Samsung Galaxy S2 now Only Php 24,990!

There's going to have a price mark down in some Samsung mobile products that's for sure will relieve the scorching heat of summer!

Samsung Galaxy SII

As announced by Samsung Mobile Philippines today, a comparatively large price tag slash will be applied to selected Samsung mobile products and it starts with Samsung Galaxy SII which is one of the best Android phone in the market.

From 29,990 pesos, the handset is now only 24,990 pesos- that's minus 5,000 pesos in your pocket and you'll have this incredible phone already!

As I can't give you ideas how incredible is this phone because I haven't really seen and touched one, I decided to pick some of the statements from reviews and impressions from known mobile reviews sites and users who actually got experienced with the handset:

SlashGear

"Samsung Galaxy S II could very well be the best Android smartphone on the market today. The display with Super AMOLED Plus technology that manages to be both frugal and visible outdoors, while the dual-core 1.2GHz processor does a similar balancing act with power use and performance"

CNET

"The Samsung Galaxy S II ranks as one of T-Mobile's most powerful and feature-rich Android smartphones, but it's somewhat pricey." 

GSM Arena

"Absurdly powerful and having a one-of-a-kind screen – the Samsung I9100 Galaxy S II is an easy phone to recommend. But that’s one thing you don’t need to do. Its reputation precedes it. The Galaxy II succeeds where previous dual-core droids have failed and provides the most complete smartphone..." 

So what exactly other users say about this unit? Read he following statements below from certified Samsung Galaxy SII users who have a long experience using the said unit:

"This is a SOLID contender to the iPhone 4 and beats it in several categories. This phone is WAY faster than the iPhone 4, it's thinner, lighter, and feels more durable. The ONLY thing this phone could use is a bump in resolution and better battery life. The latter can come with a firmware.." - NotHotWater.

"If you don't want to read the rest, here's my three word review: Awesome User Experience. This is a great phone and the universal praise in every review will already tell you that so I'm not going to regurgitate everything about the screen and the speed and the camera, because you can already..." - Musketeer.

"Wow, all I can say is wow. After getting this phone. I have basically given up on my ipad. This thing is amazing" - rnbergren

Samsung Mobile SII's price drop is effective starting April 27. You can check out the unit and  other cool Samsung mobile products here.

LESSON 2: Install Ubuntu Linux in a Custom Virtualbox Virtual Machine

Just in case you're not comfortable with VMware Virtual Box as a host for your virtual machines, another option you can use is the VirtualBox Virtual Machine. VirtualBox, the same as VMware is highly recommended for creating VMs especially for beginners as it is efficient and easy to use even you're not familiar with implementing VMs.

JUST A SHORT OVERVIEW OF VIRTUALBOX VIRTUAL MACHINE

VirtualBox Virtual Machine is currently owned by Sun Microsystems and being developed by Oracle Corporation. Originally developed by Innotek, VirtualBox is said to be the most popular virtual box application according to LifeHacker.com after garnering 50% of votes in their online poll.

As of version 4.1, Windows guests on supported hardware can take advantage of the recently implemented WDDM driver included in the guest additions; this allows Windows Aero to be enabled along with Direct3D support.

SUPPORTED HOST OPERATING SYSTEMS

Virtual Box can run in a wide range of operating systems including:

• Linux
• Mac OS X
• Windows XP
• Windows Vista
• Windows 7
• Solaris
• OpenSolaris 

Watch the video below to learn how to install a a Custom Virtualbox Virtual Machine.

 

Previous Lesson: Install Ubuntu Linux in a Custom VMware Virtual Machine 

Next Upcoming Lesson: Linux Terminal Commands and Navigation for Beginners -Part1

LESSON 1: Install Ubuntu Linux in a Custom VMware Virtual Machine

Today I am sharing a very nice and easy tutorial on how you can create custom virtual machines in your computer through the VMware Virtual Machine but before we proceed, allow me to give you a short and basic knowledge that will help you understand why it is necessary to create and customize VMs.

Virtual machines (VMs) are meant to improve efficiency, capability, flexibility and availability of resources possible within a single computer unit. Imagine the small scenario when your computer is running under Windows OS but you wish to test or implement applications to non-windows environment but you don't want to end up buying 1 or more extra computer units, then you need to use virtual machines. 

Using virtual machines is necessary for the following reasons:

• Run multiple operating systems on a single computer including Windows, Linux and more;
• Let your Mac run on Windows by creating a virtual PC environment for all your Windows applications;
• Reduce capital costs by increasing energy efficiency and requiring less hardware while increasing your server to admin ratio;
• Ensure your enterprise applications perform with the highest availability and performance;
• Build up business continuity through improved disaster recovery solutions and deliver high availability throughout the data center and
• Improve enterprise desktop management & control with faster deployment of desktops and fewer support calls due to application conflicts

VMware is just one of the few powerful software you can use to create virtual machines. Watch closely on the video below to learn installing custom VMware Virtual Machine.

Next Lesson: Installing Ubuntu Linux in a custom Virtualbox Virtual Machine

[INFOGRAPHIC] Social Media Usage in the Philippines

Philippines is one of the countries today that has the most active people in the online world. Each year, the number of Filipinos who are using the internet is continually increasing. From 24 million (or equivalent to 24.5% of Philippines's total population) internet users in 2009, it rose 6% to mark 29.7 million or 29.7% of the total population in 2010. As of 2011, there are approximately 29 million (29.2%) internet users out of 104 million of the total Philippine population, 3.7 million of which are active internet users (Maybe that include me).

