Epson Philippines Unveils New Innovative Products at Fusion 7 in Siargao

Last May 19 to 21, 2016, the beautiful island of Siargao in Mindanao - a world-renowned surfers' paradise - became the venue for the formal announcement of Epson Philippines' sterling new devices this year.

The unveiling was held via Epson Fusion 7, which also offered an opportunity for tech bloggers and members of the media to bond with each other and with Team Epson. (Kindly check @techpinas on Instagram as well as my personal Facebook account for some photos that I took from this memorable adventure.)

Allow me to give you a quick run-down of all the fresh innovative products that the legendary Japanese electronics company launched at the event.

Epson WorkForce PRO WF R8591

The Epson WorkForce Pro WF-R8591 is the first printer model to feature a Replaceable Ink Pack System (RIPS), utilizing high capacity ink packs that can hold a considerably higher volume of ink compared to traditional toner and ink cartridges. With this technology, the WF-R8591 can print up to a whopping 75,000 pages before needing to have the packs replaced.

Looking at the photo and wondering what that bike's for? Well, apparently, Epson Workforce Pro is so energy-efficient that it can be powered with mechanical energy. Believe it! The company gave us a stunning demo of this feature during the event.

Epson EH-LS10000 - Laser Light Source Home Projector

Perfect for watching movies in your home-theater, the powerhouse Epson EH-LS1000 state-of-the-art projector features 3LCD reflective panels and a dual laser light source that let users see the blackest blacks and the most vivid colors.

Epson LabelWorks LW-Z900FK

The award-winning Epson LabelWorks LW-Z900FK gives its users the convenience of creating variable lengths of labels through its mix-length printing option. Additionally, the LW-Z900FK is also made of durable elastomer material, making it drop-impact resistant and capable of withstanding varying rough industrial environments.

Epson TM-m30 Printer

The reliable TM-m30 POS receipt printer offers the freedom to print 3-inch receipts from any mobile device or desktop computer. And here's cool feature: It can be used with one power source for your tablet and printer.

Moverio Pro BT-2000 Smart Glasses for Augmented Reality Applications

A true leader in innovation, Epson brings the latest smart glasses technology to the industrial and enterprise setting with the Moverio Pro BT-2000 Smart Headset. Leveraging on Epson’s all-original optical and precision technologies, this wearable is able to overlay 3D content on top of the real world environment, making it the perfect complementary device for augmented reality apps across various platforms. According to the company, the BT-2000 also helps to increase productivity by providing onsite and remote support, and has the potential to revolutionize visual communications for many industries including warehousing/logistics, repair and maintenance, automotive, manufacturing, and construction, to name a few.

Epson P80 POS Printer

Perfect for those in retail industry and entrepreneurs with food-related businesses, the best-in-its-class Epson P80 POS printer has speeds up to 100mm/second, unparalleled battery life, and connectivity options that meet the requirements of iOS, Android and Windows printing applications.

Next Generation Epson S-Series Signage Printer with Roll-on-Roll Eco-Solvent and Precision Core Technology

The company’s next generation of high-performance roll-to-roll eco-solvent Epson SureColor S-Series signage printers feature high-performance PrecisionCore TFP printhead, a new Print Mode that improves image quality by reducing visible banding, and auto media adjustmentthat - when combined - make them capable of meeting the most demanding tasks while lowering operation costs.

PaperLab - World's First Compact Paper-Making System

Epson PaperLab, showcases Epson’s commitment to preserving the environment by giving value to paper and recycling. A true landmark product that's both excellent and innovative, the PaperLab can produce paper of various thicknesses, and types, from used office paper and business card paper to paper that is colored and scented. On top of that, Epson has developed Dry Fiber Technology without water, a new group of technologies for the PaperLab, taking the paper recycling process to a whole new level!

Overall, I was thoroughly impressed with all the models that the company showed us during the event. I think all of the devices represent Epson's forward-thinking stance and drive for excellence in doing its business. No wonder then that this legendary Japanese tech giant continues to do well in this new electronics landscape dominated by mobile devices and social media.

Thanks for my first Fusion and Siargao experience, Epson! I have a blast!

What Do The New Logos of Smart and PLDT Symbolize?

A new day has come for the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT) and its wireless business unit, Smart Communications.

Through an exclusive media event held on Monday - June 13, 2016 - at the Shangri-La Hotel in Makati City, the two companies formally unveiled their largely identical new logo designs, which symbolize the powerful convergence of PLDT and Smart, combining fixed and wireless technologies to serve individual and enterprise customers.

According to the External Relations Team of Smart Public Affairs, "The new PLDT and Smart logo is shaped like a triangle with the three sides representing the Company's business pillars - exceptional people, meaningful innovations, and our valuable customers. The triangle is also the symbol for Delta, the fourth letter in the Greek alphabet, which stands for change."

