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Kabayandaily

1Sambayan officially name Leni Robredo as their Presidential bet for the 2022 Election

September 30, 2021

After announcing their nominees for President more than 4 months ago, 1Sambayan coalition has named VP Leni Robredo as one of their official Presidential candidate for the coming 2022 National Election.

The announcement was made by retired Associate Justice of the Supreme Court Antonio Carpio, in a 50-minutes video (embedded below) titled ‘TAPATAN Media Forum: ANG PAMBATO NG 1SAMBAYAN’ that was streamed live on the coalition facebook page and then alter shared on their official twitter account.

1Sambayan’s announcement came just 10 days after Isko Moreno announced his Presidential bid. Manila Mayor Isko Moreno is one of the 1Sambayan’s Presidential candidate.

Vice President Leni Robredo has yet to formally declare her Presidentail run, she is however expected to announce her plans for the 2022 Election soon, since filing of the President and Vice President candidacies starts this Friday, October 1, 2021 and will end on before midnight of October 8, 2021.

Sen. Manny Pacquiao retires from boxing, focuses on the coming 2022 National Election

September 29, 2021

In a two-word Facebook post, the 8-division world boxing champion, Sen. Manny Pacquiao announces his retirement from boxing and will focus on his Presidential bid for the coming 2022 National election.

The post also includes a 14-minutes video, showcasing high-lights of his boxing career. I embedded the facbeook post with the video below.

Manny Pacquiao previously accepted his nominations of the Pacquiao/Pimentel-led faction of PDP-Laban, for him to run for President in the coming 2022 Elections.

Liberal Party of the Philippines announces their senatorial candidates for the 2022 National

September 29, 2021

Liberal Party of the Philippines has officially announced their senatorial bets for the coming 2022 National election.

LP’s senatorial lineup as of this time are reelectionist Senators Francis Pangilinan and Leila de Lima, and former senator Bam Aquino, who was part of the Otso Diretso and failed to win in his re-election bid in the 2019 election, placing 14th overall.

Reelection bid of Akbayan Sen. Risa Hontiveros and human rights lawyer Chel Diokno, who announced his candidacy a couple of weeks ago, as endorsed two guest candidates.

The announcements was made during LP’s national executive council meeting attended by party leaders, including its Vice President Leni Robredo, Pangilinan, Sen. Franklin Drilon, Rep. Kit Belmonte and former representatives Teddy Baguilat of Ifugao and Loreno “Erin” Tañada III of Quezon.

The party is yet to announce their Presidential and VP bets, since VP Leni Robredo will make her announcement before Oct. 8, which is the deadline for the filing of certificates of candidacy (COC) for the 2022 elections.

Ely Buendia tweets a “possible” Eheads reunion “Pag tumakbo si Leni”

September 28, 2021

In a Twitter Q&A as part of promotions for “SUPERPROXIES,” a virtual concert featuring Buendia and Filipino indie rock band Nobody’s Home this October 9th, eraserheads frontman Ely Buendia just broke the internet by hinting of a “possible” Eheads reunion if VP Leni Robredo ‘runs’, though he did not clarify on what position.

The tweet is in response to Ben La Dean (@jaydemaps), who asked him regarding a possible Eheads reunion. Ely, candidly and jokingly, replied “Pag tumakbo si Leni.”

Ely’s tweet have been trending and gone viral receiving 34.9 likes, 6,241 retweets and 2,264 quote tweets.

Here are some of the response that Ely’s tweet got from VP Leni’s supporters and Eraserheads fans;


Ely later clarified that his political views and opinions are his own.

Trillanes to run for President if VP Robredo decided to exit politics

September 27, 2021

Former senator Antonio Trillanes IV to run for President if VP Robredo will not run for the highest position in the country, by 12 noon of October 8th.

That’s what the former senator announced on his twitter account Monday, Sept. 27th.

Trillanes’ announcement at a time when VP Leni Robredo is uniting the anti-administration forces and has not made any announcement regarding her plans for the coming 2022 election.

