Now here’s a really cool iPhone app that us, Filipinos, would appreciate communicating with others internationally. Imagine being able to chat with other nationality and language without changing your own or theirs… The new Transfire, the instant messaging with translation services…

Transfire iPhone App

Let’s say for instance, you have a cousin in United States who only speaks English. You are located in Philippines and only speak Filipino. With Transfire, you can now send and receive chat messages translated in real-time. “Maligayang Kaarawan!” you write and “Happy Birthday!” appears in your cousin’s phone. “Thank you,” he responds and you receive a message saying, “Salamat sa inyo.”

Transfire XP brings the first chat and instant-messaging app with real-time, translated text.  The application features a user-friendly interface, fast message delivery, and supports over 50 languages.  There are many options to connect with your friends and contacts.  Transfire XP finds contacts on your local phone or device, and supports contacts from gchat and Yahoo Messenger. Support for more chat platforms will soon be added, including Facebook, ICQ, Baidu and many more.

The incredibly fast and accurate translation is made possible by integrating Google Translate with Transfire’s own custom instant and chat-messaging service enabled with push notifications.  Eliminate the language barrier from your social network and stay connected with friends and family across the world.

 
Transfire users come from a wide-range of places for a variety of uses. The app is enjoyed by social chatters, travelers, international businesspeople, language students, and more. “The use of chat applications continues to grow as a replacement for text messaging. Transfire is on it’s way to becoming the gold-standard in instant messaging and translation for your iPhone.
 
So those who’d like to try it out, try to go to appstore and check Transfire XP.

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There are a whole lot of top video games (in 2012) that have been confirmed and whether you are a working person in an office or still in your first few years of life, there is something for everyone on the way. Here is my pick of the top video games in 2012.

Top Video Games 2012 – GTA V

Although hardly anything has been revealed about the brand new Grand Theft Auto game (2012 release hasn’t even been confirmed as of yet) it is safe to say that if this game is coming out this year, it will be one that stands a fantastic chance at becoming game of the year and selling the most.

The only thing that has been confirmed so far is the setting as well as the fact that it looks like planes are back and the return of the big map seen in San Andreas (although reports are suggesting it won’t be empty land like a lot of it was). An official release from Rockstar stated “it’s Los Santos and the surrounding countryside – and a very big map”.

Top Video Games 2012 – Halo 4

Once again not much has been revealed about Halo 4 and will no doubt not be revealed until E3 this year. The trailer of course features Master Chief and Cortana and as of yet these are the only two characters confirmed for the game (who cares about anyone else anyway??).  Players can expect more supreme storytelling and multiplayer action than ever before when the game is released fall 2012.

Remember that this is the first full game (excluding Halo Anniversary) that 343 Industries have worked on within the Halo franchise so they are really going to go for it for the first game in the confirmed new trilogy.

Top Video Games 2012 – The Last Of Us

There seems to be a common theme with these titles but once again very little has been revealed on The Last Of Us other than it is a survival horror game and that the graphics look incredible. You might be thinking that we have more survival horrors than we actually need on consoles at the moment but when developers Naughty Dog (Uncharted series) come into play, you should now be interested!

This game is shaping up to be a fantastic Playstation 3 exclusive.

Top Video Games 2012 – Hitman: Absolution

The Hitman series has been gone for six years now and was long overdue another game. One of the best parts of the Hitman games is that you can choose how to complete your mission in a number of different ways. For instance, if you want to kill the milkman, dress in his clothes to get into the house to take out your target then you can do. On the other hand, you can also just go in guns blazing and take everyone out as quick as possible, the choice is yours!

Another game can only boost the popularity of the series and it would be good to see how Agent 47’s world comes to life once more in 2012.

Top Video Games 2012 – Far Cry 3

In all honesty, I am still struggling to complete Far Cry  2 due to the fact you seem to be constantly under attack from everyone in the game. On the other hand, that isn’t do say I don’t dislike the second game and it is a fantastic game with awesome fire effects and a real sense of tension. The third title looks to take ideas from both the first and second game and combine them into a game that no one has ever seen before.

These are just some of the fantastic titles that are on the way this year and is by no means a complete list. Others include Mass Effect 3, BioShock Infinite, Max Payne 3, Luigi’s Mansion 2, Alan Wake’s American Nightmare and on top of all of this we have two confirmed hardware launches in the Playstation Vita and Wii U.

2012 is a big year for gaming and it doesn’t matter if you work in office space or are in retirement, there will be a game for you!

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 One of the coolest things I found out was about Cashsense, I was invited to their prelaunch event (a while back). And now they’re back with bigger and better plans which I believe is really beneficial to people who send remittances to the Philippines. So here’s all about Cashsense Remittances Philippines…

I personally receive funds from abroad, the biggest challenge sometimes is to physically go to the bank or remittance center, endure the long queues and be charged high up fees (and not to mention my losses on exchange rates). Before in the UK, I was used to paying and receiving everything online and it took me quite a while to adjust to paper and pen when I got back home. So Cashsense, for me, was really cool.