So how does PLDT and Smart define 'Change' exactly?

It's all about embarking on a digital pivot to address the needs of consumers as they go through their digital lifestyle and to match Philippines' rising digital economy.

To quote Mr. Manny V. Pangilinan - Chairman of PLDT - on Twitter, "Exceptional people. A daring digital pivot. Meaningful innovations that are changing lives, again. [Embracing digital makes sense -- especially in an emerging economy the Telco is central to digital transformation of society.] [...] Let us go back 18 years when First Pacific invested in PLDT and 23 years in Smart; The Telco now so different from Telco then. PLDT-Smart's story is also the story of our people. Borderless. Immersed in change. Empowered like never before.#ANewDay indeed for PLDT-Smart."

This landmark branding revamp came hot on the heels of PLDT's Php 43 Billion capital spending to boost its digital infrastructure as well as its Php 69.1 Billion co-acquisition (with its erstwhile network rival Globe Telecom) of San Miguel's telco business, which controls the much-talked about 700 mHz spectrum that had been relegated to radio and analog TV broadcast.

2016 Samsung Galaxy Note 6 Phablet Design Renders Surface!

Based on 2016 Samsung Galaxy Note 6 blueprints leaked by @OnLeaks on Twitter several days ago, UK-based price comparison service and switching website uSwitch created these 3D renders of the Korean company's upcoming flagship stylus-toting phablet.

Both @OnLeaks and uSwitch (source) have been pretty much accurate for the past couple of years with most of their predictions and 'insider information' disclosures -- so there's reason to believe that these images could be on-point.

Looking at the renders, it appears that the 2016 refresh to the popular SGNote will have a design language that combines that of Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge and Samsung Galaxy Note 5 -- replete with SuperAMOLED screen that gently curves down either sides, an anodized aluminum mid-frame, noticeable antenna bands, and - of course - a slot at the rear for the S-Pen stylus.

One of the new hardware features that's expected to make a debut on the Samsung Galaxy Note 6 is the USB Type C port, which will replace microUSB 2.0. The image above reflects its inclusion in the product design.

Other rumored technical specifications of Samsung Galaxy Note6 include a 5.7 to 5.8 inch screen, Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor, 6GB of LPDDR4 RAM, 32/64/128GB storage space options, Dual SIM Dual Standby capability, 4G LTE support, and imaging capabilities similar to that of Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge.

The 2016 iteration to the Galaxy Note series is expected to be unveiled come August 2016 via an exclusive keynote presentation at this year's IFA trade show in Berlin, Germany.

ASUS ZenPower Pro Hands-on, First Impressions: A Smarter ZenPower

A better, smarter ZenPower

One of the freebies that ASUS handed to us when we visited their office in Taipei last week was the nicer version of their powerbank, the ZenPower Pro. The ZenPower Pro may not be a big upgrade in terms of capacity (it’s the same 10050mAh that’s in the original) but it’s definitely a step up in terms of build quality and tech, specifically the fast charger built into it.

The biggest change in the ZenPower is the two charging ports that are built into the top of the device. One of those ports is has fast charging tech – Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 2.0, to be exact – that delivers fast charging to your device to get it back in action quicker.

The port is rated for 18 watts and in our tests, we found that even devices that did not have Quick Charge 2.0 got filled with juice quicker compared to the other port.

You can also charge two devices simultaneously with the ZenPower, and there’s a handy LED light that you can use by holding down the power button for around 3 seconds to provide emergency illumination.

The ZenPower Pro is a little bigger than the original but is still pretty handy, and we’ve heard rumors that it might (big emphasis on might) replace the ZenPower in the PH at the same 

Cherry Mobile M1 first Helio x20 in the Philippines

After being silent for several months Cherry Mobile finally unveiled a new flagship device that can surely compete with other brands packing a Helio x20, the top processor of MediaTek to date. Cherry Mobile M1 is the new series of Helio smartphone that will be available this month starting of with a monster 4GB RAM paired with 32GB of Internal Storage. Using the 1.4GHz / 2.0Ghz / 2.3GHz Deca Core processor (MT6797) no doubt this is the faster Cherry Mobile smartphone to date. Check out our first hands-on experience with the Cherry Mobile M1 below.

Cherry Mobile M1 Specs:

• D100
• Android Marshmallow 6.0
• 1.4GHz / 2.0GHz / 2.3GHz Deca Core
• Mali-T880
• Dual Nano SIM
• 5.5-inch FHD GFF Full Lamination Technical
• 400ppi
• 32GB ROM
• 4GB RAM
• Non-expandable
• LTE Cat6 Capable
• Wi-Fi / NFC / Bluetooth 4.1
• USB Type-C
• 3.5mm Jack with Hi-Fi
• 21MP Rear Camera with PDAF, BSI Support with Dual Tone Flash
• Mira Vision /
• 4k Video
• OTG Capable
• Asahi Glass
• HotKnot
• 8MP Front Camera with Flash
• GPS / Glonass / Beidou
• Fingerprint Sensor
• Dual Front Speaker
• 3,600mAh Fast Charging Non-Removable Battery
• Php11,999

ASUS Zenfone GO 5.0 (ZC500TG) Price Drops To Php5,495!