Filipinos' online presence primarily involve the use of social media platforms particularly facebook, twitter and youtube, blogging activities and searching information in the web. The  engagement to different social media platforms has continued to shape values and culture of the Filipinos that made them to become known in the world as the social networking capital. Social media sites become an avenue for every Filipinos from different parts of the globe connect one another. Likewise, it has become the primary source of online entertainment and markets for every small and medium business in the Philippines.

The infographic, social media usage in the Philippines below shows recent figures of the Filipino population from top social media platforms today. The infographic also shows the social media highlights which conjecture the challenges every Filipinos in the online community are going to face this year and maybe even in the next coming years.

Startup Weekend Manila 2012 - Updates, Schedules and Other Info

There are only 25 tickets (17 tickets for Designers and 8 tickets for Angel/Venture Capital) left and today is the last day to get yours for the Manila Startup Weekend which kick-starts tomorrow, April 27, 2012 in Taguig City.
Startup weekend is a 3 day (equivalent to 54 hours) experiential training for novice and professional entrepreneurs and developers who want to learn, develop and as well as share their knowledge and skills in effective business planning through hands-on group activities.

The first day of activity, Friday, starts with pitching where everyone is involved in raising creative ideas and recruiting members to join their team. It is also an introductory activity where everyone will be able to get to know each other and start building relationship in the team.

On the beginning of weekend, Saturday, each team will be focusing on the development of business prototype which involves brainstorming, business plan development, and basic prototype creation. This is also where the teams focus on customer development, validating their ideas, practicing LEAN Startup Methodologies and building a minimal viable product.

On the last day of activity, Sunday, each team will present their accomplished prototype and will be able to receive valuable comments from the legal panel of experts.

Here are the sets of schedules for startup weekend activities:

Friday: 

• 5:00 pm – Registration starts & Mingle @ Mint College 
• 7:00 pm – Dinner & Networking 
• 7:20 pm – Welcome & Speakers 
• 7:30 pm – Pitches Start 
• 9:00 pm – Attendees vote for the top ideas 
• 9:15 pm – Teams start forming and discussing ideas 
• 10:00 pm – Start to formalize teams and take an inventory of skills. Be honest, and direct about what resources and skills are needed for the weekend. You may stay and work as late as the venue will allow. 
• 2:00 am – Finished for the day (Doors close)

Saturday 

• 9:00 am – Arrive, breakfast & coffee 
• 9:30 am – Teams formed and setting up workspace for the weekend 
• 12:00 pm – Lunch 
• 1:00 pm – Call for needs & skills 
• 2:00 pm – Mentors help teams one-on-one. They are here to help! 
• 7:00 pm – Dinner 
• 7:30 pm – Mid weekend check-in, status reports, call for help
• 12:00 am – Finished for the day. (Doors close)

Sunday 

• 9:00 am – Arrive, simple breakfast & coffee
• 10:00 am – Call for help (this is self motivated, so don’t be shy)
• 12:00 pm – Lunch 
• 12:30 pm – Mentors arrive… ASK QUESTIONS 
• 3:00 pm – Gut check. Start prepping for presentations 
• 4:00 pm – Dinner 
• 5:00 pm – FINAL PRESENTATIONS 
• 7:30 pm – Judging & awards 
• 8:30 pm – Wrap up and head to the after-party

Just in case you won’t make it this weekend, don’t worry as the second Startup weekend event in the Philippines is already set on May 11-13 in Cebu City. You can come back later to this site for updates.

10 Most Influential People in the Tech World - The 2012 TIME 100

(Continuation)

#41 Marc Andreessen (Kingmaker)

Better known as the co-author of the popular web browser, Mosaic and co-founder of Netscape Communications Coproration, Marc Lowell Andreessen is an American multi-millionaire engineer, entrepreneur and investor.

Graduate of BS Computer Science in  University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, he worked at the university's National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA), where he became familiar with Tim Berners-Lee's open standards for the World Wide Web. Andreessen and a full-time salaried co-worker Eric Bina worked on creating a user-friendly browser with integrated graphics that would work on a wide range of computers. The resulting code was the Mosaic web browser.

He co-founded the Netscape Communications (formerly Mosiac Communications Corporation) with Jim Clark in 1993 and Netscape Navigator became its flagship internet browser. On 2001, Andreessen left Netscape and founded Loudcloud, a services-based web hosting company. It was later sold to EDS company in 2003 where Loudcloud was changed its name to Opsware. Opsware was sold in September  2007 to Hewlett-Packard for approximately $1.6 billion.

Andreessen remained influential because of his different ventures and investments in different web companies including Ning, Digg. Plazes, Netvibes, CastTV and Twitter. Moreover, He serves on the board of Facebook, eBay, Kno, Hewlett-Packard, Bump, TinyCo, and Mixed Media Labs.

#55 Sheryl Sandberg (Chief Operating Officer)

Nevertheless, the highest-paid employee in Facebook company is also one of the most influential individual in the world. Sheryl Sandberg indeed is such a big inspiration to every aspiring women in this digital era.

As a Chief Operating Officer of Facebook, Sandberg was able to lead the company in times of obstacles and company's greatest struggles and pursuit for fame and survival. Being in the second highest position in the company, she is in-charge of everything except the product. And as the social networking giant reaches the peak of its success in terms of population, fame and wealth, she continued to help people make the most of a more open, more transparent world, as Facebook creates dynamic new connections between individuals, organizations and causes-connections with the power to brighten our shared future, one click at a time.

#57 Tim Cook (CEO)

When the former legendary CEO and visionary, Steve Jobs formally resigned Apple company on August 24, 2011, Cook immediately took the huge responsibility of driving the company into its impeccable journey and keeping the velocity high towards providing and maintaining innovative, high-quality products which the company has been widely appreciated and become known. It wasn't easy that time as the world was in very high expectations about what the company has yet to offer - there was also tension and fear among investors that the company's standing might go at some point lower than expected.

