Pinoy Technology News

Battalion Touch CZ-10

2010-01-18T20:42:00.000-08:00

Meet the world’s first multi-touch gaming notebook, the Battalion Touch CZ-10 from iBuypower.

Multi-touch desktop PCs are now common but if you a a gamer on the go then you will definitely love to bring with you the Battalion Touch CZ-10 multi-touch gaming laptop.

It comes with Intel 2.5GHz Core 2 Duo Mobile P8700 processor but hardcore gamers have the option to upgrade it to Intel’s 3GHz T9900 Core 2 Duo. Graphics is powered by AMD ATI Radeon 4650M graphics card. The standard machine comes with a 2GB of DDR 3 memory but hardcore gamers have the optioon to upgrade it ot 8GB of DDR 3 memory. HDD and SSD storage options are available as well with the standard being a 250GB HDD. The multi-touch gaming laptop comes with a DVD combo drive, but a Blu-ray option is also possible.

The Battalion Touch CZ-10 also comes with “3D Premium” surround sound, a three-in-one memory card reader and 802.11n Wi-Fi connectivity.

Gamers on the go can now order the Battalion Touch CZ-10 online at $999. The multi-touch gaming notebook is not yet available here in the Philippes.

LG 19in flexible e-book reader

2010-01-16T19:27:00.000-08:00

Having a challenge viewing a journal or perhaps a newspaper in an e-book reader? Well that will not be the case with the LG e-book reader that was announced recently. Not only is the e-book reader the largest as of this time but it is also a flexible one. Though it cannot be folded, you can still roll it up like your typical newspaper.

Don't ask me for the specs or the price yet since I don't have those but keep posted and I'll have those once available.

Mobile botnets from iPhone worms

2009-12-27T17:03:00.000-08:00

Mobile botnets created from iPhone worms can be a security risks in the future as what the analysis of SRI researchers shows. The latest iPhone worm IKee.B (duh) released late November exploited default root passwords on jailbroken iPhones to turn the smartphones into botnet clients under the control of a server based in Lithuania.

SRI International Security researchers, which was known for their top notch work in dissecting the Conficker botnet, published an analysis of the iPhone botnet on Monday that warns users of Apple's device and similar smartphones to expect more of the same in future.

Qouting part of the analysis:

Unlike the previous generation of cell phones that were at their worst susceptible to local Bluetooth hijacking, modern Internet-tethered cellphones are today susceptible to being probed, fingerprinted, and surreptitiously exploited by hackers from anywhere on the internet. Although the iKee.B botnet discussed here admittedly offers a rather limited growth potential, iKee.B nevertheless provides an interesting proof of concept that much of the functionality we have grown to expect from PC-based botnets can be easily migrated into a lightweight smartphone application. iKee.B demonstrates that a victim holding an iPhone in Australia can be hacked from another iPhone located in Hungary, and forced to exfiltrate its user's private data to a Lithuania C&C server, which may then upload new instructions to steal financial data from the Australian user's online bank account. While it is unclear just how well prepared smartphone users are to this new reality, it is clear that malware developers are preparing for this new reality right now.

The conclusion of the SRI's researchers is that even if the iKee.B worm is simpler than its PC relatives, the threat is equally the same.

The iKee bot is one of the latest offerings in smartphone malware, in this case targeting jailbroken iPhones. While its implementation is simple in comparison to the latest generation of PC-based malware, its implications demonstrate the potential extension of crimeware to this valuable new frontier of handheld consumer devices.

Read the rest of the analysis here.

Apple iPad will be launched January?

2009-12-26T08:02:00.000-08:00

That is right, Apple iPad. It is not a typo. It is the rumored Amazon Kindle killer. If the rumors are true that the Apple iPad will be launched this January 26 then the Kindle has a few weeks more to live. The iPad is some sort of a widescreen iPod. You can use it to browse the net, access and use the 35,000 iPod touch applications and of course an ebook reader.

So far, it is being rumored that the Apple iPad will costs around $699.

I won in the YugaTech Giveaway Round 1

2009-12-26T07:40:00.000-08:00

My Christmas was a merry one and it got even better since I won in Yugatech's Christmas Giveaway, round one dubbed as Merry Tweetmas. I did not win the Modu phone but still thanks to Yugatech and Globe for the Php 500 callcard that I won.

