Oks! News from the Philippines

Olympus Pen E-PL1 price: Php39,999

Gen DR — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 17:07:24 +0000

The Olympus E-PL1 is positioned as an entry-level model in the micro four-thirds category. It is the 3rd model in the Olympus Pen series, having the compact size and light weight of a point and shoot camera but the lens flexibility and image quality of dSLR.

Like its predecessor, the EP-1 and EP-2, E-PL1 is compact and has inter-changeable lens system and comes with the M. Zuiko Digital ED 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 lens kit.

Powered by a 4/3-inch, 12.3-megapixel high speed Live MOS sensor and TruePic V image processing engine, the digital camera can also do 720p HD videos. The E-PL1 also has a Live Guide user interface, HDMI output and of course, the built-in image stabilization (IS) that Olympus is known for.

The camera is available in white, champagne gold and black body colors. The Olympus Pen E-PL1 has a suggested retail price of Php39,999.

Watch the Pacquiao-Clottey fight on WatchPad

Gen DR — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 12:57:41 +0000

It’s been less than 6 months since PLDT Watchpad was launched and everyday. They now have 18 channels that you can enjoy for free. You have more movies to choose from, including films that have not been released locally. We have the most robust platform, on the road to becoming the biggest entertainment portal in the country.

Now, PLDT myDSL Watchpad is all geared up for the biggest entertainment event of the year – the Pacquiao-Clottey fight on March 14, 2010. The LIVE streaming of this event will be absolutely FREE to all myDSL Subscribers.

If you want to get the best seats in the house, in front of your PC, register now to the THE PACQUIAO-CLOTTEY FIGHT by logging on to your Watchpad. Logging on will also update your Watchpad Player for a better viewing experience.

WATCH PACQUIAO-CLOTTEY ON myDSL Watchpad.

LIVE, FREE, FROM YOUR PC.

Globe-Ayala Land Run for Home 2010

Gen DR — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 03:19:07 +0000

What is it that makes running such a desirable pastime? It started out as a solitary sport reserved only for serious athletes. Lean, gaunt runners rose at dawn, guzzled electrolyte drinks, and braved the elements to ply deserted race ovals or rain-drenched streets. Then a few years ago, people started to see running as a gym alternative: Easy to start, with no complex routines, expensive gear or even much time needed. Its popularity soared when excited gymgoers persuaded workout buddies to join the fun, and soon scores of converts were racing to sign up for the sport christened “the new badminton”.

No longer just a solo pursuit nor a trendy pastime, running is now a mainstream physical activity with a unique social character, with thousands turning up at the frequent runs held around the metro. It is fun, healthy and a great way to meet new folks as well as cement friendships you already value. And there is nothing like the mind-blowing feeling of crossing your first finish line with your buddies in close stride, sharing that adrenalin high. High fives abound, and everyone rushes to Tweet success or shout out “Just finished my first 5k!” on Facebook. You’ll even develop a newfound respect for your friend who runs a 21k in under two hours and barely breaks a sweat.

This year you and your pals can share your proud day at Globe-Ayala Land Run for Home 2010. On March 21, 2010, runners of every ilk — serious athletes, health buffs and weekend warriors alike — will converge at Makati City’s Ayala Triangle Garden to join one of the biggest urban runs of the year. With a route winding through the premium Makati Central Business District, casual runners can cruise the 3k or 5k routes, while the more competitive can test their mettle with the 10k or 15k. As for the hardcore runners, they can get their game on with a 21k half-marathon.

Last year’s Run for Home event, held at the Bonifacio Global City, was one of the first races to breach the 6000-runner mark. And that day in 2009 was peppered with personalities, many of whom were already good friends, such as business scions Fernando Zobel De Ayala and Lance Gokongwei, political powerhouse Senator Pia Cayetano, celebrities Christine Reyes and Samboy Lim, and power couples like Anton and Nina Huang, Paco Sandejas and Christine Jacob, and Anthony Pangilinan and Maricel Laxa-Pangilinan.

