Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Watch Vivo V30 Series Grand Launch on March 20

The stage is set for an electrifying event as vivo prepares to unveil the highly anticipated Vivo V30 Series featuring the groundbreaking ZEISS Triple Main Camera system on the V30 Pro. 

The grand launch is scheduled for March 20, 2024, at 7 PM, and viewers are invited to be part of this thrilling experience through Facebook livestream.

Here is a sneak peek at what you can expect during the event:

Vivo brings back the Pro version to PH 

After a three-year hiatus, vivo finally brings back the Pro version to the Philippines in the V30 Series, this time in collaboration with the optics leader, ZEISS. 

Vivo heralds the V30 Series as a revolutionary advancement in mobile photography, dedicated to capturing life's moments with unmatched clarity and detail.

The inclusion of the ZEISS Triple Main Camera system on the Vivo V30 Pro ensures users can anticipate professional-grade photos and videos that enhance their creative expression.

Special appearance by Anne Curtis

Adding to the excitement is the presence of renowned ambassador Anne Curtis at the event, bringing her star power and charm to the grand launch.

Insights from industry experts

Additionally, industry experts will be on hand to share their insights and expertise regarding the innovative features of the Vivo V30 Series.

Marisa Weis, representing ZEISS, will delve into the collaborative effort that led to the integration of the ZEISS Triple Main Camera system in the V30 Pro.

Keshav Chugh, Vivo's Image Cognition expert, will provide a deep dive into the cutting-edge imagery capabilities of the V30 Series.

Art Samaniego, Senior Technology Officer at Manila Bulletin, will share his experiences and perspectives on the Vivo V30 Pro, known as the Portrait Master with ZEISS.

Viewers can expect an evening filled with surprises, valuable insights, and a glimpse into the future of mobile photography.

To join the Vivo V30 Series Grand Launch, tune in to the Facebook event livestream on March 20, 2024, at 7 PM. Don't miss this opportunity to witness the next evolution in smartphone photography!

For more updates and exclusive content, follow Vivo on website, Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.

Smart expands roaming services for tourists visiting the Philippines

The upcoming Holy Week break opens opportunities for the Philippines to welcome the influx of international tourists to its shores. To help the country support the connectivity needs of visitors, PLDT wireless unit Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) has partnered with international mobile service providers from Oceania, Europe, the Middle East, North and South America, Africa, and other countries in Asia to enable their customers to connect to Smart’s fastest network using their local SIM’s roaming services when they arrive in the Philippines.

This allows inbound tourists to upload their vacation photos and videos, communicate with their families and friends via messaging apps, and work remotely while enjoying the different tourist spots in the country.

Smart's mobile network covers 97% of the population with 4G/LTE and 5G as of the end of 2023. This mobile network is supported by PLDT's fiber infrastructure, which was at over 1.1 million cable kilometers, including international and domestic fiber.

Meanwhile, for customers with Smart 5G SIMs and 5G-capable devices who are flying out – whether for international conferences, family trips, or even attend concerts of their favorite artists overseas, they can rely on Smart’s 5G roaming partnerships with 167 global partners in 89 destinations: Aland Island, Albania, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Belgium, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Crete, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Guam, Guatemala, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Isle of Man, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jersey, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macau, Malaysia, Maldives, Malta, Mauritius, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Northern Ireland, Northern Marianas, Norway, Oman, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Scotland, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, the United States of America, US Virgin Islands, Uzbekistan, the Vatican, Vietnam, and Wales.

 

To subscribe and check roaming status and other promos and information, customers can visit https://gigaroam.smart.com.ph/. To activate their roaming service before travelling abroad, prepaid customers must text ROAM<space>ON to 333; while postpaid customers can call the hotline *888 or *800 for Smart Infinity customers.

 

Smart's initiatives to offer relevant mobile data services to Filipinos and customers around the world are aligned with the PLDT Group’s endeavors to narrow the digital divide and provide connectivity to all, supporting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDG) particularly on SDG No. 9 – Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure. These also reinforce PLDT Group’s support for the Government's overall digitalization thrust. 

Baguio City accelerates Smart City status through Bitskwela’s Bull or Bear Web3 Debate

March 2024, Baguio, Philippines — Philippine-based education platform Bitskwela elevates Baguio’s transformation to a Smart City through the Bull or Bear: Philippine Web3 Debate, highlighting the potential of Web3 to drive technological-based governance, reforms, and innovations in the city and across local governments all over the country.

Held at the University of the Cordilleras, Bitskwela’s sixth Bull or Bear debate, themed "Web3 in Baguio," served as a melting pot for different stakeholders, enthusiasts, and students to engage in an open discussion on the pros and cons of blockchain-related technologies. With a leveled understanding, Baguio citizens can make well-informed decisions when engaging with the Web3 space.

Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong, who is leading the charge to classify Baguio as a full-fledged Smart City by 2027, underscored the significance of the event: "This debate represents a pivotal step forward in our journey towards becoming a Smart City. By learning how to harness the transformative power of Web3 technology, we are not just envisioning a future of advanced governance and innovation but actively building it. Collaborations like these are crucial for us to realize a more connected, efficient, and inclusive city for all our residents.”

“The goal of the Baguio Smart City project is to leverage emerging technologies, such as data analytics and artificial intelligence, to enact good governance. Alongside the tech-savvy population of Baguio, emerging technologies like blockchain and cryptocurrencies potentially play as a strong complement to sectors such as tourism management and citizen welfare,” said Bitskwela CEO Jiro Reyes, echoing Mayor Magalong’s view on the integral role of Web3 in achieving the city’s goal. 


