Technology News and Updates

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Facebook New Emoticons on Status Update

2013-04-10T14:02:00.002-07:00

Facebook, our number one Social Media site has rolled out its new update – emoticons on status updates. Chosen profiles in the US have already tested and experienced this latest push by Facebook. This latest feature offers a list of emoticons to choose from. You just click on the Smiley Icon/Image with "News: Share how you're feeling or what you're doing."

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Now, check these screenshots from Brooke Bilofsky

Now, here's what it looks like when you posted the status.

How do you like this new push? Comments are welcome below…..

How To Pay VECO Bill at BPI Express Online

2013-04-10T12:50:00.001-07:00

If you are busy as a bee then definitely you don’t have time rushing to the Bill Section and pay your monthly due. Good thing VECO or Visayan Electric Co., Inc. signed a deal or memorandum of agreement (MOA) with Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) last first quarter of this year and guess what? You can now pay your VECO bill via BPI Express Online or www.bpiexpressonline.com for individual accounts (Customers) and for Corporate, they can pay electricity bill at www.bpiexpresslink.com

So how to pay VECO Bill via BPI Express Online?

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ENROLL YOUR VECO BILL
Step 1: Log-in to your BPI Express Online account. From the Main Menu, select: Payments & Reloading -> Bills Payment -> Enroll All Other Bills

Step 2: Fill out the enrollment form by providing the required information.

Select ATM Card where the Merchant will be enrolled under.

Choose Visayan Electric Company from the List of Merchants under Company Name.

Input your Visayan Electric Company Account number in the Reference Number field.

Once completed, press submit.

A confirmation page appears after a successful merchant enrollment. This serves as the reference of your transaction.

*You can pay for your bill immediately after enrollment!

PAY YOUR VECO BILL
Step 1: Go to: Payments & Reloading tab and select Bills Payment -> Pay Bills Today

Step 2: Input the necessary information on the merchant to be paid:

Choose your Visayan Electric Company account from the list of enrolled Bills.
Enter the amount to be paid
Choose Source Account where payment will be debited from.

Please wait for the payment confirmation page to appear. This will serve as the reference of your transaction.You may also view your transactions for the day through your My Portfolio > Account Details page.

Payments are automatically deducted from your account real time.

Photos and Guideline Credits: MYBPIMAG

Timex Launches Rewards Program Website

2013-01-29T00:26:00.000-08:00

Timex, a number one American watchmaker, recently launched it's Rewards Program website, www.TimexRewards.com . This website is exclusively made for consumers and Timex employees in the US who can earn rewards and prizes just for spreading the good news or any latest updates of Timex Ironman brand to their followers or friends at Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, Blogger and other social media sites.

TimexRewards.com Website Preview

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"TimexRewards.com provides a great opportunity to strengthen our relationship with our most loyal Ironman brand advocates – our Ironman consumers and athletes, and you – by keeping the brand top-of-mind and relevant in a way that resonates with the sports community." said Gary Cohen, President & CEO of Timex Group USA, Inc.

This program or website is soon be public in the coming months. What are you waiting for? Start sharing/talking about Timex Ironman brand and then earn points for prizes like Timex gear, New York Giants tickets, vacation days, and a trip for two to the Ironman World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii.

TimexRewards.com Profile Dashboard Preview

Now check below for the procedure and program overview:

Timex Rewards Program Overview

TimexRewards.com is an online destination that contains content about the Timex Ironman lifestyle. Upon browsing the site, you’ll notice our Ironman product videos, consumer product reviews, updates from the Timex Multisport team, as well as stories and tips about real athletes using our Timex Ironman products in training and performance.

Throughout the year, we are going to be updating the site with fresh content and offering exciting rewards for registered users who most frequently participate by sharing content to their social channels.

Here's how the program works:

1.   If you wish to participate, please click here www.timexrewards.com/User/Register and register as a new user (make sure you check the "I am a Timex Employee" on the registration page).
2.   Complete your profile and register with your social media channels.
3.   Browse the site content and use the "share" button at the bottom of each article to push it out to your friends and family on your social channels.

For each "share" of content, you will receive 10 points. Over time, as you accumulate points, you will "unlock" rewards.

To know more about Timex Sports, click and follow below links:

https://twitter.com/TimexSports
https://www.facebook.com/TimexSports?fref=ts

Sun Name Ur Number SIM, Choose your own number!

2013-01-26T17:51:00.005-08:00

With something as personal as a mobile number, wouldn’t it be awesome to have a number combination that you can easily remember? Now, prepaid subscribers can also have that choice!

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Mobile telecommunications Sun Cellular brings another first in the market with its new Sun Name Ur Number SIM – a prepaid SIM which allows subscribers to choose their own mobile number for FREE. Be it 0943-9-SO-POGI, 0942-8-I-KIKAY or 0943-8-INLOVE.

A service usually offered to postpaid subscribers only, this “name your number” feature is extended to Sun Prepaid subscribers allowing them to have a more personal approach to communication – whether they want to include their name, birth date or a unique word combination that speaks of their individual preference, lifestyle or interest!

On top of this feature, Sun Name Ur Number SIM also comes with a Sun Call and Text Combo 50 load which is valid for 5 days (comes with 200 Sun texts, 200 texts to other networks and 70 minutes of Sun calls), all for only P59.

With this premium service offered to its prepaid subscribers, Sun Cellular strengthens its status as the good choice in mobile telecommunications and continues its commitment in providing subscribers better value products and services.

