Ericsson goes into OFW Remittance Service

The same company that brought us the Xperia Arc is also entering the financial services industry. The new company, Ericsson Money wants you to ditch Western Union but with a few conditions.

It’s a one-way street — you can only open an Ericsson Money account if you are in Germany, UK, Italy, France, Poland, Spain and Sweden.

I tried opening an account (just to test it) and maybe send money to my relatives in the province but I’m locked out. It’s pretty obvious that the service is targeted towards OFWs in those countries since they’ve partnered with Globe and Smart for the local exchange (you receive money transfers from Ericsson Money via Smart Money or Globe GCash).

And if the tutorials videos they put up on their website tells it all, the service isn’t much different from the likes of Western Union. In any case, this is more like a battle for who offers the cheapest remittance rates and who can remit the money the fastest.

The Central Bank of the Philippines estimates a total of $18.7 billion in OFW remittances for the year 2010. Getting just 1% market share is already huge (Php8 billion) and I’m thinking Ericsson knows that already.

View the original article here

Read More

GMail’s new Inbox is now more useful

My incessant struggle to organize my GMail account and respond to all emails has now been remedied, thanks to the new Inbox rolled out by Google just recently.

I actually first noticed this yesterday and have been using it ever since.

I been battling around 580+ of un-opened messages buried somewhere the 19,600 or so emails in my Inbox. This morning, I was able to bring that number down to only 27 (also found out I had dozens of un-answered emails from 2010).

View the original article here

Read More

What’s hip and not: Monitoring your keywords through alerts

Keeping yourself updated on the latest news and updates about your keywords and topic is an important activity for bloggers. I myself spends considerable time in monitoring, reading and listening to what others are writing and saying on blogs and social media particularly about my topic.

Why should you be aware?

Ideas for your articles. Some bloggers stop writing because they ran out of ideas to write or to blog about.Be aware of breaking news then share. Is is important to know updates especially if you follow certain trends or buzz. This can make your readers know of what the latest on your stories as well.You are perceived as expert. Bloggers who are aware of what’s happening are most often perceived as experts or someone in authority in their industry.Connection. Monitoring alerts can enable you to make connections and build relationships with through constant discussion and exchange of information with the involved people.

Here how you can easily create alerts in Google. Go to: http://www.google.com/alerts

Monitor the Web for interesting new content

Google Alerts are email updates of the latest relevant Google results (web, news, etc.) based on your choice of query or topic.

Enter the topic you wish to monitor, then click preview to see the type of results you’ll receive. Some handy uses of Google Alerts include:

monitoring a developing news storykeeping current on a competitor or industrygetting the latest on a celebrity or eventkeeping tabs on your favorite sports teamsOther sites to keep you monitored are Technorati Watchlists and Twitter Alersts.

View the original article here

Read More

Poll: What’s your back-up internet like?

For some people, having a back-up internet plan is a must if they need to be connected to the net ask the time. Usually, back-up options are often cheaper, nomadic and portable.

If you’re one of those who carry some sort of back-up internet, go hit the comments and share with us what it’s like.

Mine’s pretty simple but more redundant — a Smart Bro Share-It (postpaid), a Globe MyFi (prepaid), and a Sun Cellular USB dongle (prepaid, with Sapido mobile router). Update: I forgot I also have that Bayan Broadband USB stick (postpaid) but it’s being used by my staff.

View the original article here

Read More

Anne Curtis Rides MRT to Kylie Minogue Concert, MRT Becomes Twitter Trending Topic

One thing I love about Anne Curtis is that she never lets her popularity and superstardom get to her head.

Who'd expect to see a celebrity as big as her riding the MRT? Well, that's exactly what she did earlier this evening --

Photo Credit: GoodyDoodyJoevert

Rushing to Kylie Minogue's concert happening in Araneta Coliseum, the lovely Anne Curtis took the train to avoid traffic.

