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Comparing online gaming between tablets and mobile phones

2013-02-26T13:01:16Z

Mobile is changing the face of gaming and even gambling. With the rise of apps and games on smartphones and tablets, the technology industry is taking heed. In a recent Time Magazine article, the tech industry is setting its sights on gambling. It’s not necessarily hardcore gambling, though, but mostly casual gaming and entertainment that is grabbing developers’ and users’ attentions.

Technology is making our lives both easier and more enjoyable, after all. As with games, the online casino business is doing the same by providing better access to services and entertainment through mobile apps. Internet online casino sites have grown big by making games easily available to everyone through the web, mobile web and even mobile apps.

Over the last few years smartphones and tablets have started to take hold of the market in a massive way, and so online casinos have likewise taken note of this and created a number of great apps and websites that allow smartphone and tablet users to play their games wherever, whenever, with just the touch and flick of the screen. Users can have a look at a good selection of casinos at http://www.onlinecasinoaustralia.com.au, for instance. This seems to be working out very well for them but one question would be this: why would you want to play your games on a mobile device?

The iPhone started the real smartphone craze. Even as we have had “smartphones” before, these were clunky devices that did not provide any intuitive interface. The iPhone started the trend in designing and building a devices that was intuitive to use no matter how complicated the technology behind the phone. Because of this great technology inside the devices, the games made for phones are now just like those that you would be playing on your home computer, and oftentimes even better.

The only aspect that could make the smartphone experience a letdown for some people is the size of the screen. But with tablet computers and even the so-called “phablets” (a portmanteau of “phone” and “tablet”), mobile gaming devices have a bigger screen, but can still be easily held in one hand. Because they are slightly larger than a phone, tablets generally have more power inside them as well. With well-developed apps gearead for tablets, phablets and phones with bigger screens, then users can enjoy apps and games with better features, more intuitive user-experiences and higher-quality graphics.

Smartphone vs. tablet? It ultimately boils down to user preference and need. But by giving users an option, device manufacturers have opened a whole new market segment in mobile gaming and entertainment, which includes mobile gambling, which includes both ones done by enthusiasts and casual users.

racoma.com.ph (c) J. Angelo Racoma

DesignCrowd launches in the Philippines, aimed at crowdsourcing design works

2012-11-12T14:59:59Z

Crowdsourcing is the in thing in just about any industry today. Popular online encyclopedia Wikipedia is crowd-sourced. Open source projects are likewise crowd-sourced, to some extent. Meanwhile, even start-up projects can get funding from the public through crowdsourcing. These include portals like Kickstarter, Indiegogo, and the like.

What’s great with crowdsourcing is that you get the synergy from the crowd, especially if contributions add up to quite a significant collection. In the design industry, the concept of crowdsourcing has been extended to contests and design submissions, including competitions for themes, logo design, web design and the like. The benefit here is that designers get an incentive to work on their chosen projects, while a client can choose from among the best submissions.

Australia-based startup DesignCrowd has launched in he Asia Pacific, and is starting with the Philippine, Singapore and India. The company says it already has 90,000 designers registered on its service, and estimates a million potential designers from the region.

The setup benefits both designers and owners of web properties. For one, designers get the chance to win prizes and bounty from potential clients if their designs are chosen. Clients, meanwhile, will not be stuck with only a single designer for their design needs, but can choose from hundreds.

Are you a designer or website owner looking for design work? Do check out DesignCrowd.

J. Angelo Racoma is a technology and automotive journalist and blogger. See more of his work at e27.sg, Android Authority and Tech Wire Asia. Follow him via Twitter at @jangelo.

racoma.com.ph (c) J. Angelo Racoma

Serious Issues with Globe Tattoo Image Cache

2012-11-09T14:23:47Z

We got this message from a reader via email. Apparently, blurred images are not the only problem with Globe Tattoo. I can personally stand blurry images while mobile, if it meant conserving bandwidth (given I also use PowerSurf). But this seems a bit more serious. Read on.

Image credit: Alan Levine

I stumbled upon this post of yours.

I just want to share this odd Globe Tattoo glitch related to their image cache.

It took me a while to figure out that it was my broadband that was causing the problem. In fact, my boyfriend (who’s an engineer) had to help me, and I probably wouldn’t have discovered this without him.