Candidates who plan to run for President, Vice President, and Senator are required to submit their candidacy between Oct. 1st to Oct. 8th.

Lithuania recommends to dispose your Chinese smartphones because of censorship issue

September 22, 2021

Lithuania’s Defense Ministry recently release a statement recommending that consumers avoid buying Xiaomi smartphones and suggests to people to throw away the ones they have after a government report found the devices had built-in censorship features.

Xiaomi’s Mi 10T 5G flagship smartphones, which is sold in Europe, have a built-in ability to detect and censor terms such as “Free Tibet”, “Long live Taiwan independence” or “democracy movement”, Lithuania’s Cybersecurity agency said on Tuesday, Sept. 21.

The built-in censorship features in Xiaomi’s smartphones software is turned off for the “European Union region”, but can be turned on remotely at any time, the Defence Ministry’s National Cyber Security Centre said in the report. National Cyber Security Centre also said that Xiaomi’s phone was sending encrypted phone usage data to a server in Singapore.

A similar security flaw was also found in the Huawei’s P40 5G smartphone but none was found in OnePlus phones, another Chinese phone maker, that has a strong presence in the European Union region.

Huawei’s representative in the Baltics told the BNS news wire its phones “do not process user’s data outside the Huawei device.”

The report added the list of “censored” terms which could be blocked by the Xiaomi phone’s system apps, including the default internet browser, currently includes 449 terms in Chinese and is continuously updated.

Source: Reuters

Apple just release the iOS 15 and iPadOS 15

September 22, 2021

Apple just release the iOS 15 and iPadOS 15, which you can download today. Owners of iPhone 10 and later model will benefit the most, when they update to the iOS 15, as it offers new and enhanced features.

If you are using the iPhone 6s or later model, you can download the new iOS 15, while the iPadOS 15 will be available to users of the following ipads;

  • iPad mini 4 and later
  • iPad Air 2 and later
  • iPad 5th generation and later
  • all iPad Pro models

Owners of iPhone 10 and later model will benefit the most when they update to the iOS 15, as it offers new and enhanced features.

Since iPadOS is just an optimized version of iOS, we can assume that most if not all features of iOS 15 will also be on iPadOS 15.

Here’s a rundown on the new and enhanced features on iOS 15 and iPadOS 15;

  • Enhancements on Facetime calls
  • Focus, which Apple says will help reduce distractions
  • New redesigned Notifications
  • On-device AI like Live Text, Advanced Spotlight Search, and Memories
  • Redesigned Safari browser, where the tab bar will be located at the bottom of the screen, to easily access the tabs and the introduction of Tab Groups that organize the browser tabs.
  • New visuals and navigation features for Maps
  • Redesigned Weather app
  • More Privacy controls
  • and more…

To read more on the new iOS 15, you can go here and here for more on iPadOS 15.

If you have ‘Automatic Updates’ turned on, your device should have updated to the latest iOS or iPadOS, without you doing anything, just in case it did not update, you can go to SEETINGS > GENERAL > SOFTWARE UPDATE, from there you should see the notification regarding the latest iOS or iPadOS, then just tap the DOWNLOAD AND INSTALL to proceed with the update.

iOS 14.8 now available for iPhone 6s and later models

September 22, 2021

Apple just release the iOS 14.8, which is ‘probably’ the last update for iOS 14 before the iOS 15 becomes available.

The iOS 14.8 provides the usual “security updates” and is recommended for users using the following devices;

  • iPhone 6s and later
  • iPad Pro (all models)
  • iPad Air 2 and later
  • iPad 5th generation and later
  • iPad mini 4 and later
  • iPod touch (7th generation)

If you have ‘Automatic Updates’ turned on, your device should have updated without you doing anything but incase it did not update, you can go to SEETINGS > GENERAL > SOFTWARE UPDATE, from there you should see the notification regarding the iOS 14.8 update, then just tap the DOWNLOAD AND INSTALL to update to the latest version of iOS 14.8.

You can find more information on the iOS 14.8 update by going to https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT212807.