Despite all the challenges and expectations, Cook fiercely protected Job's legacy and lead Apple company to new heights while implementing major policy changes smoothly and brilliantly. He has indelibly imprinted his leadership on all areas of Apple- from managing its complex inner workings to identifying and shepherding new "insanely great" technology and design breakthroughs into the product pipeline.

#59 Daniel Ek (Music Man)

Daniel Ek is the brain behind the music streaming site Spotify. An entrepreneur and technologist, he founded the company in 1997 at age 14.

Prior to Spotify,  he became a CTO of Jajja Communications  and Stardoll and CEO of µTorrent, the world's most popular BitTorrent client with more than 100 million downloads.

Despite stern criticisms about the integrity of Spotify as a profitable platform for various music labels, Daniel's efforts to revolutionize the music   business and creating a good team in tech have helped him bring his company to new heights making Spotify a successful business until today.

#60 Virginia Rometty (Top Techie)

Better known for her nickname "Ginni", Virginia Marie Rometty is the current and the first woman CEO of the top computer firm IBM. On her appointment on January 2012, Ginni began to face new and bigger challenges in the company. 

Her 30 years of experience, efforts and dedication to IBM  made her credited for spearheading IBM's growth strategy by getting the company into the cloud computing and analytics businesses. She was also at the helm of readying Watson, the Jeopardy! playing computer, for commercial use.

In her new role, her impact will only be amplified. IBM spends a whopping $6 billion a year on R&D. With that investment and platform, Rometty will undoubtedly bring to bear innumerable technological breakthroughs — a big reason IBM's stock trades at record highs.

10 Most Influential People in the Tech World - The 2012 TIME 100

As soon as the Time Magazine revealed its annual TIME 100 which lists the most influential people in the world, I got the curiosity about who among of them are in the world of tech. While hearing or saying the word "influential" makes me think of Mark Zuckerberg or Bill Gates who are not just influential but also among the richest in their own generation, I was a little bit surprised to find out that most them who made it in the top list are completely unknown to me . But I feel happy now as my little research helped me to learn more information  about them and so they are just no more a "somebody".

We may haven't noticed them but the passion, efforts and contributions they have given to their works have amplified productivity in the field of technology and helped and also inspired many people around and beyond them. And just as Jeremy Lin who was named the most influential people this year at the deserved number 1 spot, these people in the world of tech are all well-deserved to be part of the prestigious list.

#4 SALMAN KHAN (Educator) 

The man behind khanacademy.org, a free online education platform and non-profit organization, Salman Khan is an educator by profession who, through his Academy, wants to give every kid a free, world-class education. The khanacademy.org has over 3,000 short lessons that allow kids to learn at their own pace. Students can practice exercises and allow them to go back to the pertinent video when they're having trouble. The site has a detailed dashboard for teachers who use Khan Academy in their classrooms.

His Khan Academy channel on Youtube has attracted 321,388  subscribers and has an outstanding 144, 016,152 views as of this April. 

He has been previously featured and recognized in numerous online publications including The Colbert Report, PBS NewsHour, CNN and  National Public Radio. He also received the prestigious Microsoft Tech Award for Education on 2009 and became part of Fortune's annual "40 under 40" list on 2010.

#15 BEN RATTRAY (Organizer) 

Founder and CEO of change.org, Ben Rattray continues to change the world and influence more people through his petition platform. His disclaimer on his profile page in the site reads:

"I started this journey because I had little way of translating my passion for a cause into effective action, and I hope we can deepen engagement in social issues and empower people to make a difference in their communities and the world around them."

Moreover, the goal of Change.org according to him is to "change the balance of power between individuals and large organizations."

From a social networking site for activists to a blogging platform then transforming to a petition platform, Change.org is eyeing for a widely group of audience by expanding into other countries making its website available for different languages.

#24 Henrik Schärfe (Inventor)

A Professor, PhD and Director of Center for Computer-mediated Epistemology in Aalborg University, Henrik Schärfe became an inspiration and influenced many of his co-inventors when his Geminoid-DK named Doppelgänger start appearing on youtube and during the TED conference.

His cool but creepy android was formed from his creative point of view that will make people uneasy enough to think about the role of technology in their lives and the boundaries between humans and machines.

#36 Anonymous (Hackers)

The next influential figure who made it in the list is not a 'person' in particular but a name that represents a group of  fearless hacktivist which has been very controversial recently because of their widely-publicized protests including The Pirate Bay, Megaupload and SOPA to name a few, and distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks. Anonymous is indeed, the world's most famous hackers and definitely one of the most influential figure in the web. 

As described by Chris Landers through the Baltimore City Paper, "Anonymous is the first Internet-based superconsciousness. Anonymous is a group, in the sense that a flock of birds is a group. How do you know they're a group? Because they're traveling in the same direction. At any given moment, more birds could join, leave, peel off in another direction entirely."

Anonymous, due to their brave protests, has been included in numerous enemies list including Arab dictatorships, the Vatican, banking and entertainment firms, the FBI and CIA, the security firm Stratfor and even San Francisco's BART transport system.

#37 Pete Cashmore (Social News Guru)

In his very young age, 19, Pete Cashmore created his blog, Mashable way back in 2005 at Aberdeen Scotland. Today, the Scottish-American news website and Internet news blog is already one of the primary sources of timely and relevant news and information about the latest around the web primarily in social media, developments in mobile, entertainment, online video, business, web development, technology, memes and gadgets.

