Chris Tech Blog

G.I. Joe Movie August 2009!

2008-02-19T15:46:00.003+08:00

First Logo of the movie out!

synopsis of the movie:

“From the Egyptian desert to deep below the polar ice caps, the elite co-ed GI JOE team, based from it’s headquarters The Pit, deploys the latest in next-gen spy and military equipment to fight crooked arms dealer Destro and the growing threat of the mysterious COBRA organization from plunging the world into chaos.”

Smurf's Movie in the works!

2008-02-19T11:11:00.003+08:00

Cut from a cartoonists computer that may be working on a 3D movie of the beloved cartoon SMURFS. la la la la la la!

to view a video copy and paste this address into your windows media player:

mms://a988.v101995.c10199.e.vm.akamaistream.net/7/988/10199/3f97c7e6/ftvigrp.download.akamai.com/10199/sgv/diff/videotheque/regions/lpc/infos/videoinfopoitiers/AE9D1_c8a_actu_220108_schtroumpfs.wmv?WMCache=0

Share your 3G wifi phone into a mobile hotspot!

2008-02-08T00:01:00.000+08:00

If you've got a 3G phone with wifi like the Nokia N95, did you know that you could make it into a wireless hotspot? this means that your phone can serve as a wifi access point for any laptop to connect to via wifi and surf using the cellphone! of course you need to make sure you don't have any issues with driving up your cellphone bill. Connect any amount of laptops via wifi to your phone! your phone once hooked up to 3G internet will send it via wifi to any laptop within reach.

I imagine using my N95 to serve wifi internet signals in my car to any laptop inside for surfing on the go!

click below to download the software to your S60 phone such as the nokia n95

download Joiku

Coming to Alderaan

2008-01-21T09:33:00.001+08:00

Apple Macbook Air 2008

2008-01-16T22:53:00.001+08:00

StreamMyGame Windows PC to PS3 Tutorial

2008-01-15T08:35:00.001+08:00

Awesome!

Bill Gates' Last Days - CES 2008 (HQ/Sound Fixed)

2008-01-11T07:56:00.001+08:00

Hilarious!

nbc new knight rider teaser

2007-12-26T08:28:00.001+08:00

New KnightRider!?

2007-12-17T08:46:00.000+08:00

Indiana Jones IV

2007-12-11T07:55:00.000+08:00

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is directed by the legendary Steven Spielberg with a story by George Lucas and screenplay by David Koepp (Mission: Impossible, Spider-Man, War of the Worlds). The movie arrives in theaters next summer on May 22nd, 2008! Click on the picture for more info..

Perfect timing & combination! Smart Plug in + Asus Eee PC

2007-11-24T10:00:00.000+08:00

This has got to be the perfect timing here in the Philippines for mobile computing! With the release of the Asus Eee PC laptop and now this launch from Smart Bro (a usb 3G modem), internet anywhere is now a reality and at a very very affordable rate!

Asus Eee Laptop - P18,000
Smart Bro "Plug in" - P799/mo. (one time charge for usb 3G modem = P1,999)
--------------------------------
Total = P20,000 one time plus 799/mo. for a total internet anywhere experience!!!

Perfect Xmas Gift!!!

Asus Eee Review

2007-11-23T13:54:00.001+08:00

Asus Eee Laptop: laptop cheaper than a cellphone

2007-11-23T13:37:00.000+08:00

Its finally happened! the day when laptops are just as cheap as cellphones. Asus has done it with their Eee PC Series laptop costing only 18k pesos. i was able to snatch one right away when i learned of its release here in the philippines. prices have gone up since then (http://www.complink.com.ph)

its currently what im using to post this article, together with a usb 3G modem which lets me access the net. what makes this laptop so cheap is its specs:

- intel celeron cpu
- 512 ram
- 7 inch screen
- 4 gig hard drive (using new flash technology, meaning quicker, energy efficient and no moving parts)
- Linux operating system (windows xp is optional and supported)

although the specs may not be at par with most laptops today, its quite surprisingly functional and fast! and this is also despite my installing windows xp instead of sticking with the default linux os.

am excited to see how the computer market will shake up after this breakthrough product will make some waves in terms of pricing and form factor. You can bet others will be coming out with products similar to this soon in order not to be left behind! or are they already?

Beyonce in Manila 2007

2007-11-08T07:54:00.001+08:00

Live in the Fort, Taguig Philippines

iPod touch on your Windows Mobile device

2007-10-25T11:55:00.000+08:00

This is a great app! if you have a touch screen windows device do try this out! it does exactly what ipod touch does as well. Use your finger and "flick"/"scroll" through the songs by swipping the screen.

click here to download

Peterick

2007-09-23T09:22:00.001+08:00

peterick, originally uploaded by dilettanteavita.

