Whatsikat Tech

Rumor: SM’s Henry Sy buying Globe Telecom?

Sun, 27 May 2012 08:12:11 +0000

We got this really surprising tip from a source that rumor is going around that billionaire tycoon Henry Sy is looking to buy controlling shares of Globe Telecom.

Henry Sy has interestes in a lot of markets — retail, real estate, banking, leisure, etc. This rumored interest in the telecoms industry could have been sparked by the recent acquisition of Digitel by PLDT, putting the competition between Smart and Globe in a spotlight.

Earlier, Globe has secured a $90 million loan from China Banking Corp. to spend for the expansion of its 4G network in the Philippines. China Bank is also owned by Henry Sy.

Globe has a market capitalization of around Php142 billion and recently achieved a 1st quarter revenue of Php20.2 billion (Q1, 2012). The company is partly owned by the Ayalas with 32% share while Singaporean telecom, Singtel, owns 47%.

Henry Sy is the Philippine’s richest guy (#173 in the world) with an estimated worth of $8 billion or Php344 billion. That’s more than enough money to buy controlling shares of Globe.

Henry Sy doesn’t need to buy it out of the Ayala clan. He can just buy the majority shares from Singtel to take control of the telco.

Again, it’s just a rumor (so take this story with a grain of salt) but if this actually happens, Henry Sy might do to Globe what it did to Banco de Oro — propelling the company to the top spot by leveraging on its assets and interests in other markets.

How to Backup Linux Applications

noreply@blogger.com (jun auza) — Sun, 27 May 2012 03:08:00 +0000

We've already talked about the best backup software for Linux. These applications save you from losing all your data in case of some unforeseen incident. Moreover, if you’re using the latest version of Ubuntu, you’ll find a backup software (Deja Dup) already installed and ready to be used. So, one cannot stress more on the importance of backing up your data and staying on the safer side.

That said, not everything can be backed up so easily. In other words, backing up music, videos, documents, and even saved games can be quite easily achieved with the help of some popular tools. Or even you can copy all the data manually to some external hard drive, thus making the process even simpler. However, backing up applications, especially the ones on Linux, is not something many people go for.

Distro-hoppers like me just punch in a string of commands and all my favorite applications get installed without any problems. But for new users, who are formatting their hard drive for some reason or the other, and are tired of reinstalling everything again, there’s finally a simple solution to their woes. Here’s a small how-to article on backing up your favorite applications on Linux:

APTonCD

APTonCD, as the name suggests, is a free tool that lets you backup all your installed applications onto a CD or DVD. Once installed, the application lists all your packages and lets you burn them on a CD or DVD. You can, of course, choose which ones to burn and which not to burn.

To get started with it, simply type in or paste the following command in your terminal (Ctrl + Alt + T) if you’re using Ubuntu:

sudo apt-get install aptoncd

If you’re on any other distribution, feel free to download the tool from their website.

Once installed, open it by searching for APTonCD in the launcher (Super key). The application is very easy to use and you can backup all your apps in 3 simple steps.

Step 1: From the Welcome screen, hit the Create button.

Step 2: Choose the packages you want to backup. If there are more packages you want to add, click on the Add button to include more deb files. Finally, once you’re done, hit the Burn button.

Step 3: Select the medium (CD or DVD) and the destination of the image file and then hit Apply. Once you've created your backup CD, open up APTonCD on that computer and just hit the Restore button from the Welcome screen (refer to Step 1).

A simple command list

If APTonCD isn't your cup of tea then a simple list of commands will help you backup almost all your important applications. Firstly, make a list of all the important applications that you use on a daily basis. If you can’t find the package names, simply hit the following command:

sudo dpkg --list

Then once you've made a list, write out the whole command like this on a text file:

sudo apt-get install vlc python firefox …..

Then, save that text file to your Dropbox or Ubuntu One folder and relax. Also, if you use software from repositories, write down the command for adding the repos to the same text file. For example, you can write:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:cooperjona/nitrotasks && sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install nitrotasks

Then finally, after formatting your hard drive and reinstalling Ubuntu, just paste in these commands into your terminal and enjoy.

Written by: Abhishek, a regular TechSource contributor and a long-time FOSS advocate.

Browser wars flare in mobile space

Sun, 27 May 2012 01:48:49 +0000

The browser wars are heating up again, but this time the fight is for dominance of the mobile Internet.