The debate featured esteemed leaders and experts in blockchain, technology, and innovation, including Christopher Star of Web3PH, Paolo Dioquino of DeFi Philippines, Henry James of Bitshares Labs, Pat Arro of Polkadot SEA, and Van Orpilla of Google Developers Group Baguio. They provided thought-provoking insights into topics such as the adoption of digital currencies to improve commerce and governance and the use of NFTs to boost tourism.


“Bull or Bear is part of Bitskwela’s mission to help Filipinos own a piece of the internet. Our goal in these events is to bring Web3 and blockchain education to target areas where there is enough interest in emerging technology. Bitskwela envisions a Philippines where the words Bitcoin, crypto, and NFTs aren’t scary anymore for the everyday Filipino. We want cryptocurrency to be a household conversation; that’s why we’re bringing Bull or Bear to institutions such as the University of Cordillera,” Bitskwela CMO JC Macalintal added.


The Bull or Bear Baguio event was co-presented by Globe Telecom and Coins.ph, In collaboration with Polkadot, UC Innovation And Technology Transfer Office, and Bitshares Labs, along with Blockceler8 by Uniquecorn Strategies as its official PR partner. The event is also supported by NextBlock, KTX Finance, and friendzone.pro.

Mark your Calendars this March 23 and Get Your Game On with the latest Lenovo Legion and Lenovo LOQ Devices

MANILA, PHILIPPINES, March 2024 – Lenovo is helping gamers reach their ‘impossible’ with this new lineup - giving gamers the solutions they need to achieve gaming greatness. Whether you’re just starting out in your gaming career or looking to level up your current device, Lenovo has created a space where customers and gamers can participate in all-day tournaments against other teams or influencers and immerse themselves to discover the latest Lenovo Legion and Lenovo LOQ line-up.

On March 23 and 24, 2024 at Cyberzone SM Makati, Lenovo will be hosting the “Get Your Game On!” for gamers looking to enjoy a few rounds of crowd favorites. Popular gamers AdrianG and Lykable will also be joining the excitement by challenging attendees to a round of competitive gaming.

While customers await their turn to play a game, an experience area will also be available for those looking to check out the latest Lenovo gaming devices.

Perfect for gamers who are on the lookout for a mobile yet powerful device, the Legion 9i, is Lenovo’s flagship gaming device powered by the 13th Gen Intel Core i9 HX-series processor and NVIDIA GeForce RTX graphics. It boasts a 16-inch 16:10 Mini LED display, custom-tuned performance with the Lenovo AI Engine+, and cooler operation with an integrated liquid cooling system.

As an added treat, for purchases made during the event on participating devices, customers will receive a free Legion R25i-30 gaming monitor worth PHP 12,495.00.


So, what are you waiting for? Don’t miss out on experiencing this exciting gaming event and scoring your next gaming device. For more information, visit Lenovo’s official facebook page and website.


On the other hand, for newbie gamers looking to purchase their first gaming machine, the Lenovo LOQ 15IAX9I gives great bang for your buck. This device is packed with all the essential components needed for an intensive gameplay or heavy workload. It is powered by the 12th-generation Intel Core i5 processor, Intel Arc 5 Graphics, and it also features a brand new hyper chamber design that keeps it cool and slim.

Monday, March 18, 2024

Innovative products, eSIMs drive mobile data usage, accelerate Smart growth in 2023

Leading integrated telco network PLDT Inc (PLDT)'s wireless subsidiary Smart Communications, Inc (Smart) posted sequential quarterly growth in 2023, buoyed by value-packed promos and innovative products and services.


"We continue to deploy differentiated offers, with longer validities, larger bandwidth, and ultimately better experiences, supported by our expansive network across the country," said Alex O. Caeg, Head of Consumer Business-Individual at Smart. "As we re-accelerate our network rollout, we are boosting our capabilities to deliver product lines that are relevant and of value to our customers."

 

Average data usage per subscriber grew by 19% to 11GB compared to 2022, while active data users hit 39.0 million in 2023.

 

"Also driving this increase in data usage are Smart’s higher velocity top-up products, and the recently launched eSIMs," said Kristine A. Go, SVP for Consumer Wireless Business, adding that Smart's roster of innovations pushing for higher velocity offers, larger top-up denominations, and more engagement channels continue to support Filipinos' increasing appetite for data.

 

The individual segment's mobile data revenues grew by 6% to ₱71.1 billion for the period, driven by an 11% year-on-year increase in mobile data traffic to 4,898 Petabytes. Worth noting is the robust growth in revenues registered in the fourth quarter which saw prepaid and postpaid revenues rise by 6% and 4%, respectively, versus the same period last year. Wireless Consumer Mobile Data revenues now account for 87% of total Individual Wireless revenues, which hit ₱81.8 billion in 2023, up by 2% or ₱1.5 billion year-on-year. 

 

Supporting this level of performance is Smart's mobile network, which covered 97% of the population with 4G/LTE and 5G as of the end of 2023. This mobile network is supported by PLDT's fiber infrastructure, which was at over 1.1 million cable kilometers, including international and domestic fiber.

Smart's initiatives to offer relevant mobile data services to Filipinos are aligned with the PLDT Group’s endeavors to narrow the digital divide and provide connectivity to all, supporting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDG), particularly on SDG No. 9 – Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure. These also reinforce PLDT Group’s support for the Government's overall digitalization thrust.