Fall Out Boy in Manila PART 2

2007-09-22T00:30:00.001+08:00

Pete Jumps into the crowd!

Fall Out Boy in Manila PART 1

2007-09-22T00:22:00.001+08:00

Front row tickets were worth it!

FOB Front row tickets pay off! (Pete's Pick)

2007-09-21T14:14:00.000+08:00

Iron Man Trailer

2007-09-16T10:34:00.001+08:00

Text with Pictures!

2007-09-15T07:12:00.000+08:00

Great Text program for Windows mobile cellphone users!
Does "threaded style txting" so you dont end up with tons of txt in your inbox, you instead get a "chat" style conversation vs. individual txts.

A picture of the person you are "txting" with also is shown in each txt received!

Click here to download and install!

Live-action Robotech movie in the works

2007-09-10T14:42:00.000+08:00

This looks very promising! Tobey Maguire will be producing and starring in it. Hope it doesn't come out like another messed up transformers movie.

New iPod Touch

2007-09-07T18:24:00.001+08:00

Sigg Jones: CGI short, Anime meets Pixar

2007-09-03T15:36:00.001+08:00

The Simpsons Star Wars

2007-08-30T11:52:00.001+08:00

iPhone unlocked and sold in HK!

2007-08-17T07:23:00.001+08:00

Look who's coming next to the big screen after Transformers!

2007-08-14T08:59:00.000+08:00

With the stuff hollywood was able to do to the transformers, lets see how they pull it of again with Voltron!

read more here..

Fall Out Boy Sept 21!!!?? to be or not to be?

2007-07-18T21:08:00.000+08:00

This isn't funny, just walked during lunch break from edsa shang to megamall to checkout ticket net if there are tickets being sold for the supposed FOB concert in manila and found out there still is no such concert to be held even if its on the tour dates of FOB's website (see here). Am hoping things pull though! not another red hot chilli pepper mishap as well.

Conan O' Brien used to write for the Simpsons

2007-07-11T11:37:00.000+08:00

Q&A: Conan O'Brien

Before replacing David Letterman as the host of Late Night, Conan O'Brien spent two years as a writer and producer for The Simpsons. In this wide-ranging conversation—a companion to John Ortved's August feature, "Simpson Family Values"—O'Brien talks about how he got the Simpsons job, what it was like to work on the show, and why Mr. Burns was his favorite character to write for.

interview by John Ortved VF.COM July 5, 2007

more on this here: http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2007/08/conan200708

Christina Aguilera Live in Manila @ The Fort

2007-07-07T00:16:00.000+08:00

Just got back from watching the concert at the fort, extremely different feeling having the real deal singing this song, go figure..duh =)

An iPhone Demonstration

2007-07-04T08:44:00.001+08:00

Transformers Opening day!

2007-06-29T07:41:00.000+08:00

Got to watch my ultimate childhood heroes on the big screen last night at greenbelt! I arrived late however coming from work, but arrived just in time for the best parts =)
(am watching it atleast 3 times, so....)

Overall, here are some of "my" opinions regarding the movie:

- Total Robot bashing throughout the movie
- Popular optimus line inserts from the animated series (i.e. autobots roll out, one shall stand and one shall fall)

- Hearing Optimus speak with the original voice behind (Peter Cullen) was simply nostalgic!
- Sit far back in the cinema, since most camera angles are close ups of the fight scenes, you will get lost in the battles.
- since the movie was made for prime time audience than dedicated fans, the ending wasnt too appealing to true tf fans. parang bitin! you'll get what i mean.. no spoilers here =)
- hard to identify who is who during the battle scenes, especially since the action cuts were quite fast, they could have shown more of the autobot and decepticon logos to identify.
- overall, i think i had higher expectations on adaptations brought over from the old series but it really was made for hollywood so cant argue with that! but just having Peter Cullen speaking for Optimus did it for me!

Am hoping for a Part II of the movie since hints of it were apparent.. i think.. i hope.. i will it!

iPhone in the Wild!

2007-06-27T13:50:00.001+08:00

30 minutes of 80's cartoon Openings

2007-06-17T16:33:00.001+08:00

Best Cable Park in the World!!!!

2007-06-11T08:33:00.001+08:00

Only in the Philippines!!!!

Meet my bodyguard! 8 ft. Optimus!

2007-06-09T15:08:00.001+08:00

At the SM Megamall Toy kingdom launch of the Transformers Movie Toys! an 8 Ft. Optimus Prime was created and the fan boy in me just had to get a photo op! Will post the loot i was able to get away with next... click on the pic for more pics took during the event

Optimus Prime Talks at MTV Movie Awards

2007-06-09T08:14:00.001+08:00

WOOOHOOOOOOO!