Isko Moreno to run for President in the 2022 National Election

September 21, 2021

It’s official, Manila Mayos Isko Moreno to run for President in the coming 2022 National election. His running mate will be Willie Ong, this was confirmed by his campaign manager Lito Banayo.

Francisco Moreno Domagoso or more popularly known by his screen name Isko Moreno, gained fame as a matinee idol for being part of part of That’s Entertainment. His political career started when he won as one of the councilor for Manila’s first legislative district in 1998, then was reelected in 2001 and 2004. He became Manila’s vice mayor in 2007 and reelected in 2013. In 2016, he ran for a senator under the Partido Galing at Puso coalition of presidential candidate and Senator Grace. He unsuccesful to win a seat, placing 16th overall.

Isko Moreno currently serves as the mayor of Manila, after winning the position tin he 2019 elections.

Image: IMBD

Willie Tan Ong, is a registered Cardiologist and the chief resident in Manila Doctors Hospital. He became popular because of his television show and his appearances on ABS-CBN’s Salamat Dok. Dr. Ong maintained his online presence thru his YouTube channel in 2007 where he posted video health tips. He currently have 6.54M subscribers on his youtube channel and 16.3 million followers on his official facebook page.

He previously ran for a seat at the senate in the 2019 Philippine elections but lost, finishing 18th in the polls with 7.5 million votes.

Source: Rappler

iPhone 13 Pro and the iPhone 13 Pro Max with Super Retina XDR with ProMotion now official

September 20, 2021

Apple also announced the iPhone 13 Pro and the iPhone 13 Pro Max. Just like with the non-pro iPhone 13, both the iPhone 13 Pro and the iPhone 13 Pro Max are technically the same phone with just the display, size and battery that differentiate them.

Here are the notable features that is shared by both Pro iPhones; the new tri-12MP camera system, the new Super Retina XDR with ProMotion and 1TB storage option.

The new tri-12MP camera system which is compose of a Wide angle lens, a telephoto lens and an ultra wide lens, all three cameras are powered by the new image signal processor (ISP) in the A15 Bionic.

The 12-MP Wide camera has a larger sensor with 1.9 µm pixels for less noise and faster shutter speeds needed in any lighting conditions. The Wide camera will have a larger ƒ/1.5 aperture which for those low light situations. The Ultra Wide camera features a wider ƒ/1.8 aperture and a new autofocus system, that is 92% better from the previous model for low-light environments. The combination of the new lens design, autofocus and advanced computational photography in iOS 15, will allow you to shoot macro photography, which is the first for iPhone but have been available on Android phones for years. The new lens can capture macro images with a minimum focus distance of 2 centimeters. You can also use slo-mo and time-lapse while on macro mode.

Here are sample macro photos taken using the new 12-MP Ultra Wide camera;

Both the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max will feature the new Super Retina XDR with ProMotion, that supports adaptive refresh rate from 10Hz to 120Hz. For those not familiar with the adaptive refresh rate, the screen automatically adjust the refresh rate depending on the app that is being used, if you are using a game that requires fast refresh rate or just reading the news or email that only requires a low refresh rate.

The new Super Retina XDR display with ProMotion takes advantage of the efficient OLED panel, new display engine of A15 Bionic, faster GPU performance, always-on touch coprocessor, and is custom designed to operate with iOS 15, making gestures, animations, and activities like gameplay feel faster and more responsive.

Other feature of the Pro iPhones, you can say, are the features that are also in the non-pro iPhones 13 and iPhone 13 mini. You can read all about the new iPhones 13 and iPhone 13 mini here.

A 1TB storage model will now be available for the iPhones 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max, which is ideal for users who will use their devices for video capture in 4k.

