Selfies Are a Lot better with Lenovo Vibe X

Taking photos has become part of our social ecosystem. Thanks to the technological advancements, now we have better, more convenient and affordable ways to immortalize life's precious moments. The number of photos being taken each day has sky rocketed since the advent of digital photography. Millions of photos are being taken per day depicting normal people's lives.

Photography is slowly moving onto a different culture, which is the Social Era. This era is being described as a phenomenon where photography becomes a crucial part in the social interaction of human beings. We see photos being shared everyday in social media sites. We tend to share photos of even the simplest things such as the food that we are about to have for breakfast, your new do, a visitor you least expected, your pets, your high school photo, and the list goes on and on. Any social network site has a photo-sharing feature. There are, in fact, a number of photo-sharing platforms such as Instagram and Flickr that can be easily viewed by everyone. It has become a our way of self-expression that we automatically capture and share our photos online.

One of the most notable things about the photos we share are portraits of ourselves using a hand-held camera phone, also known as 'selfies.' It started as an obligatory photo taken to fill in a small box allotted for profile picture. Eventually, it evolved into taking photos of oneself for fun, sharing it with friends and feeling good about it. It became so popular as it allows people to present themselves the way they want to. Selfies are a huge hit because they are easy to create and share for social networking, professional networking or online dating purposes. It is undeniable that we Pinoys are very much into taking selfies. We like sharing selfies especially when we are all made-up or when the lighting is good making us looking blemish-free and we like it when we get compliments from our friends or by simply clicking on the 'like' button.

Lenovo to Acquire IBM’s x86 Server Business

Lenovo have entered into a definitive agreement in which Lenovo plans to acquire IBM’s x86 server business. This includes System x, BladeCenter and Flex System blade servers and switches, x86-based Flex integrated systems, NeXtScale and iDataPlex servers and associated software, networking and maintenance operations. The purchase price is approximately US$2.3 billion, approximately two billion of which will be paid in cash and the balance in Lenovo stock.

IBM will retain its System z mainframes, Power Systems, Storage Systems, Power-based Flex servers, and PureApplication and PureData appliances.

The agreement builds upon a longstanding collaboration that began in 2005 when Lenovo acquired IBM’s PC business, which included the ThinkPad line of PCs. In the period since, the companies have continued to collaborate in many areas.

Google Maps Street View Begins in Intramuros

Google begins efforts to capture Street View imagery in the Philippines and publishes first 360-degree photos of Intramuros.With the cooperation of the Department of Tourism of the Philippines, Google announced today that it will start driving Street View cars in the Philippines to capture panoramic imagery of the country for the first time. Google is also publishing special 360-degree imagery of four locations within Intramuros so that Filipinos and people around the world can view and experience these historic sites in a new, immersive way.

Street View is a popular feature of Google Maps that allows people to virtually explore cities on Google Maps through 360-degree photographs taken at street level. With Street View imagery available in over 50 countries, today Google kicks off the first towards bringing the feature to the Philippines. Starting in the city of Manila, Google will drive colorful Street View cars equipped with special cameras to collect panoramic imagery of the Philippines. From there, the cars will continue to drive across the country, and once Street View imagery is published, people will be able to explore the Philippines on Google Maps from anywhere in the world.

For those keen to start virtually touring Manila today, Google is publishing special Street View panoramas of four sites at Intramuros: San Agustin Church, Baluarte de San Diego, Plaza San Luis Complex and Fort Santiago. These 360-degree photos were collected using the Street View Trekker, a wearable backpack camera system that is part of the Street View fleet. Google plans to use the Trekker, along with the Street View Trolley, a pushcart camera system, to capture more of the Philippines’ off-road, natural and indoor destinations as part of their efforts to bring more Filipino sites online for the world to see.

Google also hopes Street View will provide Filipinos with different ways of exploring favorite and new local spots, as well as with more relevant and useful online map services.

“Our partnership with Google to bring Street View to the Philippines will allow us to create a digital experience of our landscapes, which we hope will entice more people around the world to learn about our diverse offerings and visit our country. For us here at home, Street View can also help make the maps of our country even “more fun” and interesting, as well as enable Filipinos to explore their country more, which in turn can help boost domestic travel and tourism,” Philippine Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr. said.

