CATEGORIES

Mastercard reports: Data drives COVID-19 recovery for APAC businesses

Deep data insights are driving COVID-19 recovery strategies across all industries, including the travel and entertainment sectors where promising signs of improvement are starting to emerge, according to two reports by Mastercard that analyze how companies and consumers are weathering the pandemic and preparing for the future.

AMONG US

Developer: Innersloth | Publisher: Innersloth | Platform(s): PC, iOS, Android

Bosch, Philips, launch PeopleCount a new social distancing solution for public spaces

Bosch, in partnership with Philips and local distributor Globaltronics, launched PeopleCount, a social distancing solution designed for both public and commercial spaces.

A GAMING HOBBY: CUSTOMIZING KEYBOARDS

For the past few years, I have been trying to find the perfect hobby to match with my gaming needs. Initially, I found that prepping to build a PC relaxing, yet expensive. Fortunately, I found another less expensive hobby that was still exciting and relaxing at the same time—DIY mechanical keyboard building.

PARADE - Garmin Instinct Solar

PARADE - Garmin Instinct Solar

Vivo TWS Neo

True Wireless Earbuds

Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra - Smartphone

Samsung has taken the Galaxy Note Series to the next level. Introducing the most powerful Galaxy Note device yet, the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra.

Samsung Galaxy Buds Live

True Wireless Earbuds

OPPO Watch 41mm - Smartwatch

The OPPO Watch 41mm is the brand’s first foray into the smartwatch market.

TECH MASTER PIECES

Twenty years is a long time to be in this business, but we’re still amazed at the kind of tech manufacturers keep rolling out. While the year isn’t quite over yet, here are some of the devices that have caught our eye.

SUZUKI V-Strom 1050XT

Exploration knows no limits, and the V-Strom 1050 XT is ready to take on any adventure.

T.I.P. offers Professional Science Master's degree in Data Science

The Technological Institute of the Philippines (T.I.P.) is offering Metro Manila’s first ever Professional Science Master’s (PSM) degree in Data Science starting this school year 20202021 to help meet the growing demand for data scientists, one of the top emerging and most in-demand jobs in the Philippines.

Mercedes-Benz premieres the all-new GLB 7-seater compact SUV

The highly anticipated compact SUV officially premieres in the Philippines, the all-new GLB.

Smart 5G service goes live in key districts around the metro

The 5G mobile phone network of Smart Communication is now live as a commercial service at selected business districts around the metro.

Scholomance Academy

Going back to school has never been this exciting. Hearthstone’s newest expansion, Scholomance Academy, is finally live and boy is it something!

Ford PH boosts SUV portfolio with All-New Ford Territory; price starts at PHP 1.179M

Ford Philippines has launched the all-new Ford Territory, a Ford-engineered and designed SUV which combines a sleek and stylish look, impressive performance, and smart and safe technologies that will offer a new driving experience to young professionals and starting families.

game & watch

In the infancy of video games, there were quite a few options.

BEST OF GAMING

With all the free time people have had these past few months, games have gotten bigger than ever. Regardless of your platform, there has been an explosion of things to play, from casual to hardcore titles. In this anniversary issue, we take a look at some of the best games we’ve had the pleasure of playing, and a few that we just can’t wait for.

PARADE

PARADE

Vertux Tantalum

Keyboards and mice are a bit of a touchy subject in the gaming world. These two peripherals remain the most subjective weapon in a gamer’s arsenal. While many prefer the high-end mechanical keyboards with aluminum alloy finish, others make do with regular budget keyboard and mouse. Vertux, Promate’s gaming line, aims to bring a bit of high-end gaming down to the modest of prices, but does it compare to the big boys in the club?

Vivo X50

As I’ve said in my first impressions for the Vivo X50, I have been interested in Vivo’s new X-series phones for a month now. The new flagship series carries the Vivo brand of tech innovation from the years with the phone (the Pro-version) sporting the world’s first “gimbal” camera system. Now that I had my hands on the phone here’s what I found out.

Xiaomi PocoFone F2 Pro

The F2 is the popular “flagship killer” followup to the Poco F1, giving it rather large shoes to fill. Let’s see if it manages the job.

Visa and Shopee launch campaign to help local merchants and SMEs go digital

Visa launched the Where You Shop Matters campaign to encourage Filipinos to support local businesses while helping SMEs go digital in response to the onset of COVID-19.

Realme C15

Barely a month after releasing their entry-level smartphone the C11, realme has launched a new member of its C-series smartphones, the C15. It’s a smartphone made to take on a whole new level of connectedness with its massive 6000 mAh.

Logitech G604 Lightspeed Wireless

With all the extra time we have at the moment, gaming as a form of entertainment is more viable than ever. And with all the time people have to game, the more they realize they want better hardware to make their gaming that much more enjoyable. Enter the Logitech G604 Lightspeed Wireless— another in a long, varied line of Logitech’s gaming mice that aims to bring solid performance to the gaming enthusiast.

HP Pavillion Convert X360

While laptops remain the kings of everyday productivity, one can’t just ignore the functionality that tablets deliver. While convertible laptops aren’t new, leave it to HP to take the formula and make it that much more special. In this lab, we take a look at the HP Pavilion, a convertible laptop that does a little bit more than just change forms.

BEST OF MOTORCYCLES

The past year has had its share of great motorcycle launches, and while we can’t quite go out riding the way we used to yet, the market is rife with options for when we can finally get out there. We’re taking a quick look at some of the best bikes you can get your hands on right now, so you can plan your next two-wheeled adventure.

Realme C11

realme has been on roll lately with their smartphone offerings. The realme 6 series is currently one of the best value smartphones on the mid-range segment, the realme X3 SuperZoom has the specs to take on some of the biggest names in the flagship level, and the brand has recently debuted its first smartwatch the realme Watch in the country. Now the brand is looking to make another mark in the entry-level segment with the realme C11, a device they claim could be a solution for students taking online classes this coming school year.

HOME Recording

Being stuck at home means we have much more time to pursue some side projects, whether for fun or maybe as a side hustle. One of the simpler, and more enjoyable ones is recording audio at home. Maybe you want to lay a new track down, or try your hand at voice-over work. Either way, it doesn’t take too much to try out, and if you feel this is your calling, there are a number of upgrade paths you can take to elevate your recording capabilities.

Nokia 5310 (2020)

I have been in this business for a long time now, and while new products are always exciting, I do miss the days when Nokia was at the top of the mobile phone market and releasing devices that were designed to be nothing if not different. While those days are now gone, we’re starting to see signs of the renewed Nokia, and that old fire that put them on top. Nokia sent over the 2020 edition of the 5310, a popular device in its day, so we got to see if there’s room for a device like this more than a decade after the original hit the market.