Along with the network’s reliable connection, wider network coverage and a variety of prepaid products that cater to every budget need and lifestyle, now clearly is the best time to be with Sun Prepaid.

So make the good choice now; go to any Sun retailers or Sun Shop and get your personalized number with Sun Name Ur Number SIM. Hurry before someone else does!

For more information about other products, promos and deals of Sun Cellular Prepaid, visit www.suncellular.com.ph or Facebook page www.facebook.com/suncellprepaid. Follow @suncelldeals on Twitter

Samsung Galaxy SIII mini in Philippines, Globe Telecom is the exclusive Carrier

2013-01-23T23:50:00.003-08:00

Again, Globe Telecommunications grab the opportunity as the first carrier of the anticipated Samsung Galaxy SIII mini in the country, Philippines.

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Now check this Press Releease:

Globe Telecom gets first dibs on the Samsung Galaxy SIII mini as the first Philippine telco to carry the latest device from Samsung’s roster of Galaxy S smartphones.

   Exclusively offering the device from January 23 to February 28, Globe empowers subscribers with various plan options to get the Samsung Galaxy SIII mini for as low as P999 monthly depending on their budget, needs and lifestyle.

   Under Unli Surf Plan 999, subscribers get the Samsung Galaxy SIII mini for free with unlimited mobile surfing and one (1) call and text freebie* changeable monthly.

   Subscribers can also opt to get the device for free under My Super Plan 999 with P900 worth of monthly consumable amount for calls and texts, free 50MB data for mobile surfing, and two (2) call and text freebies* that are changeable monthly.

   Finally, subscribers can avail of the Platinum Plan 3799 which gives them the Samsung Galaxy SIII mini and the Samsung Galaxy SIII for free, complete with unlimited mobile surfing, P2,800 worth of monthly consumable for calls and texts, and seven (7) call and text freebies* that are changeable monthly.

Subscribers availing of the Platinum Plan 3799 are also eligible to get the Platinum Blue membership, which includes access to the 24/7 Globe Platinum Hotline for after-sales support, nationwide assistance from the Platinum Concierge Service, exclusive offers and privileges from partner establishments, and priority lane access in Globe Stores nationwide.

   “We cement our leadership in postpaid with our opening salvo for 2013 – the Samsung Galaxy SIII Mini. Our one-month exclusivity with the device testifies to our strong and robust partnership with Samsung. Get the best smartphone experience from Globe with the new Samsung Galaxy SIII mini, headlined by our roster of customizable postpaid plans and exclusive offers, powered by a faster Globe network, now with more pervasive 3G and 4G coverage nationwide,” said Martha Sazon, Head of Globe Postpaid.

Sazon added, “The components of our plan offers are perfect for users to enjoy the features of the new Samsung Galaxy SIII mini – from unlimited surfing to upload multimedia content and update social networking sites worry-free, to free calls and texts to connect with one’s social circles anytime, anywhere.”

The Samsung Galaxy SIII mini resembles Galaxy SIII's minimal and organic design inspired by nature. Its beautiful 4.0-inch Super AMOLED display offers a generous viewing experience that lets users view multimedia and Web content in brilliant color and clarity. It is powered by Samsung’s own 1 Ghz dual core processor, 4-inch AMOLED touchscreen, 5 megapixel camera, and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean operating system, complete with Bluetooth, WiFi and WiFi hotspot. Its human-centric nature provides an ergonomic and comfortable experience with enhanced usability, while its comfortable grip and gentle curves deliver a natural feel and design.

Pre-order starts from January 23 until January 31 on the Globe website via http://www.globe.com.ph/galaxys3-mini-preorder. Subscribers who pre-order online get a free Samsung Galaxy SIII mini flip cover, valued at P1,000. Starting February 1, subscribers who wish to purchase the device can go to a Globe Store nearest them to apply.

DealDash, Shopping as a game

2012-12-12T21:16:00.002-08:00

In this electronic or I may say Online era, it's not just social life went online, some other affairs, products, events and other stuff on our mind have been completely bonded into online or the internet. And also Shopping has conquered the net!

Shopping has always been one of the major tasks that customers are doing in the internet but what DealDash , next generation penny auction company/site, has made was they step up the shopping experience into a level of a more comfortable and enjoying online activity.

Do a DealDash Review and get your favorite heels or computer gadgets asap!

In Deal Dash, these 1.5 million shoppers won't lose but can win and save up tp 99%, what are you waiting for? Happy Shopping and Gaming!

bugITs goes to Best Cebu Blogs Awarding ceremony

2012-11-30T17:57:00.001-08:00

The Best Cebu Blogs Awards 2012 Awarding Night and Ceremony will be held on December 9, 2012 (Sunday), 6PM to 9PM at Insular Square in Mandaue City. All thirty qualified nominees are expected to arrive in their semi-casual outfit. The awarding night program is still being prepared and will be posted soon.

Best Cebu Blogs 2012 Online Poster

Insular Square as the Official Venue Partner

This year’s awarding night venue partner is no other than Insular Square, a lifestyle center nestled conveniently right along Mandaue National Highway. Learn more about Insular Square by visiting their Facebook page.

Twitter Hashtag

Everyone is encouraged to use #BCBA2012 whenever mentioning or tweeting about BCBA awards in Twitter. The new BCBA twitter account is already online @bcbawards.

Sponsors and Partners

The following are the official sponsors and partners of the Best Cebu Blogs Awards 2012.

