Facebook buys Instagram for $1 billion

Social Networking giant Facebook just announced its acquisition of the hottest iOS photo-sharing app Instagram for a cool billion dollars in cash and stocks. Recently, Instagram became available to the Android users making the acquisition more lucrative for Facebook.

A Screen Capture of Mark Zuckerberg's announcement:

The app, including its team headed by CEO Kevin Systrom who was a graduate of Stanford University in 2006 with a BS in Management Science & Engineering, and Mike Krieger, a graduate from Stanford University where he studied Symbolic Systems with a focus in Human-Computer Interaction will be joining Zuck’s Facebook team.
The announcement made more than a hundred thousand Likes within four hours of posting in Zuck’s Timeline which is a testament on how popular and well-loved Instagram is. Now let’s wait and see what Facebook is going to do with their new toy.

Reposted from: http://www.pinoytechblog.com/archives/facebook-acquires-instagram-for-1-billion

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Adobe Products Discounted for Both Teachers and Students

For the first time in the Philippines, Adobe Systems Inc. announced the availability of significantly discounted versions of its industry-leading software for students and teachers. How much of a discount are we talking about? How about up to 80% off the full retail price?

Products in this program include Adobe® Creative Suite® 5.5 Design Premium, Creative Suite5.5 Design Standard, Creative Suite 5.5 Web Premium and Adobe Acrobat® X Pro. The products offered under the Student and Teacher Software program are identical to the commercial edition and include a number of Adobe suites and individual products, encompassing the best-selling design and development software that applies to almost all creative processes.

So again, how cheap will these products be for qualified teachers and students? Well for example, the Adobe Creative Suite 5.5 Design Standard which retails for Php69,000 is going to be just Php3,599 under this program. Talk about savings!

“The launch of Adobe Student and Teacher Software program in the Philippines is an important step for Adobe’s digital education strategy,” said Vicky Skipp, Regional Director, Southeast Asia, Adobe. “Our experience is that when students have access to digital media software at very affordable prices, there is a rapid increase in their digital skills and confidence. Students display their talents, express their creativity and learn to collaborate more effectively. Adobe software offers an excellent way for students and teachers to produce web pages, videos and mobile content, applications and epublishing content – and helps them understand how to merge the creative process into their daily assignments and work tasks.”

“Teachers and students in the Philippines need the right tools to help them acquire the latest digital media skills needed for developing content for the digital industry. By making our leading software available to students and teachers at highly discounted prices, Adobe is proud to support Philippines’s initiative to develop ICT-based education to drive the next generation’s workforce,” Ms. Skipp further added.

Eligibility Requirements

Students enrolled at, and teachers, faculty and staff employed by educational institutions as defined by Adobe on www.adobe.com/sea/education/student-eligibility-guide.html

Pricing and Availability

Qualified students, teachers, faculty and staff can purchase Adobe Student and Teacher Edition software from Adobe authorized reseller(s) in Philippines, currently Senco Link.

Source: http://www.pinoytechblog.com/archives/adobe-offers-discounted-products-for-filipino-teachers-and-students

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Nokia Asha 302

The Nokia Asha 302 is inspired by the design of the Nokia E71 with the pillowed convex keys on its full physical QWERTY keyboard. It has a 2.4-inch TFT screen and is powered by a 1GHz processor.

This phone is geared towards young professionals and budding entrepreneurs being among the first Series 40 phones to support Mail for Exchange so you can sync your office e-mail, contacts and calendar wherever you go. You can receive your e-mail in both plain text and HTML, view and forward attachments, create and view calendar events, and even lookup contacts in the global address book.

If you’re not going to use it for mail, the Asha 302 can also connect to popular social networks with widgets and notifications to keep you posted on what’s happening with your friends right from the homescreen.

The Nokia Asha 302 carries other great multimedia capabilities including a 3.2 MP camera, enhanced stereo FM radio, a music player as well as up to 32 GB memory card support.