Mashable's immense popularity allowed Pete to achieve greater achievements that made him extremely influential in and out of the web. He was one of the Inc's "30 under 30" and Forbe's "Top 25 Web Celebs" and was also included in The Huffington Post's Top 10 Game Changer, all these recognition was achieved on 2009.

The goal behind Mashable is that Pete wanted to be part of the conversation about technological change and  Mashable gave him a voice. Today, it gives voice to millions who are trying to make their lives better through digital innovation.

Next 5 Most Influential People in Tech World

Philippines as Second Among Countries With Slowest Internet

What lies in front of the biggest telecommunications and internet service providers in the Philippines right now is a challenge as to how they will improve their services in providing a reliable and literally fast internet connection after the country has been listed 2nd in the world with slowest web page loading according to a study conducted by Google. 

Slovak Republic top the world’s list with fastest desktop internet speed at 3.3 (seconds) followed by South Korea and Czech Republic with 3.5 and 3.7 seconds web page loading speeds respectively. Completing the top 10 list include Netherlands (3.9), Japan (4), Denmark (4.3), Switzerland (4.3), Sweden (4.5) Belgium (4.6) and Norway (4.8). 

On the other side of the list are the 10 countries with slowest average of page loading speed including Philippines with 15.4 seconds at the bottom 2 before Indonesia which got the slowest average at 20.3 seconds. 

In terms of mobile web page loading, South Korea got the fastest speed with 4.8 seconds followed by Denmark (5.2) and Hong Kong (5.9) while the two countries that have the lowest speeds belong to Saudi Arabia (21.2) and United Arab Emirates (26.7). 

Refer to the graphs below to see the complete list of countries that have the highest and lowest web page loading speed.

Top 10 in Desktop Speeds (in seconds)

Bottom 10 in Desktop Speeds (in seconds)

Top 10 in Mobile Speeds (in seconds)

Bottom 10 in Mobile Speeds (in seconds)

[Infographic] How the Internet is Killing the Planet - Earth Day Special

Tomorrow, April 24, 2012 is the celebration of one of the most important campaigns in the world- the Earth Day! As we head to the celebration of this global awareness about the appreciation and preservation of our mother Earth, let us take a look at this infographic courtesy of wordstream on how the internet is affecting or killing at its worst, our dear planet.

Dell Philippines Unveils XPS 13 Ultrabook | Specs and Price in the Philippines

Dell is finally joining the competition in the ultrabook market in the Philippines by launching Dell XPS 13 as its first entry last April 12, 2012 at the Mind Museum, Bonifacio Global Taguig.

Dell XPS 13

Claimed by pcworld as one of the best ultrabooks yet, Dell XPS 13 comes in sleek, light, thin and well built-in premium materials that looks good, feels good and performs well! This ultraportable gadget is 13-inches in size, slightly smaller than Air and weighing very light at 2.99 pounds only! It runs in a bundled Windows 7 operating system and intel core i5 processor.

The concept of the said launching of Dell XPS 13 in the Philippines is a combination of  art, fashion and technology which brings a slightly different approach in introducing products in the Philippines that is associated with technology especially ultrabooks. Overall, the event only shows that Dell XPS 13 is incredible and beautiful enough to have its grand entrance in the market.

Dell XPS 13 comes in 3 distinct configurations namely V560106PH, V560107PH and V560108PH which mainly differ in the solid-state driver (SSD) storage. Below are the features of each configuration.

Dell XPS 13 (V560106PH) Php 59,590

• 13.3″ WLED display @ 720p
• Gorilla Glass Display (edge-to-edge)
• Intel Core i5 2467M 1.6GHz
• Turbo Boost 2.0 up to 2.3GHz
• Intel HD 3000 Graphics
• 128GB SSD storage
• 4GB DDR3 RAM
• WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
• Bluetooth 3.0 + HS 1 3.MP camera
• 1 x USB 3.0
• 1 x USB 2.0 with PowerShare
• 1 x mini DisplayPort 6-cell battery
• Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit

Dell XPS 13 (V560107PH) Php 71, 990

• 13.3″ WLED display @ 720p 
• Gorilla Glass Display (edge-to-edge) 
• Intel Core i5 2467M 
• 1.6GHz Turbo Boost 2.0 up to 2.3GHz 
• Intel HD 3000 Graphics 
• 256GB SSD storage 
• 4GB DDR3 RAM 
• WiFi 802.11 b/g/n 
• Bluetooth 3.0 + HS 
• 1 3.MP camera 
• 1 x USB 3.0 
• 1 x USB 2.0 with PowerShare 
• 1 x mini DisplayPort 6-cell battery 
• Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit

Dell XPS 13 (V560108PH) Php 79, 990

• 13.3″ WLED display @ 720p
• Gorilla Glass Display (edge-to-edge)
• Intel Core i5 2637M
• 1.7GHz Turbo Boost 2.0 up to 2.8GHz
• Intel HD 3000 Graphics
• 256GB SSD storage
• 4GB DDR3 RAM
• WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
• Bluetooth 3.0 + HS
• 1 3.MP camera
• 1 x USB 3.0
• 1 x USB 2.0 with PowerShare
• 1 x mini DisplayPort 6-cell battery
• Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit

Dell XPS 13's updated features and specifications is promising that it will offer yet another superb computing experience you never had before. And all these unit's features doesn't just end up here because Dell is additionally offering more when you purchase a unit. Such exciting additions when finalizing your purchase include pre-loaded softwares such as Skype and McAfee, different accessories and after sales support.