GOLD Sponsors

BRONZE Sponsors

DONOR Sponsors

PARTNERS

BLOGGERS PARTNERS

Face Cebu, Empress of Drac, Bjorn Cebuano, Jaysee Blabs,Geemiz, Chic in the Tropics, & Shanky Baby.

Tablets – work and game wherever you are

2012-11-20T14:45:00.000-08:00

iPhone and Android are household names these days and it just shows how much we use and enjoy our smartphones. Being able to find out anything from the internet instantly is a fantastic tool that allows people to solve problems that used to cause problems. For example pulling up a map and navigating to a train station, and then being able to also find out all the train times without much effort makes the modern smartphone so useful. But we can’t use them for everything; their screens are just that bit too small for watching programs and films on for a long time and often when trying to write something bigger than a text the keyboard takes up too much room so you can’t read what you have already written. This is where tablets come in; they are larger than phones, generally around 10 inches, but work in much the same way with multi touch screens and only a few real buttons. But why would you want one of these over a smartphone and PC?

Smartphones are mobile and PCs are powerful but neither can do the others jobs, but the invention of the tablet has changed that. It bridges the gap between the two letting you get work done while on the move and also entertain yourself when relaxing, perhaps with a round of Angry Birds or with a few casino games. Instead of a bulky laptop many people choose to take a tablet around with them. This lets people complete emails and documents such as presentations while on the train without needing all the space of a laptop, not to mention being able to play games in a limited space – a large touch screen makes gaming much easier, and you don’t need all the extra elbow room. Then when they get home after work they can also use their tablet for more slots gaming on sites like http://www.luckynuggetcasino.com/au/online-pokies/ or other entertainment with many different apps such as the movie streaming app from Netflix or any of the millions available. As well as this tablets can surf the web just as well as any PC, and with built in HTML5 support you can also play the in browser games found at online casino sites.

It’s easy to see why you might want a tablet, but make sure you research which tablet would be right for your needs.

Shop at DealDash, the Fun Way!

2012-11-10T18:23:00.000-08:00

Do you experience hassle in shopping online which ended yourself purchasing bad quality products? Or do you want to experience a very fun way of auction online? How about a DealDash way?

In Deal Dash, Bidding on items has never been easier in contrast to other’s idea! Easy to win and what’s the best part? DealDash offers FREE SHIPPING on ALL items!

How’s that? Then let’s try it now!

Google Free Zone for Globe Subscribers, Browsing GMail, Google Search, and Google+ for Free

2012-11-09T18:18:00.001-08:00

Google Free Zone, a new service launched in the Philippines as the first country in the world to experience free browsing to gmail, google search and google plus to all prepaid subscribers of Globe Telecom and TM.

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The service is Google’s effort to bridge the digital divide by enabling the “next billion” to experience the Internet particularly on their mobile phones, according to Derek Callow, head of marketing at Google Southeast Asia. [interaksyon.com]

To access Google services on your mobile phone free of data charges, simply text LIBRE to 8888 for free or visit http://libre.ph on the phone's default browser. Those without Google accounts can sign up for free and create one by following the "Create an account now" link on their mobile phones. For more information about Free Zone, visit http://surf.globe.com.ph/plan/freezone. The promotion will run up to March 31 next year.

SEO Toronto Specializes in Edge SEO

2012-09-20T20:54:00.001-07:00

Are you trying to build a video site and then upload your very own version of Oppa Gangnam Style of Psy? And hoping to get a superb feedback from online viewers? Or how about launching an Entertainment site with news and updates about American Idol – their latest Judges and who are in queue as finalists and of course, thinking to get a great number of visitors too? Well, building and putting up sites are not enough in getting revenue or maybe at least receive a dozen of viewers. You need SEO Toronto to help maximize your effort and of course, gain an international audience for your blogs or commercial sites.

Unlike any other SEO Tools or services, SEO Toronto helps in motivating and optimizing the potential of your website thus, they give a free consultation. If in tradition, in order to boost up your site, you need to hire a designer, article writer, programmer or even videographer or photographer and SEO Expert, in SEO Toronto a package is offered in a guaranteed price and most importantly, you as the website owner will feel at ease with no hassle in mind. All you need to think and expect is the craziness of your site traffic as it will surely goes up.

SEO Toronto is an expert and definitely specializes in leading edge SEO. You need not to go for your customers to visit your site instead your target online consumers will voluntarily type in your site in the address URL for your site is already famous and is available in every search engine result pages. SEO Toronto is not as lousy as other SEO services offered online. They use healthy and intelligent decision making and strategies in how to get all these advantages and great outcome be done. Let SEO Tool starts driving traffic into your site now!

Facebook for BlackBerry Smartphones v3.2 Released

2012-09-20T20:33:00.003-07:00

Good news to BlackBerry Users and Social Media Site lovers most especially, Facebook. Facebook for BlackBerry has been upgraded to version 3.2

Navigation Grid

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Facebook for BlackBerry Smartphones v3.2 is now available in BlackBerry App World. The latest updates to Facebook for BlackBerry makes it easier to connect with friends, plan events, celebrate birthdays and share your news while on the go.

Here are the new Facebook for BlackBerry version 3.2 features:

Enhanced Birthday Feature: Customize how your BlackBerry smartphone will integrate birthdays into your calendar. Receive a friendly daily reminder, with the ability to directly write on a friend’s wall to wish them Happy Birthday.

Improved Event Management: View Facebook event information and RSVP to events, as well as post comments to an event wall, view profiles of invited guests and receive event notifications.