Both the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max, will be available Sept. 24th, with the following pricing;
iPhone 13 Pro
128 GB: $999.00
256 GB: $1,099.00
512 GB: $1,299.00
1 TB: $1,499.00

iPhone 13 Pro Max
128 GB: $1,099.00
256 GB: $1,199.00
512 GB: $1,399.00
1 TB: $1,599.00

Here are the list of features and specs for iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max;

iPhone 13 Pro iPhone 13 Pro Max
Display 6.1″ Super Retina XDR display with Pro Motion 6.7″ Super Retina XDR display with Pro Motion
Resolution 2532-by-1170-pixel resolution at 460 ppi 2778-by-1287-pixel resolution at 458 ppi
Refresh rate ProMotion technology with adaptive refresh rates up to 120Hz
Max brightness 1000 nits (typical) / 1200 nits (HDR)
Color profile True Tone display, Wide color display (P3)
Processor A15 Bionic chip, with new 6-core CPU with 2 performance and 4 efficiency cores.
Cores New 5-core GPU and new 16-core Neural Engine
Rear Camera Dual 12MP camera system (Telephoto, Wide, and Ultra Wide)
Wide: ƒ/1.5 aperture
Ultra Wide: ƒ/1.8 aperture
Telephoto: ƒ/2.8 aperture
Night mode
Apple ProRAW
Sensor-shift optical image stabilization
3x optical zoom in, 2x optical zoom out; 6x optical zoom range
Digital zoom up to 15x
True Tone flash with Slow Sync
Portrait mode with advanced bokeh and Depth Control
Smart HDR 4 for photos
Photographic Styles
Front camera 12 MP TrueDepth camera
ƒ/2.2 aperture
Retina Flash
Smart HDR 4 for photos
Portrait mode with advanced bokeh and Depth Control
Photographic Styles
up to 4K video recording @60 fps
Cinematic mode for recording videos with shallow depth of field (1080p at 30 fps)
Slo-mo video support for 1080p at 120 fps
Cinematic video stabilization (4K, 1080p, and 720p)
1080p HD video recording at 25 fps, 30 fps, or 60 fps
Night mode, Deep Fusion, QuickTake video
Animoji and Memoji
Connectivity GSM/EDGE, UMTS/HSPA+, DC-HSDPA, CDMA EV-DO Rev. A (some models), Gigabit LTE
5G (sub-6 GHz and mmWave)
WiFi 6 (802.11ax) with MIMO, Bluetooth 5.0. Ultra Wideband chip for spatial awareness,
Built-in GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, and BeiDou
VoLTE, NFC with reader mode
Express Cards with power reserve
Wi-Fi calling
SIM Dual SIM (nano-SIM and eSIM), Dual eSIM support
Security Face ID via TrueDepth camera for facial recognition
Sensors LiDAR scanner, Three-axis gyro, Accelerometer, Proximity sensor, Ambient light sensor, Barometer
Storage 128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB. 1 TB
Dimension 5.78 inches X 2.82 inches X 0.30 inch 6.33 inches X 3.07 inches X 0.30 inch
Weight 7.19 ounces (204 grams) 8.46 ounces (240 grams)
Battery Built-in rechargeable lithium‑ion battery
MagSafe and Qi wireless charging with supprot for fast charging via 20W adapter or higher
Up to 22 hours video playback Up to 28 ours video playback
Up to 20 hours video playback (streamed) Up to 25 ours video playback (streamed)
Up to 75 hours Audio playback Up to 95 hours Audio playback
Splash, Water, and Dust Resistant Rated IP68 (maximum depth of 6 meters up to 30 minutes) under IEC standard 60529
Interface Lightning connector
Colors Silver, Graphite, Gold, Sierra Blue

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKfgdkcIUxw

Philippines received additional 3 million Sinovac vaccine

September 19, 2021

Philippines just received an additional 3 million doses of Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccines arrived today, September 19, at 6:00 PM, in Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 2.

As of September 18, 2021, there have been 41.25 million vaccine administered and around 18.47 million can be considered as fully vaccinated individuals.

Sen. Manny Pacquiao to run for President in the 2022 Elections

September 19, 2021

At the assembly of Pacquiao/Pimentel-led faction of PDP-Laban, Sen. Manny Pacquiao has accepted the nominations of at least 20 PDP-Laban chapter leaders, for him to run for President in the coming 2022 Elections.