Our Remittances from OFW towards the Philippines currently faces these challenges:

• Credit Card is required to complete an immediate remittance transaction
• You have to Physically go to the remittance center to send money
• Expensive Fees
• Time delay on Remittances Philippines
• Security on carrying the physical cash (talk about the number of holdups in the news!)

Here’s where I found Cashsense to be different:

• Users who register an account with them automatically receives a free VISA ATM card.
• Be able to pay to more than 20,000 bank branches in 18 countries (adding more monthly) and Domestic Transfer (All done online, in your homes!)
• Pay received in minutes! Can be withdrawn in any 10,000 ATMs nationwide (via the Free VISA ATM card), transferred to bank accounts, door to door or pick up.
• 1 Flat Fee! (like Western Union) and great exchange rates (check their website for more info)

Aside from the Remittances in the Philippines, what I really find cool about Cashsense is their free VISA ATM card which promotes E-Commerce in the Philippines. Most of us here are afraid of transacting online, afraid that we might get hacked and all our money will be gone thus stopping online buyers from buying. Here’s something like a prepaid credit card, move all your funds somewhere and use it to buy stuff online. This way you can limit risks and get the stuff you want delivered to your doorstep!

I like what Cashsense is doing, not only are they helping our fellow OFWs abroad in sending their hard earned money to their families. But also helping local businesses into more advanced way of shopping for our people and promotes more online purchases.

By the way, for those who are looking for an affiliate program for the Philippines. Cashsense is offering an Affiliate Program where you earn money for the remittances you send to them. Check it out.

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E-Commerce in the developed countries are a really big business, but here in the Philippines, it has only in the beginning stages. Many people here still don’t believe that shopping online is secure, and when it comes to buying from online merchants, you probably can say at least one incident that you’ve heard that the merchant was bogus. However, I believe all of that could change, thanks to Shopinas.com Online Shopping Portal in the Philippines!

When you say shop online, one thing that pops into the minds of Filipinos is Multiply. But there are a lot of concerns which are:

• Anyone can open an account and post pictures, not all sellers are credible
• Credibility is measured via ratings, therefore there’s a slim chance that a new comer could gain trust easily (High barriers to entry)
• Shops all look the same (changing templates is difficult to some)
• Payment is done via meetup, bank deposit, paypal, etc. (Slow and potentially unsecure, inefficient use of your time)
• What happens when they send or give you the wrong product or cons you?

I share these concerns with many Filipino Shoppers and find it very difficult to simply trust whoever sells what. But Shopinas.com has got an answer for those concerns. Shopinas is a portal where “Sellers” can open up Shops to sell their products to “buyers”.  Here’s the difference:

• Not everyone can open a shop, people need to submit I.D.’s to Shopinas office to open one
• Credibility is not an issue, as Shopinas acts as somehow a guarantor to the merchant’s credibility. Therefore new shops have a lot of opportunity to sell.
• They have cool new templates that look 2.0-ish and looks pretty modern than what I’ve seen so far locally.
• Payment is done via credit card, thru their secure system. (No more bank deposits etc.). Prepaid credits are also available, so those who are hesitant to use their cards can use this!
• There are no Transaction Fees! (They earn from logistics from Air21).
• Since shops are legit, there’s really small chance of being conned by bogus sellers.
• Being part of Air 21, this ensures that Shopinas is able to deliver your products at a good cost and with faster times.

It’s really cool that a Filipino Company has finally ventured into E-Commerce and has done great improvements to encourage purchasing items online. I have browsed thru the shops and have been quite amazed by the number of local brands that have joined them ever since they started. The website is only about 1 1/2 year old but it seems to be gaining good traction.

I’m really really excited to see this company grow and become the premier online shopping portal in the Philippines, I can see only big things for them. They are also heavily promoting their website by having a team in the PBA called Shopinas Clickers (LOL, love the name!). I was also honored to have met Shiela Lina, CEO of Shopinas, via our Blogapalooza Event as one of the sponsors. Expect more improvements from Shopinas, they’re listening to your feedback…

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I’ve always been a huge fan of those events in the US where all entrepreneurs come together and exchange ideas, network and possibly partner on projects. I’ve seen a lot of those that have really worked in the US and they were able to develop a really cool and innovative products. Now the good news, Startup Weekend is finally coming to Manila!

Globe and ProudCloud are joining forces to bring Startup weekend event to Manila, this event will have developers, designers, marketers, technopreneurs, and venture capitalists come together to promote launching web startups here in the Philippines! So if you have an idea, looking for developers or designers, or looking for someone to fund your project or looking to fund someone, this is the best place for you.

