CyberPress: I.T. Journalists Association of the Philippines

The Information Technology Journalists Association of the Philippines web site at http://www.cyberpress.org.ph/ posted a story on Monday about its newly elected officers for 2009.

BATANGAS CITY, Philippines – CyberPress, the country’s only organization of IT writers, also known as IT Journalists Association of the Philippines (ITJAP), has elected on Saturday its new set of officers for 2008 to 2009.

The election was held at the Taal Vista Heights resort in this city, right after the press club conducted a Writers Workshop on: “Legal Issues Affecting Online Reporting and Blogging” with Atty. JJ Disini as resource speaker. He is an MA graduate of the Harvard Law School.

The new CyberPress board members are: Jing Garcia, president (TechTimes Section Editor, The Manila Times, and Editor of Speed Magazine); Red Samar, vice president for external affairs (InfoTech
Section Editor, The Manila Bulletin); Melvin Calimag, vice president for internal affairs (reporter, The Manila Bulletin, editor of TechFrontiers Journal, and Contributor of ZDNet Asia); Tom S. Noda, secretary (reporter, Computerworld Philippines); Alma Anonas, membership chairperson (correspondent, BusinessMirror); Vernadette T. Joven, finance officer (reporter, Computerworld Philippines); Marlon Magtira, election and constitutional amendments officer
(editor, TechFrontiers Journal, PC Buyer's Guide Philippines/ PC Direct and PC Shopper); Maricel Estavillo, sectoral representative for online (editor, BusinessWorld); and Ed Geronia, Jr., sectoral representative for print (editor-in-chief, T3 Philippines).

Calimag, the two-time president of CyberPress and now elected vice president for internal affairs, said the induction of the new officers will take place this coming December, coinciding with the organization’s annual Christmas party. The place and time of the event will yet to be announced.

Meanwhile, Garcia, in his acceptance speech, expressed optimism that CyberPress will grow bigger and stronger in 2009. “I hope everybody will do better” the newly elected president said, adding that he plans to encourage more membership in the IT press club.

“We would reach out to other media companies and organizations in the regions of Visayas and Mindanao,” Garcia announced.

According to Calimag, 2009 will be a more productive year for CyberPress. “We expect to accomplish more as a group,” Calimag said, as he informed that CyberPress is preparing to do its last workshop activity for this year also in December. The forum will be about Green
IT, an advocacy for companies to practice environment-friendly
technologies.

Now with a total of 31 members, CyberPress remains to be the only IT press organization in the Philippines. It is the first IT press club established in South East Asia (SEA) in mid-1996.

The organization’s list of member publications are: BusinessMirror, BusinessWorld, Computer World Philippines, Enterprise, Gadgets Magazine, GMA News, TechFrontiers Journal, The Manila Bulletin, The Manila Times, Manual Magazine, Maxim Philippines, Outrage Magazine, PC Buyer's Guide, PC Direct, PC Shopper, PC World Philippines, Philippine Daily Inquirer, Philippine Star, PsiCom Publishing, Speed Magazine, T3 Philippines, Tech Frontiers Philippines, The Daily Tribune, and ZDNet Asia.

New iPhone rival

Google partners with T-Mobile to launch Android-powered smartphone

Google ventures the smartphone market with the introduction of T-Mobile G1, the first phone to feature the Android operating system. Android is a Linux-based software platform designed for mobile devices developed by Google in collaboration with Open Handset Alliance.

With features that directly compete with Apple’s iPhone, the Internet-centric G1 smartphone will initially become available in the U.S. and Europe at about US$400.

Manufactured by High Tech Computer (HTC), the T-Mobile G1 runs on Qualcomm MSM7201A 528MHz processor with 128MB of RAM. Its main features include a 3” 480x320-resolution touchscreen, a QWERTY keyboard, 1GB flash memory, GPS, a microSD, built-in Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and 3.1MP camera and so on.

The T-Mobile G1 comes pre-installed with a host of Google web-based service incluing Search, Maps, Gmail, Calendar, Talk, Amazon MP3, and YouTube. The G1 also features Android Market, which includes a number of applications and mash ups.

Singapore develops new GPS movie technology based on viewer’s location

I was browsing through the CNet Asia web site when I stumbled upon Isabella Chen’s Chick Click blog entry “Real spaces, digital memory” about GPS Film, a Singaporean government initiative project for developing a new motion picture technology designed for GPS-enabled handheld devices like PDAs or mobile phones. GPS Film automatically selects clips from an extraordinarily produced movie based on the location of the viewer.

Considerably a breakthrough in the movie industry, GPS Film will provide a new opportunity for the viewer to explore the actual environment via digital content. GPS Film’s "picture moving, not a moving picture" catchphrase sets a new type of movie experience where viewers don't just take movies on the road but movies will actually take viewers to the road.

According to the GPS Film web site, 

"GPS Film invents a new form of film-viewing experience by using the place and movement of the viewer to reveal the story.

"As the viewer travels by walking, bus, or taxi, the movie unfolds by passing through different areas. 

"By exploring a park, a neighborhood, or even a city or country, GPS Film continually ‘reads’ the location of the viewer and plays scenes that are tied to those places. The more the viewer travels, the more of the film they see."

In her blog, Isabella talks about dead spaces and dead times where people are forced to go through in between productive situations. She wrote,

“The more time you spend in spaces like these, the more brain dead you become.”

Well, GPS Film would definitely give life to our dead brains during dead times. And dead spaces will actually take an important role in the process.

Click here to go to Isabella Chen's Chick Click blog.
Click here to go to Isabella's "Real space, digital memory" blog entry.
Click here to go to CNet Asia.

Graphics Card Buying Guide

This Buying Guide was published on PC Shopper Philippines magazine (August Issue).

If you intend to use your PC for graphics-intensive applications, the video card is definitely one of the most important components that will make or break your tasks. With the rapid evolution of hardware and software that require constant upgrades, browse through our advices to make sure you will get the right add-on card.

Fast Facts

• If you’re running 3D and heavy graphics, your system mostly depends on the graphics card. A weak video card will slow down PC performance even if you have a strong CPU or a massive memory module. Other components may complement, but video output quality is loaded based on the graphics card’s ability to handle the technologies. This is why some high-end video cards are actually more expensive than any other components in the system.

• Graphics cards are usually rolled out between six to twelve months period before a new faster and powerful series than the previous models is introduced to support new technologies. Current mid-range to high-end video cards bring a lot of new highfalutin technologies that are often times blurry for most of us.

• PC Gaming publishers usually release new products every year, giving way to new system requirements, making your head turning to find out why your PC gets outdated quickly. If your PC is more than three years, maybe it's too old to have an upgrade so it’s better to get rid of it. No, don’t throw it away. Sell it and buy a new rig.

• Graphics card upgrade may require upgrading of other components such as CPU, memory, hard drive, and even the power supple depending on the applications and video card type you will use.

• Graphics cards are also called “expansion cards” or “add-on cards” specifically designed for the motherboard’s AGP or PCI-Express slots. They called “expansions” or “add-ons” simply because there are cheaper video solutions that are integrated or built-in on the motherboard with special slots for discreet video cards. Built-in video may run 3D applications and games but this is generally slow and works well on daily office tasks and e-mail access.

AGP and PCI Express
Current motherboards usually have AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port or Advanced Graphics Port) or PCI Express (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express or PCI-E) expansion slots for add-on graphics cards. You should determine the slot type on your motherboard because AGP or PCI Express graphics cards are designed for one slot type only. The big difference between the two is the bandwidth they offer. Manufacturers claim that the higher bandwidth is better.