SpaceX ushers new era for private space flights

Sat, 26 May 2012 18:21:58 +0000

SpaceX on Friday became the first commercial outfit to send its own cargo capsule to the International Space Station (ISS), heralding the start of a new era for private space flight.

Cherry Mobile taps Ainol for cheap ICS tablets

Sat, 26 May 2012 12:26:47 +0000

A number of readers have pointed out to me last week that Cherry Mobile is already selling what could be a co-branded Ainol Paladin tablet so I confirmed it with the folks from CM if this as indeed true.

We posted our review of the Ainol Paladin here back in January which was a huge hit for being the first ICS-powered tablet in the Philippines. That, plus the fact that it was really very affordable at Php5,800.

Cherry Mobile‘s official statement was that “Ainol is an exclusive ODM Partner” (Official Device Manufacturer). This means CM can actually carry any or all of the tablets that’s being manufactured by Ainol. That also means you get local warranty and support service for those units as well.

I was also surprised that Cherry Mobile is doing a sale on this unit and priced it at only Php4,999.

Check out the poster above for details of this sale (along with all other Android devices from CM).

Sentence given, but US webcam saga not over

Sat, 26 May 2012 07:58:49 +0000

The legal saga is far from over for an Indian-born, former Rutgers University student sentenced to 30 days jail for using a webcam to spy on his roommate kissing another man. The cultural fallout could continue, too.

A (Bite-sized) MMO Shenanigans Review: Realm of The Mad God

Sat, 26 May 2012 07:34:01 +0000

Realm of the Mad God Country of Origin: USA Genre: Co-Op MMO Shooter RPG Company of Origin: Wildshadow Studios Playable Servers: Stream, Google Chrome Web Store, Kongregate Gameplay Status: Playing We will start with a simple plot. Realm of the Mad God is about your adventures as destined monster fodder fighting with other destined monster fodders against monsters dispatched in the world of Oryx, The Mad God and titular character. Complete all the missions and get a chance for you and a couple of other fighters to enter the castle and defeat the Mad God Himself! You start off as a Wizard. After a quick tutorial, your role in the game is to fight through hordes and hordes of enemies using your given power. Majority of your attacks as any class are projectile shooters. And you know what? So will your enemies. Dodging the projectiles is always the best option since each hit can take serious damage when your level gap with a boss monster is too wide. Using your own projectile powers affects the player's accuracy. The more your attack hits the monster, the more fame you can get after you die. There is also an equippable special power which can give off massive damage to enemies with the help of your MP and the space bar, the item box also holds 8 items of your choice (with the obvious 1-8 keys). These will come in handy if you wanna carry spoils of from fallen enemies. [singlepic id=5724 w= h= float=center]

Sort of like a bullet shooter... only with less beautiful yet still quite annoying bullet designs.

Your party can vary more on existence in an area than accepting invitations. When you fight a quest monster with a nearby party, loots are free, everyone gets a share of XP, and you can simply just leave the party by leaving the area... and you can reenter or join a new "party" at will. You can also enter special caves where you can fight off pirates and their boss which can affect your fame greatly if you enter and exit the cave and survive. The Nexus contains a guild hall, storage to store things (though adding more treasure bozes for money may annoy some players a little, for the free storage box only holds 8 items), stores that give you a change to change the color of your current avatar and better potions (also costing real-life money). It also has a healing pool which you can come and go as you please. So pretty much use the Nexus when you are about to be killed by another monster. Die another day, I suppose. Speaking of death.... Problem in the game is that you only live once. No, seriously. Die once and it's game over. You can start again as the same character to become better or if you have done well as that character enough to surpass level 5 for the more basic jobs and level 20 for the more advanced jobs, you can unlock new classes and try your luck with different skills and weaponry. It does get harder when you fight the quest-centric big monsters to gain more fame, but all the worth it. Source: RoTMG Wiki.

All your classes are in your oyster- Just. Stay. ALIVE. Then die if you have had enough.

Overall, the game is interesting and for something so simple can turn into something that can keep you hooked for a long time. Give this game a try, since it's free and only about 37 MBs!

Unboxing the Sony Xperia P

Sat, 26 May 2012 04:56:41 +0000

Among the Sony NXT phones, the one that I think fits my needs is the 4-inch Sony Xperia P. We didn’t see this phone during the launch and there was a bit of delay bringing this in but the Sony Xperia P is now here with us ready to be played with.

But first, let’s do a short unboxing.