This phone is now available in Dark Grey, White, Plum Red and Mid Blue, with an SRP of Php5,290.

Nokia Asha 302 Specs:
2.4-inch TFT screen (240 x 320), 256K colors
Series 40 OS
1 GHz processor
100MB storage, 256 MB ROM, 128 MB RAM
Up to 32GB microSD support
HSDPA 14.4 Mbps, HSUPA 5.76 Mbps
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
3.15 megapixel camera
VGA video recording @ 15fps
Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP, EDR
Stereo FM radio with RDS
Dark Grey, Mid Blue, Plum Red, White, Golden Light
Li-Ion 1320 mAh battery (BL-5J)
106g
SRP: Php5,290

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The Brains behind the popular "Ate Vangie"

You may live in the mountains if you have not encountered "Ate Vangie". 


"Ate Vangie", is a fictional Filipino counterpart of the Apple's Siri, a voice assistant which could even understand Filipino's Carabao English -- the video has made waves over the past week with over a million views to date. 


But contrary to popular belief, "Ate Vangie" is not paid by Apple or any local telecom company. Ate Vangie is a brainchild of Gung Ho Films , an advertising house penetrating the industry. 


Gung Ho Films Paolo Dy told GMA News that they looked at advertising trends and viral marketing is the way to go. 


He also explained that every viral video has its own character. The things that make a video go viral would be different each time. You have to understand the situation, the climate, the mood of the people and tailor your material and strategy to ride whatever wave exists in the public at that moment.


Pinoy Humor was indeed important for its success, especially with People wanting to share the videos that appeal to them. 


The reception of online Pinoys to Ate Vangie is relatively positive: some of them wishing that Ate Vangie was true. Gung Ho Films hope that they can ride on Ate Vangie's success. 


In addition to her YouTube videos, "Vangie" also has accounts on Facebook (Facebook.com/AteVangie.PinoySiri) and Twitter (Twitter.com/atevangie)...

There are sometimes I wish that there is really something like Ate Vangie... :D Developers  Challenge maybe :) 


SOURCE: www.gmanews.tv 

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Xperia users enjoy free 50 GB online storage

Sony Ericsson has partnered with Box to provide Xperia owners with 50GB free online storage for digital content.

The company said by logging into their Box account through an application in the Android Marketplace, Xperia owners globally can enjoy free cloud storage and file sharing for life.

The promotion began last Thursday, December 15, and will last until December 31, 2012.

Sony Ericsson said it is available to all consumers worldwide who own any Xperia smartphones.

“With people taking more pictures, listening to more music and watching more video on their Xperia smartphone than ever before, especially over the holidays, we wanted to make sure that they had the ability to upload their content to the cloud and share it across multiple devices. Xperia and Box will provide consumers with access to a massive amount of content on the go putting their smartphone at the very heart of their connected lifestyle,” said Dennis Manzano, General Manager of Sony Ericsson Philippines.

Aaron Levie, co-founder and CEO of Box said: “As more people bring their personal devices in to work to take full advantage of mobile computing, it is essential that they never have to worry about storage limitations," he added.

SOURCE: ABS-CBNNews

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Nababaha.com: Sendong and Ondoy's Flood impact

Want to see the impact of Ondoy or Sendong-like floods right in your neighborhood? Now, you can with http://www.nababaha.com. 

Nababaha.com is a a Philippine flood reporting and mapping system created by the National Institute of Geological Sciences (NIGS) of the University of the Philippines (UP).

The website provides flood hazard maps for various parts of the country, including simulations of extreme event situations such as tropical storm Ondoy that hit Metro Manila in 2009.