There will be another contest this Monday, a brand new 8GB iPod Nano is at stake, and for the coming weeks so keep posted and do join. Who knows you might be the lucky one to take home the 3G capable MSI Wind netbooks.

Microsoft Word banned for Sale

2009-12-22T20:21:00.000-08:00

A US Federal appeals court ordered Microsoft Corporation to stop selling its Word program in January and pay a Canadian software company, i4i Inc., $290 million for violating a patent. The Toronto-based i4i Inc. claimed ownership of the technology used in a tool that is currently in Microsoft's popular Word program. The said technology gives users of the Word program better ways in editing XML.

Microsoft though is ready for this court decision. It is now making fixes in Word to remove the technology in quesiton before January 11 when the injunction begins. Current Word programs for sale at this time is not yet affected by the court decision.

Source: Yahoo! News

Join the YugaTech Great Gadget Giveaway

2009-12-20T16:56:00.000-08:00

How about making your Christmas a little merrier? Maybe even more by getting one of the dozen Modu phones, or one of the two 3G-capable MSI Wind netbooks, or one of the hundreds of 3G dongles, or perhaps one of the Php120,000 worth of pre-paid load cards that Yugatech is giving away this yuletide season.

For starters, Yugatech have the Merry Tweetmas Contest that is currently running. It might end anytime now but you might still have a chance to grab a Modu phone or one of the ten Globe Tattoo or one of the twenty Php500 Globe prepaid call cards? Yes you can have these by simply joining the YugaTech Great Gadget Giveaway.As the contest name suggest, simply do these two steps:

1) Follow @abeolandres and @talk2globe on Twitter.

2) Post a tweet “Just entered to win a Modu Phone. Quick! Go follow @abeolandres and @talk2globe and retweet: http://bit.ly/6e2q7O #thanks2yugatech”

That isn’t hard. Join the YugaTech Great Gadget Giveaway now and who knows you are one of the lucky winners.

Get Laptop Batteries

2009-12-15T21:07:00.000-08:00

If you are a techie or a businessman on the go you probably experienced running low on laptop juice in one of your travels. And surely it is very frustrating when you badly needed your laptop but cannot hook it up to a power source. Good if you have an extra battery or perhaps a travel charger that you can use in a car. But if you don't have one then you might as well get into a coffee shop to get your computer charged.

But better than running low on juice why not get an extra laptop battery or a travel charger? It is better to have an extra battery for your laptop than run low on much needed power when you need it. Finding laptop batteries should not be hard. Just go online and search for a particular laptop battery that your computer brand uses. There are a lot of web sites out there that sells laptop batteries at an affordable price. And you don't even have to walk around to choose or look for the specific battery that you need. Better get an extra battery now if you are always on the move than suffer on losing your much needed power.

Multi-touch Acer Aspire Z5610

2009-12-09T17:31:00.000-08:00

Meet Acer’s new all-in-one desktop PC, the Aspire Z5610, has a 23-inch display with touch screen capability and multi-touch support. Seems like it Asus Eee PC T91 is not the only one that supports the multi-touch technology in touch screens.

Here's the rest of Acer Aspire Z5610 specs.

23″ Full HD 1920×1080 pixels
Intel Core 2 Duo E7500 2.93GHz
Intel G45 Express Chipset
3GB DDR3 RAM
750GB SATA HDD
SuperMulti Drive
ATI Radeon HD 4570 MXM with 512 MB DDR2 RAM
TV Tuner Card
1MP webcam
Bluetooth 2.1
WiFi 802.11b/g Draft-N
Gigabit LAN
6 USB 2.0 Ports
eSATA port
Card Reader

Aspire Z5610 comes with a wireless mouse and keyboard and pre-installed with Window 7 Home Premium.

Asus Multi-touch Touchscreen Eee PC T91

2009-12-01T23:35:00.000-08:00

Apart from supporting Windows 7, Asus also added multi-touch display functionality to its touchscreen T91 making it the the world's first convertible tablet netbook of its kind.

The first generation Asus’ T91 with an 8.9in display supports only single-finger touching on its 1024 x 600 screen at any one time. With the release of second generation T91MT, users can already pinch, flick, swirl, scroll, zoom and flip through images, web pages and more using multiple fingers. The 15GB SSD of storage in the first generation was also dumped for a 32GB unit.

T91MT buyers still get a 1.33GHz Intel Z520 Atom CPU, Intel US15W chipset and 1GB of DDR 2 memory. The 0.3Mp webcam can connect to the web over 802.11n Wi-Fi. Only two USB ports feature on the T91MT, though it does include an SD memory card slot.

