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.

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).

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Adobe unleashes CS3 in Manila

Enhancing world-class Filipino creativity
Adobe Systems' country manager for South East Asia Raymond Lee explains how Filipino creative and design professionals, who are among the most creative in the region, can benefit from the newly-released Adobe Creative Suite 3 Production Premium and Master Collection at a roadshow in Manila last October 2. The industry's most comprehensive collection of integrated cross-platform post-production software tools would help video professionals deliver stunning results for film, broadcast, DVD, Web and mobile devices. Adobe Production Premium integrates time-saving workflow technologies with the milestone releases of Adobe After Effects CS3 Professional, Adobe Premiere Pro CS3, Adobe Encore CS3, Adobe Photoshop CS3 Extended, Adobe Illustrator CS3, Adobe Flash CS3 Professional and Adobe Soundbooth CS3, which can also be purchased as stand-alone applications.

Adopt individual, not collective, takeback scheme, IT firms told

This article was originally posted on the Cyberpress web site the organization's Greent I.T. forum in November 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.

Precisely because they know what substance they put into their own products, local subsidiaries of IT companies were urged by an environmental group to assume the responsibility of getting their junk products individually and not rely on the government’s effort to gather them on a collective basis.

At the recent CyberPress Forum held at the Filipinas Heritage Library in Makati City, Greenpeace Philippines said tech firms such as PC and mobile phone makers have the moral, if not legal, obligation to recover and recycle their electrical and electronic wastes.

Representatives of IT companies who took part in the conference did not make an issue with the proposal, with top executives of computer producers Lenovo and IBM saying they would suggest to their headquarters to implement an individual takeback scheme in the country.

For its part, Board of Investment director Domingo Bagaporo said the government recognizes the merits of the suggestion and will thus consider it as the trade department winds up its cellphone waste collection and recycling program. The pilot project, which has Glorietta, Greenhills, and SM Megamall as collection points, will run up to December 31.

Beau Baconguis, toxic tech waste campaigner of Greenpeace Philippines, said a “takeback" policy is one of the crucial criteria that the group uses in rating the environmental-friendliness of a technology company.

In the recent quarterly issue of the Greenpeace Guide to Greener Electronics, game consoles came out as the least environment-friendly electronic gadgets because of its lack of takeback policy. The report, first launched in August 2006 and rates PC and mobile phone manufacturers on their environmental practices, was expanded to include gaming consoles and television sets.

Video game market leader Nintendo lands at the bottom of the ranking guide with a score of zero out of a possible 10 points, followed by TV manufacturer Philips (2.0), and Microsoft (2.7). The global games consoles sector is the fastest growing sector of the electronics industry and is dominated by only three companies, Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft.

The new edition of the quarterly guide also shows important changes at the top of the ranking. Sony Ericsson has now taken the top spot, followed by Samsung, and Sony. Nokia, which has held the top spot since June 2007, has slid down to number nine, and, along with Motorola has been given penalty points.

During the forum, it appeared that the Philippines does not have a definitive law or clear-cut policy governing e-waste and recycling of electronic products.

IT stalwart Gus Lagman commented that the country does not even have a junkyard where harmful components of technology products can be processed safely.

The head of Sun Microsystems Philippines, another tech vendor, noted that although the government has embarked on some initiatives in addressing e-waste, a lot more needs to be done in terms of keeping the pressure on electronic companies to observe proper waste disposal and recycling.

Sun, along with EMC Philippines, revealed that they have the studied these environmental issues early on and have implemented energy-saving features that can maximize power resources.

CyberPress elects new set of officers for 2007-2008

The Information Technology Journalists Association of the Philipppines Inc. (CyberPress) has recently named its new officers in a general assembly held at Clark, Pampanga.