Similar to other Sony Xperia phones, you’ll get a big, flat, square box for its packaging. A bit more complicated packaging inside will reveal the contents aside from the Xperia P itself.

You’ll get a USB power adapter which you can also use to power other USB devices, the USB cable to charge the phone, a generic in-ear earphone with 2 other different-sized pairs of silicon tips, and a shirt clip for the earphone.

The phone itself looks really nice in an industrial-looking way. Love the silver, grainy finish which gives the phone a rugged, manly look. You’ll see the transparent strip element found in all Sony NXT phones.

Not included in the box but should be included when you purchase this phone on authorized resellers are the 2 NFC Smart Tags, an HDMI cable, screen protector, and a fast charger.

A little about the phone. The Sony Xperia P is powered by the NovaThor U8500 1GHz dual-core processor which replaced the originally planned 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon “Krait” S4 due to shortage. It has a 4-inch screen with a Bravia display plus a technology Sony calls WhiteMagic for a brighter screen with good contrast as evident from the first time I fired it up. Do note that it has a 16GB storage but without a microSD slot.

The Sony Xperia P has a suggested retail price of Php22,990. We’ll post our review of this phone after we’re done playing with it.

Sony Xperia P Specs:
1GHz dual-core NovaThor U8500
Mali-400MP GPU
4″ Reality display with the Mobile Bravia Engine (540 x 960 resolution)
Sony WhiteMagic technology
Android 2.3 Gingerbread
1GB of RAM, 16GB internal storage, no microSD
8-megapixel Exmor-R camera, f/2.4
1080 Full HD video recording at 30fps
1.3-megapixel front camera (720p)
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, DLNA, NFC
Bluetooth w/ A2DP
HDMI port
GPS w/ aGPS support
Li-Ion 1750 mAh battery
122 x 59.5 x 10.5 mm
4.2 oz
SRP: Php22,990

Galaxy S3: Smart UnliData 2000 vs. Globe UnliSurf 2499

Sat, 26 May 2012 01:43:31 +0000

As we near the official launch of the highly anticipated Samsung S3, the two telco giants vies for the hearts of prospective upgraders and switchers through their plans. Now before you get too excited and sign up for any of these telcos, let’s take a closer look at their offerings and see which one fits your lifestyle and usage pattern.

As we mentioned in our previous post, Globe was the first to reveal their range of plan for the SGS3. This quad-core handset will come in free with their UnliSurf Plan 2499 and will have a standard lock-in period of 24 months. Apart from the unlimited mobile internet, the plan will also have consumables worth Php1,500 a month.

Following the said announcement, Smart recently unveiled their available plans for the same phone. The SGS3 will come in free with their UnliData Plan 2000 which is Php499 cheaper than Globe’s offering.

The catch here, however, is that you’d have be with the carrier for a longer period of time. The lock-in period for this plan is 30 months (instead of the 24-months on Globe).

Here’s a short computation of how these two plans look like:

Globe Galaxy S3
Php2,499 (UnliSurf Plan)
x 24 months (lock-in period)
Php59,976 TCO

Smart Galaxy S3
Php2,000 (UnliData Plan)
x 30 months (lock-in period)
Php60,000 TCO

* TCO: Total Cost of Ownership

Looking at this, it’s clear that neither plan gains a significant edge over the other in terms of the total amount a user has to pay (TCO). But what clearly sets them apart is the lock-in period. The Php500 per month difference between the two plans will come into play in this situation.

If you can afford to shell out an extra Php500 every month so you can get out of the plan a bit faster, then the Globe UnliSurf Plan is for you. But, if you’re not in a rush to switch phones or plan and does not have a spare Php500 a month, better go with Smart’s UnliData Plan. At the end of the day, it boils down to how much you’re willing to shell out for this quad-core handset.

In terms of bundles here’s what the two plans has to offer:

Globe UnliSurf 2499
Php1500 Consumable
Free Texts: 200 (Globe-to-Globe) + 25 (Other Networks)
Free Call: 10mins (Globe-to-Globe) + 5mins (Other Networks)
Free Texts (International): 10
Free Call (International): 20mins IDD
Free UnliCall and Text: 1 Globe or TM number

Smart UnliData 2000
N/A
Free Texts (All Networks): 200
Free Call (All Networks): 150 mins

By having a little bit of everything the UnliSurf 2499 plan bested Smart’s UnliData 2000 plan in terms of bundled services. In addition to this, the former has Php1500 consumable per month. That sums up to an additional 245 minutes worth of voice calls to same network subscriber or 226 minutes to other networks per month compared to Smart’s fixed 150 minutes to all network.