Several days ago, I was testing some HTML mockups I developed for the website I was managing at work. I uploaded them on the website, so I can test them live. The page took a while to load because I was using a lot of hi-re PNG files on it. (And as I’ve discovered some months earlier, Tattoo’s image compression doesn’t work on PNGs.)

When the page loaded, I was horrified. It was displaying images which I have never seen before in my life. I have never visited websites that have those photos, so they certainly can’t be in my cache. I know I have never seen them because these are photos of people, and they look like personal photos people often post on their Facebook. In any case, I reset my cache and even fired my CCleaner, just to be sure. I visited the link of my templates again, and I discovered that some of the images were restored and some weren’t.

It was kind of a frustrating and time-consuming experience, so I won’t describe the troubleshooting I was doing on my own. I had the most paranoid hypotheses for a while, like either (A) my Mac was infected (which is next to impossible, because, well, it’s a Mac, and I also don’t visit suspicious websites), or (B) our website was hacked / targeted for SEO poisoning.

Anyway, after eliminating some variables and hypotheses (particularly, the two cited above), I thought I had fixed the problem when I replaced the PNG files with JPG ones. After a few days, I had that problem again, but it wasn’t as shocking anymore, because only one tiny image was displayed incorrectly.

I didn’t know how to Google what was happening to the mockups I was uploading to the website. I asked my boyfriend to help me, and he had no idea either. Eventually, he found this: http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?f=38&t=533721

And if you scroll far down, there was a random user who commented this:

I’ve seen this before, but that was ISP related, not Firefox.

Some ISPs cache some of the regular used data in order to save some bandwidth and then something goes wrong with their caching system (or it is not working properly to start with) and you get that kind of problems.

Seen it with quite a few wireless ISPs here in SA

So when I switched off my Globe, connected to a fixed broadband network, and cleared my cache, true enough, the pages were displaying properly again.

I already know about that no-cache fix. In any case, I was interested to learn whether other people had encountered such problem with Globe Tattoo. Either my Googling skills suck or that problem is just not well documented on the internet yet. While I was browsing though, I came across your blog.

I don’t really know what I want you to do in response to this. Maybe you’ve heard of this issue before? If so, maybe you can show me some references online where I can learn more about this myself?

I also have some security/privacy issues regarding this. What if someone with a Globe Tattoo somewhere is incorrectly loading images on a page and is displaying MY pictures?

If you’ve reached this far, thank you for reading my long email. If not, I suggest you do.

J. Angelo Racoma is a technology and automotive journalist and blogger. See more of his work at e27.sg, Android Authority and Tech Wire Asia. Follow him via Twitter at @jangelo.

racoma.com.ph (c) J. Angelo Racoma

The Globe Powersurf Trick. No it’s not free, but it’s cheaper!

2012-10-09T09:58:24Z

I’ve read a lot of supposed tricks or hacks in forums that purport to allow “unlimited” surfing while on Globe prepaid. I’ve tried this, and it works in some cases. But I think it’s cheating, given that you can pay P50 per day for unlimited data, anyway! (If you want to share your prepaid data connection, check out my earlier post.)

For legitimate uses, I think that Globe’s data promos are cheap enough. For smartphone users, I especially think that the “powersurf” bucket pricing is reasonable:

PhP 15 for 20MB good for 24 hours
PhP 30 for 50MB good for 24 hours
PhP 50 for 100MB good for 3 days
PhP 99 for 50MB good for 30 days
PHP 299 for 300MB good for 30 days
PhP 499 for 1GB good for 30 days

However, the daily and three-day charging might be too limiting. Also, the PhP 99 plan per 30 days might seem lame. Just 50 megs?

PhP 299 for 300MB might be reasonable, but if you consume more data when mobile, then the PhP 499 plan might be best.

But what’s great with prepaid powersurf is that it’s cumulative, which means that if you don’t consume your megabytes within the expiry period, you can extend this by subscribing to another bucket. For example, you subscribe to the PhP 15 plan, but you only use 5 megabytes, you have 15 megabytes left. If you subscribe to a PhP 50 plan before this expires, you get 100 MB plus 15 MB, good for three days.

Now, if you’re too stingy to pay P299 for the 30-day 300Mb plan, you can actually subscribe to a lower three-day plan first, and then subscribe to the PhP 99 50MB plan to extend that particular plan to a month! You can effectively subscribe to multiple P50 plans and extend it to a month.