Elected to the 2007-2008 board of officers were: Melvin Calimag of Manila Bulletin (re-elected president), Jing Garcia of Manila Times (vice president for internal affairs), Red Samar of Manila Bulletin (vice president for external affairs), Jenalyn Rubio of Computerworld Philippines (secretary), Rory Visco of Business Mirror (finance committee head), Lawrence Casiraya of Inquirer.net (membership committee head ) and Marlon Magtira of PC Buyer's Guide (election and constitutional amendments officer).

The following sectoral representatives were also appointed by the board: Tom Noda of Computerworld Philippines (trade publication), Edwin Sallan of Manila Bulletin (print) and Erwin Oliva of Inquirer.net (online).

The new board of officers, under the leadership of its president, looks forward to a fruitful year, with several initiatives already lined-up for the first quarter of its new term.

Established in 1996, CyberPress is the pioneering organization of IT writers in the country working together to achieve common goals of promoting responsible journalism in the IT beat, educating the public about technological developments and industry issues, and fostering better appreciation for technology while cultivating a harmonious IT ecosystem in the country.

AXIGEN enters Philippine market with IPSystems Inc.

AXIGEN, a major mail server vendor recently announced its bid to enter the Philippines in agreement with IPSYSTEMS Inc. as distributor.

IPSYSTEMS Inc. provides services in engineering and designing, installing, commissioning, and repairing of computer systems for the past ten years. The company also offers custom-made Linux packages based on individual client’s requirements.

In a recent press statement, AXIGEN CEO Oana Bornaz said, "We are pleased to have made our way to the Philippines. Given our partner's extensive knowledge of the local market, we are confident we will increase AXIGEN Mail Server awareness within the Philippine business environment. Local organizations will thus have better access to a state-of-the-art range of technologies developed by AXIGEN. The AXIGEN Mail Server has recently won the ServerWatch 2007 Product Excellence Award for the Communications Server category, after having competed with four other messaging solutions, Zimbra, CommuniGate, Merak and Lotus."

Patricia B. Celis, Vice President of IPSYSTEMS Inc. said, "Our new and valuable partnership agreement with AXIGEN is an affirmation of our corporate mission, which is to continuously provide the Linux advantage to corporate organizations in the Philippines. We are confident and highly appreciative that this partnership will result in a continuous satisfaction for our clients, due to the secure and innovative solutions provided by AXIGEN."

Based on a multiplatform architecture, the AXIGEN Mail Server (version 4.0), runs on several Linux and BSD distributions, on Solaris and PowerPC and signed technology partnerships with Sun Microsystems, RedHat, IBM and Avira. Currently, AXIGEN products are distributed by a network of 90 partners worldwide, as the distribution network has been increased by 60 percent in the first five months of 2007.

Established in 2003 in Bucharest, Romania, AXIGEN technology research and software security company developed AXIGEN Mail Server, an internet security messaging solution. AXIGEN integrates SMTP/POP/IMAP and WebMail and offers a unique configuration and security that allow system administrators to have full control of the email traffic.

The first commercial version of AXIGEN for Linux distribution was unveiled at LinuxWorld Expo, in London, in September 2005. One year after the official launch, AXIGEN has concluded business agreements with more than 90 domestic and international partners from over 50 countries including the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Mexico, the Netherlands and Romania and manages e-mail traffic for approximately 500,000 mailboxes worldwide.

Established in 1998 in the Philippines, IPSYSTEMS Inc. is a Linux solutions provider specializing in Open Source technologies for server requirements of companies in the country, including integration, development and maintenance.

New Epson Philippines President

Epson Philippines Corporation introduced Hideto Nakamura as the company’s new president in a press briefing held at the Shangri-la Hotel Makati on July 24,2006. Nakamura, who assumed office replacing Keita Fujiwara last April, said that Epson Philippines will give more focus on the corporate segment of the local market in the company’s current fiscal year. Before the introduction, Jino Alvarez, Assistant General Manager for sales and marketing, John Titan, Assistant General Manager for corporate products, and Randy Kanapi, Marketing Group Head briefed the media people on the current state of the company.