Good news to Boholanos considering setting up solar energy systems: cost effective solar energy equipment will soon be available in Bohol. It is now possible to setup systems that cost much less than what I have estimated in my articles earlier this year.

We have yet to establish formal agreements with the supplier and I have yet to test their equipment but based on our initial discussions, it looks very positive. We might be able to display the equipment on our booth at Sandugo Trade Fair at the Island City Mall on July 23, 2014.

The 6th NICP SUMMIT 2013 BOHOL event will be hosted by Bohol ICT Council in Bohol Tropics Resort, Tagbilaran City, an Emerging Location in the Next Wave City. The SUMMIT’s theme is I. G.E.T. I.T. that stands for Innovation in Governance, Education, and Tourism or ITpreneurs.

The annual NICP SUMMIT event is a gathering of ICT councils  from major cities and will bring together champions of the Information and Communications Technology from the public and private sectors to share industry trends and development and best practices; as well as collaborate in generating new investments and creating new jobs for cities outside of Metro Manila.

Innovators and start-up companies who have ICT driven business ideas, business models, applications and platforms shall be invited to pitch during the breakout sessions with keynote speakers and facilitators in each segment to moderate the sessions.

The SUMMIT breakout sessions will focus on benchmarking innovation and entrepreneurship by putting the spotlight on 3 thematic segments:  namely

• eGovernance
• Digital Education
• Digital Tourism

The SUMMIT is a 6-part event composed of an annual NICP leaders conference, SUMMIT plenary and break-out, sessions, B2B speed dating, Gala night and eGov Awards Night.

The SUMMIT paves the way for multiple opportunities which:

• Enables public and private entrepreneurs to develop opportunities for  collaboration and partnerships
• Maintains vital linkages with global and national ICT-BPM network
• Harnesses information & communications technology for talent development and continued growth of  tourism sector
• Raises the profile of NICP and Bohol among global and national industry
• Enhances access to potential investor/locator
• Generates revenue for MSME from conference attendees/tourists

–    ICT Council and their leaders from 42 Cities and Provinces

–    Local Government  Units   of the City and Provincial Luzon,Visayas and Mindanao

–    IT Start-up Innovators  for Governance, Education and Tourism

–    Private stakeholders from academe and tourism sectors

The National ICT Confederation of the Phils SUMMIT is co-organized in partnership with the DOST-ICT Office, Bohol Provincial Government, Tagbilaran City Government, DILG, Department of Trade and Industry (BOHOL), and Bohol ICT Council.

Don’t miss this opportunity to network with ICT leaders and innovators from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. Join us in Bohol, one of the country’s top tourism destinations for the 6th annual NICP SUMMIT.

To Register: please visit www.nicpsummit.com

For more Inquiries and Concerns, please send messages to the following email addresses:

(Registration) : registration@nicpsummit.com

(Sponsorship) :  sponsorship@nicpsummit.com

(Over-all Program) : secretariat@nicpsummit.com

The participants will also be shown “behind the scenes” procedures done by Auza.Net to ensure the websites it manages are running.

The forum is free but has limited seats which are reserved on a first-come first-served basis.  For reservations, please contact Jovie at +63 917 6220225.

Sale! Brand New Samsung ML-2160 Laser Printer Php1995.

The DYRD-AM Worldwide app screenshot for Android devices.

Exactly five years ago today, Auza.Net and Bohol Chronicle Radio Corporation engaged in a pioneering partnership that brought the live news and public affairs programs of DYRD-AM to listeners worldwide through the www.dyrdam.com website. The launch of the worldwide broadcast changed the local broadcasting industry because now Boholanos from around the world are able to keep themselves updated with the happenings in the province as if they were here. They are also able to provide feedback and greetings through the website.

With mobile Internet becoming very prevalent in many countries, the two companies believe that the DYRD-AM Worldwide mobile app is a fitting update to the media streaming technology employed on the website. The mobile app allows users to listen to the radio station’s broadcast while on the move as long as the user has connection to the Internet.

Aside from releasing the mobile app, Auza.Net also updated DYRD-AM’s streaming server system allowing for studio quality audio. At the same time, the live video feed now implemented using the UStream service which enables viewing of the video directly on the website.

The DYRD-AM Worldwide app is initially available on the android platform but will be available on the iOS (iPhone/iPad) platform soon. The app allows users to instantly “tune-in” to DYRD-AM with a few taps on their mobile device.

The app release also marks Auza.Net’s venture into mobile application development.

Engr. Jerome Auza (right), Technology consultant of Auza.net together with his wife Dr. Elva Auza (left) and Fr. Kiking Magdoza (center) of the Our Lady of Lourdes Parish during the opening and blessing of the new Auza.Net Business Services Center.

The company has reached nearly 8 years of providing Bohol with premium internet connection and website development services catering mostly to the local market.  It now expands its services to cater to the needs of businesses, professionals and students in the area.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony was led by the company’s technology consultant, Engr. Jerome Auza, together with his wife, Dr. Elva Auza and the blessing of the office was officiated by Fr. Desiderio “Kiking” Magdoza of the Our Lady of Lourdes Parish.   The celebration was attended by close family and friends with the company’s on-the-Job trainees.