Startup Weekend Africa

It’s really such a long time that I’ve been waiting for such an event, I’ve started my company 3 years ago and wanted to see one of these popup. It was only now that I’ve seen a larger scale event that promotes this type of event. Startup weekend Manila is surely an event not to be missed especially for those looking to invest in the web in the Philippines. This will surely help startups grow, find more resources and expand internationally.

Startup Weekend US

100 participants are expected to join Startup Weekend Manila on October 21 – 23, 2011 at the Mint College, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig. Participants will be acquainted to one another, pitch their concepts, and form teams. They then refine and start building the prototype and present their product.

Around 15 teams from the Startup Weekend Manila will be able to qualify for the 100 day bootcamp in Singapore in January 2012. They will receive $15,000 (Singaporean Dollars) to help them start their business and also give them a chance to pitch to international investors!

I’m truly impressed that Globe’s helping our local tech entrepreneur community, it’s about time that people know Filipinos have the skills and talent in the Tech industry. I certainly am very excited for this incredible event.

For those who wish to join or want to know more please visit Startup Weekend.

If you’re coming, leave me a comment. Would love to see you guys there!

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There are a number of extensive cable packages and high-speed Internet options available in today’s technology market. In fact, it seems that regardless of which specific service is used, just about everybody has some sort of extra television programming, HD viewing, and quick, reliable Internet. However, if you have been looking for a more advanced or more luxurious option, many people consider satellite television and Internet to be the very best in the market. There are benefits of a satellite connection that Cable and DSL users simply do not get to enjoy, which sets satellite apart (and above) with regard to both television and Internet.

To begin with, the programming packages offered by DirecTv (through satellite) are the very best ones available. While you can still use this service to gain access to a fairly basic television package, you can also purchase enormous bundles of channels (sometimes over 250 in one package). With these packages, you will also gain access to HD programming, as well as perks such as HBO, Cinemax, Starz, and even NFL Sunday Ticket. This sort of expansive satellite programming comes closer than anything else in the technology market to offering you everything you could possibly want. You will never cease to be amazed at the range of tv shows and movies that will be made available to you.

Similarly, the Internet service that you can use in conjunction with satellite is the very best available. To begin with, your connection is generally more stable, as it does not rely on any type of physical reaction or power source. With an Internet signal that is literally sent through the air via satellite, your devices will connect more quickly, and more consistently. You can also use this sort of service in more remote or “unconnected” areas, where cable Internet access may not be available.

When you read about these sorts of benefits, and the specific differences between satellite and other providers of television programming and Internet service, it becomes clear that satellite truly is the best option available. In these days of ever-expanding technologies, luxury is marked in part by the quality of these types of services. With specific regard to television and Internet service, this essentially means that satellite service is, in a sense, the height of luxury in the technological world. So, if you are looking to upgrade or change your service and have never had a satellite before, you may want to consider at least doing a bit more research to see if this specific change is right for you.

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by Azrael'sMerryLand.com

Last Saturday (September 17, 2011), the first ever Blogapalooza was a huge success! Me and Vince Golangco (Business Partner in WhenInManila) is very very proud to have huge success with our event. We would like to thank all the businesses and bloggers who have participated in the whole Blogapalooza event =)

We were at Fully Booked really early, 7:30am was our call time we were there bringing the lootbags up (Man, were they heavy!) and made arranged all the chairs and tables for the event. We all worked very hard and would like to thank all those guys who helped out.

I never had too much chances on getting to know many bloggers as I had to help organize and entertained a lot of businesses, but I was able to see some new and old faces in the crowd, John Lacson (TechGospelAccordingtoJohn.com), Stonibert Lim (Manila-life.blogspot.com), Vittorio Salac (TheLostBoyLLoyd.com), MicaMyx (Micamyx.com) and Ryan Vargas (TheBlackFedoraBlog.com) and many more that I’ve previously met with other blogger events =).

The event was hosted by my partner, DJ Vince, and he got the crowd excited as we started our program! (Unfortunately as I was part of the organizer I wasn’t able to take pictures so I had to borrow off other partners) Here was the list of businesses that presented during the day:

• HTC
• BlueWater Day Spa
• Focus Ventures (Chana Car Brand)
• Shopinas
• Sofitel
• Wheat Grass
• Avira Antivirus
• LayBare
• 360 Degree Fitness
• Human Nature
• KameraWorld
• JapOK
• Aesthetic Science
• Papa Johns
• Matabungkay Resort
• Galileo Enrichment
• F*art
• LazerXtreme
• Freestyle Baller
• Boudoir Dolls Photography
• Tripologie
• Aquabest
• Healthy First
• Unilever (Sunsilk, Lipton, Closeup)
• Creativoices
• Sparkle Spa
• Size Matters
• Golden ABC (Regatta, Memo, For me)
• Oryspa
• Leslies (Farmer Johns and Wild Willy)
• PoleCats

When the presentations kicked off, I was just really really happy to see businesses having a great time pitching their business to bloggers. The bloggers were really interactive and have really enjoyed each of the presentation (it’s one of the most interactive crowd I’ve ever seen!). As the businesses pitched, I couldn’t help but smile and see all that hard work we all put in go to something really good and helpful to both communities. The presenters have really brought entertainment to the bloggers while being able to educate and reenforce the brand to the influential bloggers. Some were really really funny, some were creative and some got the bloggers wanting more! In my life, I’ve never seen such level of event where businesses and bloggers mingled and really got to know each other.