For instance, 50+99 gets you 150Mb good for a month for PhP 149. It’s the same price per megabyte as the P299 plan.

With this trick, you can effectively get more megabytes than the 299 registration for the same price if you know how! I’m not telling explicitly, but you do the math!

What’s great is that if you don’t consume your megabytes, just register to another P99 plan again to extend it.

Get it? It’s entirely legitimate, but you save more than with the usual registration fee. It takes a bit of effort, though, and you will need to set reminders so you don’t forget to renew.

J. Angelo Racoma is a technology and automotive journalist and blogger. See more of his work at e27.sg, Android Authority and Tech Wire Asia. Follow him via Twitter at @jangelo.

racoma.com.ph (c) J. Angelo Racoma

Wi-Tribe Converted My MyPass Plan to Prepaid

2012-08-14T15:01:20Z

I got a pleasant surprise a few weeks back, though, when Wi-Tribe called me offering to convert my plan to prepaid. I must admit I wasn't very prompt in my payments because I had issues with the quality of service, and so I guess it's their way of making sure they get to keep me as a customer. At the same time, their converting me to prepaid ensured that I paid on time (which is before I use the service).

racoma.com.ph (c) J. Angelo Racoma

Fake Facebook Likes From the Philippines?

2012-07-17T02:56:51Z

A recent BBC feature pointed out how online marketers are increasingly becoming wary of fake Facebook “likes.”

“A BBC investigation suggests companies are wasting large sums of money on adverts to gain “likes” from Facebook members who have no real interest in their products,” reports Rory Cellan-Jones, citing companies that have seen their fans as “suspicious” because of the number of pages they have liked, and their online identities.

“They were 13 to 17 years old, the profile names were highly suspicious, and when we dug deeper a number of these profiles were liking 3,000, 4,000, even 5,000 pages,” says social media marketing consultant Michael Tinmouth. He adds that most of these seem to have come from the Philippines and Egypt, with many identities appearing to have been made up.

“The fans you get from advertising may not be genuine, and if they are genuine are they people who will engage with your brand?” adds a marketing executive who has likewise had a disappointing experience with Facebook advertising.

Facebook has decided not to refund any payment for such ads, because the company believed these campaigns should specify a target group. All of these companies have access to Facebook’s analytics which allow them to see the identities of people who have liked their pages, yet this has not been flagged as an issue,” says a spokesman.

With the Philippines being cited as a source of the fake “likes,” will the issue affect how companies market their products locally, and the country’s reputation as viable online community for engaging consumers?

J. Angelo Racoma is a technology and automotive journalist and blogger. See more of his work at e27.sg, Android Authority and Tech Wire Asia. Follow him via Twitter at @jangelo.

racoma.com.ph (c) J. Angelo Racoma

How to Use Wireless Tethering With Globe Prepaid

2012-06-28T14:50:21Z

I’ve been using my Globe postpaid phone as my backup connection. Having subscribed to the Super Surf unlimited plan, I usually share the connection with my other devices through WiFi tethering. I was surprised when tethering did not work when I tried it on my prepaid SIM. With some research, I found out that Globe is blocking tethering from prepaid accounts.

This is like the system implemented by most U.S. carriers that disallow sharing of a connection without a plan specifically for tethering. I discovered, though, that there is a workaround. When tethering a device using a smartphone — specifically an Android smartphone — the phone broadcasts itself and Google’s 8.8.4.4 DNS servers through DHCP. Globe specifically blocks Google’s nameservers when connecting from a prepaid SIM, and so tethering does not work.

But, if you try pinging a numeric IP address from a connected device (instead of a domain name), it should work properly. Pinging Google’s DNS servers, though, will result in a timeout.

To go around this restriction, you can either force the WiFi hotspot to use Globe’s own DNS servers, or you can change the DNS settings on each connected device manually.

You will first need to determine the DNS that your network provider uses. Use the free Set DNS Android app. This requires root access, although the developer has also made a non-root version available under trial mode. There are other alternatives, but Set DNS is fairly straightforward, and lets you change DNS servers on the fly.