Optimus Prime Voice Changer Helmet in action

2007-06-09T07:50:00.001+08:00

I'm wearing this to the Movie!!!

HTC Touch and TouchFLO interface

2007-06-09T07:23:00.001+08:00

HTC's version of the iPhone touch interface!

Optimus Speaks at MTV Movie Awards

2007-06-06T12:00:00.001+08:00

Woooooohooooooo!

iPhone wait is over!

2007-06-04T08:19:00.000+08:00

Look like the iPhone will be available on June 29 to the people in the USA. No telling when one can get their hands on a unit given the huge demand for it.

Steve Jobs and Bill Gates on stage!

2007-06-02T00:36:00.001+08:00

at a recent tech event the two got back together in an interview of how the computer industry started. What's interesting are the subtle points each tries to make =)

Interaction taken to the next level! : Microsoft Surface

2007-05-31T16:01:00.001+08:00

Want to use your Coffee table or Refrigerator as a monitor where you can touch and interact with?
Microsoft has produced a solution that will revolutionize the way you deal with digital media through touch technology!

Top Philippines Internet Service Providers!

2007-05-27T09:55:00.001+08:00

Got these results running on www.speedtest.net

UMPC Collection complete!

2007-05-26T10:55:00.001+08:00

UMPC (Ultra Mobile PC) Collection complete!

(from left)

Sony UX UMPC
Samsung Q1P
OQO Model 02

Well at least for now =)...

ITS HERE! First OQO model 02 in the Philippines!

2007-05-26T10:50:00.000+08:00

Just arrived from the US of A!

www.oqo.com Ultra Mobile PC

Loaded with:

Windows Vista Business Edition
1 Gig of Memory
60 Gigs of Hard Drive

Sony's flexible, full-color OLED

2007-05-26T02:29:00.001+08:00

This is the Shiznit!

He-Man hits the BIG screen!!!

2007-05-25T09:21:00.000+08:00

Talk about revivals and flashbacks! the latest to hit the big screen is no other than the Master of the universe himself!!!

takes from variety.com:

Warner Bros. and producer Joel Silver are working with Mattel to turn "He-Man and the Masters of the Universe" into a live-action film.

Justin Marks is set to write the script. Silver will produce.

Deal, which is contingent on Mattel formally approving an outline for the project, is another example of Hollywood overhauling a 1980s-era pop-culture touchstone in the hopes of seeding a tentpole pic. The sale comes just a few weeks before the July preem of DreamWorks' Michael Bay-directed "Transformers," which began as an '80s animated series and toy line.

Click here for more..

Did You know!?

2007-05-25T09:05:00.000+08:00

Did you know that the voice of:

Miss Piggy
Fozzie the Bear
Cookie Monster
Grover
Yoda

All came from one person!? its Frank Oz

click here to read more of where the old StarWars actors are now.

Some Predictions for the next Apple Announcments!

2007-05-25T09:02:00.000+08:00

(Taken from www.applegazette.com)

1 - Multi-Touch in Leopard - Leopard is going to be the main focus of WWDC this year,and I think one of the big surprises left in Leopard is the inclusion of the iPhone’s Multi-touch navigation. Now, I’m not saying that Apple is going to abandon the mouse at WWDC. Far from it, but I think Multi-touch will be included in the OS, and there will be some products there that support it.

2 - New GUI for OS X - We all know that the Aqua interface, while still quite nice, is getting a little long in the tooth. At WWDC expect the next generation GUI to be another secret of Leopard.

3 - New iLife w/iTunes HD - The new versions of iLife will be revealed with Leopard - possibly even as a part of Leopard itself, and will all feature HD support…including HD downloads from iTunes.

4 - Blu-Ray Support - Blu-Ray support and playback in Leopard, and Blu-Ray drive options on all higher end Macs.

5 - Leopard/iPhone integration - I don’t think we’ll be seeing too much about the iPhone at WWDC this year, but we will see how extensive the integration with Leopard is…and I expect it will be very much a part of Leopard. I don’t think it’s a co-incidence that WWDC is happening before the iPhone even comes out.

6 - New Mac Minis and Macbook Pros - With the recent update of the Macbooks, the Macbook Pros are in desperate need of CPU upgrade, and the Mac Minis are due as well. I expect to see new version of both products at WWDC if not before…

One More Thing…

7 - Ultra Portable iMac w/Multi touch screen - I don’t believe we’ll ever see an Apple tablet (made by Apple at least) but I think the time is right for a device like that to premiere. The UPiMac wouldn’t be much different than the current iMac…just thinner, lighter, and attached to a removable dock when on the desktop…but it would be portable for taking around the house to use where ever you wanted - freeing you from the confines of the desk, and giving you the freedom to use Multi-touch for a completely new UMPC experience.