This year, Globe lets you bring along your whole brood by offering special packages for group registration. In 2010, Run for Home will give out discounts of up to P 1000 for groups who register for the shorter runs, while groups who sign up for the longer distances can get up to P 2000 off their registration fees.

If you’ve got well-wishing non-runners in your party, they can wait for you at the Ayala Triangle Garden, noshing on finger foods and drinks, or getting online via Wi-Fi to tweet news and post live Facebook ® updates.

In a unique bonus, race kits come with the first-ever environmentally-friendly singlet made from recycled PET bottles. And when you cross that finish line, your success will automatically be posted on your Facebook® page, thanks to the electronic timing chip provided by Run for Home, which tracks your progress to the second. In the days following the run, you can check your race photos and post-run results and analysis on Globe’s website, so you can see how you and your pals did and relive the moment you powered past that finish line.

Add in the very worthy cause of providing Filipinos with affordable housing, with Globe and Ayala Land donating a portion of the race proceeds to Habitat for Humanity, and Globe adding an additional P 200 for every Globe Platinum subscriber who joins the run, and Globe-Ayala Land Run for Home 2010 is now this year’s top human race.

Globe Chief Marketing Officer Menchi Orlina explains, “Globe-Ayala Land Run for Home 2010 is all about bringing people together to share that sense of achievement and the enjoyment of doing something they love, and then using that collective passion to make a difference in the lives of others. With the support of our Ayala family and the goodwill of our subscribers, we can do great things. Now, being Globe-connected is more than just being able to call, text and surf affordably and conveniently; it also means celebrating the bonds that keep us together, and using our shared strength to be a force for positive change.”

Registration for Globe-Ayala Land Run for Home 2010 opens on February 14 and continues till March 5 at participating Globe Stores; runners can also register online at globe.com.ph/run.

Neil Gaiman to Hold Biggest Book-signing Event in Manila

Gen DR — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 02:56:52 +0000

Filipino fans of multi-awarded author Neil Gaiman will have the chance to have up to 2 of their favorite Gaiman books signed by the famed author this coming March 18, 2010.

The year’s biggest book signing event happens on March 18, 2010 at the Powerplant Mall North Court, from 4:00 to 8:00 PM. To get in all you have to do is purchase P2000 worth of Neil Gaiman books from Feb 27 to March 4, 2010 at any Fully Booked branch in Luzon. You’ll be issued a Book Signing Pass for the event.

If you weren’t able to get a Book Signing Pass, you still have another chance at getting your books signed. Just bring your two books and attend the 3rd Philippine Graphic Fiction Awards on March 17, 2010, 7:00 PM at the Rockwell Tent in Makati City. You might be one of 100 lucky Gaiman fans to win book signing slots! The book signing will take place on the same night. Entrance to the event is free of charge.

Neil Gaiman and Fully Booked initiated the “Philippine Graphic Fiction Awards” in 2005, after Gaiman visited the country for the first time. During that visit Gaiman and Fully Booked decided to help spur the growth of unrealistic fiction in the country, after the author realized that “there is already a fine tradition of realistic fiction in Filipino literature.”

Fully Booked branches in Luzon are located in Bonifacio High Street, Rockwell, Greenhills, Gateway, Mall of Asia, North Edsa, EDSA Shangri-La, Trinoma, Greenbelt 5, Eastwood Mall, Marquee and SM Clark; Bibliarch branches are in Glorietta 3 & Pasong Tamo; while Sketch Books is in Greenbelt 3.

Smart Bro SurfTV lauched!

Gen DR — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 01:30:30 +0000

Filipino families in every corner of the country can now have Internet access with the help of the most ubiquitous home appliance -– the television set. This is now possible with the launch of Smart Bro Surf TV, a new, world-first service from Smart Broadband, Inc. (SBI), a subsidiary of leading wireless services provider Smart Communications, Inc. (SMART).

Smart Bro SurfTV is a device that connects to a television set through a quick and easy procedure, to provide Internet access using Smart Bro’s nationwide coverage. When plugged into the RCA port of a color TV set, Smart Bro SurfTV provides users a ready-to-run Internet experience, and users can surf, chat, and email –- through a multi-tasking TV — at home.