The descendant of PCI parallel-interface video cards, AGP is being slowly driven away by PCI Express. Providing sufficient bandwidth for new applications with 2.1GBps bandwidth, the latest AGP 8x graphics cards and motherboards are still widely available.

PCI Express is the latest species in the evolution of video cards following on the component transition from parallel to serial for an increased bandwidth. It theoretically offers 2 – 4 times more bandwidth than AGP. Since all PC components are gearing towards the serial interface, most new graphics cards designed for PCIE. The latest PCIE (x16) 2.0 can run about 8 GBps bandwidth. Most motherboards with multiple PCI Express x16 slots are designed to operate SLI and CrossFire functions.

If your PC system is more than two years old, it probably has an AGP slot. Upgrading to PCI Express will be expensive since you'll need to replace the motherboard, CPU, and memory, but if your system is more than two years old, it might just be the right time to upgrade your entire PC anyway.

Graphics Card Stuff: What you may not know

• Fill Rate – GPU’s speed in drawing pixels depending on the number of ROP (raster operations pipeline) units of the graphics card.
  
  
• GART (Graphics Address Remapping Table) – a capability of reading textures directly from memory without the need to copy them to video memory.
  
  
• GBps (Gygabyte per second) – bandwidth measured in the number of Gygabytes processed per second.
  
  
• Pixel Pipelines –pixels pass through a GPU unit called “pipelines” which crunch complex vertex and pixel-shader programs for lighting and other effects. The more pipelines, the better. Cheaper cards usually have 4 pipelines while mid-range to high-end 8-16 or more.
  
  
• Pixel Shaders (also called “pixel processors”), Vertex Shaders Units (also called “vertex processors”), and Unified Shaders – Usually used for realism gaming, Pixel and Vertex Shaders are GPU units that execute pixel frequency and control colors that apply an effect on images like shadows and explosions. Unified Shaders combines and executes both Pixel and Vertex Shaders.
  
  
• RAMDAC (Random Access Memory Digital-to-Analog Converter) – converters used to store color palette that generate analog signals for the monitor.
  
  
• SLI (NVIDIA’s scalable link interface) and CrossFire (ATI) – New technologies that allow two or graphics cards installation for certain intensive graphics applications.

It’s not all about memory
The most popular error in pronouncing a graphics card’s performance is judging it by its memory size. Well, that was true during PCI video cards heydays. Memory size is important, but the real deal in determining video card speed is the capability of the GPU. Of course, higher memory can provide a certain effect but there are more important considerations to measure performance like the GPU’s memory bus, clock, and pipelines that affect bandwidth. Take a look at pipelines and clock speed specs

Current graphics cards use 64 - 512-bit bus witch 400 – 2000MHz clock, so a 512-bit bus with high clock speed can definitely give the card a boost as compared to 64-bit. Current memory types are designed on DDR and GDDR modules ranging from 128 MB to 1024 MB. A few years ago, video cards with 16-32 MB could do well with graphics programs. Today, many games and applications like Adobe CS3 require at least 128 MB to run.

What’s on the card?

• Analog D-Sub (also known as VGA or DB-15F) – 15-pin connector for analog monitors.
  
  
• DVI (DVI-Integrated and DVI-Digital) - standard interface used to provide digital video signals to LCD monitors.
  
  
• HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface) - simultaneously transmitting visual and audio data via the same cable.
  
  
• DisplayPort - new digital video interface designed for upcoming multimedia devices.
  
  
• GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) – The brain of the graphics card, GPUs operation is measured in megahertz (millions of information processed per second).

nVIDIA or ATi?
ATi and nVIDIA are the only two consumer graphics card vendors that clashes head to head in the market today (If there are others, please let me know). They have their own price ranges and I can’t say which is better or worst because each has its ups and downs. If you don’t have any budget constraints, grab a high-end solution to get the highest quality images and best performance.

Desktop Processors: Multi-Cores and OverClocking

Being the so-called “computer’s brain” which executes all applications, the processor is obviously the most vital component of the PC. Distributors highlight the processor on top of the specs sheet because of its impact on the over-all performance of the PC system.

Fast Facts

• CPU - The PC processor called the CPU (Central Processing Unit). To avoid confusion, the “CPU” term tends to be dropped in the market because it also refers to the CPU package that includes all components inside the case. Current video cards also feature processors which is called a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit).
  
  
• Clock Speed - Clock speed is a processor rating that measures a certain number of information processed per second. 2.0GHz means 2 billions of data processed per second. Current applications require millions of data to run so the higher clock speed means faster processing. Multi-core processors are just making this impression a lot more complex as we see lower clock speeds compared to single cores. Logically, a dual-core processor with each running at 1.5GHz should be equivalent to a 3.0GHz single-core. This will not work if applications designed for single-cores are executed on multi-cores.
  
  
• FSB - The Front Side Bus (FSB) serves as the processors’ connection to the system memory. FSB data transfer speed allows better the processor performance.
  
  
• L2 Cache - The cache enables the processor to speedily access recently used information. Current processors operate on Level 2 (L2) cache which provides faster data transfer between the processor and main system memory.

Top-of-the-line
Here are the current most powerful and most also most expensive processors in the market. You might want to grab one of these if you want to get the best performance for your PC.

• Intel Core 2 Extreme Quad-Core Q9000 series
  Processor Numbers: QX9775, QX9770, QX9650
  Architecture: 45 nanometer technology
  L2 Cache: 12 MB
  Clock Speed: 3.20 GHz (QX9775, QX9770), 3 GHz (QX9650)
  Front Side Bus Speed: 1600 MHz (QX9775, QX9770), 1333 MHz (QX9650)
  Slot/Socket Type: LGA771- DX5400 (QX9775, QX9770), LGA775 (QX9650)
  
  
• AMD Phenom X4 Quad-Core 9000 series
  Model Number: 9950
  Frequency (MHz): 2600
  L2 Cache Size (KB): 512
  Manufacturing Tech (CMOS): 65nm SOI
  Socket: AM2+
  System Bus (MHz): 4000
  
  
• AMD Phenom X3 Triple-Core 8000 series
  Model Number: 8750
  Frequency (MHz): 2400
  L2 Cache Size (KB): 512
  Socket: AM2+
  Manufacturing Tech (CMOS): 65nm SOI
  System Bus (MHz): 3600

Overclocking
Overclocking is the term used in pushing a processor (CPU or GPU) to operate higher than what is officially rated by its vendor. It is claimed that overclocking enables the system to extend its capabilities by more than 25%, definitely a high boost to computer performance.

It is widely assumed especially by PC gamers who are hungry for more computing power, that out-of-the-factory processors are usually underrated by manufacturers for increased reliability. The processors bit rating determines the largest number of information that a processor can handle depending on the clock speed. A processor clock cycle is measured at 2 to the power of the bit rating so 32-bit can handle up to 232 or about 4.3 billion processed information per cycle. In turn, 64-bit can execute 264 or about 18.4 quintillion. Clock speeds are said to be lower than the maximum number of information that many tech buffs would like to get hold of the extra unrated power of processors without spending more and take the system a further step higher in its class.

• Caveat!
  While there are overclocked processors that can actually take smooth operation, a user should have the necessary technical know-how in forcing the processors to its limits because hitches may result such as increasing heat dissipation, reducing lifespan or completely wrecking the component.