Based on the comparison above, we think that Globe’s UnliSurf 2499 is the better of the two in terms of bundled services and flexibility. Then again, there are also other important factors that you, as a consumer, need to look into such as network coverage and dependability that we really can’t comment on because that depends on your current location.

What we are sure though is that the introduction of these plans for the Galaxy S3 will definitely hurt the sell-ability of the other handsets in their line-up.

With Smart — the HTC Sensation XE, Galaxy Note, Galaxy Nexus which also comes free with UnliData Plan 2000 will definitely be overshadowed by the Galaxy S3. With Globe — the Nokia Lumia 800 and the Galaxy Note might also suffer the same fate. For both networks, it might also hurt the sales of the iPhone 4S which is offered at the same or higher plan.

Just to sum this one up, we are more inclined to recommend Globe’s UnliSurf 2499 for flexibility and maximizing plan usage. But, if you just want a really low monthly fee, Smart’s UnliData Plan 2000 is the obvious pick.

Sony promises Xperia S, P & U to get ICS as scheduled

Fri, 25 May 2012 20:12:18 +0000

The promised ICS update on Sony’s NXT smartphones that includes S, P and U are still right on schedule according to Sony. The Android update is expected to arrive this June with the Xperia U’s update slightly delayed and is expected to arrive by the 3rd quarter of the year.

Sony also has good news for their 2011 smartphone users. They mentioned that earlier handsets like Arc, Neo, Mini, Mini Pro, Pro, Active and SE Live with WalkMan will also be receiving the latest Android OS starting next week. Handsets like Arc S, Ray and Neo V which already got the Android 4.0.3 will also have an upgrade to 4.0.4 along with the aforementioned devices.

Sony also spilled the beans that Xperia Play will not get the same treatment as the other Sony smartphones. Although the update is possible, it will come at the price of compromising smooth gaming experience. They said that even after collaborating with various developers and advanced users, a stable gameplay is still beyond reach through ICS, hence forced to make the tough decision to withdraw the attempted update to the said handset.

This is definitely, great stuff for Sony users out there. As for the Xperia Play, I’d say that not going through with the update was the best decision at that situation. That handset was built with gaming in mind and it’s only fitting for it to provide a second to none performance in terms of gaming experience on a smartphone rather than having the latest OS. Stay tuned as we’ll post another article if this update officially lands in our shore.

Smart offers Galaxy S3 at UnliData Plan 2000

Fri, 25 May 2012 19:20:49 +0000

After Smart put out their pre-order page on May 22, they’ve just added additional information on the postpaid plan that the Samsung Galaxy S3 is available.

Surprisingly, Smart has decided to give the Samsung Galaxy S3 on UnliData 2000. Smart did not indicate any other plan in which the handset is available.

With this plan, subscribers will have to pay Php2,000 a month in exchange for unlimited mobile internet, 200 free SMS and 150 free calls.

This puts the Galaxy S3 in the same UnliData plan as the Sensation XE, Galaxy Note, Galaxy Nexus, and the iPhone 4.

However, instead of the standard lock-in period of 24 months, Smart is extending this to 30 months.

iOS 5.1.1 untethered jailbreak now available!

Fri, 25 May 2012 14:37:15 +0000

For those of you waiting for a jailbreak for your Apple devices running iOS version 5.1.1, the long wait is over as the UNTETHERED jailbreak is now available!

The jailbreak is provided by Pod2G and distributed by the Chronic Dev Team through their jailbreak tool Absinthe 2.0. The jailbreak process is fairly easy. (Yes, I’ve done it on my own device.)

All you have to do is download the jailbreak tool, extract it, run the application, plug your device, and click the jailbreak button. It’s quite fun since you don’t have to put it in DFU mode.

The full list of compatible devices running iOS 5.1.1 is listed below:

• iPhone 4S
• iPhone 4
• iPhone 3GS
• iPad (3rd gen)
• iPad 2
• iPad 1
• iPod touch 3G
• iPod touch 4G
• Apple TV 2G

Word of warning though, jailbreaks come with risks and that means that you might brick your device if it isn’t done properly. Folks at Redmondpie.com has provided the download link and some easy to understand instructions here. If you don’t know what “jailbreak” is but still want to do the process, please ask for assistance.

Enjoy your happy jailbroken weekend everyone!

