by Jovie Cabais | Sep 15, 2013 | Tech Updates
THE most promising startups and tech innovators will converge in the world’s best island of Boracay for the very first “Geeks on a Beach” event on September 26-27, 2013. This two-day conference — organized by TechTalks.ph who brought Startup Weekend to Cebu and Davao — will be a techfest, featuring the world’s most-promising tech leaders who will talk about instructive and useful topics on gaming, mobile apps, and graphic design. It will also be a great opportunity for startup founders to pitch innovative ideas and create a network of partners, enroute to building new products and launching businesses that would attract investors to the Philippines. The gathering will be held against the soothingly beautiful backdrop that Boracay offers — picturesque sunrise and sunset, soft white sand, and clear blue ocean, among many other natural wonders distinguishing Boracay as “the world’s best island” by Travel+Leisure. The ‘Geeks on a Beach’ confab is very timely for startup enthusiasts as the Philippines has just been given another credit ratings upgrade, following its first investment grade from Fitch Ratings and favorable growth prognoses from various institutions. An investment grade serves as a signal to investors that a country is suitable for business and that its government and private enterprises have the good ability to pay their obligations. International credit-rating agency Standard & Poor’s (S&P) said in a statement on May 2 that it had raised the country’s credit rating to the minimum investment grade of BBB- from BB and assigned a “stable” outlook on the country’s new rating. The Philippines’ improved credit rating is an affirmation that the local economy is sound and...
by Jovie Cabais | Sep 15, 2013 | Tech Updates
The mobile devices that we take for granted today were found only in science fiction a few decades ago. Today, even kids and toddlers love to use these mobile devices for entertainment and learning. The last several years, the improvements in smartphones seem to be incremental and it seems that there is hardly anything else that you will want to be on your mobile device. So maybe we need another gear. Google came up with Google Glass, a device that projects a screen in front of the wearer’s eyes to show information about the objects within view. It can also record video and audio. The trouble is, this device is quite expensive at $1,500 and has been a concern because it has the potential to record and broadcast anything it sees and therefore is a privacy concern. Sony has its SmartWatch which is Android compatible and can act as an extension to the user’s Android phone allowing the user to be notified of calls and messages even if the phone is in a bag or elsewhere within 10 meters. Health Apps are also available for those with an active lifestyle. Samsung came up with its Galaxy Gear which is also acts as an extension to a mobile phone. Unlike the Sony SmartWatch though which is compatible with any Android device running on Ice Cream Sandwich version of the operating system, Galaxy Gear is currently only compatible with Galaxy Note 3. Obviously, Samsung will need to make it compatible to more devices for it to be successful. Apple is rumored to be developing an “iWatch” but has no details on...