Updated Navigation Grid: Quickly and easily access key features such as your News Feed and Profile with updated icons. The Profile icon is now your current profile picture for a personalized touch.

Below are some helpful links for more information:
- Inside BlackBerry Blog – http://blogs.blackberry.com/2012/09/facebook-for-blackberry-upgrade/
- BlackBerry App World – https://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/680/

iPhone 5 Supports 4G LTE?

2012-09-09T05:29:00.001-07:00

On September 12 at 10 a.m. PT (1 p.m. ET), Apple will reveal its latest mobile installed to the market, the iPhone 5. What made this gadget more interesting is that it rumored to work on the fastest cellular network in the world, the 4G LTE! This includes the United States, Europe and some countries in the Asia but most likely it won't work with all carriers’ LTE networks in every country.

Ciccarese design for iPhone 5

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LTE or Long Term Evolution is the next generation wireless broadband technology which was released in Scandinavia since 2009. This technology as Apple called it, the fastest Cellular Network so far - thus download, streaming and browsing are of the next level of speeds.

Now, what do you think of this report? Is iPhone 5 try to copy Samsung Galaxy Note and the Galaxy S III as Samsung had already started this LTE capabale mobiles?

FIRST: Globe Offers Nano-Sims in Globe Stores

2012-09-09T05:00:00.001-07:00

Globe Telecom pioneers Nano-SIMs distribution in the Philippines and it is available this month. But what are Nano-SIMS? Nano-SIMs are new generation subscriber identity module (SIM) cards for the latest generation of smartphones and handsets running on the most modern mobile network technologies. Globe has ordered as much as 5x more Nano-SIMs than its regular SIM stocks, anticipating high customer demand when smartphones running on Nano-SIMs are offered in the market.

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According to the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI), the new Nano-SIM cards will be 40% smaller than the Micro-SIM, the smallest SIM card design to date, and will measure 12.3 millimeters wide, 8.8 millimeters high, and 0.67 millimeters thick.

“The Nano-SIM cards are packaged and distributed in a way that is backward- compatible with existing SIM cards. The new design will offer the same functionality as all current SIM cards,” added ETSI. “When Nano-SIM cards enter production, their size will free up room inside mobile phones for additional memory and larger batteries, helping phone vendors create thinner devices”, revealed Giesecke & Devrient, a global pioneering innovator that provides end-to-end solutions for identification systems and mobile security applications.

“Once again, Globe pioneers in bringing the latest technologies to Filipino mobile phone users as we offer the revolutionary Nano-SIMs in our Globe Stores with the availability of newer smartphone models using this type of SIM very soon. With the Nano-SIM and its stunning features and specifications, our smartphone experience will definitely be taken to another level,” said Martha Sazon, Head of Globe Postpaid.

The ETSI produces globally-applicable standards for Information and Communications Technologies (ICT), including fixed, mobile, radio, converged, broadcast and internet technologies

Facebook Timeline shares you're expecting a baby

2012-08-15T02:17:00.001-07:00

Yes! It's really true and it seems Facebook is getting personal and biological and social indeed. Why? Well, Facebook Timeline launched last August 13, 2012 an event in which users can share a status that they are expecting a baby, not just that, you can put due date and the best of all, specify if it's a boy or a girl. isn't it cool?!

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Now here's how it works.

Go to your Profile, and beside STATUS, PHOTO and PLACE is LIFE EVENT. Click that link.

FB profile of bugITs author: Mark Monta

Under Family & Relationships, you can choose Expecting a Baby

Then choose the correct options for Gender and other information

Here's an example of the Life Event status.

What do you think of this latest push?

Photos Credit: www.techcrunch.com

Viber Version 2.2 For Entertainment And Communication

2012-07-24T04:56:00.001-07:00

In this techie era, do you own Andriod or Smart Phones? iPhones, maybe? If yes, do you know that you can maximize the use of your gadget especially on communication by subscribing and installing Viber into your phone’s system? Yes you can and it’s free!

So, aside from using this mobile phone as entertainment partner such as playing Angry Birds, Car racing and other Sports related digital entertainment or when you are at home with free wifi and when you get connected to internet - satisfying yourself with online games such as Scrabble, Bingo, Bejeweled or partypoker, you can also communicate with your contacts via messaging or calls. Not to mention those partygaming and LAN party stuff using your mobile phones – you also can work with your viber friends while enjoying yourself with those mentioned online games.

It’s really fun! And hey, this free application just released its 2.2 version which highlights its improved User Interface on Group Messaging. It shows every member of the group’s thumbnail below the message preview, with the latest sender having the large profile picture on the left. Significantly, a Smart notifications feature was included in order for user to customized alerts and for you not be bombed with dozen of alerts in which some of them are less needed or expected.

In line with this update, Viber has release its Beta version to Blackberry and Windows Phone. Nine Languages are expected to be adopted by Android version which includes Arabic, Chinese (simplified and traditional), French, German, Hebrew, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish.

Microsoft Office 2013 is Social and Clouds Friendly

2012-07-18T04:09:00.002-07:00

Microsoft Corp. CEO Steve Ballmer revealed to consumers its new Microsoft Office 2013 which is called The New Office on July 16 in San Francisco. "The new Office is social and unlocks modern scenarios in reading, note-taking, meetings and communications and will be delivered to subscribers through a cloud service that is always up to date." stated at Microsoft.com

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Here are some first hand review by some Tech Bloggers and Websites:

Microsoft Announced Office 2013, Calls it as "The New Office"
Microsoft Office 2013 Preview: Hands On
Microsoft Office 2013 preview: details, screenshots and impressions
Hands On: Microsoft Office 2013 and Office 365

Now, check out Microsoft's Press Release.