Blogger Ethics a Repost from Philstar

Fri, 25 May 2012 14:35:59 +0000

MANILA, Philippines – Bloggers should look to the journalism code of ethics as a guide to responsible writing.

“The ethics in journalism and blogging are the same because they’re both part of the public domain and they serve practically the same audiences,” said Prof. Danilao Arao, assistant vice president for public affairs and director of the system information office of the University of the Philippines Diliman.

Prof. Arao was one of the keynote speakers in the 8th iBlog Philippine Blogging Summit, a two-day event that gathered bloggers from across the country. He is himself a blogger (risingsun.dannyarao.com)

Prof. Arao added that while the Philippine blogging community has yet to form an independent organization similar to the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility or the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism to monitor bloggers’ observance of ethical standards, bloggers should make a conscious effort to be responsible.

“Bloggers should take on the role of self-regulation. They can watch themselves. The last thing we want is for government to step in and impose regulations or laws that will restrict the freedom of expression. We don’t want a regulatory body for blogging. What we want is an independent watchdog not in the control of government or politicians,” he said.

Media watchdogs

While Prof. Arao underscored the importance of the journalism code of ethics among bloggers, he also pointed out that bloggers can be “media watchdogs” themselves.

“They may not criticize media content, but they may observe the standard of accuracy, fairness, objectivity, and disclosure with regard to potential conflict of interest,” he said.

Blogging can also be a platform for the future of journalism wherein ordinary citizens can take part in the gathering of information.

“Then there’s citizen journalism wherein ordinary citizens are trained with regard to the standards of the journalism profession and will be the ones to process the information for submission to a media organization. They become de facto correspondents or contributors,” Prof. Arao said.

Prof. Arao pointed out that disclosure is of utmost importance not just for journalists, but more especially for bloggers who earn money through ads on their blogs.

“There is nothing wrong with earning money online per se,” he said. Bloggers just have to make a distinction between their posts and the ads in their blogs so as not to deceive readers.

“You have to lay it out in a manner that is clear to your readers,” Prof. Arao said.

Image Credits:
www.laurogroup.com

Source:
Philstar

Samsung Galaxy S III FREE on Smart’s Unli Data Plan 2000

Fri, 25 May 2012 13:57:51 +0000

The Samsung Galaxy S3 has been available for pre-order from both Globe and Smart since last Monday, May 23. We covered Globe’s pricing plan and we’re still waiting for Smart to reveal their pricing for the Samsung Galaxy S3 which was not yet displayed on their pre-order page (or so I thought).

I don’t know if we missed this piece of info before but looking at Smart’s pre-order page for the Samsung Galaxy S3, it says you can get the phone for FREE on Smart’s Unlimited Data Plan 2000. That’s all the option you’re presented and this means Smart has the best deal for the Galaxy S3 if you want a plan to go with it. Globe is offering it for free starting on their Plan 2499.

We’re not sure if this is a mistake (still waiting confirmation from Smart), or a special introductory promo for those who pre-order, but this makes the Samsung Galaxy S3 cheaper than the iPhone 4S which is available for FREE on Plan 3000. If you’re wondering what other phones are free on Smart Plan 2000, you have the Galaxy Note, iPhone 4, Galaxy Nexus and the HTC Sensation XE to name a few. With Smart’s Unlimited Data Plan 2000, you will get 200 free text and 150 minutes worth of free calls per month on top of the unlimited data.

If this is indeed the real deal then it makes the Samsung Galaxy S III really appealing if you go with Smart.

UPDATE: Ok, got confirmatoin that the FREE on Plan 2000 is for real with a lock-in period of 30 months instead of the usual 24.

Contest: YugaTech-Creative Wordplay Online Contest

Fri, 25 May 2012 13:00:14 +0000

Our friends from Creative are back and wanted to do another giveaway to our readers. This time, let’s try how good you guys are with words. Check out the details below on how you can win these speakers from Creative.

This is a word-puzzle game. All you need to do is list of all words you can come up with from the letters of this phrase — “Creative ZiiSound Wireless Bluetooth Speakers“. The assembled words must be at least 5 letters or more.

Don’t forget to email your entries to creative.yugatech@gmail.com and then leave a comment below that you have sent an email entry so we can verify/confirm.

Our Prizes.
1 Creative D200 Wireless Bluetooth Speakers
1 Creative Inspire T6160
3 Consolation Prizes (Tactics Alpha, WP350, HQ1600)