Multi-Core Processors
Initially designed to serve the server market, multi-core processors are now finding its way to personal computing with the new generation of software that require higher speeds and processing power.

Multi-core design integrates multiple physical processors on a single chip dividing the applications between the processors to allow the system to function faster by running multiple threads. Multi-tasked applications generate multiple threads or streams of data. A processor can only handle a single thread at a time. This means that the more applications are executed the slower a thread is processed.

A multi-core processor enables the system to handle more than one thread at a time by switching the threads between the cores to provide faster information processing.

Battle of New UMPCs

UMPCs are creating a heap of noise these days. As manufacturers continue innovating to make smaller, stronger and inexpensive PCs, the line between ultra-portables and ultra-mobiles is getting blurred. While some are actually not cheap, road warriors get the juice on the move. Let's take a close look at new UMPCs on the block.

UMPCs a.k.a. ultra-mobile personal computers, are small lightweight under a kilogram notebook computers that have about 7-8-inch LCD screen. UMPCs are smaller-than-usual laptops with all the features and functions of a PC.

UMPCs' compact design makes it easy to be carried by those who spend more time on the road. With specs and functions that overlap with other handheld devices, UMPCs are also referred to by a variety of notebook categories including subnotebooks, ultraportables, mini-laptops (mini-notebooks), and MID's (mobile internet devices).

Asus EeePC 900
SRP: PhP25,000
ASUS stirred interest on the UMPC category with the introduction of the EeePC last year. The EeePC 900 is the second iteration of this ground-breaking laptop with 16GB drive, a wider 8.9-inch screen, and 1GB RAM.


Display: 8.9” 1024 x 600
Casing Color: Pearl White, Black
CPU: Intel Mobile CPU
Memory: 1GB DDR2
Display Card: Intel UMA
Storage: 12GB (4SSD+8flash) (XP); 20GB (4SSD+16 flash) (Linux)
Card Reader: SD / MMC (SDHC)
Audio: Built-in mic/speakers
Wireless: Built-in 802.11b/g
Camera: Built-in 1.3Mp
Input/Output: 3 USB ports, VGA-out (D-Sub, 15pin), earphone /mic/RJ45 Ethernet
OS: Windows XP/Linux
Dimensions: 23 x 17 x 3cm WHD
Weight: 0.99 Kg

HP 2133 Mini Note
SRP:PhP30,000
The 2133 offers multiple configurations, bigger keys in an aluminum alloy design. The PhP30K version is fully loaded with a 120GB, 7200rpm hard drive and Windows Vista.

Display: 8.9” 1280 x 768
Casing Color: Silver Black
CPU: VIA C7-M ULV 1.6 GHz
Memory: 1-2GB DDR2
Display Card: VIA Chrome 9
Storage: 120-160GB or 64GB SSD; optional 4GB PATA Flash w/ SuSE Linux
Card Reader: ExpressC/54, SD
Audio: Built-in mic/speakers
Wireless: Broadcom 802.11a/b/g,
Camera: Optional
Input/Output: 2 USB ports, RJ45 Ethernet, earphone/mic
OS: Windows Vista/Linux
Dimensions: 1’ (at front) x 10 ’ x 6.5’
Weight: 1.2 Kg

Lenovo Thinkpad X300
SRP: PhP130,000
The new X300 is the 0.73'' thinnest ND lightest ThinkPad ever with built-in DVD burner, a slew of 3 USB ports, mic and headphone ports and more.


Display: 13.3’ WXGA 1440 x 900
Casing Color: Silver Black
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo 1.2GHz
Memory: 1-4GB DDR2
Display Card: Intel Graphics X3100
Storage: 64GB SATA SSD, Ultra-thin DVD Burner
Card Reader: Built-in mic/speakers
Audio: Bluetooth, GPS (Verizon WWAN), Intel UltraWideBand, Intel WiMax, 802.11n
Wireless: Intel PRO
Camera: Built-in 1.3Mp
Input/Output: Fingerprint sensor, 3 USB ports,earphone/mic, RJ45 Ethernet
OS: Windows Vista Business
Dimensions: 12.5” x 9.1” x 0.73” WDH
Weight: 1.42kg


Astone UMPC
SRP:PhP20,000
The Astone UMPC has a 7” touchscreen LCD powered by a VIA C7 processor at 1.2 GHz, 1Gb RAM and 60GB hard drive. It comes with a 1.3MP webcam and a Bluetooth VoiP phone.

Display: 7” WVGA Touch Screen
Casing Color: Silver Black
CPU: VIA C7-M ULV 1.2Ghz
Memory: 1GB DDR2
Display Card: VIA UniChrome Pro II
Storage: 60GB
Card Reader: 4in1SD/MMC/MS/MS P
Audio: Built-in mic/speakers
Wireless: Wireless LAN Azure Wave IEEE 802.11b/g, Bluetooth
Camera: Built-in 0.3MP
Input/Output: 2 USB 2.0 RJ45 Ethernet, earphone/mic, DVI-I, Bluetooth VoIP Phone
OS: Linux Open OS
Dimensions: 23×17x29 cm
Weight: 0.97 Kg


Apple MacBook Air
SRP:PhP150,000
The new MacBook Air is 0.8” ultrathin in a 13”-screen package designed with wireless innovations. This ultra-portable comes with a whopping full-size keyboard and exceptionally large multi-touch trackpad.


Display: 13.3” WXGA
Casing Color: Silver, White
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo
Memory: 2GB DDR2
Display Card: Intel GMA X3100
Storage: 80GB, 64GB SSD optional
Card Reader: None
Audio: Built-in mic/speakers
Wireless: AirPort Extreme Wi-Fi IEEE 802.11n, Bluetooth
Camera: Built-in iSight, 640×480
Input/Output: 1 USB, Micro-DVI, earphone/mic,
OS: Mac OSX 10.5 Leopard
Dimensions: .76” H x 12.8” W x 9” D
Weight: 1.36 Kg

Everex Cloudbook
SRP:Php20,000
Everex lives up to its commitment to provide customers with high-performance, highly-affordable technology, simple and durable enough to be used in everyday life with the Everex CloudBook, a new Ultra Mobile Portable Computer designed to run Linux or Windows OS that will try to compete with other UMPCs on the market such as the Asus Eee PC, the OLPC and the Intel ClassMate. Just under 1Kg, the CloudBook's dimensions (WxDxH) are only 9.06" x 6.73 x 1.16" .Powered by a VIA C7 ULV 1.2GHz CPU and 512MB of RAM30GB hard drive, the CloudBook is featured with a built-in WiFi, 1.3MP webcam, speakers and 4-in-1 card reader, and Ethernet,DVI and two USB ports.

Display: 7" WVGA 800 x 480
Casing Color: Silver, Black
CPU: VIA C7-M ULV 1.2 GHz
Memory: 512MB DDR2
Display Card: VIA UniChrome Pro IGP
Storage: 30GB
Card Reader: 4-in1SD, MMC, MSPRO
Audio: Built-in mic/speakers
Wireless: 802.11b/g
Camera: Built-in 0.3MP
Input/Output: 2 USB, RJ45 Ethernet, DVI-I, earphone/mic
OS: Ubuntu, gOS Rocket
Dimensions: 23 × 17 × 3 cm (WHD)
Weight: 0.91 Kg

Lenovo Thinkpad X300

SRP: PhP130,000
The new X300 is the 0.73'' thinnest ND lightest ThinkPad ever with built-in DVD burner, a slew of 3 USB ports, mic and headphone ports and more.