SAN FRANCISCO — July 16, 2012 —Today, Microsoft Corp. CEO Steve Ballmer unveiled the customer preview of the new Microsoft Office, available atoffice.com/preview. The next release features an intuitive design that works beautifully with touch, stylus, mouse or keyboard across new Windows devices, including tablets. The new Office is social and unlocks modern scenarios in reading, note-taking, meetings and communications and will be delivered to subscribers through a cloud service that is always up to date.

“We are taking bold steps at Microsoft,” Ballmer said at the press conference in San Francisco. “The new, modern Office will deliver unparalleled productivity and flexibility for both consumers and business customers. It is a cloud service and will fully light-up when paired with Windows 8.”

Office at Its Best on Windows 8

Touch everywhere. Office responds to touch as naturally as it does to keyboard and mouse. Swipe your finger across the screen or pinch and zoom to read your documents and presentations. Author new content and access features with the touch of a finger.

Inking. Use a stylus to create content, take notes and access features. Handwrite email responses and convert them automatically to text. Use your stylus as a laser pointer when presenting. Color your content and erase your mistakes with ease.

New Windows 8 applications. OneNote and Lync represent the first new Windows 8 style applications for Office. These applications are designed to deliver touch-first experiences on a tablet. A new radial menu in OneNote makes it easy to access features with your finger.

Included in Windows RT. Office Home and Student 2013 RT, which contains new versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote applications, will be included on ARM-based Windows 8 devices, including Microsoft Surface.

Office Is in the Cloud

SkyDrive. Office saves documents to SkyDrive by default, so your content is always available across your tablet, PC and phone. Your documents are also available offline and sync when you reconnect.
Roaming. Once signed in to Office, your personalized settings, including your most recently used files, templates and even your custom dictionary, roam with you across virtually all of your devices. Office even remembers where you last left off and brings you right back to that spot in a single click.
Office on Demand. With a subscription, you can access Office even when you are away from your PC by streaming full-featured applications to an Internet-connected Windows-based PC.
New subscription services. The new Office is available as a cloud-based subscription service. As subscribers, consumers automatically get future upgrades in addition to exciting cloud services including Skype world minutes and extra SkyDrive storage. Subscribers receive multiple installs for everyone in the family and across their devices.

Office Is Social

Yammer. Yammer delivers a secure, private social network for businesses. You can sign up for free and begin using social networking instantly. Yammer offers integration with SharePoint and Microsoft Dynamics.
Stay connected. Follow people, teams, documents and sites in SharePoint. View and embed pictures, videos and Office content in your activity feeds to stay current and update your colleagues.
People Card. Have an integrated view of your contacts everywhere in Office. The People Card includes presence information complete with pictures, status updates, contact information and activity feeds from Facebook and LinkedIn accounts.
Skype. The new Office comes with Skype. When you subscribe, you get 60 minutes of Skype world minutes every month. Integrate Skype contacts into Lync and call or instant message anyone on Skype.

Office Unlocks New Scenarios

Digital note-taking. Keep your notes handy in the cloud and across multiple devices with OneNote. Use what feels most natural to you — take notes with touch, pen or keyboard, or use them together and switch easily back and forth.
Reading and markup. The Read Mode in Word provides a modern and easy-to-navigate reading experience that automatically adjusts for large and small screens. Zoom in and out of content, stream videos within documents, view revision marks and use touch to turn pages.
Meetings. PowerPoint features a new Presenter View that privately shows your current and upcoming slides, presentation time, and speaker notes in a single glance. While presenting, you can zoom, mark up and navigate your slides with touch and stylus. Lync includes multiparty HD video with presentations, shared OneNote notebooks and a virtual whiteboard for collaborative brainstorming.
Eighty-two-inch touch-enabled displays. Conduct more engaging meetings, presentations and lessons, whether in person or virtually, with these multitouch and stylus-enabled displays from Perceptive Pixel.

While the full lineup of offerings and pricing plans will be announced in the fall, Ballmer discussed three new Office 365 subscription services. When available, each new subscription offer will include the new 2013 editions of the Office applications — Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook, Publisher and Access. In addition, subscribers will receive future rights to version upgrades as well as per-use rights across up to five PCs or Macs and mobile devices. The three new editions will be the following:

Office 365 Home Premium — designed for families and consumers. This service also includes an additional 20 GB of SkyDrive storage and 60 minutes of Skype world minutes per month.
Office 365 Small Business Premium — designed for small businesses. This service also includes business-grade email, shared calendars, website tools and HD webconferencing.
Office 365 ProPlus — designed for enterprise customers who want advanced business capabilities and the flexibility to deploy and manage in the cloud.

The customer preview is available at office.com/preview.

Digi.Life opens first concept store in Cebu

2012-06-30T11:19:00.000-07:00

June 29, 2012 - SM City Consolacion has gained its first concept store for Apple followers and product users as Digi.Life opened its store to the public with various type of gadget displays and Apple stuff. Digi.Life, Apple's authorized reseller, promised consumers or Cebu consumers for a complete service with Thinking Tools as their partner.

so here is a Press Release for our consumers and readers' consumption.