Expect to pay $550 for the new Asus Multi-touch Touchscreen T91MT.

Dell Mini 3i smartphone specs

2009-11-24T21:26:00.000-08:00

Dell announced earlier this month that its Mini 3i smartphone – which runs China Mobile’s Android-based oPhone platform - would launch in China towards the end of this month.

As expected, the Mini 3i centers on a 3.5in multi-touch screen with 640 x 360 resolution and support for quad-band GSM/GPRS/Edge connectivity. So, no 3G, it seems.

LG and Sony Ericsson, to name just two phone manufacturers, may be already offering 12Mp smartphones, but the Mini 3i makes do with a 3Mp camera with auto-focus, flash and video capture.

The Mini 3i also incorporates GPS and Bluetooth. It uses Micro SD cards for storage and can take cards of up to 32GB capacity.

Since Dell’s smartphone will launch on China Mobile, it's no surprise to learn that the device supports 139Mail, a local email service, and the carrier’s own Fetion chat service. A non-descript “digital maps” service can also be used on the Mini 3i, Dell added.

Web security app for iPhone from Cisco

2009-11-22T18:02:00.000-08:00

A free iPhone application from Cisco was released last Friday for anyone who wants to get it and stay ahead of the latest worms, trojans, or other threats marauding on the Internet.

The application channels Cisco Security Intelligence Operations (SIO) blogs, podcasts, alerts and up-to-the-minute computer safety information to iPhones and iPod Touch devices. Information channeled to iPhones through the SIO To Go application includes budding threats discerned from ongoing analysis of email and Internet traffic worldwide. SIO data includes rating websites to indicate how much they should be trusted given performances regarding spam, viruses and other trouble.

You can get the SIO To Go at Apple's online App Store and the security information is also available online at cisco.com/go/sio.

Source: Yahoo! Tech

Windows 7 Home Server box from Asus

2009-11-21T23:40:00.000-08:00

Meet the Home Server TS Mini from Asus which uses the 1.66GHz Atom N280 processor together with a 1-2GB of 800MHz DDR 2 memory and will run Windows 7 Home Server.

On-board storage slots into a pair of 3.5in Sata drive bays, but there are six USB 2.0 and two eSata ports round the back so you can hook up extra drives and back up the internal storage. It's networked through a Gigabit Ethernet port.

The server is 245mm high with a 204 x 96mm footprint, so it's not exactly tiny. Fully laden, it weighs 3.9kg. It consumes between 24.5W and 27.9W, Asus said, depending whether it's idling or thrashing the hard drives.

That makes it "a good choice for 24x7 non-stop data centre operations", Asus claimed - should you be running such a service in your home, that is.

Go Social Networking all you want

2009-11-14T17:41:00.001-08:00

Smart Buddy subscribers can now go social networking the whole day (24 hours from activating the service) for only Php 20 on your favorite site. Whether you want to make new friends on Friendster, update your status as you go on Facebook, or go mobile shopping or check your favorite online store with Multiply, keep your karma up on Mobile Plurk or Tweet all day, from wherever you are on Twitter. You can now do all these on your mobile with the very affordable plan that Smart is offering.

All of these great sites, for a great price, from wherever you are, on the undisputed nationwidest network.

Visit m.smart.com.ph/dataplan on your mobile browser or text SURF to 211 for FREE info or visit http://smart.com.ph/surf.

Win a new 32GB iPod Touch from Gadgetlite

2009-11-13T14:36:00.000-08:00

How about having a new 32GB iPod Touch for free? That would be great isn't it? Well Gadgetlite is giving away a new third generation 32GB iPod Touch by simply doing the following:

1. Subscribe to their RSS feed
2. Leave a comment on the contest post using a valid email
3. Tell them how you are going to make use of the 32GB ipod Touch
4. Follow them on Twitter

The contest runs until the 23rd of November and is valid worldwide so you can might as well participate now before it is too late.

More details of the contest here.

Mini 3i, Dell's Android-based smartphone

2009-11-13T12:57:00.000-08:00

Dell finally announced its very first smartphone, the Mini 3i, that is running on Android-based OS. The rumor of a Dell Android smartphone is partly true since the Mini 3i does not totally run on Adroid but it is using the oPhone platform which is a China Mobile developed smartphone platform based on version 1.5 of Android.

