Apps and Gadgets

TV will never be the same again after Cignal introduced recently its TV-to-Go , an over-the-top (OTT) service. Cignal subscribers can now watch real-time broadcast feeds from select Cignal channels on their broadband-connected smartphones or tablets - anywhere, any time. Breaking news come to you as it happens. You need not miss your favorite telenovela. Watch a favorite show while caught in traffic. These are just some of the things you can do with real-time TV! On-demand movies at home were the fashion some time back with Pay Per View. But with OTT technology nowadays, one can watch movies and TV shows on the go via the internet rather than through a dedicated network. So significant is OTT service that Cignal reports that at the recently concluded BroadcastAsia 2013 Conference in Singapore last June 2013, several experts in the field of communications are foreseeing OTT as a worldwide trend in multimedia viewing. On hand at the launch were top executives of PLDT, Smart ...

Convergence is the new digital sexy. And I got a taste of sexy when Samsung sat some of us down to a demo of SideSync , an application that bridges the gap between your Samsung Android smartphone and the Samsung ATIV PC. Basically it allows you to connect both devices to allow you to see on the PC the exact same screen you have on your smartphone, drag and drop files between both devices, and back up important items on your phone to the PC. This is a summary of SideSync's features. Phone Screen Sharing The exact same image of your smartphone is replicated on one part of your PC screen (in fact, it is intelligent enough to even detect the model of your smartphone; the phone image on the PC mirrors the look of your smartphone). You can resize the phone screen on the PC and drag it either to the left or right side of your PC screen to suit your working style. Flip your phone to landscape orientation and its mirror image on the PC does the same. Keybo...

Can you imagine a future home where you can control just about any home appliance remotely, wirelessly or from another gadget/appliance? That is not far off. In fact, it is already HERE! I was able to see for myself the real possibilities of a truly wired and connected home when I visited the SM Appliance Center at SM Makati where the S-Path , the epitome of a Samsung Convergent ecosystem, was unveiled. Samsung has really been leading the pack in the convergence arena and it will not be long before this will become de facto. Most gadgets and appliances will be "talking" to each other and data/photos will be flying to your family and friends even before they get to see you in person. You can monitor your home remotely, turn appliances on and off before you get home, print documents wirelessly and more. It has already began as we saw with some of Samsung's appliances and devices. A mock-up of a real home was presented to us at S-Path. We walked through the home office...

Viber and other VOIP (voice over internet protocol) apps are slowly gaining ground and eroding revenues of telcos from calls and texts. In the case of Viber, one can send free text messages, photos, videos, share locations and make free, HD-quality calls on iPhone, Android Windows Phone, Blackberry, Windows, Mac and other devices over 3G/4G or Wifi. I use Viber a lot. If I am on wifi, why should I even send a text or make a call when I can contact people via Viber? I've also sent pictures using Viber while inside the messaging feature. It is so convenient instead of sending an MMS or emailing a photo. This is besides all the emoticons and stickers available to Viber that make chatting even more fun. And the best thing about Viber? I am not constrained by networks. For as long as the one I wish to contact is on Viber, we can communicate! But...when I am NOT on wifi, how can I still use Viber if I need to contact people all day? I could subscribe to an unlimited data plan. But th...

The newest addition to the Asha line of Nokia was introduced recently - the Nokia Asha 501. This very small smartphone comes in different eye candy colors, is the first smartphone to be built on a brand new, developed from the ground up, Asha platform that is meant to give its users a whole new and fun mobile experience. The Asha 501 on the outside The first thing you notice is the Asha's size. It fits comfortably in the palm of a hand and weighs almost nothing (98 gms). Despite its small size, it sports a 3.0" QVGA TFT capacitive display with scratch-resistant Gorilla Glass. The Asha's colorful shells are interchangeable. This appeals to women like me who want to mix and match our phones to what we wear. And there are 6 colors to choose from - bright red, yellow, black, bright green, cyan and white (I fell for the bright red!). It comes with a 4GB memory card, upgradable to 32GB. The Asha's 3.2MP camera may not be that impressive in the world of smartpho...

Music lovers, heads up! Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) just clinched the first-in-the-world ever deal with MCA Music (the world's number one music company) to offer MCA Music's over 3 million tracks from its global catalog exclusively to subscribers, both postpaid and prepaid, of Smart and its other mobile brands (Talk 'N Text and Sun Cellular). Through the Smart Music portal at www.smart.com.ph/music , downloads of original, licensed and full music tracks from the entire MCA Music global catalog are now possible. We get access to the widest offering of music tracks from international and local music artists and can download these into our computers or mobile phones for as low as  FIFTEEN PESOS PER TRACK ! This has got to be the lowest rate in the digital music market today. New releases will be slightly higher at PhP 20 per track but that is still roughly half only of what it would cost you on other online music stores. MCA Music's catalog spans eras and...