Speed up your Web Browsing! using OpenDNS

2007-05-25T08:37:00.000+08:00

This is one way to speed up websites. Let me briefly explain how we are gonna do it:

All websites sit on computers called "servers", your computer/web browser connects to these "servers" by using an "Internet Service Provider (ISP)" like PLDT DSL, Globe broadband or Bayantel. What connects or allows your computer/webbrowser to find the right server that holds the website you would like to visit lies in a global directory called a DNS (Domain Name Service), sort of like a global telephone book of all the (IP/domain name) website addresses (i.e. www.google.com) in the world. Maintaining the look up of this directory are tons of "DNS Servers" around the world! Your ISP is usually the one who issues you the DNS server to connect to, usually their own DNS server locally.

One solution to quickly resolve domain names to their hosted servers is to use the quicker DNS Servers of OpenDNS.com click on the link how you can do this on your computer. Believe me its really simple to set! ENJOY!!

Transformers Movie TV Spot

2007-05-18T08:45:00.003+08:00

New Transformers Trailer #1

2007-05-18T08:45:00.001+08:00

June 2! Optimus Lives!

2007-05-12T23:31:00.000+08:00

The Simpsons vs. Family Guy

2007-05-12T23:23:00.000+08:00

http://www.uber.com/simpsonsvsfamilyguy

Optimus Prime Toy vs. iPod vs. R2D2

2007-05-10T15:40:00.001+08:00

Dude is hilarious! I admit it! I was once like this toooooo!!! =) come on! weren't you?

Jobs takes top CEO pay spot, makes $US646M

2007-05-09T09:11:00.000+08:00

Apple CEO becomes the highest-paid U.S. exec
taken from ComputerWorld.com.au

Steve Jobs' $US1 salary was dwarfed by $US646 million in stock compensation for 2006, Forbes magazine said Friday, ranking the Apple CEO as the highest-paid executive in the U.S.

In its annual CEO paycheck scorecard of America's 500 biggest companies, Forbes said the $US646.6 million for Jobs was more than twice the compensation of the next person on the list: Ray Irani of Occidental Petroleum, who took home $US321.6 million -- the bulk of it from exercised stock options.

The next-highest-paid CEO in the technology field after Jobs was Terry Semel of Yahoo, who ranked fifth. Semel pulled in $US174.2 million, all but $US600,000 in realized options. Michael Dell, the newly-returned CEO of Dell, followed at sixth. The 42-year-old made $US153.2 million, small potatoes to a man who owns company stock worth nearly $US5.4 billion.

Rounding out the top 25, Larry Ellison of Oracle collected $US72.4 million in 2006 to make the 12th spot on the Forbes list, while John Chambers of Cisco Systems received $US71.3 million for No. 15.

Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft, was a compensation pauper in comparison; he took home $US980,000 for the year to place at a lowly 481.

Other technology CEOs of note on the list include Mark Hurd of Hewlett-Packard ($US20.3 million, No. 80), Samuel Palmisano of IBM ($US17.6 million No. 104), Margaret Whitman of eBay ($US3.1 million, No. 376), Jonathan Schwartz of Sun Microsystems ($US1.5 million, No. 461), and Eric Schmidt of Google ($US560,000, No. 488).

New Iron Man Pics!

2007-05-03T10:58:00.002+08:00

In Iron Man, Downey plays millionaire industrialist Tony Stark, who creates the high-tech armor to fight villains after suffering a life-threatening heart injury in war-torn Afghanistan. (See photo of Downey forging the armor and the resulting Mark I gray suit.)

The film, which will feature the Marvel superhero’s Mark I gray armor as well as the red and gold suit, opens in theaters May 2, 2008.

RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE REUNITED AT COACHELLA 2007

2007-05-03T10:58:00.001+08:00

All this thanks to BUSH!!!!

Sweet Geek Watch!! (iPhone + Wrist Watch)

2007-05-03T08:30:00.000+08:00

click here for the website of this product..

Latest Statement from Kevin Rose (founder of Digg.com)

2007-05-03T08:04:00.000+08:00

"Today was an insane day. And as the founder of Digg, I just wanted to post my thoughts…

In building and shaping the site I’ve always tried to stay as hands on as possible. We’ve always given site moderation (digging/burying) power to the community. Occasionally we step in to remove stories that violate our terms of use (eg. linking to pornography, illegal downloads, racial hate sites, etc.). So today was a difficult day for us. We had to decide whether to remove stories containing a single code based on a cease and desist declaration. We had to make a call, and in our desire to avoid a scenario where Digg would be interrupted or shut down, we decided to comply and remove the stories with the code.

But now, after seeing hundreds of stories and reading thousands of comments, you’ve made it clear. You’d rather see Digg go down fighting than bow down to a bigger company. We hear you, and effective immediately we won’t delete stories or comments containing the code and will deal with whatever the consequences might be.