Pictures and specs of Dell's Android smartphone was spotted before in different websites and blogs however the Mini 3i’s technical specifications has not been released yet by the PC manufacturer.

The Dell Mini 3i is slated for release in China this month through China Mobile. Next month, it will be launched in Brazil. For the rest of the world, well have to wait and see.

Dell reveals 'world's thinnest' laptop

2009-11-07T06:30:00.000-08:00

The Adamo XPS – actually the third machine in the Adamo series – is, judging by its looks, designed to compete with the likes of Apple’s MacBook Air and Toshiba Portégé R600. The XPS’ odd hinged design will be the first aesthetic point that catches your eye, we believe.

Next will be the Adamo XPS’ super-thin format. It measures just 9.7mm at its thinnest part and weighs in at class-typical 1.4kg.

Despite its slim profile, the PC still manages to cram in a removable battery and a 128GB solid-state drive.

Powering the impossibly thin XPS is a 1.4GHz Core 2 Duo ULV processor and 4GB of memory. Connectivity options extend to 802.11n, integrated Bluetooth and two USB ports.

The machine, like many other super-thin machines on the market, doesn’t have an optical drive. The XPS doesn’t have an Ethernet port either, Dell added.

Adamo XPS will be available in North America by Christmas, priced at $1800.

Asus Turbo 33 Technology

2009-11-04T18:16:00.000-08:00

Asus has installed Turbo 33 technology on its new UL netbook series. Asus has 7 models for the new UL netbooks and all are running in Intel CULV processors. But aside from the performance that the CULV processors are capable of, Asus claimed that the UL series are far superior in performance because of the proprietary Turbo 33 technology that the netbooks are using.

The main feature of the Turbo 33 technology is its ability to boost the operating performance of the netbooks by 33 percent on the average. Technically, Turbo 33 technology can boost a UL's Celeron, Core 2 Solo or Core 2 Duo processor performance by up to 77 percent but boosting the operating performance can seriously impact system performance specifically the battery life. This is the reason why Asus limited it to 33 percent improvement.

The Turbo 33 technology can significantly reduce file format conversion times. In a demo, a Turbo 33 enabled UL laptop converted a 555MB MPEG 4 to WVM in 4596 seconds that would take 6160 seconds for a similar laptop without Turbo 33 technology installed. Boot-up time can is also reduced with the use of Turbo 33 technology. Using a Windows 7 PC, boot-up was reduced from 35 seconds to just 16 seconds.

All of Asus' UL series notebooks are equipped with batteries that can last up to 12 hours. That would be more with Turbo 33 switched off. If you really like this technology then you might as well consider buying one of the 12in to 15in UL laptops.

COMDDAP Expo Manila 2009

2009-10-30T20:16:00.000-07:00

The biggest IT selling exhibit in the Philippines, the COMDDAP Expo Manila 2009 dubbed as Maximum Exposure is slated on December 3 to 6. To all Pinoy who loves technology and gadgets this is your chance to experience the best and the latest technology of the I.T. industry. Go to the SMX Convention Center of the SM Mall of Asia Complex on the said dates to experience first hand the homegrown Pinoy tech.

COMDDAP stands for Computer Manufacturers, Distributors and Dealers Association of the Philippines.

There are four main categories that the Expo will showcase. These are the following:

Open Pinoy Solutions (OPS)

This is a special exhibit featuring twelve great minds and companies of the Philippines' I.T. industry. Open Pinoy Solution aims to showcase the Pinoy I.T. geniuses and give them their well-deserved recognition.

3D Philippines Initiative

This will feature Philippines’ breathtaking sites on Google Earth using Google SketchUp.

The Great Projector Shoot-Out and LCD Monitor Shoot-Out

I guess no detailed explanation is needed. These will literally showcase different brands of Projector and LCD Monitor.

Printer Shootout

The battle of the pixels, test and compare the world’s top printer brands by printing your photos onsite. I hope there is an unlimited supply of printing materials for this.

360° 3D TV from Sony

2009-10-19T20:30:00.001-07:00

The television has been evolving rapidly these years. We have the flat screen TV, LCD TV, the plasma TV, HD TV and now manufacturers are going for 3D TV. With so many TV manufacturers jumping in the race for 3D TV, Sony decided to make a higher leap by developing a 360° 3D TV. Yes that is right, a television with 360° 3D display.