Display: 13.3’ WXGA 1440 x 900
Casing Color: Silver Black
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo 1.2GHz
Memory: 1-4GB DDR2
Display Card: Intel Graphics X3100
Storage: 64GB SATA SSD, Ultra-thin DVD Burner
Card Reader: Built-in mic/speakers
Audio: Bluetooth, GPS (Verizon WWAN), Intel UltraWideBand, Intel WiMax, 802.11n
Wireless: Intel PRO
Camera: Built-in 1.3Mp
Input/Output: Fingerprint sensor, 3 USB ports,earphone/mic, RJ45 Ethernet
OS: Windows Vista Business
Dimensions: 12.5” x 9.1” x 0.73” WDH
Weight: 1.42kg

CyberPress stages first laser tag tournament for IT firms

The IT Journalists Association of the Philippines Inc., also known as CyberPress, is staging the first laser tag tournament for local IT companies on Aug. 15, 1 to 6 in the afternoon, at the Lazer Xtreme gaming arena in Market! Market! in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City.

IT executives from the country’s top technology and BPO firms are expected to slug it out in a friendly competition meant to serve as a continuation of the annual sports tournament organized by the local IT press corps.

The tournament, which will employ a knock-out system, will be held in a high-tech and futuristic venue which opened just two months back. Unlike in most war games using high-pressure pellet guns or paint projectiles, Lazer Xtreme provides electronic tag games minus the danger, pain, wardrobes ruined by paint, the need to buy expensive gear, among other concerns, making the game suitable for people of all ages, shapes, and sizes.

Moreover, unlike in many simulation-shooting games that rely mostly on marshals to monitor hits and casualties, the state-of–the–art facility uses infrared signals that are fired through the guns and received by the laser tag vest worn by the other player which registers onto a computer.

IT and BPO companies, as well as organizations coming from the ICT sector, can participate in the games which is also serving as fund-raising activity of the CyberPress. A participation fee of P5,000 will be charged per team (composed of four members). Food and drinks is included in the fee.

To join, contact Melvin Calimag (melvsgc@yahoo.com) or Relly Carpio (anaksapatero@gmail.com).

New projector technologies take center stage

Recent improvements in projector technologies have been huge. While LCD and DLP types steadily gained popularity in the consumer projector segment because of their unique advantages in price and performance, new models with improved internal mechanisms are sprouting to pick up an edge in the market.

DLP (Digital Light Processing)
A digital display solution that uses Digital Mirror Device chip with thousands of micro mirrors that modulate light from the lamp, DLPs are known to purge “screen door” effects on the projected image usually seen on LCDs. DLPs are considered to have higher quality video output. Recent developments to enhance color management are geared towards improved DLP color reproduction.

LCD (Liquid Crystal Display)
LCDs or 3LCDs use three red/green/blue LCD glass panels. The RGB panels modulate light that produces the projected image. LCDs produce brighter images than DLPs and are generally used for presentations even in well-lit rooms. Sharper images from LCDs can actually be unflattering for videos which tend to be pixilated. The trio panels make LCDs a bit bulky than DLPs. New LCD technologies tend to compete with portability and video enhancements of DLPs.

LCoS (Liquid Crystal on Silicon)
LCoS (Liquid Crystal on Silicon), the third kid in the major block has become a popular hybrid of LCD and DLP with improved contrast levels over LCDs and crispier images over DLPs. Combining liquid crystals and reflective mirrors make LCoS more expensive than LCD and DLP. LCoS reduces gaps between pixels to produce richer images as compared with the other two.

SXRD (Silicon X-Tal Reflective Display)
Developed by Sony for its new line of projectors, SXRD technology takes LCoS on the next level with an increased pixel density and improvement in inter-pixel gaps. SXRD solves the grey effect on LCoS projectors and advances a new device that vertically aligns liquid crystal materials to achieve higher optical properties and contrast that are previously unachievable in LCD, DLP or LCoS projectors.

D-ILA (Direct-Drive Image Light Amplification)
Optimized for new JVC projectors, D-ILA technology is yet another LCoS innovation with an “image amplifier” design that is able to produce 2048x1536-pixel HDTV performance. D-ILA has its own optical engine to provide full benefits of high-resolution videos from players or PCs while addressing the previous black level issues of LCoS.

4LCD
An innovation of conventional three RGB glass panel LCD systems, 4LCD is Sanyo’s latest projector optical engine which includes a new color control device that controls the amount of yellow light in the projected image to produce higher luminosity and improved color accuracy. 4LCD can generate clearer images and videos that was previously impossible even with high brightness 3LCD projectors.

New generation of 4K projectors on top-of-the-line
Costing millions of pesos and maximized for a massive 50-foot screen, posted at the current highest-end in the fixed-installed projector block are the latest generation of 4K projectors rated at a whopping 4096x2400 resolution. Wow! That’s more than four folds that the most expensive 1080p HDTV can display. You might wonder how Anne Hathaway will look on this enormous screen.

DLP projectors now use LED technology
Promising to transform the projector landscape, new Light Emitting Diode (LED) technologies are now integrated in DLP projectors that will eventually do away with replacement lamp maintenance costs. Mainstream DLP projectors that are widely used are built with digital micro mirrors to modulate light and project images through the lens require lamps that die in a matter of time. Previous LCD projectors that use three legacy panels which are still available require replacement lamps as well. LED-based projectors will also consume less power and run cooler than lamp-based types.

The coming of projector widgets
We are now seeing the dawn of ultra-compact “miniature projectors” that have built-in single-mode RGB lasers to provide LCD-like graphical presentations from a mobile device. These petite gizmos allow users to carry big screens right in their pockets. We might see in the long run not only in mainstream DLP, LCD and LCOS projectors that will hang on to this new technology, but in handheld portable devices as well.

Going Wireless
With rapid changes in how presentations are created for a specific audience, wireless functionality (Wi-Fi and Bluetooth) has become a standard feature on new projectors. Making it easier to switch between multiple sources, wireless projectors also gives more presentation flexibility and mobility for users.

Digital Video Camera Formats

With a lot of digital video camera types out there, you should be making your choice according to cost and convenience. Although cheaper analogue camcorders are still around, many prefer digital formats for higher resolution recording, more video versatility and compact design. Read on before getting a new digital camcorder.

Digital8
If you’re on budget, Digital8 format is a great choice to make home movies. Considered to be the first upgrade step from analogue to digital, this format records onto legacy 8mm and Hi8 tapes and can play your old analogue recordings. Digital8 types allow you to produce small video clips compressed for the Internet. Like the MiniDV, the Digital8 produces decent studio-quality video with 500 lines of resolution.

MiniDV
Popular among budget buyers and even professional videographers, MiniDV is intended to replace VHS and Hi8. Smaller than 8mm and can record for about an hour of video, MiniDV offer better effects and more superior lenses. Some MiniDVs can take good quality digital still pictures like a professional digital camera.

MicroMV
Ultra-compact MicroMVs camcorders are smaller versions of standard MiniDVs. Designed for portability and easy-of-use, lightweight MicroMVs measure only about 10 x 5 x 7.5cm (HxWxS).

DVD
DVD camcorders allow direct recording onto 8cm DVD-R or DVD-RW discs without the PC and immediately view playbacks on a DVD player. DVD camcorders have enhanced features of MiniDVs and Digital8s plus some special effects.

Hard Disc
This camcorder types sports a built-in hard disc which store digital movies. Hard disk types make it easier for the user to edit, delete and transfer files to the PC.