Here's a video on how to use: www.nababaha.com 

For more information and Source: Go here or visit http://www.nababaha.com 

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The Pinoy Siri: Ate Vangie

The Pinoy Siri: Vangie video for iPhone 4S that went viral. She can understands you even when you are using Carabao English :D 

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Speed: Technology for the Fast Paced Lifestyle - December 2011 issue

 

Speed - Technology for the Fast Paced Lifestyle releases its December 2011 issue with Bianca King as its cover and the Top 50 Tech Newsmakers for 2011 for its yearly countdown. It also includes  reviews of tablets/desktops and other peripherals helpful for the techie user and future technologies to look forward to.

Grab a copy of this issue for only P 130 at your favorite book stores, nationwide.

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Microsoft to open app-store in February

Agence France-Presse reports that Microsoft would be opening its 'app-store' by late February, when the technology giant releases the test-version of Windows 8. It is set to take on Apple and Google for applications for hip, creative and functional programs for computers, tablets and smartphones. 


Microsoft has been powering more than half a billion computers but they are behind with tablets and smartphones where third-party applications like games are bought.


Applications written for the Windows Store platform would work on all devices powered by Microsoft. 


Reference: http://technology.inquirer.net/6691/microsoft-to-open-‘app-store’-in-february/

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Nokia N8

GENERAL	2G Network	GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
	3G Network	HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700 / 1900 / 2100
	Announced	2010, April
	Status	Available. Released 2010, October

SIZE	Dimensions	113.5 x 59.1 x 12.9 mm, 86 cc
	Weight	135 g

DISPLAY	Type	AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
	Size	360 x 640 pixels, 3.5 inches (~210 ppi pixel density)
	Multitouch	Yes
	Sensors	Accelerometer, proximity, compass
		- Gorilla glass display

SOUND	Alert types	Vibration; MP3, WAV ringtones
	Loudspeaker	Yes
	3.5mm jack	Yes, check quality

MEMORY	Card slot	microSD, up to 32GB, buy memory
	Internal	16 GB storage, 256MB RAM, 512 MB ROM

DATA	GPRS	Class 33
	EDGE	Class 33
	3G	HSDPA, 10.2 Mbps; HSUPA, 2.0 Mbps
	WLAN	Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, UPnP technology
	Bluetooth	Yes, v3.0 with A2DP
	USB	Yes, microUSB v2.0, USB On-the-go support

CAMERA	Primary	12 MP, 4000x3000 pixels, Carl Zeiss optics, autofocus, Xenon flash, check quality
	Features	1/1.83'' sensor size, ND filter, geo-tagging, face detection
	Video	Yes, 720p@25fps (720p@30fps via an update), check quality
	Secondary	VGA videocall camera

FEATURES	OS	Symbian^3 OS, upgradable to Symbian Anna OS
	CPU	680 MHz ARM 11
	GPU	Broadcom BCM2727
	Messaging	SMS (threaded view), MMS, Email, Push Email, IM
	Browser	WAP 2.0/xHTML, HTML, Adobe flash lite
	Radio	Stereo FM radio with RDS; FM transmitter
	GPS	Yes, with A-GPS support; Ovi Maps 3.0
	Java	Yes, MIDP 2.1
	Colors	Dark Grey, Silver White, Green, Blue, Orange, Pink
		- TV-out (720p video) via HDMI with Dolby Digital Plus sound - Anodized aluminum casing - Active noise cancellation with a dedicated mic - MP3/WMA/WAV/eAAC+ player - DivX/XviD/MP4/H.264/H.263/WMV player - Voice command/dial - Document viewer (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF) - Video/photo editor - Predictive text input

BATTERY		Standard battery, Li-Ion 1200 mAh (BL-4D)
	Stand-by	Up to 390 h (2G) / Up to 400 h (3G)
	Talk time	Up to 12 h (2G) / Up to 5 h 50 min (3G)
	Music play	Up to 50 h

MISC	SAR US	1.09 W/kg (head)     0.85 W/kg (body)
	SAR EU	1.02 W/kg (head)
	Price group

Specs  from gsmarena.com... My dream phone... lels! ^_^ . It would help me a lot if I could have this phone because it is kinda odd when you have a camera (a digital cam) for photoblogging d: 

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