Google goes to great lengths to safeguard privacy on Google Maps while enabling people to explore and learn from Street View imagery. Google has developed highly sophisticated technology that effectively blurs human faces and license plates of vehicles to render them unidentifiable. In addition, Google is very responsive to requests received from users to further blur any images that feature them — to submit a request, people can use the ‘report a problem’ tool available on the bottom right corner of Google Maps.

“We are delighted to work with the Department of Tourism of the Philippines to begin driving and capturing Street View imagery of the country. The Philippines is a diverse archipelago, with heritage and beauty to be found within and in between every island. By providing people and businesses alike with more useful map information, Street View can also help celebrate Filipino culture and even create lasting economic impact. We can’t wait to share the new panoramic road imagery of the Philippines on Google Maps when the imagery launches at a later date,” says Ryan Morales, Country Marketing Manager, Google Philippines.

Google looks forward to announcing when the images collected for the Philippines are ready to share, and these will be available at maps.google.com.ph.

D3000: A Smarter Photo Solution is Epson's Photo Solutions Exhibit

Epson Philippines Corporation (EPC) will launch a 7-day exhibit from January 31 to February 6 at SM Lanang Premier in Davao. The exhibit will highlight the company’s first inkjet-based dry photo lab: the Epson Surelab SL-D3000.

Titled as D3000: A Smarter Photo Solution, Epson will leverage its strong experience as the world’s top large format photo printer maker.

Epson’s SureLab SL-D3000 dry lab promises superior quality, low cost per print, improved flexibility, and simpler maintenance for photo print service providers. This is made possible by the system’s key features:

· An ultra-reliable, 1440 x 1440 dpi resolution-capable Epson Micro Piezo print head
· A newly developed UltraChrome D6 ink set
· A sophisticated Look Up Table (LUT)

WD Expands My Cloud Family With High-Performance Four-Bay Personal Cloud Storage System

New WD My Cloud EX4 Delivers Ultimate Reliability and Advanced NAS Features with Up to 16 TB of Capacity

WD, a Western Digital company and a world leader in storage solutions for the connected life, today expanded its WD My Cloud™ family of personal cloud solutions with WD My Cloud EX4, a high-performance four-bay network attached storage (NAS) solution for creative professionals, prosumers, workgroups and anyone looking for a reliable way to save, share, back up, stream and manage massive amounts of digital data.

“The reception for our WD My Cloud personal cloud platform was extremely positive,” said Jim Welsh, executive vice president and general manager of WD's branded products and consumer electronics groups. “Our single drive WD My Cloud system is the perfect solution for users that want an easy and private way to store all of their data at home and then share, save and manage it from anywhere in the world, on any device. Expanding our WD My Cloud platform to a four-bay system delivers the advanced features, customization capability and capacity that many of our customers are looking for.”

WD Gives Consumers A Cloud Of Their Own

With New WD My Cloud Consumers Can Easily Save, Access and Share all of their Photos, Videos and Files from Any Device, Anytime – without Sacrificing Privacy

WD, a Western Digital company and a world leader in storage solutions for the connected life,  introduced its new WD My Cloud™ family of personal cloud solutions. WD My Cloud is a complete solution for users to organize, centralize and secure the digital content from all of their computers and mobile devices and access those files from any device, from anywhere in the world. By simply connecting a WD My Cloud personal cloud drive to the Internet, consumers get the anywhere, any-device access they can get from the public cloud, without having to pay monthly fees or giving up control of their personal data.

“We believe that there’s no place like home for the cloud,” said Jim Welsh, executive vice president and general manager of WD's branded products and consumer electronics groups. “Everyone is inundated with thousands of digital files scattered across multiple computers and mobile devices, and controlling that chaos is a challenge. WD’s personal cloud is the easiest, most secure and most affordable way for customers to control that chaos, with access to all of their files anywhere, anytime.”

Mydlink SharePort Mobile App Provides Private and Secure Remote Access for Cloud Storage

D-Link International Pte Ltd, one of the world’s biggest suppliers of networking products launches the mydlink SharePort, a free mobile application that turns any USB storage device connected to a compatible D-Link Cloud Router into a secure and private cloud space. Accessible anytime and anywhere from an iOS or Android smartphone or tablet, it gives users convenience and control to one’s personal files.
 
