WHILE testing Smart’s deployment of its high-speed packet access (HSPA) network in Siquijor in 2009, it occurred to me that with the connectivity, you could actually relocate there and run your business or work from its beautiful white sand beaches. Six years later, connectivity and technology have improved exponentially. Today, HSPA is being supplanted byContinue reading “#DigitalNomad”
Category Archives: Highlights
Facebook governor
AS SOON as Albay Gov. Joey Salceda wakes up in the morning, he greets his constituents on Facebook (“Good morning, Albay”) and cycles through the towns and component cities with a slew of hashtags promoting the province. After the morning greeting, Salceda shares a “tigsik,” a short poem in Bikol, written by the province’s poetContinue reading “Facebook governor”
A different Microsoft
ABOUT two years back, someone reached out to me because of our digital tourism initiative. He introduced himself as the open source software specialist of Microsoft Philippines. I choked on my midnight coffee. Until recently, one does not find the phrase open source in the same sentence as Microsoft, unless in opposition. Among the manyContinue reading “A different Microsoft”
REVIEW: Asus Zenfone 5 Lite: big-screen smartphone for the budget-conscious
BUILDING on the success of Zenfone 5, Asus recently released a cheaper version of the handset in time for end-of-the-year upgrading – the Asus Zenfone 5 Lite. The Zenfone 5 Lite has a dual core Intel Atom 1.2 Ghz processor with 1GB RAM and an 8GB internal memory that is expandable via microSD up toContinue reading “REVIEW: Asus Zenfone 5 Lite: big-screen smartphone for the budget-conscious”
REVIEW: Starmobile UP Mini, UP Lite: good phones on a budget
Except for their prices, the Starmobile UP Mini and UP Lite don’t come off as cheap. Their build quality is excellent and the phones are very responsive. I passed the UP Mini around and asked friends and colleagues to feel its finish, check out the device’s responsiveness and guess its price: P15,000 said one, P13,000Continue reading “REVIEW: Starmobile UP Mini, UP Lite: good phones on a budget”
REVIEW: Huawei Mate7: This is the ‘droid you’re looking for
WHEN you first hold the Huawei Mate7 in your hand, what is immediately apparent is how sleek its design is. At 7.9 mm thin, the Mate7 is a well-built device with top-of-the-line specifications worthy of a flagship device. I tested the phone for a few days this week and found the device a great optionContinue reading “REVIEW: Huawei Mate7: This is the ‘droid you’re looking for”
Tech and ambient information
WHEN are you due? I asked a PR professional last week, two months after she gave birth. In my defense, I was seated when she approached me and I looked up at her face, not at her tummy. She said it was obvious we haven’t seen each other for some time, while, involuntarily I think,Continue reading “Tech and ambient information”
IdeaSpace Foundation looks for ‘next big idea’
When orthopedic surgeon Dr. Rene Catan introduced to his fellow doctors some years back his plan to manufacture a local joint replacement, it was dismissed as a “backyard project.” When he presented it to a group of physicians last week, they snapped up shares, even at P12,000 apiece, of the company he built to bring hisContinue reading “IdeaSpace Foundation looks for ‘next big idea’”
Better on mobile
More than just a device by which we make calls, today’s phones are portable computers that we carry around with us wherever we go. And what a portable computer it is. The processing power of devices by which we hurl Angry Birds to space is more than that of the system that brought man toContinue reading “Better on mobile”
REVIEW: Starmobile Vida: entry-level phone packs a punch
WITH all eyes on the latest and greatest flagship devices of the different phone manufacturers, it’s easy to lose sight of the bottom end of the lineup — the entry-level phones that will connect the next billion to the Internet. Starmobile’s Vida is such a phone. Its technical specs are good for an entry-level device:Continue reading “REVIEW: Starmobile Vida: entry-level phone packs a punch”