If we lose, then what the hell, at least we died trying.

Digg on,

Kevin"

Looks like someone didn't "sell out", after all =) Let's see how this all turns out though.. stay tuned! this is big news in the geek world..

HD-DVD Hack Issue!

2007-05-02T17:32:00.000+08:00

One of my favorite news bit sites, namely Digg.com has recently been boycotted by some if its users due to "sell out" reasons. Basically, someone found a hack for the DRM or copyright protection that HD-DVD discs/player have used and posted the crack on sites like Digg. The users who posted these cracks thought that Digg.com would be a good place to share the hack but Digg decided otherwise by "removing them". Apparently, Digg's lawyers had advised them to remove the posts due to fear of being shutdown by the HD-DVD companies. When the users who had submitted the hack posts found out their posts were missing they immediately created a Revolt and spammed Digg.com with hate posts and repeatedly exposing the crack code for HD-DVD's.

Some are saying that this may be the end of Digg, given that even the top users/posters of the news tidbits for the site are also boycotting and declining their news contributions to the site. Below is a response from Kevin Rose, one of the founders of Digg.com Click on the pic for a bigger version.

5/2/07 Click here for more info on this topic..
5/2/07 click here for another
5/3/07 Latest article on the topic from Forbes.com

Me in 3 weeks!

2007-05-01T09:38:00.001+08:00

Iron Man Movie, a year from now

2007-04-30T07:43:00.000+08:00

Staring Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark. The movie will also have both gold/red and grey suits.

Click here for Full story

First Transformers Movie Review! Awesome!

2007-04-28T14:41:00.000+08:00

This has got to be the longest review i've seen ever! and reading it just makes you wanna freak out with all the juicy details about.....

click here for the whole review.. warning "spoilers"...

Evolution of Hacking! "full free video documentary"

2007-04-23T08:35:00.000+08:00

The Pirates of Silicon Valley -"full movie free"

2007-04-23T08:26:00.000+08:00

New Logo and Animated TF Series

2007-04-23T08:20:00.000+08:00

"My name is Optimus Prime!" Scene

2007-04-15T09:24:00.000+08:00

Thanks to Azrael over at Transformers Philippines for this clip on his blog.

Mac + Cellphone = Mobility!

2007-04-09T15:18:00.000+08:00

For those of you who are trying to get your cellphone to work with your Macbook so you can wirelessly surf via 3G or GPRS speeds anywhere in the country. Let me point you in the right direction. Here are a couple of resources to look for stuff to make it work:

http://www.taniwha.org.uk/
- this link provides for different phone modem scripts in case your phone is like Nokia who loves to make it just a bit more exciting. Sony ericsson phones are straightforward.

http://www.pinoymac.org/forum/showthread.php?t=20211
- this is a link to a forum discussing the subject.

Have fun! Ive found that surfing on the Mac seems to be quicker than on windows.. go figure.

3G on the Nokia N95 with Smart Telecom

2007-04-09T14:16:00.000+08:00

For you 3G speed fanatics, here's a speed test of the Nokia N95's modem connected to my Sony UX UMPC (computer) over a bluetooth connection. This is using Smart's 3G Service. YouTube was playing smoothly without hick ups as well as being online with yahoo messenger. Did this from the root top of my house.

Nokia N95, worth the price..

2007-04-08T20:26:00.001+08:00

Did a video review of the Nokia N95 connected to a 32" TV and remotely controlled with a bluetooth keyboard. Watch the video and see of yourself... enjoy!

Nokia N95 in the House!

2007-04-07T22:15:00.000+08:00

Got me a Nokia N95 after having sold my current phone the Treo 680 and Dopod 838 Pro.
Was quite fortunate that this was the only remaining stock left as I got it today. Wasnt really
thinking they would even have any in stock yet, especially this holy week (no deliveries).

At any rate, its turning out to be a very very excellent choice given everything thats packed into it! have tried out the 5.0 Megapix camera, GPS Locator, 3G Video Streaming, Wifi, TV-out, Watching Youtube, posting pics to Flickr.. does almost everything i need to do on the Net. Oh! and it makes phone calls too! =P

Japanese TV Show - "Silent library"

2007-04-07T06:37:00.001+08:00

I dare you to try and not laugh watching this show, its almost impossible! you'll see what I mean when you watch these guys go into a library and do dumb-ass pranks on each other while having to keep total silence! reminds me of high school =)

If you liked the first one here is another: Click here

The Snake Radio Show! -must listen.