“I am a fighter and I will always be a fighter inside and outside the ring. Sa buong buhay ko, wala akong laban na inaatrasan dahil sa ngalan ng prinsipyo, karangalan ng bayan ay tumayo ako, nanindigan at nakikipaglaban,” Pacquiao said during the event.

Manny Pacquiao, the only 8-division world boxing champion, started his political career last 2010 as a Representative of Saranggani then after two-terms as a Congressman, Pacquiao won as a Senator in 2016, under the Duterte-led PDP-Laban. Pacquiao garnered over 16 million votes, landing 7th among 12 new members of the Senate.

You can read the full report of Katrina Domingo from ABS-CBN News here.

Apple introduces iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini with new dual-camera system and A15 Bionic SoC

September 16, 2021

Apple just announced the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini with new dual camera system, Super Retina XDR display and powered by Apple’s newest chip, the A15 Bionic SoC.

The new iPhone 13 will still be using the same design language of the iPhone 12, which is a flat-edged but with narrower notch, which is 20% smaller than the previous model. The iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini is rated IP68 for water resistance for up to maximum depth of 6 meters up to 30 minutes.

The improved Super Retina XDR OLED displays on both iPhones delivers an incredible contrast ratio for true blacks and a 28% increase in max outdoor brightness at 800 nits, with higher peak brightness for HDR photos and videos at 1200 nits, while being more power efficient.

Speaking of power, Apple said that the new iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini will have a larger battery than the previous model and can offer an all-day battery life. The iPhone 13 offers up to 2.5 more hours in a day than iPhone 12, and iPhone 13 mini up to 1.5 hours more in a day than iPhone 12 mini.

The biggest improvement that Apple made with the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini is in its processor, the A15 Bionic, the same processor that you see in the new iPad Mini.

Apple said that the new A15 Bionic, was designed using 5-nanometer technology that packs 15 billion transistors in the chip. It can peform 15.8 trillion operations per second. The A15 Bionic chip features new 6-core CPU with 2 performance and 4 efficiency cores is 50% faster that the fastest competition. The new 4-core GPU offers up to 30% faster than the competition and enables more lifelike visuals and lighting effects in graphics-intensive games.

Just like with previous generation of iPhone, Apple made a lot of advancement with its dual-camera system both in hardware and computational photography. Its new 12MP Wide angle camera with 1.7 µm pixels, the biggest sensor in any iPhone camera, is capable of capturing 47% more light for less noise and brighter images. The custom-designed 12MP Ultra Wide camera with its new sensor captures images with more detail in the dark areas of photos and videos with less noise.

Apple also introduced the new Cinematic mode on iPhone, where its records videos of people, pets, and objects with a beautiful depth effect with automatic focus changes, which means you can always change focus object even while you are recording.

Here’s a short video that Apple released to demonstrate the Cinematic mode feature.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Tl1RL8MRCA

To offer the best connectivity, the new iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini will support 5G and with the iOS 15, Smart Data mode will help you conserve battery life by automatically shifting iPhone to LTE when 5G speeds aren’t needed.

Apple also increase the entry-level storage from 64 GB to 128 GB, which is understandable, specially with its enchanced dual-camera system that can capture HDR photos and video with a resolution of up to 4K at 60 fps, which requires a lot of diskspace.

If you look at both device more closely, the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini are technically same device. Both are powered by Apple-designed A15 Bionic SoC, the same Dual 12MP camera system, supports 5G connection and supports fast charging. Both the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini will also be using the same screen, the Super Retina XDR display.

The only difference between the two is the size and the screen resolution, which appears to be relative to the size of the device.