That photo of her riding one of the MRT buses somehow found its way to Twitter. And in no time, MRT (Oddly enough, not Anne herself -- I'm sure she won't mind.) became a Twitter Trending Topic in the Philippines --

TP Thoughts:

I have the biggest crush on Anne Curtis. She's just the best. I hope Anne can give a shout-out to all TP Friends! :)

View the original article here

Read More

iPhone5 Leaks from China! 3 New Photos of the Next iPhone!

Not like what happened to iPhone 4 last year, early iPhone 5 leaks seem to be coming straight from the very place where it is being assembled.

We have 3 new photos of the supposed next generation Apple iPhone, the one that will supersede iPhone 4, all coming from China --

This one was leaked by a company that makes FM Transmitter units for iPhone

This photo, on the other hand, is from a company that makes silicon cases for various handsets made in China.

So what do these photos tell us?

1. The next generation iPhone, which some are already calling iPhone5 or iPhone4s, will have a bigger screen compared to its predecessor and a thinner bezel around the display.

2. iPhone5 will still have a clickable hardware Home button as opposed to earlier rumors that it will have a touch-sensitive home button or a trackpad.

3. The LED flash will be re-positioned farther from the camera lens, which will perhaps result to less overexposure in images.

TP Thoughts

At this point, I believe it's safe to say that Apple's competitors have managed to come up with handsets that not only have better specifications compared to iPhone4 but also have a more pocket-friendly price tag. LG Optimus Black, for example, a mere mid-range release from the Korean company has tech specs which are superior to Apple's flagship phone. Currently, with iPhone4, I think Apple is hardly the handset manufacturer all other companies are looking at.

The next generation iPhone offers Apple another opportunity to show the world that the company doesn't just follow trends but instead continues to set the standard by which we judge a good smartphone. That said, iPhone5 or iPhone4s (whatever it will be called eventually) has to be either better than all other flagship phones out in the market tech-specs-wise or it has to come with innovations never before seen in smartphones.

View the original article here

Read More

TDK ST-800 HiFi Headphones

TDK launched a slew of audio accessories last week and though I wasn’t able to attend the event, they gladly sent over one of their high-end headphones, the TDK ST-800, for me to try out and test.

I have to admit that I’m not very familiar with TDK except of course that they’ve been making really affordable blank CD-Rs and cassette tapes for as long as I can remember.

So when they delivered this TDK ST-800 HiFi headphones, I was a bit surprised at the packaging. The headphones are definitely premium and targets those who prefer more power and performance than the usual headphones around.

The on-ear headphones are huge, a little on the heavy side with a bit of a short (around 1.5m long) cable which is protected by a thick, woven thread. If you need more length, they included an extension cord about 2 meters long in the box.

The headphones’ exterior are covered by leather stitched around the sides with the headband made of metal (most probably stainless steel) and some plastic. The ear cups have thick padding and protected by thin, smooth leather.

The headphones come with a built-in equalizer that’s attached into the cord. As such, you will also need some battery to power it up — using two AAA batteries tucked inside the left ear-cup. The volume control is found on the right ear-cup which you dial around to get the desired volume (pretty slick feature I’ve never seen in any other headphones).

Sound quality is pretty good, not the best we’ve tried but certainly nice. The bass is good in the middle but somewhat distorted at higher volume. It’s clear and crisp at the low end and at high volume could be ear-shattering.

The EQ plays a role in adjusting sound quality. It allows you to adjust treble and bass but that’s it. Switching it off is no problem while playing music but there’s a couple seconds of delay when you turn it On (probably while it’s powering up).

The TDK ST-800 has an output power of 250mW x 2, a frequency response 20-20KHz, input impedance of 32Ohms and a sensitivity of 1KHz for 111 +/- 3dB.

The volume dial will not work when the EQ is Off and the plate on the cup also turns the headphone to mute by pressing it down. Despite its weight, the ST800 feels comfortable to use but my ears become warm over time.