2007-04-05T14:18:00.000+08:00

You guys trust me on this one! youre gna want to listen to the whole thing!! Super funny radio show Practical joke! just click the show name on the built in player below

Macbook Running Vista

2007-04-03T17:32:00.001+08:00

For those of you, who like me just need to have both Windows and Mac OS X running on a Macbook, here is evidence that both run flawlessly on a Macbook. NOTE: Vista AERO graphics works flawlessly on the Macbook using bootcamp 1.2 software. Go buy a Macbook!! I just did =)

The suspense is killing me..

2007-04-03T11:18:00.000+08:00

Reasons why I love Macro Photography!

2007-04-03T09:42:00.000+08:00

Who says one needs to travel to get the most amazing photos, when you can simply be creative and find lots of shots in your own coffee cup. An example is this shot of milk dropping into coffee.

Open Music

2007-04-03T08:01:00.000+08:00

For those of you who buy songs from the Apple iTunes store, you may come to know that they are practically non-transferable. Meaning you can't copy these songs over to other ipods or other portable players like your cellphone or another brand of mp3 player. The technology that makes sure that you cant is called "DRM" or Digital Rights Management. Both Apple and Microsoft have their own way of placing DRM unto the music they sell online.

This is the only way the record companies have agreed to selling music online at a low price, it protects/assures them that you can only listen to what you paid for and where you can only listen to it, on your ipod only. This is one of the reasons why some may still hesitate to purchase legal music over the net and opt for free pirated music from peer to peer networks like limewire or torrents.

Apple's big honcho Steve Jobs wrote a letter supporting the move to selling "DRM-Free" or "copy protection free" music on their store if it weren't for record labels refusing to try this new concept out. Fortunately, one music label namely EMI (who carries the Beatles music) has taken the leap into agreeing to free their songs of DRM protection. The conditions "to be" for selling DRM-free music on the iTunes music store would be:

- You'll pay a 30% premium for them to remove the DRM that you didn't want in the first place
- But in return for audio files that you can move across multiple computers and devices
- You'll also get higher quality sound: the $1.29 tracks are encoded in 256 kbps AAC format as opposed to the DRM-tunes at 128 kbps in AAC
- You can pay an additional $.30 a track to "upgrade" tunes you already own to higher quality.

Which labels are next to follow? More importantly, which on-line music stores will offer the same or do they need to? Will folks just buy the DRM tracks from iTunes and move to their Microsoft Zune players or cellphones? whatever the effect will be it will still be a win for the open world we live in today, thanks to the champions of the IT industry.

more on this issue...

New TV Ads for Transformers movie!

2007-04-01T08:59:00.000+08:00

Click on Pic to watch!

80's Movie Fever Remakes!

2007-03-26T09:50:00.000+08:00

Transformers Movie Vehicle Group shot!

2007-03-25T08:34:00.000+08:00

Here are some images of TF Movie on set in Edwards Airforce Base
including all the vehicles that was used in the movie, check it out.
Group shot

So what's Next?.. The Wait.

2007-03-16T08:18:00.000+08:00

Even though the wait might not that be long in human years, its seems like alot in tech years.
The next slew of Tech gadgetry will be pouring into the market around April and onwards. So i'd hold tight to my pocket if i were you for those laptops, ipods and cellphones.

Here are just a few of the major launches and features you need to watch out for in case your in the market looking for something:

Laptops and mini laptops (UMPC's):

- New Operating Systems
The next versions of Windows and Mac operating systems have just been launched and have barely gotten into the the market, so beware of old laptops that bear the "Vista Ready" logo but only have Windows XP installed. I'd rather buy a laptop that already has Vista fully installed on it. Do note that Vista has several versions from Basic to Ultimate. Most people will find that basic will do, the most popular feature right now selling the ultimate version is a feature called "Dreams cene" (basically its just a fancy desktop background that's animated, neat but unecessary). One thing you also might want to watch out for is the Vista feature called "Aero", this feature basically makes your desktop look nice and fancy by applying the type of "glass transparency" effect you would expect from an apple system. Aero however demands that you have a capable enough video card to run it, any laptop spec that has a video card higher than the Intel GM945 chipset will do (trust me you'll want this.) From Intel, "The Intel® 945G & 945GM Express Chipsets will be the first Intel products to support the Windows Vista Aero user interface".

Apple is launching their next OS version called "Leopard" soon. Since their really good at keeping their new features under tight wraps their isn't much to know yet but there are the usual rumors circulating. check here for more..