Beginning Monday, the Auza.net Business Services Center will be providing the following services:
Online Marketing
On-the-Job Training and lectures for IT and Computer Students
Linux Download and Installation
Introduction to Linux for Office and Home Use
Scanning
Colored/black and white Printing
Clear photocopy
Bulk printing and scanning
Fax (Local, National and International)
ID and photo printing
Encoding
Lamination
Cell phone loading

Information technology (IT) enthusiasts organized its first meetup in Bohol at the Auza.Net Training Center at the K of C Recreation Center on June 9, 2012. The meetup was attended by a mix of entrepreneurs, professionals, hobbyists and students and a representative of TechTalks.ph – Cebu. The group introduced themselves and talked about their experiences in IT in Bohol and also discussed potential opportunities.

The meetup was organized by Ben Skelton, a British entrepreneur who has a setup shop in Baclayon, Bohol and Jerome Auza of Auza.Net in coordination with Ms. Tina Amper of TechTalks.ph. Ms. Amper is currently based in California and provided the help through online methods. Ppip Cimafranca, a member of TechTalks.ph – Cebu travelled to Tagbilaran to attend the meetup and share his insights and experience with TechTalks.ph – Cebu. The students expressed their interest to learn relevant matters on the IT industry that might help them in future work or ventures.

Incidentally, this weekly column on the Bohol Chronicle has a tag line of “TechTalk”.

The Cebu group has organized Startup Weekend Cebu (http://cebu.startupweekend.org/) on May 11-13, 2012 and a similar activity is being discussed by the Bohol group. Startup Weekend started in Boulder, Colorado and became a Seattle, Washington based non-profit organization. It organizes 54-hour weekend events during which groups of developers, business managers, startup enthusiasts, marketing gurus, graphic artists and more pitch ideas for new startup companies, form teams around those ideas, and work to develop a working prototype, demo, and/or presentation by Sunday evening.

Such an activity may help spur IT based projects based in Bohol that may become successful worldwide products and services.

To join TechTalks.ph please visit www.techtalks.ph and register or visit the Facebook group for Bohol http://goo.gl/RQx9W. Then watch out for the next meetup in Bohol.

The brand Alcatel was one of the manufacturers who first introduced to us the mobile phone.  A few years back, they sold the famous soap-shaped mobile phone, that had a small screen with orange backlighting.  Back then, they weren’t the coolest designs you could find, but their phones were as sturdy as the phones from the brands that lead the market during that time.

That “safeguard” shaped phone was this writer’s first mobile phone.  It was handed down, and I was happy and content because it did what it had to do, and that was to text and call my friends and family. Then, as more phones and brands eventually entered the country, the manufacturer Alcatel suddenly went silent.

Surprise comeback:

I call it a surprise comeback because, well, I think they just came out of nowhere and attacked the Philippine mobile industry again.  The last time I saw an Alcatel phone was, I think during 2010.  It was one of my friend’s phones and I was surprised at how chic and sleek their designs were becoming.

Then, enter this year, particularly yesterday, at the BQ Mall Atrium, where the Alcatel One Touch Nation proudly presented their five new mobile phones.   Save N’ Earn has gathered the market’s mobile phone manufacturers and put them together for an Expo in time with the TBTK celebrations.

The Phones:

The onetouch 810D Glam:  The phone especially made for the ladies.

 Specs: Dual Sim; Expandable Memory up to 16GB; MP3 Player and FM Radio

The onetouch 918N Glory:  Alcatel describes it just as it is, Easy, practical and fun.

Specs:  Android 2.3 Gingerbread; Capacitive Touch; 3G+ HSDPA; Facebook; Wi-Fi; Dual Sim

The onetouch 918N GloryX:  Dreaming of an affordable yet stylish Android phone? This is it!

Specs:  Android 2.3 Gingerbread; Capacitive Touch; 3G+ HSDPA; Facebook; 3.0mp Camera; Wi-Fi; Dual Sim

The onetouch 985N Blaze:  The more sophisticated, yet still budget friendly Android phone

Specs:  Android 2.3 Gingerbread; Sub Camera; Mutli-Touch; Wi-Fi; Dual Sim; G-Sensor; AGPS; 3G+ HSDPA; 5.0 MP Camera

The onetouch 995 Sapphire HD:   Alcatel’s most sophisticated Smartphone yet. This unit boasts of specs  fit for the seasoned smartphone user, but comes in a lower price.

 Specs:  Android 2.3.5; 4.3” display; HD video; 1.4 GHZ processor; 5MP Camera; 3G+ HSDPA

Alcatel’s phones have come a long way from their previous designs.  They have already been successful globally, and have come back to the Philippines to provide phones that can compete with both high end and feature units.  This has made the market a better place for the consumers to choose the phones that can best suit their needs and their budget, and a better assurance that we can have products that are more competitive and worth every peso that we pay.

For more Alcatel mobile phone choices, visit: www.alcatelonetouch.com.

Want to join?
Send us your application letter and resume, addressed to:

The OJT Program Coordinator
Auza.Net Training Center
K of C Recreation Center Bldg.,
Gallares St., Tagbilaran City

Applicants must be proficient in PHP, MySQL and Javascript with relevant experience as OJT or full time developer.

Be part of the growing IT industry in Bohol by joining one of the pioneering firms in software engineering in the province!