Secure Data Storage and Unlimited Storage
Mr Jonathan Quek, Product Marketing Director for D-Link International said, “Many people today rely on a public cloud service for file sharing and storage on their smart devices. Once uploaded to company servers, the data becomes available on virtually any device. While this might be convenient, using a public cloud storage can have a few downsides – limited storage space and possibility of incurring monthly fees.  More importantly, files may also be exposed to those without permission or companies whose servers store these data.”
He adds on that “With mydlink SharePort, the benefits are clear. The files are secure as data is kept on the user’s own hardware, limiting access by unauthorized parties. This increased level of privacy will definitely be appreciated by those who have the need for data safeguarding, such as sales professionals, researchers and bankers. Using mydlink SharePort Remote Access also allows users to add storage space just by plugging in another USB drive, without the need for subscription fees or recurring charges.”


 

SP/ Silicon Power Presents the Most Powerful Upgrade Solution: Slim S70 Solid State Drive and Xpower DDR3 Overclocking Memory Module

SP/ Silicon Power, the world’s leading provider of memory storage solutions, presents the best system upgrade solution- Slim S70 solid state drive and Xpower DDR3 Overclocking memory module. With affordable prices and incredible performance, the combination of Slim S70 SSD and Xpower DDR3 Overclocking memory module offers you the most powerful computing upgrade solution and brings you the best user experiences ever. For professionals who value the importance of speed and stability, such as heavy gamers, photographers and videographers, Slim S70 and Xpower DDR3 Overclocking memory module are ideal for you while they can significantly reduce boot time, quickly load applications and provide higher reliability and durability over traditional storage devices.

Accelerate your computer with SSD as the boot disk
Nowadays, solid state drives are getting more and more popular for PCs are gradually designed to be slimmer and smaller. Along with reasonable pricing and wide range of capacity choices, it is already feasible for users to take SSDs as boot disks, by which SSDs are applied to install Operating System and application software while hard drives are used for data storage. By doing so, you can greatly benefit from the ultra-fast speed and superior stability with little cost instead of spending lots of money on highest capacity SSD.

Only need a screwdriver! Installing a SSD is just as easy as changing a battery
If you intend to install a SSD for replacement, all you need is a screwdriver only. Just as changing a battery, you can easily upgrade your computer without complicated operations.

Get rid of computer lags and crashes with SSD for computer upgrade
Are you annoyed by repeated lags and unexpected computer crashes? By means of a SSD, you can experience great enhancement of computer capability with super speed and low-latency. As the perfect computer upgrade solution, SSD is about to solve your problems and speed up all the operation quicker and smoother.

Introduction of Slim S70 Solid State Drive
Different from ordinary 9.5 mm SSD, Silicon Power Slim S70 solid state drive features a new slim 7mm form factor for easy integration into the latest mobile computing platforms. Furthermore, Slim S70 only weights 63g, making itself one of the lightest of its kind yet it is shock and vibration proof as it contains no moving parts. Slim S70 is supported by SATA III interface by which it is able to deliver astonishing transfer rate which is two times the speed of SATA II SSD and four times that of traditional hard drive. Available in 60GB、120GB、240GB and 480GB, Slim S70 is definitely the ideal upgrade solution by its complete capacity choices and high CPI value.

The Slim S70 utilizes the latest SandDorce SF-2281 controller with synchronous NAND Flash and the new optimized firmware to deliver surprisingly high data transfer rates at 557MB/s in read speed and 507MB/s in write speed. Possessing random write speed up to 86000 IOPS, Slim S70 allows shorter boot time and more durable and stable environment for longer life span.

Unlike the dull and plain designs of traditional SSD, Slim S70 stands out with its chic aluminum metal body with glamorous gold. Featuring the stylish and brushed aluminum cover, Slim S70 perfectly complements Ultrabook in design. The trendy design and remarkable performance make Slim S70 the top choice for users who put great emphasis on function and fashion. Moreover, Slim S70 has received worldwide recognition for its distinguished design including Taiwan Excellence Award 2013 and Golden Pin Design Mark 2013.