Memory cards (SD, MS)
Memory card camcorders types are smaller designs and records highly compressed videos mainly for Web sites, blogs and e-mail.

Features WatchList
Lens - at least 10x optical zoom.
Inputs and Outputs - Firewire port, Audid/Video outputs for TV connection, S-Video (Super-Video) cable
Image Stabilization - to avoid "camera jitters"
Still–Photo Capabilities - Many digital camcorders now offer still photo capture features.
Low–Light Performance - Camcorder’s ability to capture video in low-light situations
Battery Life - Check the maximum recording time. Expect to get less than the stated maximum battery life so won’t get frustrated.

Amped Games ties up with GPlayon to promote N-Age in the Philippines

Online gaming distributor Amped Games has recently sealed a partnership with Korean game publisher GPlayon to exclusively market and distribute N-Age in the Philippines.

According to Amped Games product manager Agnes Tapia, GPlayon will manage the technical backbone of N-Age with servers located in the Philippines while Amped Games will provide business direction.

"N-Age is a new massively multiplayer online role playing game that sets a distinctively contemporary urban theme. Users will notice the difference of N-Age’s color and localized background to fit the Philippine local market," Tapia said.

N-Age users are directed to protect a virtual city called “Centerville” by eliminating black-suited minions who try to takeover the metropolis. Users get to interact with other users in the process.

According to Amped Games product officer Julius Salagan, “users will not only experience an exciting MMORPG virtual world in N-Age, they can also buy, sell and trade with other members.”

N-Age offers free membership but users will be required to buy top-up cards from Amped Games priced at 10-500 pesos to experience the full game features. These top-up cards are also used with other MMORPGs distributed by Amped Games including Tantra, WarRock, and Cronous.

Video Creation on the Web

Online videos have ushered in a new dispensation of Internet landscape, spurring millions to tune in on the Web to watch countless footage and movie clips. Tagging on YouTube’s phenomenal success, a huge number of Web sites have been taking a crack at offering motion picture experience to its users. With a cheap video camera or video phone, you can actually become a video producer overnight by uploading just about whatever videos you want for free to let the world watch your home videos of parties, cute babies or pets, family portraits, and even your nonsense jokes and pranks. What’s more interesting is seeing video junkies taking a further step in the world of online videos. We have rounded up some interesting sites on the Net which allow users to create videos minus the special software. And it’s free!

Media-Convert
Media-Convert can convert audio, image and video files from one file format to another to hasten up you video creation for free. Media-Convert will come in handy with some sites that allow certain video format which may not be compatible with your video phone. With support to almost any media format on earth, there's a good chance Media-Convert can convert serve you needs. Media-Convert can actually convert PDF documents to Adobe Flash (SWF) files, and it even obscurely converts text documents to Morse code.

Movavi Online Convert
Movavi Online offers free online video converter that allows you to upload videos and convert them to formats you wish to use. Movavi Online also allows videos downloaded from YouTube, Google and other video-sharing sites to be converted to AVI, MPEG, MOV, FLV, MP4, 3GP for most widely used cellphones including iPhone and portable media players like iPod. Movavi also converts videos on your local PC without installing new software. Yes, it’s free minus the annoying ads!

Zamzar
Zamzar is an online one stop solution for a comprehensive file conversion needs. It’s actually a web service that converts not just video files but almost any other audio, images and documents to other formats. It has an extensive list of conversion compatibility to transform songs, videos, images and documents into different formats.

JumpCut
Web video creation becomes so easy and fun with Jumpcut. JumpCut is a free Web site that offers online video creation and publishing from scratch. If you want to be creative with your clips and images, Jumpcut has a drag and drop video editor of clips, images, music, sound effects, transitions, and effects which you can play around right on the Web site. JumpCut offers a unique “remixing” feature that allows users to combine their created footage and cool picture slideshow with others. Just a note, Yahoo! recently acquired JumpCut and it seems online video creation will be added to its services for free.

MuveeMix
MuveeMix is a free online video mixing service for user-generated content that allows users to create short personal videos from raw footage, music and pictures. The Web site calls the video files stored on its server as “muvees” with embed links that can be posted straight to MySpace or blog site. MuveeMix automatically creates video mixes and slideshows that trail the beat of chosen sound file or music. It also adds synchronized effects and transitions based on the video creation style that the user picks.

Moblyng
Moblyng is a cool and easy way for users to create and share video content both on the web and to mobile phones for free. Moblyng tries to catch the wave of mobile video buffs. Moblyng’s unique feature is its ability to converts Flash-based widgets for distribution to mobile phones. The Web site has applications that convert web-based photo and slide show widgets and online video from any social media page for cellphones and portable media players.

PhotoBucket
Photobucket is one of the most popular Web sites for uploading and sharing photos, videos, and graphics online. With free accounts that can store thousands of photos and hours of video, Photobucket offers free tools for making slideshows of photos, videos with music.

Hellodeo
Hellodeo sports a simple but interesting Web site interface that allows its users to record videos directly from a webcam and then post them on blog sites or any web page without installing new software. Hellodeo revolutionizes online social interaction with a Web that’s so simple, users are not even required to register or log-in.

Windows XP is Dead

A wire from the Associated Press with the title "Microsoft to stop selling Windows XP on Monday" (June 30, 2008) carried a story saying that the six-year-old Windows XP meets its eventual end.

Microsoft will cease the sale of its Windows XP operating system. My previous post on the subject in December 2007 materialized as retailers and hardware vendors stop the distribution of the most popular and most bootlegged operating system. Will this mean that PC users who don't want to use the beefy Vista will be forced to drink the juice?

This may be Microsoft's way of clamping down on Windows piracy. Users who want to use XP should buy the higher Vista categories, then "legally downgrade to XP." The software giant is paving the way for the anticipated and more advanced Windows 7 by killing XP.

XP's legacy will still cast a long shadow with the sprouting affordable UMPCs which opt to use XP instead of Vista.

Genius introduces a bluetooth headset with touch panel design

Genius recently introduced the BT-03i, a Bluetooth headset with a touch panel design that allows users to make calls with a touch panel "phone" icon.

A wireless headset that delivers fashion as well as convenience and comfort, the BT-03i features an advanced CVC (Clear Voice Capture) and a 30mm driver unit that produces powerful audio.

With a Bluetooth working distance of up to 30 feet, the BT-03i supports A2DP Protocol powered by a rechargeable Hi-Polymer Li-ion battery with a USB charger and adaptor.

Priced at P3,790 SRP, the Genius BT-03i is distributed in the Philippines by MSI-ECS.

An Integrated approach to Secure and Manage Endpoints

This article written by Richard Velasco, Symantec's Senior Technical Consultant for Philippines, was sent to me by Ardent Communications. Richard is responsible for strategic engagements with Symantec customers on their security infrastructure requirements.

Managing the dynamics of endpoint infrastructure is a challenging task. Organizations today need proactive endpoint security measures that can protect against zero-day attacks and unknown threats. With the current threat landscape which is full of stealthy, targeted, and financially motivated attacks, organizations are facing an increasingly complex security environment. Many sophisticated threats can evade traditional security solutions, leaving organizations open to data theft and manipulation, disruption of business, and damage to corporate brand and reputation.

Deploying security solutions individually on each endpoint is not only time-consuming, it also increases IT complexity and costs. Organizations then need to provide management, training, and support for a variety of different endpoint security solutions.

This article outlines a new approach to securing and managing the enterprise endpoint computing environment.