You can now order the new iPhones and will be available by September 24th. You can find the pricing for the new iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini below;

iPhone 13

  • 128 GB: $799.00
  • 256 GB: $899.00
  • 512 GB: $1,099.00

iPhone 13 Mini

  • 128 GB: $699.00
  • 256 GB: $799.00
  • 512 GB: $999.00

Here are the list of features and specs for iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini;

iPhone 13 iPhone 13 Mini
Display 6.1″ Super Retina XDR display 5.4″ Super Retina XDR display
Resolution 2532-by-1170-pixel resolution at 460 ppi 2340-by-1080-pixel resolution at 476 ppi
Max brightness 800 nits (typical) / 1200 nits (HDR)
Color profile True Tone display, Wide color display (P3)
Processor A15 Bionic chip, with new 6-core CPU with 2 performance and 4 efficiency cores.
Cores New 4-core GPU and new 16-core Neural Engine
Rear Camera Dual 12MP camera system (Wide and Ultra Wide)
Wide: ƒ/1.6 aperture
Ultra Wide: ƒ/2.4 aperture
Night mode
Sensor-shift optical image stabilization
2x optical zoom out and up to 5x digital zoom
True Tone flash with Slow Sync
Portrait mode with advanced bokeh and Depth Control
Smart HDR 4 for photos
Photographic Styles
Front camera 12 MP TrueDepth camera
ƒ/2.2 aperture
Retina Flash
Smart HDR 4 for photos
Photographic Styles
up to 4K video recording @60 fps
Cinematic video stabilization (up to 4K)
Slo-mo video support for 1080p at 120 fps
Night mode, Deep Fusion, QuickTake video
Animoji and Memoji
Connectivity GSM/EDGE, UMTS/HSPA+, DC-HSDPA, CDMA EV-DO Rev. A (some models), Gigabit LTE, 5G (sub-6 GHz and mmWave)
WiFi 6 (802.11ax) with MIMO, Bluetooth 5.0. Ultra Wideband chip for spatial awareness,
Built-in GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, and BeiDou
VoLTE, NFC with reader mode
Express Cards with power reserve
Wi-Fi calling
SIM Dual SIM (nano-SIM and eSIM), Dual eSIM support
Security Face ID via TrueDepth camera for facial recognition
Sensors Three-axis gyro, Accelerometer, Proximity sensor, Ambient light sensor, Barometer
Storage 128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB
Dimension 5.78 inches X 2.82 inches X 0.30 inch 5.18 inches X 2.53 inches X 0.30 inch
Weight 6.14 ounces (174 grams) 4.97 ounces (141 grams)
Battery Built-in rechargeable lithium‑ion battery
MagSafe and Qi wireless charging with supprot for fast charging via 20W adapter or higher
Up to 19 hours video playback Up to 17 hours video playback
Rated IP68 (maximum depth of 6 meters up to 30 minutes) under IEC standard 60529
Interface Lightning connector
Colors Starlight, Midnight, Blue, Pink, Product RED

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m43rh-pI0P0

Chel Diokno to try and run for Senator again this coming 2022 elections

September 15, 2021

Jose Manuel “Chel” Icasiano Diokno, J.D., a Filipino lawyer, educator, and human rights advocate, will try his luck and will run again as Senator for the 2022 elections. He will run as an independent candidate.

Chel Diokno can often be seen on social media providing free “legal advice” or answering “legal-related” questions from his followers.

Or this tweet, where he answer the question regarding the “the legal age of consent for sex in the Philippines?”

You can also see him reacting to trending topics like this one.

He initially run for Senator under the opposition slate Otso Diretso in the 2019 midterm elections but did not make the cut, ranking 21st in a race for 12 which was dominated by President Rodrigo Duterte’s allies.

Apple announces the Apple Watch Series 7 with more screen area and thinner borders

September 15, 2021

Apple just announced the Apple Watch Series 7, which at first look will be no different from the previous generation Apple Watch. There may be new aluminum case colors but the case itself is virtually the same as the one used in Series 6.

The biggest changes that Apple made with the Apple Watch Series 7 is with the screen. Apple Watch Series 7 is available in 41mm and 45mm sizes, it offers Always-On Retina display is up to 70 percent brighter indoors than that of Apple Watch Series 6.

The screen of the new Apple Watch Series 7 provides 20% more screen area and is virtually edge-to-edge with thinner borders at just 1.7 mm. It has a more rounded corners, and the display has a unique refractive edge that makes full-screen watch faces and apps appear to seamlessly connect with the curvature of the case.