 

Introduction of Xpower DDR3 Memory Module
Silicon Power Xpower DDR3 Overclocking series memory module promises high performance, high stability and high CPI value. Xpower DDR3 Overclocking series is available in various duel channel kits in DDR3-1600, 1866, 2133, and 2400 MHz variants, reaching the high capacity from 8GB (4GBx2) to 16GB (8GBx2). Compatible with Intel® Core™ Gen 3 and the latest Z77 platform, Xpower DDR3 Overclocking series can maximize the transfer speed, unleashing the extreme system performance to the next level. Built in a special-made metallic heat sink, the new Xpower DDR3 Overclocking series is able to provide a better cooling solution and increase the heat dissipation area, maintaining a powerful speed and stability to meet the needs of overclocking enthusiasts and hardcore gamers.

Silicon Power Xpower DDR3 Overclocking series is 100% tested for dual channel operation and assures the adoption of selected original chips; hence, Xpower DDR3 Overclocking series guarantees the high performance with stability and compatibility and allows performance improvement up to 50%.
 
Slim S70 SSD Product Specification
- Dimensions: 100.0 x 69.85 x 7.0 mm
- Weight: 64-77 g
- Capacity: 60GB/120GB/240GB/480GB
- Ultra Slim 7mm depth
- Vibration Resistance Test: 20G
- Shock Resistance Test: 1500G Max
- Color: Champagne gold
- 3 years warranty
*Transfer rates may vary, depending on system platform.
 
Xpower DDR3 Overclocking Series Product specifications:
- Pins: 240Pin UDIMM without ECC
- peed: DDR3-1600 / 1866 / 2133 / 2400
- CAS Latency: 9 (1600/1866) / 11 (2133/2400)
- Capacity: 8GB(4GBx2) / 16GB(8GBx2)
- DRAM Chip spec.: 4Gb(512Mx8bit) (Single Chip Density)
- Operating voltage: 1.65 V
- Support Intel® Extreme Memory Profile (XMP)

- Lifetime warranty

SP/Silicon Power Presents USB OTG Flash Drives Mobile X10 and Touch T01 Mobile

Still worried about the limited storage capacity of your Smart Handheld devices? Having too many photos or videos that are too precious to delete? SP/Silicon Power, the world’s leading provider of memory storage solutions today unveils a whole new storage line, USB OTG Series – Mobile X10 and Touch T01 Mobile, built for changing your storage experience of your mobile life. These two revolutionary Micro USB flash drives can greatly enhance the storage capacity for your Android Smartphone and tablet devices, and allow users to back up or store their personal files on-the-go!

One Device, Dual Access, Multiple Enjoyments
With its built-in dual connectors, SP Mobile X10 is able to connect to your Smart Handheld devices via Micro USB interface, as well as to PC or notebook via standard USB port. This 2-in-1 specification enables OTG series to deliver a seamless and spontaneous data transferring from and to for your portable devices. Without compromising the limited storage space on your smartphone or tablets, users can easily back up or gain access to their personal photos, video and audio files anytime and anywhere.

Plug It and Play It
With no additional power supply or cable required, you just simply plug in X10 to OTG supported Smartphone or tablet for a full access to your digital data. X10 features with the robust zinc alloy case and the compact size, and is able to create a noble and delicate metallic shine while plugged in your portable device or PC, without interfering your daily usage and operation.

Touch T01 Mobile, Creating Flexibility and Diversity
Unlike X10’s unibody structure, Touch T01 Mobile delivers the perfect combination of flexibility and diversity. With a push of a thumb, T01 Mobile can be disassembled into two devices, a regular USB flash drive Touch T01, and an OTG Adaptor 110 which is the smallest device in the industry. This OTG Adaptor is fully compatible with the traditional flash drive, and the multi-functional detachable design enables users to change the flash drive freely, making the storage experience more flexible and enjoyable.

Featuring with a tiny and featherweight design, both X10 and T01 Mobile are built-in with a strap hole at the end, allowing users to store and carry as a trendy accessory for their mobile devices. Incorporated with the COB (Chip On Board) technology, X10 and T01 are water, dust, shock and vibration proof. With the various choices of storage capacity, X10 is available in 8GB, 16GB, and 32GB, and T01 Mobile in 4GB, 8GB, 16GB, and 32GB. X10 and T01 are both covered by a lifetime warranty, and the OTG Adaptor 110 is by one year warranty.