Dell Philippines has a lot more products to offer not to mention its higher units of ultrabooks. If its first wave of ultrabooks goes well in the Philippine market, then we can expect for higher and better units to come.

Acer Iconia Tab A200 vs iPad 2 (wifi only) | Price and Specs - Philippines

Acer Iconia Tab A200 has finally arrived in the Philippine market at Php 18, 900 price tag after having announced last February 7, 2012 on Acer Philippines Facebook page that it will be available very soon.

Acer Iconia Tab A200

The Ice Cream Sandwich -running tablet, upon seeing its features and specs is comparable to iPad 2 (wifi only), which was notable of its price marked down after the new iPad was launched last month.

Let's take a closer look at some of the features that distinguish the two tablets from one another. Take note the the blue represents the iPad 2 (wifi only) and the red represents the Acer Iconia Tab A200

PROCESSOR SPEED

Both processors of iPad 2 (wifi only) and Acer Iconia Tab A200 are running at 1GH speed which is impressively fast for a tablet already. But the processor of iPad 2 is ​dual-​core ​Apple ​A5 ​custom-​designed,​ ​high-​performance,​ ​low-​power ​system-​on-​a-​chip while Iconia Tab A200 is NVIDIA ​Tegra ​2 ​250.

SCREEN SIZE

Diagonally measuring the two tablets, Iconia Tab A200 is a little bit bigger at 10.1 inches with dimensions 6.90" x 10.20" x 0.48" while the iPad 2 is measuring 9.7 inches with dimensions 9.50" x 7.31" x 0.34". The difference comes in the display technology used since Iconia Tab A200 is  made of LCD while iPad 2 is made of LED.

CONNECTIVITY

Both tablets have Wifi and USB support but Iconia Tab P200 has an additional Bluetooth support for connecting and communicating with a quite range of mobile devices.

CAMERA

Both the iPad 2 and Iconia Tab A200 have a back and front HD cameras which are perfect for chatting applications such as Skype, Yahoo Messenger, Google Hangout etc. the iPad 2 though stands out with its 0.7 megapixels camera (back) while the front camera is 0.3 megapixels. On the other hand, Acer Iconia Tab A200 has 0.3 megapixels camera at the back and a 0.2 megapixels front camera.

PRICE

At less than Php 1900 in your pocket, you can already have one of this tablets at your hand. The Iconia Tab A200, as mentioned earlier, is costing Php 18, 900 while the iPad 2 wifi only (16 GB) costs not so far at Php 18, 990.

SUMMARY

Both the iPad 2 (wifi only) and Acer Iconia Tab A200 has an incredible features that will make every user satisfied of its overall performance. For this comparison, The iPad 2 is still the winner however, if you're an Android lover and wants to find a  nearest counterpart of the first at the price you can reach, definitely, Acer Iconia A200 might be your best option.

PLDT myDSL & Nuffnang Bring you The Avengers!

As a programmer, blogger/web content writer and social media addict, it is important for me to have a fast internet connection. One major reason is because I have to get information in the fastest way possible so I can also write about them concurrently or when I encounter source code that is strange to me, I have to look for them in the internet. With a fast internet connection, I have no hassle to chase valuable information from different sites - imagine the scenario when your browser has 10 tabs (or more) open at the same time- that frequently happens to me. When I heard about the Great Payday Sale of PLDT myDSL, I finally feel that this is the best opportunity for me to get even faster internet connection.

PLDT myDSL Great Payday Sale

This summer is the perfect time to enjoy the strongest connections at home with PLDT myDSL’s Great Payday Sale happening on April 27-29, 2012. If you’re interested too in getting fast internet connection from our country’s prime internet service provider, all you have to do is register at the nearest PLDT Home booth or malls nationwide on April 27-29, 2012 with 1 valid ID, no cash out or you can also apply online at www.pldtmydsl.com! If you’re an existing subscriber, you can also upgrade your internet with PLDT myDSL! 

Don’t miss this biggest internet sale ever from PLDT myDSL! Freebies like a WiFi + Modem with free installation and 1 month DSL are also to be given away. That’s as much as P 5,000 savings!

This post was made possible by:

Lumia 900 Soon to be Available in the Philippines - Nokia Philippines

Nokia Philippines, through a post in their facebook page, finally announced that the Lumia 900 units will be launched very soon in the country. 

According to the post, the launching of the highest windows phone handset under the famous brand in the Philippines will be made possible through a partnership with the giant network, Smart Communications although there's no confirmation yet about the exact date of release. It is highly anticipated however that the phone will be available in one of the postpaid plans of the said network.

Nokia Lumia 900

While the announcement of the phone launching excites avid Nokia users, some are hesitant to buy the phone as there are recent reports that some of its units have a small glitch that prevents the handset from connecting to data network. But the overall move still might be successful because Filipinos have already been used to the promising high quality units of Nokia mobile phones and although the there are big rivals in the smartphone market, there are no doubts that Nokia is still one of the preferred brands in the Philippines 

Lumia 900 is an award-winning phone that gained high reviews in different countries where it was (and will be) released including United States, Canada and United Kingdom. It was first introduced last January 9, 2012 at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2012 where it won the Best Smartphone award from the said event. 

The handset was first made available in the United States on April 8, 2012 and the sales reported exceeded expectations of the company. The market continues to grow when the handset went sale in Canada- through Rogers Communications. Pre-orders are also now available in United Kingdom where the units will be officially released on April 27 and where the company hopes to set the volume sales even high. 

The release of Lumia 900 in the Philippines is a tip-off that our country is doing well in terms of smartphones sales and Nokia can positively hopes for further increase of their sales once the units have been released. It has to be in the good hands of the telecommunication provider though to ensure that it will meet all the expectations and avoid customer disappointments.