As shown in the picture, the 3D TV is tubular and displays the image in 3D to those who are around it. It is not clear though if the image being displayed is seen in the same angle by all viewers of if the image will depend on how the viewer is facing it.

Sony claims that viewing glasses are not needed to view the 3D on TV. Currently the prototype is 13cm wide by 27cm high and can display 24-bit color.

Details on the 360° 3D TV will be made available by Sony during a demonstration video at the Digital Contents Expo 2009 show in Tokyo which will start on October 22.

Spy Gadgets Proliferating in Manila

2009-10-15T16:06:00.000-07:00

Manila police have their eyes focused on China-made sophisticated spy gadgets that are now are being sold in Manila indiscriminately. The said gadgets include sunglasses that are camera-equipped and cameras that can be concealed as buttons. These gadgets are not limited though to video cameras there are wireless scanning devices that can capture conversations within a room by simply plugging it in a wall outlet.

photo from philstar.com

The said gadgets that can be used for spying can be purchased from the 168 Mall in Divisoria with prices ranging from P1,000 to P3,000.

The concern here of the police is that these spying gadgets can be used by criminals in their modus operandi. A call to regulate the sale of these devices is being pushed for so as not to have these gadgets fall into thewrong hands.

Kindle DX Made Available Internationally

2009-10-10T02:38:00.000-07:00

Amazon has recently confirmed that the Kindle DX will be shipped internationally during 2010. The DX which has a larger screen of 9.7 inches compared to the Kindle which has 6 inches will be available internationally “sometime next year” according to company spokesman Drew Herdener.

Meanwhile Amazon will start shipping the smaller Kindle internationally on October 19 and that is including the Philippines. Those who want to get their hands on this ebook reader be prepared to pay $279 plus shipping and import taxes or that is a little over Php 13,000. Amazon is already accepting pre order so if you are interested you might as well do the reservation now.

Aion, newest MMORPG

2009-10-09T00:00:00.000-07:00

I just came across the latest MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role playing game) game, the Aion. I'm not sure if some of you have heard about the Aion. Curious as to what this new MMO online game I checked it out.

For those not familiar with MMORPG, the online game will require you to take on a role as a player. You can read more about MMORPG if you like. For the hardcore gamers, Aion offers the usual basics of MMORPG. That is selection of race, class and the character that you want to play. There are two races that you can choose from, the Asmodians and Elyos. A Warrior, Scout, Mage and Priest are the four classes to choose from. As far as character creation is concerned, you can basically let your imagination create the character that you want since Aion offers a highly customizable character. You might as well check the site and the Aion forum for more details on these.

The setting is at Atria, a world composed of floating islands, chaotic voids, lush lands and other places that you think do not exist. Let your character explore all these worlds only accessible to your through Aion.

Speech-to-text app for phones

2009-10-08T00:59:00.000-07:00

Ever thought of speech-to-text app for phones? Speech recognition is not new and it is being used in most computers. But how about saying a message and your phone converts it to text? Cool isn't it?

Well TravellingWave’s VoicePredict app was launched recently, though still in beta, it enables Windows Mobile users say their messages to their phones. The app then converts it to text ready for sending to the intended recipient. For Android and iPhone users, the speech-to-text app is not yet available at this time but I know it will just be a matter of time when it will be.

Going back to the VoicePredict, the speech-to-text app, is not yet fully functional. Users still need to press a key or two so you can not totally ditch the keyboard for sending SMS. The key press is still necessary since the app will display the spoken word on the phone's screen that is matching those that are stored in the phone's virtual dictionary. If the spoken word is unfamiliar, it will prompt the user to select from a list or the user needs to physically enter the word.

Speech-to-text app for iPhones and Android will be available early next year according to TravellingWave while Windows Mobile users can download the VoicePredict from now TravellingWave's web site.

Nokia Messaging in RP

2009-10-03T03:47:00.000-07:00

Nokia Messaging on selected Nokia phones will be available in the Philippines through Smart Communications Inc. starting September 26. This was brought by the recent deal signed by Smart COmmunications Inc. and Nokia. This will be an exclusive service for Smart subscribers only under a special data plan.

Initially, the Nokia Messaging plan from Smart will be available to Nokia E75 only but other Nokia Messaging capable phones will be offered in the future as well.

The Nokia Messaging is currently being offered at P299 per month on the Nokia E75 for Smart Gold subscribers. With this plan, subscribers will be able to enjoy unlimited Nokia Messaging push e-mail service.