Business problems at the endpoint
The IT department at a typical enterprise these days finds itself fighting some pretty fierce fires:

* Endpoint management costs are increasing The cost of downtime impacts both productivity and revenue. According to a recent study by Infonetics Research, network downtime caused by security attacks is costing large enterprises upwards of US$30 million a year. In addition, the costs to acquire, manage, and administer point products are increasing, as is demand on system resources.
* Complexity is increasing as well The manpower required to manage disparate endpoint protection technologies is inefficient and time-consuming. Also, differing technologies can often work against one another or impede system performance due to high resource consumption.
* Growing number of new known and unknown threats Stealth-based and silent attacks are increasing, so there is a need for antivirus to do much more. The current threat environment is characterized by an increase in data theft and data leakage, and the creation of malicious code that targets specific organizations for information that can be used for financial gain. One gauge of the growing sophistication of attacks is the appearance of blended threats, which integrate multiple attack methods such as worms, Trojan horses, and zero-day threats.

An integrated approach
Antivirus, antispyware, and other signature-based protection measures, which are primarily reactive, may have been sufficient to protect an organization’s vital resources a few years ago, but not today. Organizations now need proactive endpoint security measures that can protect against zero-day attacks and unknown threats. They need to take a structured approach to endpoint security, implementing a solution that not only protects them from threats on all levels, but also provides interoperability, seamless implementation, and centralized management.

Symantec’s approach to endpoint protection provides advanced threat prevention that protects endpoints from targeted attacks as well as attacks not seen before. It includes proactive technologies that automatically analyze application behaviors and network communications to detect and block suspicious activities, as well as administrative control features that allow administrators to deny specific device and application activities deemed as high risk for the organization. They can even block specific actions based on the location of the user. In the case of an infected endpoint, security products repair the damage by disinfecting or quarantining the system. The remediation process is then completed by deploying the necessary patch.

This approach calls for consolidating endpoint protection technologies in a single, integrated agent that can be administered from a central management console. The goal is to increase endpoint protection while eliminating the administrative overhead and costs associated with multiple security products.

Comprehensive protection
Organizations need a holistic approach to endpoint security that protects from threats at all levels. Traditional antivirus and antispyware solutions are no longer enough.

Symantec’s approach boosts protection and lessens overhead and costs of managing endpoint security by providing a single agent administered via a single console. It is an approach that can save organizations time and money while protecting their assets and business.

Canon goes for green technology with environment-friendly products

Canon Marketing Philippines recently announced its initiative to encourage awareness on current environmental issues by promoting the use of energy-efficient products.

“The company recognizes the critical global issue of environmental concerns. In line with this belief, Canon reiterates its commitment to provide products that lessen energy consumption and are increasingly earth-friendly,” Ramon G. Arteficio, Canon Marketing Philippines President and CEO said

Canon also announced that it has accomplished new product modifications and enhancements that are designed to lower energy consumption and increase recyclable materials including new automatic shut-off functions, decreasing warm-up period features, enhancing reusable plastic, and implementing an environmental information system in stages of product development.

“Complying with international standards of environmental preservation, Canon’s latest line of scanners, fax machines, copiers, and inkjet printers have gained the seal of Japan’s Eco Mark and USA’s Energy Star,” Arteficio said.

Arteficio also said that the company maintains close relationships with various organizations that promote environmental conservation.

Epson unveils new line of low-priced printers designed for back-to-school season

To address the need of students for affordable yet high quality digital imaging tools, Epson Philippines recently introduced its latest line of printers priced and designed for the entry-level users and first-time buyers.

The new line of low-cost Epson printers include the Stylus T10 (PhP2,195 SRP) and TX200 and TX400 stand-alone All-in-One models. All printers are equipped with Epson's innovative four-color individual ink cartridge system that significantly cuts ink costs because users will replace depleted ink cartridges separately.

Ed Bonoan, Epson Philippines Senior General Manager and Division Head for Sales and Marketing said, “we wanted to dispel the notion that only great artists using expensive printers and scanners can produce quality pictures and prints. With our new line of printers, students and other entry-level users can now afford professional-quality digital imaging tools for their school and recreation needs."

Multiply.com ventures on Philippine market with ABS-CBN

Multiply.com founder and president Peter Pezaris, ABS-CBN Interactive managing director Paolo Pineda, and Multiply.com vice president for business development David Hersh brief the press before the announcement of Multiply.com and ABS-CBN's partnership at the Rockwell Tent, Makati City on June 18, 2008. (Photo courtesy of ABS-CBN Interactive)

Leading U.S.-based social networking web site Multiply.com recently announced its partnership with ABS-CBN Interactive in a bid to seize new business opportunities and create more online advertising revenue from the Philippines.

In a press briefing held at the Rockwell Tent in Makati City last June 18, Multiply.com founder and president Peter Pezaris confirmed that his company has signed up an exclusive marketing deal with ABS-CBN Interactive to sell Multiply.com online ad in the country.

Pezaris said that Multiply.com is currently one of the world’s largest multimedia sharing web sites with more than 9 million users worldwide who post about two million photos, 19,000 videos and 55,000 blog entries everyday.

Paolo Pineda, ABS-CBN Interactive managing director said “with currently more than 2.2 million members that has signed up from the country, Multiply.com is the fastest-growing and one of the most popular social networks in the Philippines."

According to web traffic analyzer Alexa.com, Multiply.com is currently the top 5 most visited web site in the Philippines generating more than a million page views everyday.

Pineda said that advertisement from the Philippines will only serve users from the country. He added that ABS-CBN’s extensive advertisement network will provide the revenue for Multiply.com.

David Hersh, Multiply.com vice president for business development said that a large number of members in the Philippines are engaging in online retail business through Multiply.com. “This is something that is unique about Philippine members that we can explore with ABS-CBN,” Hersh said.

Launched in 2004, Multiply.com’s online services provide free personal web site that allows peer-based sharing of photos, blogs, videos, and other digital content.

ABS-CBN Interactive manages the Internet operations of ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation, the largest media and entertainment company in the Philippines.

Blu-Ray gears up to conquer optical disc domain

The second half of 2008 should be a challenge as well as a blissful ground for Sony’s Blu-Ray as major studios that previously released HD-DVDs zero in on Blu-Ray Disc format.

Sony’s strategy leveled up Blu-Ray’s position in seeding on PlayStation3 with Blu-Ray discs and controlling major TV and movie content-distribution channels. The announcement of motion picture giant Warner Brothers early this year that it will exclusively release its productions in Blu-Ray has stirred excitement in the industry, bringing the whole pack of Hollywood studios to throw their weight behind Blu-ray and also announce the dumping of HD-DVD. It’s a big blow for Toshiba to step down and finally end the manufacture of HD-DVD gears. As a result, Blu-Ray eventually sets up to become the industry’s standard for high-density optical discs.

Blu-Ray is now up for the challenge to push for market acceptance and ignite the home entertainment industry that shows a slowing down due to piracy. We now expect to see Blu-Ray devices to pop-up to enhance our movie viewing and burning delights.

What is Blu-Ray?
Blu-ray, also called “Blu-Ray Disc” or simply BD, is the more contemporary optical disc media designed for high-definition video and data storage following on the path of legacy CD and DVD formats. The term “Blu-ray” comes from the innovative blue laser used to read and write a new type of disc that can store 25-50 GB of data as compared to about 5-9 GB of DVDs. Bigger capacity will mean more stored data and generally higher quality images and sound for high-definition movies. Hitachi, TDK and Panasonic recently announced a 100GB four-layered Blu-ray Disc for movie content and data archives. This will mean that the whole 100 GB of data stored on a PC can be backed up in just one of those discs.