Then, change the DNS on each device that needs to connect via WiFi. This will depend upon the device. A few links (just substitute the Globe DNS servers where applicable):

Windows 7
Mac OS X
iPhone / iPad / iPod Touch
Android – use Set DNS

Some WiFi tethering apps on Android might also let you manually set the DNS, so that connections are routed not through Google’s DNS servers, but through your custom nameservers. However, these apps can sometimes be picky with which devices to support. Some also use ad-hoc WiFi connections instead of infrastructure mode, which limits the type and number of devices you can connect.

J. Angelo Racoma is a technology and automotive journalist and blogger. See more of his work at e27.sg, Android Authority and Tech Wire Asia. Follow him via Twitter at @jangelo.

racoma.com.ph (c) J. Angelo Racoma

First Looks: Alcatel One Touch 918N Glory X Dual-SIM Entry Level Android Smartphone

2012-06-12T14:09:20Z

After reviewing Alcatel’s entry-level Android smartphone, the “Glory,” we now get to review its fraternal twin, the “Glory X.” The X is almost identical with the Glory, except for its interchangable covers. We post our first thoughts on the Alcatel Glory X at Tech Wire Asia.

Specs-wise, the Alcatel Glory X is similar to the Alcatel Glory, with a 3.2-inch 420×320 touchscreen, 3.2 megapixel camera and 650 MHz processor. The only difference is the exterior and a slightly-updated Android OS. At first glance, the two smartphones might look alike from a distance, but once you look closer, the differences are quite obvious. The Glory X shifts away from the rubberized, rugged finish of the Glory, and uses a matte-finish plastic surface at the back and a glossy black plastic bezel at front.

I prefer the matte finish of the original Glory, and I also like the more formal and classy look of that particular model. The only advantage with the Glory X is its interchangable covers, which might appeal to certain markets, such as younger Android smartphone users.

The Glory X also comes shipped with Android 2.3.6 Gingerbread, an incremental upgrade to the 2.3.5 present in the Glory. It’s a bit more difficult to root than the Glory, though, but it can be done with a custom recovery image.

The Alcatel Glory X retails for less than PhP 6,000, which makes it an affordable Android smartphone that competes directly with the likes of the Samsung Galaxy Y and the LG Optimus L3, with the advantage of being dual-SIM.

J. Angelo Racoma is a technology and automotive journalist and blogger. See more of his work at e27.sg, Android Authority and Tech Wire Asia. Follow him via Twitter at @jangelo.

racoma.com.ph (c) J. Angelo Racoma

First Looks: Sony Xperia Sola Android Smartphone

2012-06-07T06:45:00Z

Sony has since broken away from its former partnership with Ericsson in making smartphones. With Sony now taking sole control over the Xperia product line, we have seen a resurgence in Xperia smartphones, ranging from the low mid-range to premium smartphones.

Sony has sent us their latest midrange Xperia Sola for review. I posted my first thoughts on the Sony Xperia Sola at Tech Wire Asia.

We’ll be posting our thoughts on the Xperia Sola soon. So far, after a day playing with the phone, I can say the Xperia Sola is a capable mid-range smartphone that offers excellent multimedia features for the price.

Sony Xperia Sola Specs

NovaThor U8500 1.0GHz dual-core System-on-Chip processor
3.7-inch display at 480×854 pixels (265 PPI)
512MB RAM
8 GB internal storage (5 GB usable)
up to 32GB via microSD card (card not included)
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, DLNA, WiFi hotspot
Bluetooth 2.1 w/ EDR
NFC (2 NFC tags included in package)
5 megapixel rear autofocus camera with LED flash
720p video recording
FM radio tuner
GPS with aGPS support
Android 2.3 Gingerbread
1320 mAH Li-Ion battery
116 x 59 x 9.9mm
107 grams

The Xperia Sola has an SRP of PhP 16,990, but sells for PhP 15,800 with some retailers.

J. Angelo Racoma is a technology and automotive journalist and blogger. See more of his work at e27.sg, Android Authority and Tech Wire Asia. Follow him via Twitter at @jangelo.

racoma.com.ph (c) J. Angelo Racoma

Review: Alcatel OneTouch 918N “Glory” Android Smartphone

2012-06-04T13:21:43Z

The Alcatel One Touch 918N Glory is a capable entry-level smartphone that's a good buy for its PhP 5,699 price.

racoma.com.ph (c) J. Angelo Racoma