Smart Opens Application for Next SWEEP Scholars (S.Y. 2012-2013)

Smart Communications is now accepting application forms for the next Smart Wireless Engineering Education Program (SWEEP) scholars starting today until May 4, 2012.

The application is open to all full-time graduating technology students of Electronics Engineering, Computer Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Computer Science and Information Communication Technology in which their school is a member of SWEEP.

See the following information below, which was taken from the SWEEP's Scholarship Mechanics for S.Y. 2011-2013, to know how to avail the scholarship.

STUDENT ELIGIBILITY

To avail of the scholarship, the student must:

1. Be a Filipino citizen.
2. Be  a  full  time,  graduating  student  taking up any of the following degree courses: Electronics Engineering, Computer  Engineering, Computer Science or  Information Technology, Industrial Engineering, Management Information Systems, Information & Communications Technology.
3. Be in good physical and mental health.
4. Not be a recipient of other scholarships.
5. Have an excellent academic record and pass all the academic subjects in his/her enrolled curriculum  with a minimum grade of  “2.5”  per subject  or better,  and  with  no  grade  of  "5.00"  or  unremoved "4.00" or "inc." in the semester immediately preceding the application. 
6. Not  only  excel  academically  but  also  has  leadership  potential  and  community  involvement  thru active participation in program and club activities from the college, university and the community. 
7. Possess good moral character and must not have any record of disciplinary action for the duration of the program.
8. Be financially needy (parents’ annual gross income must not exceed P300,000 or may vary depending on the financial bracketing s e t by the school).
9. Carry a regular academic load prescribed for every year of the academic term of the course.
10. Not shift to another course/major other than the original course/major at the time of application to and acceptance into the Program.
11. Understand that as recipient of the scholarship, SMART reserves the right of first refusal for possible employment of the Scholar upon graduation.

STUDENT APPLICATION FOR SCHOLARSHIP

Interested students must accomplish the SWEEP Scholarship Application Form (download from
www.smartsweep.ph) and must apply at their respective Scholarship Offices.

SELECTION OF SCHOLARS

The school will pre-qualify three (3) students and endorse the same to SMART.

Email:  sweep@smart.com.ph
Mail Original Documents:   Michelle Bayhonan
                                         Public Affairs Gr oup
                                         Smart Communications, Inc.
                                         8/F Smart Tower One
                                         6799 Ayala Avenue, Makati City

Upon receipt of the application forms, SMART’s selection committee will screen and choose two (2) scholar per school.  Th e decision of the selection committee will be deemed final.

SCHOOL APPLICATION FOR SCHOLARSHIP

The School must:

1. Accomplish and submit to SMART the letter of intent.  
2. Sign a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) for the Scholarship Program with SMART 
3. Run the Scholarship Program in the school 

a. Cascade information regarding the Scholarship Program
b. Select three qualified students and endorse to Smart
c. Submit to SMART CV/Resume of the three (3) selected students

TERMINATION OF THE SCHOLARSHIP

The University shall report to SMART, at the end of every semester, the academic and school standings of the scholar. This shall be the basis of checking if any of the following grounds for termination of eligibility as scholars exists:

1. A grade below 2.50 in each subject, even if the GWA of 2.50 is still attained. 
2. Gross violation of the University’s policies and regulations. 
3. Committing an offense against moral values. 
4. Committing a crime against a person and state. 
5. Transfer to a different course other than original  course/major at the time of application to and acceptance into the Scholarship Program.  

If any of the aforementioned grounds exists, the scholar will automatically lose his/her scholarship entitlements unless deemed otherwise by SMART.

---

Here is the current campaign poster of SMART's SWEEP program for this school year, 2012-2013.

SM Cinema Launches e-PLUS Card: A Convenient way to Watch Movie on Time

SM Cinema is introducing a new and convenient way for you to watch movies in all SM Cinemas nationwide by offering e-PLUS card- officially launched yesterday, April 11, 2012 at SM Megamall Cinema 3. 

WHAT IS e-PLUS 

Stands for Entertainment, Privileges, Lifestyle, Upgrades and Surprises, e-PLUS is a re-loadable electronic card that you can use to enjoy movies at all SM Cinemas. Upgrading it to a loyalty card for free allows you to earn reward points for every use at SM Cinema and Snacktime branch that are easily redeemable at all e-PLUS booths nationwide. Aside from reward points, you are entitled of exclusive privileges and special promos such as 50% discount on selected movies, seasonal offers, quarterly raffles and invites to exclusive, events. Snacktime treats for members include free upsize or drinks and meal credits for every Php 500.00 or Php 1,000.00 reload. 

HOW TO AVAIL e-PLUS CARD 

If you want to avail an e-PLUS card, you must fill out an application form available at any e-PLUS booth or at SM Cinema Website. After submitting the application form, you will be given an option to avail the e-PLUS starter kit for only Php 300.00. Starter kit includes a premium item, an automatic pass to a movie plus large popcorn and a soda. 

Upon availing the Starter kit you‘ll receive a personalized e-PLUS card and a welcome SMS. By validating your mobile number, you will get a complimentary movie ticket for another movie of your choice at your next visit to SM cinema. 

SENTIMENTS FROM SM AUTHORITIES 

“E-PLUS, the first of its kind in the country, gives movie-watching an exciting twist. We are innovating to provide our patrons more convenient access where they don’t need to fall in line when purchasing movie tickets. They just have to go straight to their cinema of choice and insert their card. We are loading up the card with rewards and perks. The e-PLUS card is a prefect entertainment gift card. It is also ideal as corporate giveaways for various programs and promotion.” - Ms. Sahara Jean Garnica, Senior Marketing Manager of SM Cinema. 