Apple aficionados are in for a different shopping experience as Digi.Life opens it first-of-a-kind concept store at the 2nd floor of Cyberzone, SM City Consolacion, Cebu. A store concept owned by MSI-ECS, one of the country's leading IT distributors, Digi.Life boasts a total floor space of 60 sq. meters showcasing an impressive array of MAC notebooks, desktops, accessories, iPod, iPad, iPhone, software and other third-party accessories such as Ozaki, Buffalo, Belkin, Macally, Blaupunkt, X-Doria, Mili, ADobe, VMWare and AutoCad.

With Cebu as one of the country's top tourist destinations, the opening of Digi.Life hopes to serve both local and tourist markets bringing the Apple culture and experience closer to the community and be evangelists of the saying, "Once you go Mac, you'll never go back"

Digi.Life SM City Consolacion branch is managed and operated by Thinking Tools, Inc., and authorized reseller of MSI-ECS. Thinking TOols has been in the IT retail business since 1987.

Digi.Life also functions as a drop-off point for service and repair of Apple products capitalizing on MSI-ECS and Thinking Tools' expertise as authorized service partners of Apple.

Other Digi.Life stores are scheduled to be opened in Batangas, Laguna and additional branches nationwide by 2012

BlackBerry Philippines Reaches Cebu Customers

2012-06-17T12:40:00.000-07:00

Last April 2012, BlackBerry Philippines launched its BlackBerry Academic Program at Southwestern University, Cebu City. This program provides schools with training and access to educational resources to help them integrate the BlackBerry solution into their curriculum and enable their students to develop mobile applications on the Blackberry platform. It started in Cebu and is now supporting 19 schools all around the country.

BlackBerry Logo

Aside from this Academic Service, BlackBerry Philippines proudly presented its mobile line-up last June 13, 2012 at the Radisson Blue Hotel in front of Cebu Media and Bloggers. Included in the list is its latest devices, the 9320 and 9220 units. It's BlackBerry 8520 was the number 1 in the Philippines from first to second quarter last year. Different applications were also developed by Filipinos for Blackberry which includes the famous EnjoyPH. But of course, BBM or BlackBerry Manager is the undefeated application as of this time with a wooping 56 million users worldwide.

BlackBerry 9320 Curve

BlackBerry family includes BlackBerry 7, BlackBerry Bold, BlackBerry Torch and BlackBerry Curves which is the most purchased BlackBerry here in the Philippines due to its affordable plan provided by the country's famous carrier - Sun, Smart and Globe. Speaking of Carriers, Globe has recently released its back to school treat via Nicki Minaj Pink Pink Friday Concert. How to avail such? Check below Press Release.

Nicki Minaj Pink Friday event.

The best back-to-school treat ever: Globe gives you the biggest freebie that is Nicki Minaj

Subscribe to Globe My Super Plan 499 and P99 BlackBerry Chat and get a free BlackBerry Curve 9220 and exclusive access to Nicki Minaj’s Pink Friday Concert at SM MOA Arena on July 11

School season is back again and Globe, the leader in postpaid, together with BlackBerry, give you an exciting back-to-school treat before exams and reports get in the way with its biggest freebie ever, seeing international music icon Nicki Minaj up close and live in her one night-only concert in Manila this July.

Subscribe to Globe My Super Plan 499 and P99 BlackBerry Chat and get a free BlackBerry Curve 9220 plus a free ticket* to Nicki Minaj’s Pink Friday Tour concert happening at the SM Mall of Asia Arena on July 11, 2012. For as low as P598/month, Globe subscribers can get the BlackBerry Curve 9220 complete with a P499 monthly consumable amount for calls and texts, unlimited access to BBM™ (BlackBerry® Messenger), 2 call, text and surf freebies, plus the ultimate chance to sing “Superbass” and “Starships” with the rapper-songwriter herself.

Share the happiness with a friend and subscribe to Globe My Super Plan BlackBerry Unli Surf Combo 999 to get a free BlackBerry Curve 9320 plus two (2) free tickets** to the concert. For only P999 a month, enjoy unlimited surfing, P400 monthly consumable for calls and texts, and 1 call, text and surf freebie, plus a date for two to the biggest concert party of the year.

“We are excited to mount the biggest concert party of the year, and even more so by making it as our biggest freebie ever. Flying an international artist for an exclusive concert in the country as the only Southeast Asian destination is something we’ve never done before. With this huge freebie, now is really the best time to get a BlackBerry plan from Globe Postpaid. Get up close and personal with Nicki Minaj for free when you subscribe to Globe My Super Plan 499 with P99 BlackBerry Chat which entitles you to a free BlackBerry Curve 9220, or BlackBerry Unli Surf Combo Plan 999 with a free BlackBerry Curve 9320. Yes, you read it right: free device and free ticket, a deal you definitely cannot resist, only from Globe and BlackBerry” said Martha Sazon, Head of Globe Postpaid.

This exciting offer is also open to existing Globe Postpaid subscribers with availment options to choose from. Those outside their lock-up can opt to re-contract their account subscription and get the BlackBerry Curve 9220 or the BlackBerry Curve 9320 for the free tickets, while those within lock-up can either enroll to a 24-month BlackBerry Max subscription for only P599 a month for unlimited BlackBerry surfing, purchase a prepaid phone kit, or get a new postpaid line.

What are you waiting for? Grab as many freebies as you can from Globe and BlackBerry while school is just about to begin. Enjoy the new BlackBerry Curve smartphones that both offer all the market-leading BlackBerry messaging and social-centric features and apps that people love, and tickets to see Pink Friday gal Nicki Minaj live in Manila, all for free when you get a Globe BlackBerry postpaid plan. Now who says you don’t have time for a little ‘boom boom bass’?