The TDK ST800 was announced back in January and was released a couple of month ago in the Philippines. The suggested retail price of the ST800 is about Php5,000 Php6,500. The TDK Life on Record Headphones are available in Astroplus and Digital Walker stores nationwide.

View the original article here

Read More

Smart intros new Unli Call & Text Plan 599

So Smart’s putting unlimited calling and texting on their postpaid plan for just Php599 per month with the Unli Call & Text Plan 599.

If you’re not into calling, they also have another Unli Text Plan 299 just for unlimited texting. The plan also comes with a free handset (Samsung E1080 or Nokia C1-01).

The unlimited calls and text are applicable within Smart’s own network (Red, TnT and Smart).

For only P299 a month, UNLI Text Plan 299 is the perfect entry-level postpaid package for heavy texters. Not only does it let users send unlimited local texts to any of the 46.6 million subscribers on Smart, Talk N Text, and Red Mobile’s networks, it also comes with a free Samsung E1080 GSM handset.

For those who are also into calling, UNLI Call & Text Plan 599 takes the UNLI experience a step further with unlimited local calls and a more premium Nokia C1-01 handset.

This doesn’t look to be a permanent plan as it will only be offered until October 7, 2011 at the following Smart branches: SM North EDSA, SM Megamall, Smart Tower Ayala, Robinsons Place Manila, SM South Mall and SM Cebu.

View the original article here

Read More

Samsung’s new 27-inch 3D LED Monitor

Samsung Philippines showcased a number of their new monitors earlier today, including this 27? 3D LED Monitor (S27950D) that comes with matching glasses.

And it’s got some pretty stylish design and curves too. This should let you watch 3D movies or play 3D games from your PC.

Samsung S27A950D
27? LED display @ 1920 x 1080 pixels
Real 120Hz / 2ms (GTG) response time
Display port
2 x HDMI port
DVI port
1000:1 contrast ratio
300 cd/m2, Mega DCR

Suggested retail price is Php31,990 and is available now in stores. I know, quite expensive for a monitor but I guess it’s still got a niche market out there. Besides, I think this is the first 3D monitor of this size available locally so we can’t really compare.

View the original article here

Read More

Top 5 Data Center Stories, Week of July 16

July 16th, 2011 : Rich Miller

For your weekend reading, here’s a recap of five noteworthy stories that appeared on Data Center Knowledge this past week:

The ‘Facebook Effect’ and the Data Center Market – Over the past three years, Facebook’s insatiable demand for data center space has been a major factor in the growth of the wholesale data center industry. Now that Facebook is building its own data centers, its changing needs will continue to impact the market. Facebook says that it will gradually shift its server capacity from leased data centers to company-owned facilities, migrating out of many third-party facilities as its leases expire.Citrix Systems Acquires Cloud.com – Citrix Systems has acquired Cloud.com in a deal which will boost its position in the cloud computing market. The deal also underscores the growing role of open source software in building and deploying cloud platforms. Cloud.com provides open source software to create cloud computing platforms for service providers, providing Citrix with an infrastructure as a service (IaaS) offering in addition to its XenServer hypervisor.Texas and Taxes: Relief For Hosting Companies – Does having a server in a data center make your business a resident of the state where the data center is located – invoking the requirement to collect state taxes? Not in Texas anymore, thanks to a bill signed last month by Texas Gov. Rick Perry.Turbo-Charging Digital Render Farms – The visual effects in summer blockbuster sequels Kung Fu Panda 2 and Cars 2 were generated with powerful workstations and render farms. Here’s a closer look at some of the technology driving those projects.Pair Plans ‘Grid Zero’ Data Center in Las Vegas – pair Networks recently broke ground on a data center project in Las Vegas that will be powered by a combination of an on-site cogeneration plant and a rooftop array of solar panels, using the power grid only for backup power.

Stay current on Data Center Knowledge’s data center news by subscribing to our RSS feed and daily e-mail updates, or by following us on Twitter or Facebook.

SHARE THIS STORY:

View the original article here

Read More