As ASUS Philippines recently reached an incredible milestone with their #1MillionIncredibleFans, they are giving everyone one last good reason to make the last days of the summer to be more awesome and incredible than ever!

Zenfone Go ZC500TG Summer's Last Hurrah!

This 7 Days of Summer ZenFone Promo brings you Summer's Last Hurrah Drop The Heat Price Discount with Zenfone Go 5.0, from the original price of Php5,995 dropped into Php5,495 -- a Php500 discount on this awesome and afforable smartphone!

ASUS Zenfone GO 5.0 (ZC500TG) Specifications

• Display: 5-inch HD IPS display @ 1280 x 720 resolution
• Processor: 1.3GHz MediaTek MT6580 quad-core processor
• Memory: 2GB RAM
• Rear camera: 8MP with f/2.0 aperture
• Front camera: 2MP
• Storage: 16GB internal storage, expandable up to 64GB via microSD
• Networks: 2G, 3G
• Wi-Fi: Yes
• Bluetooth: Yes
• GPS: Yes, with A-GPS
• Battery: 2,070mAh battery
• OS: Android 5.1 Lollipop
• Dimensions: 144.5 x 71 x 9.98mm
• Wieght: 135 grams
• Colors Available: black, white, and red

Read more: http://www.geekypinas.com/2016/06/asus-zenfone-go-50-zc500tg-price-dropped-php5495.html#ixzz4AsPaWy8a 
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Cherry Mobile Flare S4 Max Outed By Retailer

Budget Marshmallow phone

Ever eager Cherry Mobile retailer Cherry Angel has outed the local company’s yet unreleased smartphone, the Flare S4 Max. As of now only the specifications of the device is available via a photo of the back retail box – no image (real or rendered) has been released by either Cherry Angel or the local company for the new device as of yet.

Cherry Mobile Flare S4 Max specs:

• 1.3GHz quad-core processor
• 1GB of RAM
• 5.5-inch HD display, 1280 x 720 resolution
• 8GB of storage, expandable via microSD
• 13-megapixel rear camera
• 5-megapixel front camera
• Dual SIM
• 3G
• WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, A-GPS
• 4200mAh battery
• Android Marshmallow

The biggest draw for the new phone? A large 4200mAh battery, which should keep the phone running for quite a while compared to other devices. Aside from the large battery the Flare S4 Max has a 1.3GHz quad-core processor, Android 6.0 Marshmallow, 13-megapixel/5-megapixel camera combo, 1GB of RAM and 8GB of expandable storage. All of that for a price of Php 3,600.

Samsung Galaxy On7 (2016) is in the works, import listing reveals

So far we've seen quite a few 2016 refreshes of Samsung smartphones, and it now looks like there's another one in the pipeline. The Korean company is working on the Galaxy On7 (2016), which will come to replace the original On7 from last year.

This has been revealed by Indian import tracking website Zauba, as you can see in the image below. Several different parts for the Samsung SM-G610F have been imported into the subcontinent, for testing and evaluation purposes. And since the On7 from 2015 has the model number SM-G600, this is clearly its successor.

Thankfully these listings also clear up some specs of the upcoming On7 refresh. It will come with dual-SIM functionality (with the second SIM slot shared with the microSD slot), a 13 MP rear camera, an 8 MP front-facing unit, and a 1080p Full HD touchscreen.

Its predecessor had to make do with 720p resolution, and a 5 MP selfie shooter, so these are welcome steps up. The original On7 also had a 13 MP main camera, so there doesn't seem to be an upgrade there. Hopefully there have been some improvements in other areas such as RAM amount or internal storage.

Acer Liquid Zest 3G Review: A budget-friendly, feature-packed smartphone

Acer recently released its newest line-up of value smartphones and for this review it's the Liquid Zest 3G version. So let's check if this smartphone by Acer is worth our money.

Acer Liquid Zest 3G Review

The Acer Liquid Zest 3G lies in between entry-level and mid-range smartphone, considering the price tag of Php3,999 it's a real budget smartphone for starters and yet it packs a whole lot of features.

What's inside the box?