Developed by a group of consumer electronics and motion picture companies led by Sony, Blu-Ray drives are designed to be backward compatible to play DVD and CD formats.

NVIDIA unleashes GeForce GTX 200 Series

Geared up to accelerate heavy graphics tasks while delivering exciting visual experience, NVIDIA recently unleashed its latest GeForce GTX 200 graphics cards series with the company’s new flagship GeForce G200 GPU (graphics processing unit). Manufactured using 65nm process technology featuring an unprecedented amount of transistors for higher performance and enhanced PC gaming performance, the G200 GPU holds 1.4 billion transistors on its 240 unified shader/stream processors (on GTX 280) with re-designed thread dispatch processor, 80 texture units (80 texture address, 80 texture filtering units), 32 render back ends as well as 512-bit memory controller supporting PCI Express 2.0 platform.

The new family of GTX 200 graphics cards include the GTX 280 and GTX 260, all equipped with a new version of the NV IO controller that supports D-Sub, dual-link DVI, DisplayPort, and TV-Out. Other feature highlights of the GTX 280 include 1296MHz processor clock, 1GB GDDR3 standard memory configuration with 1107MHz memory clock, 512-bit memory interface width, and 141.7GB/sec memory bandwidth. The GTX 260 clutches 192 processor cores, 576MHz graphics clock, 1242MHz processor clock, 999MHz memory clock, 896MB GDDR3 standard memory configuration, 448-bit memory interface width, and 111.9GB/sec memory bandwidth.

The GTX 280 and GTX 260 include the second generation NVIDIA Unified Architecture, which delivers more gaming performance over previous NVIDIA GeForce 8800 Ultra through improved 240 processor cores for an enhanced shading horsepower at resolutions as high as 2560 x 1600 dpi.

NVIDIA’s new 3-way SLI and PureVideo HD technologies are built in the GTX 280 and GTX 260 for implementing 3-way alternate frame rendering dubbed “the world’s fastest gaming solution under Windows Vista.” The new GTX 200 series is also set to support the groundbreaking NVIDIA CUDA technology, which now allows programmers to write applications and tinker on the GPU.

Motorola launches ‘MOTO MashUP’ campaign for new music mobile phones

Motorola recently introduced its latest marketing theme dubbed “MOTO MASHUP” to promote the company's latest mobile phones that are designed with advanced multimedia capabilities.

The MASHUP campaign features collaborations of popular international and local artists including Cars, DJ Fun Avy, Top Suzara and Radha to form a new blending of unique music from electropop, techno, cool rock and R&B genres.

The W230 and MotoROKR E8 are the new models that are highlighted in the theme. Designed with a dedicated MP3 player key, the W230 features 2GB memory capacity and an FM radio tuner. The ROKR E8 includes Windows Media Player 11, FM tuner, and ModeShift technology that allows a quick transition from phone to MP3 player to imaging device.

Other Motorola mobile phones included in the MOTO MASHUP campaign are E8, E6, V8, V9, Q8, Q9, Z6, K1, W360, W510 and W375. Track downloads for MASHUP phones are available at www.motomashup.com.ph.

Everex Cloudbook

SRP:Php20,000
Everex lives up to its commitment to provide customers with high-performance, highly-affordable technology, simple and durable enough to be used in everyday life with the Everex CloudBook, a new Ultra Mobile Portable Computer designed to run Linux or Windows OS that will try to compete with other UMPCs on the market such as the Asus Eee PC, the OLPC and the Intel ClassMate. Just under 1Kg, the CloudBook's dimensions (WxDxH) are only 9.06" x 6.73 x 1.16" .Powered by a VIA C7 ULV 1.2GHz CPU and 512MB of RAM30GB hard drive, the CloudBook is featured with a built-in WiFi, 1.3MP webcam, speakers and 4-in-1 card reader, and Ethernet,DVI and two USB ports.

Display: 7" WVGA 800 x 480
Casing Color: Silver, Black
CPU: VIA C7-M ULV 1.2 GHz
Memory: 512MB DDR2
Display Card: VIA UniChrome Pro IGP
Storage: 30GB
Card Reader: 4-in1SD, MMC, MSPRO
Audio: Built-in mic/speakers
Wireless: 802.11b/g
Camera: Built-in 0.3MP
Input/Output: 2 USB, RJ45 Ethernet, DVI-I, earphone/mic
OS: Ubuntu, gOS Rocket
Dimensions: 23 × 17 × 3 cm (WHD)
Weight: 0.91 Kg

UltraMobile Dell XPS M1330

Weighing just under 1.8kg and featuring an ultra thin 0.9-inch profile, the premium ultra-portable world's thinnest 13.3" notebook Dell XPS M1330 doesn't minimize power or connectivity.

Priced at PhP84,995 (SRP), standard features include a high definition 13.3-inch display, slot-load optical drive, full-sized keyboard, sophisticated touch sensitive media buttons, and HDMI support.

Performance enthusiasts will appreciate the nVidia discrete graphics, integrated fingerprint reader and webcam and dual digital microphones.

The XPS M1330 is powered by high-performance Intel Core 2 Duo processors and comes with Microsoft Windows Vista Premium or Ultimate.

Additional features include: Choice of colors, including Tuxedo Black, Crimson Red and Midnight Blue; 13.3" widescreen high definition display with TrueLife for crisp and vivid images (WXGA1280×800); High performance NVIDIA® GeForce Go 8400M graphics with 128MB dedicated memory; Dell Media Direct and Instant Office technology for fast, one-button access to videos, music or photos, calendar and contacts; Standard 802.11g Wi-fi networking a/g/n; Standard slot-load DVD+/- RW with dual layer capability; Standard integrated 8-in-1 media card reader to enable easy transfer of content from digital devices. Other ports include HDMI, two USB ports, IEEE 1394a, dual headphone jacks; Standard integrated webcam with dual digital microphones and noise-isolation ear buds; Standard consumer travel remote that stores in system Express Card slot; Standard 6-cell lithium-ion battery; Fingerprint reader for security and convenience.

Display: 13.3" WXGA 1280 x 800
Casing Color: Red, Silver Black
CPU: Intel Core2Duo 1.6-2.6GHz
Memory: 1-4GB DDR2
Display Card: nVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS
Storage: Up to 200GB3, Up to 160GB3 SATA, Up to 64GB SSD, DVD Burner
Card Reader: 8-in-1
Audio: Built-in mic/speakers
Wireless: Atheros 802.11a/b/g with dual antenna, Intel PRO/Wireless 3945ABG, Bluetoot
Camera: Built-in 0.3Mp
Input/Output: 2 USB ports, Firewire, RJ45 Ethernet, (x2) dual digital array mics
OS: Windows Vista Ultimate
Dimensions: 12.5” x 9.4” x 1.33” (WHD)
Weight: 1.8 Kg

ICT can still do more for RP’s healthcare sector -- experts

This article is a report of CyberPress after the organization's ICT in Philippine Health Sector held in Makati City on May 2007. Cyberpress, also known as the I.T. Journalists Association of the Philippines is an organization of I.T. reporters in the country established in 1996.

Although the public and private sectors are using information and communications technology (ICT) on contrasting levels, both agree that innovative technologies could serve as a tool for bridging the country’s yawning health gap.

