Apps and Gadgets

We have a two-year old flat TV. It's served our needs all these time since we are not voracious TV watchers except for the news channels and some TV shows and movies that are of interest. But with the advent of smart TVs and the convenience of going on the internet and watching TV on the same screen, the hubby was already wondering whether it was high time to get one. It seemed like a good way to Skype with relatives since we were doing this via laptop only and had to crowd around the tiny screen. Before we could decide to spend on a smart TV, I was able to test a Fukuda Smart Box which is a small device that is supposed to transform your non-smart TV into a smart TV. The smart box comes with the following specs: * OS: Android 4.4 KitKat * Processor: 1.8GHz Quad Core * Front camera: 2MP * Memory card slot: Up to 32GB * Bluetooth: Built-in 2.0 * Internal storage: 16GB * RAM: 2GB DDR3 * Has Miracast (lets 2 devices that have Wifi in them to talk to each other without goi

There was a time when the only way you could buy from the App Store and iTunes was with a credit card. Not anymore. Today, Smart announced that they were launching the world's first pay-with-load service. Yes, it is the first one in the world where Smart subscribers can now use their prepaid load or have their postpaid bill charged for stuff they buy on both sites. Dubbed " Pay-With-Mobile ", this new service eliminates the need for a credit card. A Smart subscriber can now have access to paid content and even make in-app purchases through the App Store (Philippines only) and iTunes. Just imagine the impact of this on many Smart subscribers who had smartphones but didn't have a credit card.

Last February 10, 2015 was Safer Internet Day and in order to help raise awareness of the importance of online safety, Google is offering all those who run Security Checkups on their Google accounts an EXTRA 2GB on their Google Drive. PERMANENTLY! But this offer is good only if you do the security checkup by February 17. I use Google Drive a lot. Docs and Sheets are my favorites for collaborative work on different projects. Google Drive comes with a default 15GB storage capacity but since it's this easy to get an additional 2GB, why not? Besides, it is a good online habit to regularly check these Google settings. Here's how.

Before anything else, I want to let you know that only 1,000 units of the Samsung Galaxy Note Edge will be made available for pre-ordering till February 15 so if you have been waiting for this beauty, this is the time to place your order. I was able to hold the Samsung Galaxy Note Edge some time back when I got hold of the unit of my friend, Art Samaniego. Art always had first dibs on most of the new gadgets that come into the marketplace and at a blogger event, he gladly made me hold and admire the Note Edge.

It is projected that more and more content will be consumed from mobile devices. According to a Nielsen report in 2014, viewing online video content has become a pastime for digital consumers in the Philippines, with 85% watching at least weekly, the second highest in the region. The same report also revealed that 7 in 10 digital consumers in the country report watching TV content and movies via online sources such as video-on-demand, the second highest penetration of internet TV in the region at 71%. Enter HOOQ , Asia's video-on-demand subscription service which will debut first IN THE PHILIPPINES in late February before it rolls out across Asia.  HOOQ is an app that allows you to stream thousands of movie and TV series from your mobile devices (smartphones, tablets, laptops). Its partners are Singtel, Sony, and Warner Bros.

What do you get when you combine Smart and PLDT Home with Disney Interactive ? Awesome family digital entertainment at its finest! In its first direct partnership with a telco company in the Philippines, Disney Interactive will offer subscribers access to its entire breadth of Disney Interactive portfolio, including digital titles under Disney, Pixar, Marvel and Lucas Film brands. Some examples are Frozen, Big Hero 6, The Avengers, Star Wars, and more. This partnership is the first of its kind in Southeast Asia. " ...users will now have access to an unprecedented amount of digital entertainment content from Disney, including mobile and online games, visual e-books, value-added content services, and other co-branded mobile and home entertainment products for the combined 75 million mobile and broadband subscribers nationwide of PLDT and Smart ", said PLDT and Smart President and CEO Napoleon Nazareno.