“While e-PLUS is one’s gateway to all of our exclusive offers, it is also our way of rewarding our loyal patrons. Because it offers convenience and loaded entertainment experience with its privileges, ever-growing number of surprises and partner merchants, our membership base will continuously grow. We encourage everyone to get their e-PLUS card now and be part of the 100,000 cardholders to date.” - Edgar C. Tejerero, Senior Vice President of West Avenue Theaters Corporation. 

For more inquiries or other concerns about the e-PLUS card, you may visit www.smcinema.com or call Customer Care Hotline 470-2222.

Google+ Introduces new UI Changes Toward a Simpler, More Beautiful G+ Experience

New G+ User Interface courtesy of Google blog

Google+ launched today new and exciting features that will allow users even customize their profile and thus have their user-experience in Google+ even better than ever!

Among the new features introduced include the new navigation which apps can be drag and drop to arrange them according to your preference,  Hangout with your friends who are currently online, stream are now simpler while photos and videos comes bigger in display,  and new arrangement of user profile picture with banner at the back that looks like the "cover" on Facebook, and many others. Watch the series of videos below to understand these changes.

Indeed, there's more to explore on G+!

For the record, Google+ has reached more than 170 million plus registered users already. Being the fourth social networking site (Google Buzz, Google Friend Connect and Orkut) introduced by Google, it has become, by far, the most successful one.

As of launching of the new interface, it is not yet available on all G+ users across the globe but one thing is for sure: Google is rolling out all of these changes already so better check your profile frequently to see if these changes have already took effect!

Take a sneak peek of the new interface here!

Nokia Lumia 900 Reports to Have Problems Connecting to Data Network

Although there are no news yet about launching Nokia Lumia 900 in the Philippines - Hot in some symbian forums today is the topic that some Nokia Lumia 900 units are having  trouble connecting to data network.

Few days back when Lumia 900 was launched  (Friday, April 6, 2012 to be exact) and became the center of attraction by being  the guest of honor during the party Friday night at New York's Times Square, now a small percentage of users who have received the phone may be encountering problems connecting their device to the internet.

The glitch has been reported in a number of forum sites and luckily answered by recommending this fix:

• Remove the SIM card and leave the SIM card out for the next three steps. 
• Perform a Master Reset (Settings > About). 
• Let the product boot up without a SIM card. 
• Turn off the device. 
• Verify that the SIM card is LTE enabled. 
•  Insert SIM card and boot up.

If in case you're encountering the same problem, you should also know that the fix mentioned above may only temporarily solved the issue and the best thing to do is to replace your unit.

Microsoft Acquires $1 Billion Worth of 800 Patents From AOL

It seems that there is a big sale over the tech market lately, with different properties are being acquired by bigger companies to either expand their property or keep their competitors at bay or both. Such as the acquisition of the company/product  Instagram by the social networking giant, Facebook that was formally announced today.

Today, another big news in tech world also spread out that Microsoft is in the process of acquiring majority of AOL's recently on-auction patents numbering up to 800 plus concerning key strategic areas such as advertising, search and social media.

AOL earlier announced that it will be selling 800 patents in order to raise money, surprising investors with the size of the deal and sending AOL shares up more than 40 percent. The sale which includes technology rights from AOL's current and former businesses, ranging from Netscape, ICQ and MapQuest to CompuServe, Advertising.com and others started last fall and is considered a full-blown dynamic auction in the tech industry.

A final buyer, which is Microsoft, was finally selected last April 5, to own those patents according to Tim Armstromg, AOL CEO.

The deal acquired by Microsoft includes a non-exclusive licences grants to the patents AOL retained with   300 of these patents are still on hold by the company.

The huge sale allowed AOL to boost its share from $7.78, or 43 percent, to $26.20 in morning trading, and $7.87 to $26.29 in afternoon trade adding about $750 million to its market capitalization. Microsoft's shares however slipped 37 cents, or 1.1 percent, to $31.15 in morning trading.

This is not the first time that AOL and Microsoft had been into partnerships. It may be remembered that the two and Yahoo! company have shared common interests and formed an advertising alliance last year. This year's acquisition of Microsoft to AOL patents only shows that Microsoft is in full interest of AOL's patent portfolio.

Facebook to Acquire Instagram For $1 Billion

Social networking giant, Facebook is buying Instagram, the company behind the popular photo-sharing app 'Instagram' as confirmed by Mark Zuckerberg today.

"I'm excited to share the news that we've agreed to acquire Instagram and that their talented team will be joining Facebook."

This is the first time that the said company is acquiring another company and the product that has a well established community and Zuckerberg is looking forward to bringing the two companies working together.

"This is an important milestone for Facebook because it's the first time we've ever acquired a product and company with so many users. We don't plan on doing many more of these, if any at all. But providing the best photo sharing experience is one reason why so many people love Facebook and we knew it would be worth bringing these two companies together.


We're looking forward to working with the Instagram team and to all of the great new experiences we're going to be able to build together."

The popularity of Instagram started  way back its release on iTunes last October 6, 2010 and just two months later (December 2012), Instagram had reached 1 million registered users. It continues to grow the next year with five million users on June 2011 and surpassed the ten million mark of registered users by September of the same year. As popularity becomes unstoppable, developers of Instagram further pushed it to a larger market by releasing an Android version of the app last April 4, 2012. It reached as high as 1 million within 12 hours after the release. As of today, there are 227,919 android users who are using Instagram.