- New Form Factors

A lot of hardware partners like OQO, HP, IBM and Sony have been pumping out new form factors for varying purposes like mobility and access. Here are a few of the big things:

Sideshow (only found in windows laptops)
- sideshow is a feature by Windows Vista that provides an easy way for you to add so called "gadgets" on your desktop like fancy clocks or a mini-calendar. What neat about this feature is that the hardware guys have begun to place a mini-pda if you will, on laptops that display gadgets through the sideshow feature. Think of it as a second screen that is on top of the lid of your laptop and allows you to play music or read email without even having to turn on your computer or open the lid. Easy Access! note: you could even remove the sideshow device from the laptop and carry it with you like and mp3 player or PDA with all your info, then "dock" it back into the laptop itself to re-sync. I love this feature. Right now only the Asus W5fe laptop has this. Expect future laptops to be incorporating it soon.

Hybrid Harddrives "Flash/NAND/SSD Disks"

- This is a big thing! this year we will begin to see hard drives that have NO moving parts. The concept is similar to having a USB Flash disk the size of 32 Gig in your laptop. No moving parts basically means more power savings, more speed in turning on your laptop and more space saved inside the laptop. Imagine turning on a windows laptop that boots in 10 sec? i wish. We have yet to see but one definite thing is that the prices are going to radically drop because both Microsoft and Apple are already building devices that will have this in them. So expect to see Flash ipods in the future, like a nano but bigger capacity than just 4 or 8 Gig, click here to learn more on apple and flash. One product that has this feature is the Samsung Q1 SSD (Solid State Disk).

Built in Wireless Broadband internet (not WIFI)
- More and more laptops are beginning to sport "built-in Wireless internet". This is different from Wi-Fi, because wifi requires you to connect to a wireless hot-spot like a cafe.
Wireless Area Network or WAN as they might call it, releases you from having to sit near or find signals from a cafe with wifi signals. It does this instead by connecting to Cellphone Signals. Yep, it uses a cellphone SIM card that you insert into the laptop to connect to the telco. So cellphone data signals like GPRS, EDGE and 3G are at your disposal anywhere you go! instant broadband internet on your laptop! Check out the Sony TX Series.

Cellphones/PDA:

Next big thing for cellphones are:

Internet Access
- cellphone will be using the internet more and more for purposes of sending photos, video and music over the web. From Photo blogging to TV streaming to Downloading Music over the net will become a basic feature everyone will want to have. Even the basic function of talking over the phone will change as we move towards talking over the internet via VOIP (Voice over IP/Internet). An example would be the free phone service SKYPE which is now available on some PDA phones that have Wifi access. There are phones now that have all the possible access features: (from slowest to fastest) GPRS, EDGE, 3G, 3.5G (HSDPA), WIFI.

Bigger Screen
- With all the content such as TV programs, photos and webpages which are all going to command a big space of your phone's screen its no wonder why screens have either gained in size or resolution in trying to pack all that content into one screen. VGA resolution which is the minimum on most desktops now a days are now coming to a phone near you! so loading a webpage on your phone would just be like how it would load on a computer, size wise.

Form Factor
- The PDA phones coming out now a days are offering more variety of input techniques. Such as the touchscreen keyboards (which i dislike because you still a stylus or finger nail to tap on the screen), the normal number keypad or the full QWERTY keyboard (which is my favorite!). one phone that is combining almost all of these input methods is the HTC s710 which combines the number keypad and qwerty keyboard into one! for one or two handed operation! Click this link for more upcoming phones loaded with new Operating systems like the Windows Mobile 6 platform.

Its Coming!

2007-03-16T08:06:00.000+08:00

Huge ad on the side of the famous Apple "glass cube" store in New York! ahh patience..

Captain America is NOT Dead!

2007-03-16T07:49:00.000+08:00

Does no one read the other books? Straight from the pages of Civil War: The Initiative #1. This book was released the exact same day as Captain America #25, where he supposedly died.

p.s. I thought Captain America died when Christopher dropped him in The Pursuit of Happyness.

300 was made with Final Cut Pro, Shake, Quicktime, and Macs

2007-03-13T17:50:00.000+08:00

Macs were preferred by the filmmakers of 300. Even though Final Cut Pro was not the main editing software used for 300 it was preferred over Avid. Shake was also the main program used for the 2D effects and Quicktime HD was the choice for creating the HD movie previews.

Borat DVD a top seller in Kazakhstan!

2007-03-13T17:47:00.000+08:00

According to the British arm of online retail giant Amazon, the DVD of Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan was the most-ordered product from Kazakhstan.

Star Wars 30th Anniv!

2007-03-12T12:01:00.000+08:00

The US Post Office is rolling out a line of R2D2 mailboxes in honor of the 30th anniversary of Star Wars! Aweesome, sight for sore eyes!

SM Bacolod Opening Pics

2007-03-05T14:34:00.000+08:00

Field work with my new Canon 400D on the opening day of SM City Bacolod! Click on the pic to see..

PhotoSynth from Microsoft!

2007-02-27T17:13:00.000+08:00

Ever wonder what one could do with all the pictures posted on the internet?

