrepreneurs just give up on their app ideas, simply because Facebook could eventually clone them and crush them with a billion users? Of course not, and anybody who thinks that Facebook (or any other big company) cloning a startup's product spells Armageddon for that startup doesn't know what they're talking about.

Remember when Facebook tried to make a Foursquare competitor? How about the time it tried to make a Groupon competitor, and it went nowhere? The same is true of its Quora competitor (Facebook Questions) and even its Craigslist competitor (Facebook Marketplace).

I could go on and on, but the point is clear: a big company launching a clone can be scary, but it doesn't mean Armageddon. There are two other factors to consider: defensibility and vision.

Powercolor HD 7870 Vertex II VS Powercolor HD 7870 Myst Edition

Which is better Powercolor HD7870 Vertex II with higher engine clock rate because its OC already or the new Powercolor HD 7870 Myst Edition with lower engine clock speed but higher memory clock speed and UEFI ready?

I believe the Myst Edition is better. It is based on Radeon 7950/7970 GPU (Tahiti LE) so it has more shaders and has PowerTune with Boost (975 MHz). The memory is faster as well at 1.5GHz (6GHz effective). Based on reviews, when overclocked the card reaches 1.2GHz core speed and 1.6GHz memory speed.

Unique Melody Mage Cabled with Whiplash TWag v2 OM

How does the Mage sound? Also, how does the TWag change the sonic characteristics of the Mage? I've always resisted the temptation to buy an aftermarket cable, but arguably at the price level of these customs the owners already gunning for the maximum sound quality possible.

I've always thought about the Mage as something like the custom version of the UM3x with forward mids. Too bad UM Phil didn't have a demo version so I could hear the general sonic signature ("general" because the demos sound quite inferior to the real deal).


The Mage is not mostly tuned for forward mids but it is more tuned for a brighter sound signature. When I say brighter sound signature, the highs are more accentuated throughout the spectrum but doesn't drown the other notes for the mids and lows, in addition there is no sibilance, 0%. The main strengths of the Mage are Exceptional acoustics and vocal reproduction, lively sound (doesn't have that dark sound sig CIEM/IEM), fast and high quality bass (Best bass quality I've heard so far), imaging is excellent, soundstage is really wide but not that tall (more of landscape type or widescreen).

Nexus 7 : Turning It into a Multitasking Muscle-Machine

We can force the Nexus 7 to use its GPU to render 2d graphics. Nasa Developer Options-->Force GPU Render. Improves 2d scores by more than 400% (from 233 to 1000).

So I went back to <click here for link> to follow the directions from <click here for link> claiming to improve UI responsiveness. The change was noticeable especially while browsing with Opera Mobile with other things open.

Then I decided to run quadrant for S and G's.

Ainol Novo 10 Hero : Best Ainol Tablet ... So Far

Ainol Novo10 Hero so far is the best release of Ainol... As in 0 known bugs and issues...

Very recommended... Although there's some sacrifice in specs if we compare it to Ainol Novo7 Flame...

#1 Stripped down Cameras.. 0.3MP Front / 2.0MP Rear without FLASH
#2. No more Light Sensor.
#3. No more build sturdiness. Leather-Case is a MUST.

But overall build quality is very impressive..

iPad Mini : Target Market for this latest Apple "Innovation"?

The intended market for the iPad Mini are those who needs medium size portable internet device in between the size of Ipad 2/3 and iPod Touch/iPhone. This is for those that are not after the innovation as their primary target. I for one will definitely buy this because all of my mobile phones are all in android platform. I am also using an HTC Flyer tablet and an iPad 2.

At first I wanted to replace my HTC Flyer with a Samsung Tab 7.7 because its bigger and thinner but I thought it only differed in size and the platform is the same Android. Second thing, my iPod Touch 4G is too small for Internet surfing but portability wise and ideal for music listening.

iZone-iHub : Making the Philippines the Next Beacon for Innovation and Technology

iZone-iHUB just recently had their site accessible to the Philippine technology community boasting the opportunities techies can get aside from the free access to WiFi, coffee, office space amenities, safety and security. This place serves as incubators for startup projects under the pseudo of Information Technology (IT) to be exposed to commercialization targeting a global market.