It seems that both parties are happy with the acquisition. In a blog post wrote by Kevin Systrom, Instagram CEO, he describes the humble beginnings of Instagram and how it reached a large community that never once imagined and how he hopes to have an exciting future in the arms of facebook.

"When Mike and I started Instagram nearly two years ago, we set out to change and improve the way the world communicates and shares. We’ve had an amazing time watching Instagram grow into a vibrant community of people from all around the globe. Today, we couldn’t be happier to announce that Instagram has agreed to be acquired by Facebook.


Every day that passes, we see more experiences being shared through Instagram in ways that we never thought possible. It’s because of our dedicated and talented team that we’ve gotten this far, and with the support and cross-pollination of ideas and talent at a place like Facebook, we hope to create an even more exciting future for Instagram and Facebook alike." - Mike (Instagram CEO)

Both Facebook and Instagram CEOs further clarified that the acquisition of Instagram will not put the photo-sharing app into nowhere but will continue to be as it is and both will strive hard to bring the popularity of Instagram to a much wider people. Instagram CEO further said they will work on adding new features for the app and find new ways to create a better mobile photos experience.

Bentabols: The Next Sulit in the Making?

When I opened my facebook account today, an eye candy ad struck and got my attention. Reading the ad even made me convinced  to click it. After having a second thought, I finally decided to direct to the site and what I discovered is a promising pinoy advertising site that offers free posting of buy and sell ads that is indeed, very similar to Sulit! Introducing: The Bentabols.

Upon heading to the site, I landed on Bentabol's homepage and as what I've seen on the ad earlier, the site is truly colorful but looking neat and sophisticated while the overall look is dominated by light blue, pink and green colors.

Bentabols, for its very purpose, offers advertisements that are mainly categorized into five namely: Buy and Sell, Real Estate, Business and Services, Automotive and Jobs. Buy and Sell section is where all goods and products (brand new or second hand) for trade can be found such as books, computers, jewelries, phones, different accessories and many others. Real Estate in the same manner is where all advertisements concerning real properties such as house and lot, apartments and condominiums , beach and land properties and the like can be found. Business and Services is where advertisements for different services including accounting and finance, automotive, advertising, IT and computer services and many others that fall in can be found while the last category, Jobs, is where all opportunities relating to employment, which includes part time or full time, online and offline jobs are found.

For a limited period of time, users who will register to Bentabols will be given 500 coupons that can be used to post a free premium advertisement and that advertisement can be likewise posted into facebook wall in just one click.Moreover, users are given enough advertising functionality to maintain their ads within the site including a personal storage address, customizable ad layout, viewer tracker and secured private settings. Users are also given 50 coupons monthly allowance for making premium advertisements. 

Head now to the site and don't miss this limited opportunity!

[Infographic] How Do Social Login And Sharing Affect Ecommerce?

We've been into this era where social media buttons became an integral tool to express every individual's own opinion. That one's identity in social media became a reliable source for foreign sites to consider when identifying a particular customer. That's why, more and more sites are adding social media buttons for logging in and social sharing to promote their products and the site as a whole. Moreover, it is also becoming a means to target a wider span of customers because a user is more likely to engage in a foreign site if it is recommended by a friend or other closer ones. So thanks to the like, share, tweet, and the recently rising pin it and +1 buttons, users can now express more about the things they desire and preferences they look into and share them with their loved ones, friends and other people while promoting that foreign site at the same time.

Nokia Lumia 710 | Price and Specs - Philippines

Smart Communications will be offering a huge array of smartphones running on android and windows mobile operating system in a new plan that is expected to target more subscribers from the top telecommunication network. The Plan 1000 which runs until May 8, 2012 offers smart subscribers a chance to get their dream smartphone (except for iPhone), two years to pay with a promising 0% interest!

And one of the units that will be offered in the plan is the Nokia Lumia 710, the first Nokia's widows-running smartphone! If you want to be one of the first Philippine-resident to get this unit from Smart, seize the on-going pre-order before its availability on smart stores starting April 16.

Here is the detailed features and specifications of the new Nokia Lumia 700:

Key Features:

• Windows Phone 7.5 "Mango"
• 1.4GHz processor optimized for Windows Phone
• 512MB RAM, 8GB storage
• 5MP auto-focus, LED flash camera
• Bluetooth 2.1, A-GPS, HSDPA up to 14.4Mbps, Micro-USB
• 3.7" WVGA (800x400 resolution) TFT capacitive touch Clear Black display

DISPLAY
Screen Size	3.7 inch
Display Technology	TFT
Screen Resolution	480 x 800
Display Features	Ambient Light Sensor Multi Touch Proximity Sensor

CAMERA
Camera Options	Autofocus Image Stabilization LED Flash Rear Facing Camera Video Recording
Camera Quality	5 megapixels
Maximum Video Capture Resolution	720p

BATTERY
Talk Time	7 hours
Maximum Standby Time	400 hours
Battery Capacity	1,300 mAh
Battery Technology	Li Ion

CONNECTIVITY
Wireless Connectivity	Compare by Wireless Connectivity 3G 4G Bluetooth WiFi
Bluetooth Version	2.1 + EDR
Charging Connection	microUSB
Interfaces	microUSB
Headphone Connection	3.5mm

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Operating System	Windows Phone 7.5
CPU	Qualcomm MSM8255 Snapdragon
CPU Speed	1.40 GHz
Processor Cores	Single Core
RAM	512MB
Dimensions	4.69" x 2.46" x 0.49"
Weight	125 grams

MEMORY
Storage	8.0 GB
Removable Storage (included)	2 GB
Removable Memory	microSD

Direct here to get your pre-order or visit the Smart's Data Plan P1000 page for other units and brands you may prefer.