As for the lootbag, each blogger was able to take home P12,000 worth of products / GCs during our event! (check out our partner’s post on WhenInManila). The bloggers would surely need around a month or so to review each of the product so we’ll keep watch =).

On behalf of the WhenInManila team, we’d like to thank all our Sponsors and Presenters and Influential Bloggers who have made Blogapalooza a huge success! We truly are overwhelmed with the success with our first event, we’re currently in discussion for the 2nd Blogapalooza event and we’re planning to improve and make the second one more effective for both Businesses and Bloggers. Stay Tuned guys!

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Asus ties up with Mang Inasal as part of Mang Inasal’s campaign promo to give back to the Filipinos by giving an Asus Eee Pad Transformer everyday for 30 days! Here’s the official Press Release sent by Asus:

Manila, Philippines (August 17, 2011) – ASUS Eee Pad Transformer is the highlight in the latest campaign promo of Mang Inasal.  The fast food giant wants to give back the love and support to Filipinos, in their I <3 Mang Inasal: Grand Gadget Giveaway with two (2) ASUS Eee Pad Transformer given everyday for 30 days. Mang Inasal didn’t just choose any other tablet or electronic item as they were won over by the Eee Pad Transformer’s capability and support for productivity, creativity, and mobility. “The ASUS Eee Pad Transformer is a lot like Mang Inasal,” shares Mang Inasal Marketing Manager Enri Luzuriaga. “It shook up the market with its innovation, it’s a great product, and it can go places.”

 

The Asus Eee Pad Transformer is an innovative tablet with an expandable keyboard dock. It outsold its competitors when it was launched in the US last May.  Powered by the NVIDIA® Tegra™ 2 dual-core processor, the Transformer browses the web at blazing speeds, providing a snappier response time and better performance when multi-tasking. The Eee Pad Transformer is the first Android tablet in the Philippines with 3.2 Honeycomb OS update.  With an IPS Corning Gorilla Glass Panel and built-in SRS sound technology, it’s only 12.98mm thick and just weighs 680g. Transform from pad to notebook mode with the unique mobile dock, a full QWERTY keyboard and touch pad built with multiple I/O ports. The mobile dock extends the Transformer’s 9.5 hours of battery life up to 16 hours, so users can use it all day for work and play.

It’s nice to see great gadgets being recognized by big companies, I personally like Asus, as with my previous experiences, I’ve noticed Asus providing significantly lower prices at same specs than its competitors. Asus Eee Pad Transformer is certainly one of the fastest tablet that has the longest battery life (including the dock) and is multifunctional (can also be a netbook) which is really cool. By the way, our partner at WhenInManila is one of Asus Brand Ambassadors, check out his launch (He’s given really great reviews for this gadget). So for those who want a free Asus Eee Pad Transformer, head now to the nearest Mang Inasal to find out more about this give away and have a chance to win your very own Tablet / Netbook computer!

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I’ve been reading lately on the different 3d gadgets coming out this year, and have been really amazed as to how great it is because it’s glassless. Here comes Pic3D with their really cool Pic3D sheet which makes an iPhone 3D! This means no need to buy new phones to enjoy 3d, all you need is their sheet.

The 3D sheet costs $25 for iPhone and can make other screens like, iPod,  iPad or Windows desktop or laptops, into 3D (upto $185). I somehow do wonder if this is too good to be true, as it’s a cheap solution to make a phone 3d, but if this solution is as good as it sounds iPhone 3D with games or videos compatible would be so cool to have. It’s a definite accessory that we all need to watch out for. Watch the video below:

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When famous people start tweeting, we somehow get amused and entertained (especially older ones). But how about if the Pope tweeted? Well, The Pope is now on Twitter! Now this is some news coming from the Vatican to connect religion to technology.

To target young and internet savvy people, the Vatican has released an online campaign via News.va. The Pope can only message 140 characters or less (Twitter’s limitation), but it’s really interesting to see that out of all the gadgets to be used to tweet, they chose an iPad. It’s great to see the Vatican really embracing technology and see how it can help a lot more people. I actually wonder a lot what apps could be installed in the iPad? Are they banned from downloading certain stuff (like Angry Bird)?  You can follow them via their Twitter account News_va_en.

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