The box of the Acer Liquid Zest 3G contains the following:

• 1 x Acer Liquid Zest 3G
• 1 x USB data/charger cable
• 1 x Charger plug
• User manual

Build Quality & Design
The Acer Liquid Zest 3G comes in Midnight Black (the one in this review) or in Daylight White and it's pretty slim and very compact to carry. The phone has a full front glass, the body is rounded rectangle plastic-built with a curve matte design plus the Acer logo in the back. The phone is easy to hold in the hand, it's neither too small or too big, but it's a bit slippery to hold, so be careful. It's rather is simple looking smartphone which is a bit similar design in the some of the Android One line-ups

The display is clear and nice to look at, thanks to its 5-inch HD IPS @ 1280 x 720 resolution display, you won't see any pixels in the screen. The text and images are crisp and sharp with the display, this is one of the goodies in this smartphone. Another screen feature it boasts is the Zero-Gap display which you cannot see any gap in the display as the screen is attached in the glass.

The back part contains the camera, LED flash and the Acer logo

The top part has the audio jack port and the bottom part has the micro-USB port for charging or data transfer

The side has the volume rocker and the power button

The back part has the rear camera, LED flash, Acer logo and the speaker.

Inside the Liquid Zest 3G are the following: 2 sim card slots and 1 micro-SD slot

UI, Apps & OS
As for the UI and the OS, I'd like to congratulate Acer for keeping the OS or the Home UI as simple as much as possible and is similar to the stock Android look, it is fast and fluid. Only the icons and some pre-installed apps were included, nonetheless there are not much bloatwares that can slow the phone. Also I'm happy to say its already an Android Marshmallow so you get all the benefits of the latest Android OS.

The app drawer is from the stock Android Home UI, some system app icons were replaced and there are some pre-installed apps and games that maybe useful, if you don't want them, you can always uninstall or disable. Overall it feels like the stock Android and its a big plus in my view.

Camera
As for the camera, it has a pretty good quality for the 8MP it offer for the price. The pictures that I took are nicely captured in the camera, its has a focus feature and but sometimes it is slow in focusing. The camera is good taking pictures outdoors but on indoors it starts to produce image noises (or image dots) that you can see when zooming. You can see the sample shots below:

Indoor, Well-lit room

Indoor, Well-lit room

Indoor, low-light, Normal mode shot

Indoor, low-light, HDR

Indoor, low-light, Normal mode with Flash

As for the images above, the camera is good especially with its price, the image quality will vary if there is a better source of light. The 5MP front camera is quite good too, it has a wide angle lens so you can better capture your face, body and the background even in close range. (We'll add more pictures soon, so always check this article!)

Performance & Benchmark Tests

Benchmark Test Scores: 
Antutu: 23343
Geekbench 3:

• Single-core: 358
• Multi-core: 1139

Quadrant Standard: 5825
Nenamark 2: 56.4fps
Multi-touch test: 5 touch points

As for the benchmarks results, the Geekbench scored 358 for the for single-core test and 1139 in the multi-core test. Antutu scores about 23343 in its overall phone test and 5825 for the Quadrant standard. It scored 56.4 fps in the Nenamark 2 test which is pretty good for gaming & multimedia. To translate these scores, the Liquid Zest 3G is capable of running low to mid 3D games, those who won't need much processing & graphics power, nonetheless it can run most games except the new 3D apps and games that requires more power. As for our experience with the phone, there is no noticeable lags, the usage is smooth and works the way it should be. Speaking for the DTS Studio Sound feature, it provides a larger sound field with higher vocal clarity and more natural details.

ACER Liquid Zest 3G Specifications

• Display: 5.0-inch HD IPS @ 1280 x 720 resolution, Zero-Gap display
• Processor: 1.3GHz Mediatek MT6580 quad-core processor
• Memory: 1GB RAM
• Storage: 8GB internal storage, expandable up to 32GB via microSD
• Rear camera: 8MP rear camera with F2.0 aperture
• Front camera: 5MP wide selfie front camera
• GPS: Yes, with A-GPS
• Wi-Fi: Yes
• Networks: 3G HSPA+
• Bluetooth: Yes
• Audio: High quality audio with DTS® Studio Sound
• SIM: Dual-SIM, Dual Active
• Battery: 2000 mAh
• Weight: 125g
• OS: Android 6.0 Marhsmallow
• Colors: Black, White

Verdict
The Acer Liquid Zest 3G is a featured-packed smartphone for the very affordable price of Php3,999 that will surely entice people looking for budget phones. It has a quad-core processor, 1GB RAM a very clear and solid screen and a promising audio output and best of all it's an Android Marshmallow out of the box which is very reasonable for the price.

Pros

• Very lightweight and compact
• Feature-rich smartphone for its price
• Android Marshmallow out-of-the-box
• Has a high-quality audio with DTS Studio Sound
• Wide-angle Selfie/Front camera

Cons

• The internal storage could have been bigger than 8GB
• While the sound details is good, the internal speakers lacks volume

Read more: http://www.geekypinas.com/2016/06/acer-liquid-zest-3g-review-a-budget-friendly-feature-packed-smartphone.html#ixzz4AsLXgvtC 
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