“Over the last few years we have been steadily advancing our Internet for All advocacy and investing our energies to make wireless Internet more affordable and widely available – whether via mobile phone, the PC, or laptop – anytime, anywhere, so that Filipinos may benefit from it. Offering Smart Bro SurfTV is a natural progression of that strategy, this is a service that will put the Internet right in the homes of Filipino families,” said Orlando B. Vea, Chief Wireless Advisor of SMART.

Internet in all homes
Smart Bro SurfTV comes in a boxed set complete with a keyboard, a mouse, a remote control, and a Smart Bro USB stick-type modem with a prepaid SIM, pre-loaded with PhP100 worth of load. The entire kit costs only PhP4,500, and Internet access costs only PhP10 for every 30 minutes. Load for the prepaid Smart Bro SIM is available through any of SMART’s network of over a million Smart Load sellers all over the country.

“Limited access to devices such as desktops computers used to be a barrier to bringing the benefits of the Internet to Filipinos. Even basic desktop computers are still priced beyond what most households can afford. This is what we hope to address through Smart Bro SurfTV. With this service, people can access the Internet using a low-cost device and an appliance they already have,” said Danilo J. Mojica, head of SMART’s Wireless Consumer Division.

Broadband for all
Smart Bro SurfTV widens the Internet service portfolio of SMART, through SBI, which reported a million broadband subscribers by end-2009, the largest in the industry.

In the same period, SMART had also extended the coverage of its GSM cellular network to all of the country’s 1,619 cities and municipalities.

SBI’s high-speed broadband service covers the country’s major towns and cities, through a network of 3G/High-speed Packet Access (HSPA) cellular and fixed broadband base stations. SMART is the only Philippine telco and one of only a few in the world that have deployed HSPA running on the 850-MHz and 2100-MHz frequency bands, which offer improved coverage quality and data rate capacity for mobile broadband.

SMART is also set to deploy the more advanced broadband technologies such as HSPA+, which delivers three to four times the speed of HSPA, and Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access or WiMAX, which is expected to complement its HSPA network.

“In the same way that SMART’s innovative but affordable offerings made the use of voice and SMS ubiquitous, we would like to turn broadband into another universally available service from which every Filipino will benefit. With our unique and superior combination of wireless broadband networks — HSPA, HSPA+, WiMAX, and Canopy networks — blanketing the whole country, SMART is on track to making broadband available and accessible to all,” Vea said.

Trip to South Africa with Sony Ericsson FIFA World Cup Contest

Gen DR — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 02:01:24 +0000

Trip to South Africa and Sony Ericsson phones up for grabs in FIFA World Cup ™ video contest

It’s game on for FIFA World Cup™ fans as Sony Ericsson launches a video competition that promises exciting prizes including the new gesture gaming phone Kita and a trip for two to South Africa . Sony Ericsson is searching for a Filipino child to be a FIFA flag bearer in the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ in South Africa .

The winning child, together with his parent or guardian, can use his Sony Ericsson Kita to catch the excitement of this once-in-a-lifetime experience.

“The Sony Ericsson Kita will be an exciting and handy travel companion for our young FIFA flag bearer headed for Cape Town , South Africa . The handset will help him or her keep in touch, and keep us posted on this historic journey ahead. This will be the first time for the Philippines to participate in a FIFA World Cup event,” said Dennis Manzano, Sony Ericsson General Manager.

Sony Ericsson will award Kita handsets to the top five finalists of the Search for the FIFA World Cup™ Flag Bearer. The contest is open to Filipino children aged 10-16 years old. Simply create a 30-60 second video and creatively answer, “Why I deserve to win the Sony Ericsson Search for the FIFA World Cup™ flag bearer.” Upload the video to www.clickthecity/sonyericssonfifa. Children can have fun and present their reasons in play, song, dance and other creative ways to convince judges.

Five finalists will be chosen and beginning March 8, 2010, voting for the number one favorite flag bearer begins. Sony Ericsson will let the public decide who deserves the honor of being sent as the Philippines ’ first FIFA flag bearer to this premier international sporting event.