What if i told you that i could gather all the pictures of the Empire State building and make a 3d Tour of it! how cool would that be? or if there were so much pictures taken of a famous actor/actress than almost every angle of his/her face is available on the internet, you could already make a 3D image of him/her by putting all those photos together!

Welcome Photosynth the latest creation from Microsoft labs! to learn more on how you can begin doing this yourself go to:

http://labs.live.com/photosynth/whatis/

Why Geeks and Nerds Are Worth It...

2007-02-22T15:41:00.000+08:00

In the wide world of dating, there are many options. Do you go for the flashy guy with the smooth smile, or the dude in the corner typing away on his laptop? The following are reasons why I think females should pay more attention to the quiet geeks and nerds, and less attention to the flashy boys.

I personally like the last point in the list:

"15.) And the final reason why geeks and nerds make great boyfriends: They actually give a damn about you. Not how you look (though that’s a plus), not how skinny you are, not how much make-up you primp yourself up with, but they like you for you. That kind of thing lasts longer than “DaMN baby you got a fine ass!!!” Believe me."

click for the full list

Gods of Geekdom!

2007-02-22T08:32:00.000+08:00

At a very rare public appearance! Steve Jobs (Apple Computer) and Bill Gates (Microsoft) at a recent Tech event invited as speakers sit on the same table. Hmmm what were they talking about? *hey bill, lets just end the issue and say that I'm just totally cooler than you! ergo "I'm a Mac and you're a PC"*

Keep you friends close but your enemies closer!

OQO model 02! First Vista (UMPC) Ultra Mobile PC

2007-01-16T22:11:00.000+08:00

You just gotta love technology with products like this!

Click here for the specs!

Apple iPhone at long last!

2007-01-10T08:02:00.000+08:00

This is what will probably win over alot of people over to the "Mac-side". Personally, I would definitely want to purchase a mac now because of this device.. Apple just "gets it" when it comes to user interface! wait a while and microsoft will too hehe.. Here are the specs just announced today at CES the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

Hardware Features
- 3.5" Widescreen touch-sensitive display
- 11.6 mm thin
- 2 megapixel camera
- proximity sensor, accelerometer, and ambient light sensors
- Quad-band GSM/EDGE + WiFI + Bluetooth 2.0
- Battery Life: 16 hours audio, 5 hour talk/video/browse time

Software Features
- Runs version of OSX. "Full desktop-class applications"
- conference call support with up to 3 participants
- multiple SMS session support (iChat-like interface)
- Safari: first fully useable HTML browser on a phone
- "coolest photo management app ever"
- Widget support
- Yahoo IMAP mail
- Google Maps (with satellite image) integration

The phone will be offered exclusively through Cingular in the US in June, and will come to Europe in Q4 2007, and Asia in 2008. A 4 GB model will be offered for $499 with a 2 year contract, and an 8 GB model will fetch $599 with similar contract provisions. The phone can be purchased through Cingular's website or via the Apple Store.

2nd Transformers Movie Trailer!

2006-12-22T09:50:00.000+08:00

Check out the latest trailer from the transformers movie! more characters like optimus prime and bumblebee are seen in this! the suspense!!!

http://video.vividas.com/CDN1/5029_paramount/en/web/

Got Cassettes?

2006-12-22T09:45:00.000+08:00

I thought i'd never see the day when today's modern computers would be caught dead with a cassette player in them! so if you still own MC hammer, New Kids on the block or Vanilla Ice cassette tapes, have no fear cuz this player also rips songs from them and converts them into mp3. http://www.firebox.com/product/1700?src_t=wnw

Hitch! USB to USB Transfers

2006-12-22T09:36:00.000+08:00

Ever wanted to copy the music or videos off of someone elses ipods but didnt have a computer around? or get a copy of that digital photo right after it was taken from a party without having to wait for the emailed copy? Hitch is a portable "copy" device which does that for you without the use of a computer. It copies files from and to any device that hooks up via USB.

Treo 680 Smartphone

2006-12-22T09:22:00.000+08:00

Treo 680 Smartphone! ordered straight from Palm.com with free overnight delivery! cost was $399 or P19,950. This version has the Palm OS, no antenna, lighter and smallest treo size. I especially liked the colors they came out with, copper (orange), Crimson (red), Artic (white) and Graphite (Grey). I went for the white color, whats sad is that when the 680 gets here in the philippines, it will only be available in graphite color.

Samsung Q1 UMPC Intel Core Version with 1 Gig RAM

2006-12-22T09:08:00.000+08:00

Samsung Q1 UMPC (Ultra Mobile PC) delivered from my online suki shop in the US www.icube.us . This is the Intel Pentium M "Centrino" version plus 1 Gig of RAM and 60 Gig HD which was on promo $1,250 or P62,500.