Get the newest BlackBerry Curve smartphones from Globe now by visiting www.globe.com.ph/blackberrycurve, going to the Globe Store nearest you, or calling 730-1010.

*Gen Ad/Upper Box/Lower Box 2 area on a first-come, first served basis
**Lower Box 1/VIP/Patron area on a first-come, first served basis

Follow BlackBerry Philippines at:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/BlackBerryPH

Twitter: @BlackBerryPH

Website: ph.blackberry.com

Samsung Smart TV lands in Cebu

2012-06-17T12:07:00.000-07:00

June 15, 2012 - Friday, Samsung introduced to Cebuanos the future of Smart TV with its latest technology via Samsung Smart TV which gives three features namely, Smart Interaction, Smart Content, and Smart Evolution. The event was held at Imperial Palace Waterpark Resort and Spa. This sexy LED TV completely interacts with you in a different and upgraded way of entertainment and movie or tv lifestyle. The unique voice and motion control technologies will provide a totally intuitive and interactive experience.

Samsung Smart TV in the center stage

Motion Control - Control your TV with a simple hand gesture
Voice Control - Control your TV with Voice commands
Face Recognition - A TV that recognizes your face through the built-in camera

With me is the pretty host, Ms. Phobe Kaye Fernandez

With Online Media, Cebu Bloggers Society Inc.

So much of these features, here is the Press Release for everybody's consumption:

SAMSUNG UNVEILS ITS 2012 SMART TV LINEUP IN CEBU

Samsung Electronics Philippines Corporation (SEPCO) a leader in digital media and digital convergence technologies, showcased its 2012 Smart TV lineup at the Imperial Palace in Mactan, Cebu. At the launch Samsung presented its newest home entertainment products for 2012. This is the fourth leg of the Smart TV store launches.

Samsung’s TV product offerings are built on three pillars: Smart Interaction, Smart Content, and Smart Evolution, all new market-revolutionizing features available in 2012.

Smart Interaction
Samsung’s Smart Interaction technology provides Smart TV users with a new, more natural and intuitive option for controlling and interacting with the TV—breaking the physical boundaries between the consumer and screen. Samsung’s new Motion Control, Voice Control, and Face Recognition commands advance user experience in a competitive TV market that values ease, convenience and choice. Users can turn the TV on or off, activate selected apps or search for and select content in the web browser—all without touching the remote.

Smart Interaction is available on the company’s 2012 flagship Smart TVs including the LED ES8000 series, the LED ES7500 series and the Plasma E8000 series, and features a built-in camera that recognizes movement in the foreground, as well as two microphones to recognize voice.

Smart Content
As the Smart TV platform of choice, Samsung provides consumers access to the widest variety of premium content available, with over 1,500 apps offered worldwide.

In 2012, Samsung is taking content one step further and evolving the way consumers discover and access apps—through a new Smart Hub that features a simpler, more personable UI in Full HD. Samsung’s Smart TVs also provide a much faster Smart TV experience powered by a new dual-core processor.

Samsung also showcased its commitment to convergence and content accessibility through AllShare Play, the essential tie between Samsung’s products, content and services. This Smart TV service allows content to be pushed or pulled—regardless of the user’s location—from device to device, and device to cloud for limitless sharing. AllShare Play enables consumers to push content manually to the cloud or pull the content directly from their Smart TV or other mobile devices.

Further, Samsung has strengthened its Smart TV content experience through the introduction of new exclusive services. The first-of-their kind services allow for easier content sharing among families across TVs and a number of connected personal devices.

• Family Story allows consumers to stay connected with their families and share photos and calendars through the Samsung Cloud service.
• Fitness allows consumers to access exercise content and track progress both on the TV and on the go.
• Kids offers a wealth of kid-friendly content that kids can access and parents can control and monitor.

Smart Evolution
Finally, Samsung’s Evolution Kit—an industry first—will allow consumers to easily and cost-effectively enjoy the latest technology services on their TV. With a simple slot-in at the back of select 2012 Samsung Smart TV models, consumers can keep pace with rapid advancements in both TV hardware and software—without needing to purchase a new set every year. Users can now keep their Smart Evolution enabled TV up to date through the company’s proprietary system-on-chip technology--making Samsung the only consumer electronics company to offer this evolving TV solution.

“Samsung continues to set the bar in innovation worldwide, combining ground-breaking features with unmatched performance and design to create products that match and anticipate consumers’ needs and desires. Watch out as Samsung unveils its 2012 Samsung Smart TV lineup in stores across the country” said Amby Molina, Samsung Product Marketing Head for AV.

Photos Credit to Alain Lim

Design Patterns Seminar To Boost Filipino Programming Skills in Cebu

2012-06-07T14:18:00.001-07:00

Design Patterns Seminar is set to be held on June 23, 2012 at the Golden Prince Hotel, Cebu City by Centerus, Inc., a software engineering company from Washington State, USA. This one-day seminar is scheduled from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm and aims to help software design engineers in the Philippines improve their efficiency and productivity in programming at least threefold.

Photo Credit: bickelsandhuconsulting.com

“Object-oriented programming skills are in high demand worldwide, despite the economic downturn,” said Carlos Tapang, Centerus, Inc. president and speaker at the upcoming seminar.

“Programmers in Cebu and the Philippines already possess very good programming skills. Most of them have learned the rudiments of object-oriented programming in college. However, what you learn in college is never enough, and object-oriented programming presents a steep learning curve to most software developers.