Mobile X10 Product Features
- Support Smart Handheld Devices (microUSB) and PC (USB) data transmission
- Plug and play; no cables required
- Stylish and sturdy zinc alloy exterior
- COB(Chip On Board) technology
- Water, dust, shock and vibration proof
- Tiny and lightweight, easy to carry and store

Mobile X10 Product Specifications
- Dimension: 30.7x 12.05 x 4.55 mm
- Weight: 3.5g
- Capacity: 8/16/32 GB
- Color: Champagne Gold
- Interface: USB 2.0 / microUSB (Charging is not supported)
- Material: Metal /Plastic
- Supported OS Operation Systems:
PC : Windows Vista/7/8, Mac OS 10.3.x, Linux 2.6.x
Mobile device : Android 4.1.+*
(*Supports OTG function of mobile devices)
- Warranty: Lifetime warranty

Touch T01 Mobile Product Features
- Support Smart Handheld Devices (microUSB) and PC (USB) data transmission
- Plug and play; no cables required
- OTG Adaptor is fully compatible with traditional USB flash drives
- Tiny and lightweight, easy to carry and store

Touch T01 Mobile Product Specifications
- Dimension: T01: 24.7x13.8x4.6 mm
OTG Adapter 110: 16.75x15.3x7.92 mm
- Weight: T01: 2.6g
OTG Adapter110 : 2.5g
- Capacity: 4/8/16/32 GB
- Color: black
- Interface: USB 2.0 / microUSB (Charging is not supported)
- Material: Metal /Plastic
- Supported OS Operation Systems:
PC: Windows Vista/7/8, Mac OS 10.3.x, Linux 2.6.x
Mobile device: Android 4.1.+*
(*Supports OTG function of mobile devices)
- Warranty:
T01: Lifetime warranty
OTG adapter 110: 1 year warranty

For more information, please visit the SP/Silicon Power website: www.silicon-power.com

ViewSonic VX Series Displays Make Holiday Entertainment Better

Families everywhere can enjoy the holidays with one of ViewSonic’s new MHL 2.0 displays. With MHL 2.0 and HDMI connectivity, it will turn the home display into a holiday entertainment center where everyone can play the most popular XBOX or PS4 games, watch movies on Netflix, or share photos and videos. It also makes a great Christmas gift choice for family, friends and little ones.

ViewSonic’s MHL 2.0 VX-series display, the VX2770Sml-LED, is designed to connect with the latest generation of portable devices, including smartphones, tablets and other monitors to give mobile content greater impact on a large screen. MHL 2.0 technology also simultaneously charges connected devices to prevent them from running out of power while users watch movies, play games or listen to music. With its sleek and frameless designs, the VX2770Sml-LED offers impeccable wide viewing angles that allow for the viewing of on-screen content from any angle without color decay. Also, Full HD resolution, a dynamic contrast ratio of 30 million: 1 and amazing SRS premium sound deliver more-detailed colors and sounds to users playing games, watching movie clips and more.

With the increasing use of mobile devices and the explosion of digital content, the way consumers approach entertainment has changed. As the types of digital content available become more numerous, consumers will look to access this content anyplace, anytime, and on any screen. “The number of mobile users has grown rapidly in recent years. Keeping up with the trend, ViewSonic has developed a high-performance product line to meet the needs of mobile users who play games and share multimedia resources. Equipped with MHL 2.0 and HDMI, the VX2770Sml-LED is really perfect for gaming and video streaming; most important of all, people can use mobile devices to share their content on a large monitor, bringing greater convenience and entertainment value.”, says Max Liu, Product Director at ViewSonic.

In addition to the MHL2.0 VX2770Sml-LED display, ViewSonic also offers VX2770Smh-LED and VX2703mh-LED displays with the HDMI interface, so that consumers can play multimedia contents, and connect with DVD players and other high-definition devices.

Getting in front of the trend, ViewSonic VX-series displays bridge the gap between smartphones, tablets and other displays by using MHL 2.0 or HDMI technology to deliver the functionality and services that define the new era of digital entertainment. HDMI offers flexible connectivity to multiple media sources and high-definition devices, and together with MHL 2.0, makes these monitors extremely versatile.