This place also function as a place for collaboration and development were techies from all walks of life to converge, iZone-iHUB believes that through collaboration, ideas can be nurtured and develop to become projects with value containing diverse technology driven input that can be categorized as innovative and unique.

Epson Philippines Holds Series of Business Reviews

Epson Philippines Corporation (EPC) recently held a series of business reviews with its top trade partners to share the learnings garnered over the first half of the fiscal year (starting April this year) and to ramp up efforts toward the 2nd half (beginning October). The ‘kick-offs’ were held at Discovery Suites in Pasig and at the Marco Polo plaza last November.

The events highlighted Epson’s commitment toward helping its partners, as exemplified by Epson’s consistent support to their businesses, regular updates about the latest digital imaging technology innovations, and product showcases.

iPhone 5 Experience Delivered to You by Globe

Globe Unveils the iPhone 5 with compelling offers and exclusive privileges for the best iPhone experience like no other.

For as low as Php 1799 monthly!

Existing postpaid subscribers can also enjoy the iPhone 5 with the innovative "Reset" program - another first from Globe!

Globe's Gadget Care mobile phone protection program also gives subscribers free 4 months protection from accidental damages, theft or robbery.

Subscribers can also avail of exclusive perks and privileges such as the free 1-year subscription to the GCASH American Express Virtual Card entitling them to shop online from local and international sites conveniently, 50% discount on iPhone 5 accessories, and free and exclusive download of Globe Mobile Apps giving them access to movies, financial services,acount management, and mobile messaging right on their fingertips.

Should Smart Communications, Inc. feel threatened?

 

Huawei Launches New Line of Android Mobile Phones

Hey, I just came from the Huawei Technologies event last Sunday, December 16, at the SM North EDSA Cyberzone at SM Annex and we had a wonderful time learning about the new mobile phone offerings of Huawei Philippines.

Famous Yugatech blogger and Nuffnang Philippines Country Manager Abe Olandres was there to give his insights of the new line of products and his guess price of the units.

Lots of winners from the raffle where miraculously, or by luck of all luck, there was one family whose members all won something (jacket, discount coupons, Android lamps) from the raffle including one of the Huawei mobile phones.

Amazing indeed, as amazing as the new Huawei phone models to be available soon!

Chatted with the Marketing Manager and he said they also have plans to put up a concept store soon probably by next year.

Smart Now Offers iPhone 5 in the Philippines

Attended the Smart Christmas Midnight Rush Countdown thingmagig at the Resorts World Manila last December 13 and had a blast anticipating the launch of the new iPhone 5.

Wireless leader Smart Comunications, inc. has officially began offering iPhone 5 in the Philippines. Customers can now order iPhone 5 from Smart's official iPhone site http://www.smart.com.ph/iPhone.

With an iPhone Plan Php 2499, iPhone 5 will be available at no cost (free) for the 16 GB and 32 GB model, and Php 6k for the 64 GB model in all Smart Stores nationwide. In addition, iPhone 4s and iPhone 4 will also be available at no cost with an iPhone Plan 2499 beginning today. Smart will allow iPhone 5 customers to connect to its fast HSPA+ network.

Lenovo Premieres the IdeaPad Yoga and ThinkPad Twist Designed for Windows 8

Coming directly from the airport from our trip to Dumaguete, Negros Oriental, I made the right decision on attending the Lenovo launch of its newest Ultrabook, ThinkPad and IdeaPad releases. This was held at the Balcony restaurant in Legazpi Village Makati City.

Attended by mostly tech-oriented writers and bloggers, the event organizers wanted to have the guests wearing a superhero identity, but only one came in a military attire who was even carrying a toy armalite. ....and oh, there was another one wearing an Ironman mask. So eventually the price of 5k worth of Gift Checks went to the only guy who came in a hero attire.