This seminar is designed for developers to internalize a few design patterns in a single day. I believe Design Pattern skills are crucial to one’s career in programming.”

Design Patterns are pre-determined patterns that have been found to result in more modifiable designs, making them easier to maintain and comply with ever-changing requirements.

“Design Patterns represent a watershed in software engineering,” Tapang explained. “Until now, even with object-oriented programming, software systems built using traditional design principles are ‘brittle’ - prone to fail if changed. We will be discussing some of these patterns, how these patterns came about, and how to master them.”

The Design Patterns seminar will cover the following topics: what design patterns are; the vocabulary of design patterns; differences between good and bad design through specific design examples; useful creational patterns; useful structural patterns; useful behavioral patterns; threading and concurrent patterns.

The seminar is intended for software design engineers and programmers familiar with object-oriented programming, and will equally benefit freelancers and corporate employees.

“We are also inviting software engineers and programmers to send us their design problems in advance. We plan to tackle some of their actual problems during the seminar, so that everyone can relate to the concepts being discussed,” Tapang continued.

Seminar fee starts at P2,950.00 and can go as low as P2,400.00 for group registrations. Rates already include seminar materials, buffet lunch, morning and afternoon snacks.

About Centerus

Centerus, Inc. is a Washington State corporation that also works with Filipino software engineers for its offshore outsourcing projects.
Carlos Tapang, the resource speaker for this seminar, is the president of Centerus, Inc. He has gained both depth and breadth of experience in software design engineering. He has worked for large companies in the USA (namely Intel and Microsoft), and has done extensive consulting work for startup companies.
For more details, visit DesignPatterns.eventbrite.com or call 3472987.

Globe Telecom to Offer New iPad in Philippines on May 29

2012-05-24T09:46:00.002-07:00

Globe Telecommunication, Philippine's leading telecommunications company, will offer the third generation iPad in the country on May 29, 2012 Tuesday.

Here is the press release:

PHILIPPINES, Manila – May 24, 2012 – Globe Telecom today announced it will offer the new iPad in the Philippines on Tuesday, May 29. Globe Telecom will offer iPad with a range of attractive Tattoo data plans that will allow customers to connect to its nationwide network at speeds up to 42Mbps.

The third generation iPad is a category defining mobile device that features a stunning new Retina display, Apple's new A5X chip with quad-core graphics and a 5 megapixel iSight camera with advanced optics for capturing amazing photos and 1080p HD video. It also still delivers the same all-day 10 hour battery life* while remaining amazingly thin and light.

“We’re very excited to launch the incredible new iPad in the Philippines," said Peter Bithos, senior adviser for Consumer Business of Globe Telecom. "Customers using our network on their new iPad will experience great value Tattoo data plans and amazing speed for an unbeatable user experience."

Customers can buy the new iPad at all Globe retail stores nationwide beginning Tuesday, May 29. For complete details on pricing and availability, please visit www.tattoo.globe.com.ph.

For more information on iPad, please visit www.apple.com/ipad.

*Battery life depends on device settings, usage and other factors. Actual results vary.

Cloud Computing with Google Drive

2012-04-24T13:19:00.002-07:00

Drive is basically a disk directly attached to the user's computer (local drive) or the server's computer (network drive or remote drive) and yes, Google Drive is more on a remote or network drive where netizens, remote or online users can use to create, share, collaborate, and keep all files and stuff anywhere for as long as you have a Google Drive Account and of course, internet.

So what Google Drive can offer to everyone?

Create and collaborate. Google Docs is built right into Google Drive, so you can work with others in real time on documents, spreadsheets and presentations. Once you choose to share content with others, you can add and reply to comments on anything (PDF, image, video file, etc.) and receive notifications when other people comment on shared items.

Store everything safely and access it anywhere (especially while on the go). All your stuff is just... there. You can access your stuff from anywhere—on the web, in your home, at the office, while running errands and from all of your devices. You can install Drive on your Mac or PC and can download the Drive app to your Android phone or tablet. We’re also working hard on a Drive app for your iOS devices. And regardless of platform, blind users can access Drive with a screen reader.

Search everything. Search by keyword and filter by file type, owner and more. Drive can even recognize text in scanned documents using Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology. Let’s say you upload a scanned image of an old newspaper clipping. You can search for a word from the text of the actual article. We also use image recognition so that if you drag and drop photos from your Grand Canyon trip into Drive, you can later search for [grand canyon] and photos of its gorges should pop up. This technology is still in its early stages, and we expect it to get better over time.

You can start Google Drive for free with 5GB but of course you can upgrade to the following drive size with its specific cost:

25GB for $2.49/month,

100GB for $4.99/month

1TB for $49.99/month.

Note: When you upgrade to a paid account, your Gmail account storage will also expand to 25GB.

If you have an existing Google Docs documents in a Google Account which you used to sign up and get started with Google Drive, then all those said documents will automatically be carried over to your Google Drive files.

You can also download Google Drive for Windows HERE.

Download Google Drive for Android [Google Play link]

Check GOOGLE + New Interface and New Look

2012-04-11T07:45:00.002-07:00

So after the controversial Facebook Cover Photo and Timeline, Google +, Google's Social networking site or platform just recently rolled out their new offering to netizens most especially on its interface, navigation and look, not to mention its Cover Photo situated in the uppermost part of your profile (sounds familiar, huh?). In this update, Google Plus aims to allow users to create a more customized experience on the site.

Check out Cebu Bloggers Society Inc. Founder Google Plus profile