At the CyberPress Forum held recently at the iAcademy auditorium in Makati City, experts from the industry said ICT is transforming the way healthcare is provided in the country for both the underfunded public health facilities and state-of-the-art private medical centers and hospitals.

Dr. Alvin Marcelo, director of the National Telehealth Center in UP Manila, said "telemedicine" modalities such as text messaging, multimedia messaging system (MMS), voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) can help serve far-flung areas where the availability of doctors and health professionals is scarce.

Marcelo said 50 percent of Filipinos die without ever seeing a doctor in their lifetime. ICT, he said, could partly solve the problem.

Marcelo said the National Telehealth Center has been pushing for "the ethical, effective and efficient delivery of healthcare to underserved communities of the Philippines" using all available technology that is mostly based on open source platform.

The center, established by the University of the Philippines' board of regents in 1998 as an attached agency of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and is based at the Philippine General Hospital (PGH), is also mandated to "design and develop IT-based solutions that will provide primary health care to local communities served,” he said.

He said the deployment of ICT is crucial at this time when the Philippines is caught between the "migration of health care workers to other countries and the severe lack of health care providers in many parts of the country because of the remoteness of the
underserved areas."

Marcelo said there has been a "disintegration of the health care system's public sector component because of devolution, which put local governments in charge of health care funding and personnel management."

ICT, he said, "can help reintegrate the system" by bringing together a network of doctors and healthcare workers in remote or underserved communities and linking them with doctors in urban areas who can help diagnose and treat provincial patients using mobile phones, the Internet and, in cases where the remote area also suffers a lack of electricity, radio communication.

In 2005, the Commission on ICT (CICT), through the E-Government fund, awarded a grant to the National TeleHealth Center so it could "design and develop ten telehealth and telementoring systems" in the provinces of Cagayan Valley, Capiz Province, Leyte and Iligan, where the UP Manila medical school has satellite facilities.

However, Marcelo admitted that the set-up initially failed to reach its goals of providing remote telemedicine to the selected areas. The system took off only after barrio doctors "shifted to SMS teleferrals" that make use of "simpler technology and have less need for tech support."

Under the National Telehealth Center, patient records are compiled and kept using open-source software, which Marcelo said is easy-to-use, customizable, and capable of generating standard reports for local, provincial and regional patients, including PhilHealth components.

The center also offers e-learning in the form of a collection of formal and non-formal courses such as masters of science in health informatics; geographic information systems for health leaders; e-health project management and; e-learning for community health. The modules are taught by distance learning using VoIP, cellular phone, radio, or whatever means is available.

For the side of the private sector, De Los Santos-STI MegaClinic administrative director Jose Ronaldo De Los Santos said that unlike government-run institutions, local private medical hospitals are globally competitive in terms of modern equipment.

He said this is what is needed to stay in the business since “never in the history of healthcare that IT has been as important as medical expertise and specialized medical equipment.”

Apart from looking towards utilizing ICT to exploit new opportunities such as medical transcription, De Los Santos said ICT is also becoming instrumental the country a medical tourism haven like Singapore and Thailand.

De Los Santos-STI MegaClinic is working to ensure that it is compliant with the United States' Healthcare Information Portability and Accountability (HIPAA) Act of 1996, "which is what we need to meet if we are to make the Philippines a medical tourism destination."

HIPAA calls for the digitization of patient data, which must be transcribed from doctors' dictated recordings and put in a text format that is accessible across all types of computer systems.

"We are now digitizing about 20 years' worth of medical records to the patients' financial records... We are going into a paperless setup where the patient is registered digitally in an (offsite) database," he said.

Doctors see patients at their clinic based on a "digital queuing system", which is linked a computer network that De Los Santos said allows doctors to simply "type his prescription into the computer and click on the tests he is prescribing for the patient, as well as (encode) the diagnosis. Our patients also get their lab results sooner, over the Internet, by email, "making diagnosis quicker and more efficient -- in many cases detecting diseases earlier so patients can seek less expensive and more timely treatment.

With this system, billing procedures are also faster and more accurate, he added. "The cashier will know what the patient needs to pay for thanks to the queue." Patients can also obtain copies of their data, including x-rays, cranial axial tomography (CAT) scans, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans and other images that we can give the patients on optical discs such as CDs and DVDs.

De Los Santos said the megaclinic is working toward obtaining "optical character recognition technology to make every word (in a patient's medical records) a searchable record," meaning each word in the document acts like a hyperlink that automatically allows access to other cross-referenced data within the same set of records.

However, he said the constraint "is cost, though there is a need for such data mining capability so doctors will have better and quicker access to their patient records."

"All records - patients' data like digital images and financial records with our facility are stored off-site, so if something happens to the facility, records can be recovered," he added.

Mobile Devices boom in 2008

The year 2007 has brought tremendous developments in personal computing technologies. Mobile computing was on the rise last year with sales figures indicating that notebooks swiped over desktops, which now tend to be more compact and stylish compared to the traditional tower-design casings with bulky displays. The upsurge of stronger mobile technologies promises to even create a hotter stage for mobile systems in 2008.

The launching of the Apple iPhone last year has definitely created a stir on the mobile devices arena that will eventually trigger a tsunami of technology innovations this year. One of the most interesting news in 2008 will be the dawning of Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs) and Ultra Mobile PCs (UMPCs) with enhanced and longer battery life for improved wireless Internet access, instant messaging, mobile blogging, and mobile video.

Intel recently announced the formation of the Mobile Internet Device Innovation Alliance to further develop device power management, wireless communications, and software integration that are associated with delivering improved internet services for MIDs and UMPCs. Intel is set to introduce the Silverthorne processor designed for a new caste of mobile PCs smaller than notebooks and built with more features than mobile phones.

Ushering in a new era of wireless technology that promises to make smart mobile devices smarter, Google recently announced the spearheading of the Open Handset Alliance which is expected to bring together various mobile device vendors and wireless service providers in creating new mobile gadgets that will virtually work on all wireless networks.

Mac versus Windows versus Linux

Is Windows XP set to call off in 2008? Are we seeing the retirement of Windows XP this year? Our observation shows that new PC systems are now offered with bundled Windows Vista. This may be Microsoft’s clever route to tumble down XP and make way for its latest operating system though it is initially perceived as too heavy and beefy. Even so, Windows will continue to enjoy the lion’s share in the PC operating system market as users largely remain skeptical of Mac and Linux.

Strengthening its hold on Mac users with the release of the Mac OS X Leopard alongside with what is seen as stable and dependable Tiger, the New Year brings Apple to gain more ground over the Windows commune. As iPod and iPhone’s circle of light draws users to shift to Mac computers, Apple’s market share on consumer products over Microsoft will keep on stepping up.

With Ubuntu’s creative efforts in building the path into PCs, the desktop Linux is slowly being recognized in the mainstream. The integration of Linux-based operating system on Asus EeePCs has created a buzz that you need not to be a tech nerd to have fun with such a difficult OS.

Multi-brain CPUs sprout like wildfire

Last year, leading chipmakers Intel and Advanced Micro Devices have introduced powerful dual core processors to mainstream PCs, which has essentially become the blueprint for all their multi-brains on single silicon chips. In 2008, quad-core processors with low-power consumption will be sprouting like wildfire.

Home PCs evolve to Servers

Terrabyte content explosion will continue to expand in 2008. Massive storage devices will become a hotter category pick for photos, music, and video files. The home PC will eventually evolve as “catch-all server” that will literally connect to TVs and other media devices.