The Sony Ericsson Kita is the first motion and gesture gaming handset outside the Japanese market, and features everything for the young traveler to enjoy. It comes loaded with gesture games, so one can just move their body to play and win. Other great games, including motion and standard games, are ready to be accessed from a games carousel on the phone’s desktop. A/B buttons act as gaming shortcut keys.

Kita also comes with a 5-megapixel camera with auto focus, 4x digital zoom, face detection and geo-tagging. Take pictures and record videos of unforgettable FIFA World Cup™ moments. The camera has a send-to-web function for one to easily share images and video clips to family and friends. Music call lets a user share their music with one button press while talking.

Exclusively for the Asia Pacific market, the Kita also comes with exclusive content from the Sony Ericsson Entertainment Asia portal. Each phone can be loaded with entertainment features of the user’s choice such as blockbuster films from Sony Pictures, songs and music videos from Sony Music and game titles from the Gameloft content library.

Sony Ericsson is the Official Mobile Phone Handset of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™. Visit www.clickthecity/sonyericssonfifa to learn more about the Sony Ericsson Search for the FIFA World Cup™ Flag Bearer. Registered voters on the site will get a chance to win the exclusive Sony Ericsson Team Pilipinas shirts.

Apple iPad is the new iPod Touch

Gen DR — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 20:16:43 +0000

Apple has finally unveiled its latest entertainment device, the iPad. This over-sized iPod Touch is 9.7″ across and does what an iPhone can do, and more.

Apple iPad specs:
9.7″ display screen
16Gb to 64GB Flash Drive
1GHz Apple A4 Chip
Bluetooth 2.1
WiFi 802.11n
3G optional (uses new micro-SIM)
10 hours battery life
30 days standby

iPad WiFi 16GB: $499
iPad WiFi 32GB: $599
iPad WiFi 64GB: $699

iPad WiFi+3G 16GB: $629
iPad WiFi+3G 16GB: $729
iPad WiFi+3G 16GB: $829

Shipments start in 60 days for the WiFi and 90 days for the 3G version.

2010 PRC Architecture Board Exam Results

Gen DR — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 15:36:20 +0000

The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) announced that 550 out of 1,092 or 50.37% passed the Architect Licensure Examination given by the Board of Architecture held in Manila last January 15 and 17, 2010.

List of Architecture Board Passers January 2010 here.

The oath-taking ceremony will be held on March 14, 2010, 1PM at the Fiesta Pavilion, Manila Hotel, One Rizal Park, Manila.

Georgina Wilson is new VJ of Channel V

Gen DR — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 06:52:52 +0000

Channel V has a new VJ in the name of Georgina Wilson. Here’s the latest promo photo of Georgina.

David Carradine Death Photo

Press Secretary Cerge Remonde Dies

Gen DR — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 05:08:54 +0000

Press Secretary Cerge Remonde was found dead in his Bel Air house early this morning. The attending doctor has not determined the cause of his death. He died on 19 January 2010 after being found unconscious in his office bathroom.

Cerge M. Remonde (b. Argao, Cebu, 21 December 1958 – 19 January 2010) is a Philippine broadcast journalist who has held a number of important positions in the field of media. He is the Presidential Press Secretary under the administration of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

One of Remonde’s early jobs in media included being a stringer at the Philippine News Agency (PNA). He was an anchor for DYLA Interaction, a primetime news and commentary program. He eventually became National Chairman of the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP), and was the first KBP chair to be elected to a 6th term. In 2001, Remonde became press undersecretary in charge of broadcast and the executive director of the Radio Television Malacañang Presidential Broadcast Staff. He also became the president of IBC Channel 13 and of RPN Channel 9. He became Secretary of the Government Mass Media Group (GMMG) in 2004. In October 2006, he became the lead convener of the National Anti-Poverty Commission while still serving as Secretary of the GMMG. Later, he became Director-General of the Presidential Management Staff, and finally, on February 1, 2009, he was appointed as Press Secretary.