Apple also made the front crystal of the Watch more durable and more crack-resistant, it’s first Apple Watch to have an IP6X certification for resistance to dust, and still maintains a WR50 water resistance rating.

With its bigger screen, the Apple Watch Series 7 offers two additional larger font sizes, and a new QWERTY keyboard that you can tapped or swiped with QuickPath — allowing users to slide a finger to type — and utilizes on-device machine learning to anticipate the next word based on the context.

As for the battery, the new Apple Watch Series 7 will have an all-day 18-hour battery life on a full charge and it will be 33% faster charging compared with Apple Watch Series 6.

Just like with the Series 6, the new Apple Watch Series 7 is geared towards health and wellness, so it offers features like electrical heart sensor and ECG app, and a Blood Oxygen sensor and app.

Apple Watch Series 7 will be powered by the new watchOS 8, which will have additional watch faces designed specially for the larger display on Series 7. The new Contour face takes the dial right to the edge of the display and fluidly animates throughout the day, emphasizing the current hour. The new Modular Duo face leverages the extra screen area with two large, data-rich center complications.

The Apple Watch Series 7 will available in five new case colors; midnight, starlight, green, and a new blue and (PRODUCT)RED, it will also be backward compatible with previously released Apple Watch bands.

The new Apple Watch Series 7 will be available this fall and price starts at $399.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMdQ-gWBNZE

Apple announces the new iPad and new iPad mini

September 15, 2021

Apple just announced the new iPad (9th generation) and the new iPad mini (6th generation). The announcement was made at the Apple “California Streaming” event which livestream a recorded video presentation.

The 9th Generation Ipad


The new iPad looks similar to the previous model, that still have the Touch ID home button and powered by Apple’s A13 Bionic chip. It has a 10.2″ Retina display with 2160 X 1620 resolution at 264 ppi and 500 nits.

The new iPad will be powered by A13 Bionic chip, a 64-bit ARM-based system on a chip (SoC) that was used in the iPhone 11, 11 Pro/Pro Max and the 2nd generation iPhone SE.

The rear camera will feature a 8MP Wide angle camera with ƒ/2.4 aperture and a 5x digital zoom with HDR for Photos. The front camera on the other hand will be a 12MP Ultra Wide camera with ƒ/2.4 aperture and 2x zoom out. It will also feature Retina Flash, HDR for Photos and Center Stage, a camera feature that keeps focus on the subject and first introduced to the iPad Pro.

The new iPad will be compatible to the first generation Apple Pencil and Smart keyboard for more productivity. The price for the new iPad starts at $329 and will be available on September 24th.

Here is the complete price list for the new iPad (9th generation);
Wifi model
64 GG – $329.00
256 GB- $479.00

Wi-Fi + Cellular
64 GB – $459.00
256 GB – $609.00

The 6th Generation Ipad mini


Together with the new iPad, Apple also announced a new and redesigned iPad mini, which uses the new A15 Bionic chip, that has 6-core CPU that provides an additional 40% in performance, and the 5-core GPU that boost the graphics performance to 80%.

Unlike the new iPad, the new iPad mini will support 5G connectivity that reach the speeds of up to 3.5Gbps in ideal conditions. Both the front and rear cameras of the new iPad mini will be a 12MP Wide angle camera, a ƒ/1.8 aperture for the rear camera and ƒ/2.4 aperture front camera. Both cameras supports Smart HDR 3 for photos.

iPad mini now features a USB-C port for up to 5Gbps data transfer and will support existing ecosystem of USB-C accessories, including cameras and external storage and displays up to 4K.

The biggest changes that Apple made with the new iPad Mini is the design, it now has a flat and cornered edges similar to the iPad Pro and iPad air. Its 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display with narrow borders and the Touch ID was mode to the top button of iPad mini.

The new iPad mini is compatible with the 2nd-Gen Apple Pencil and will be in four colors; Space Gray, Pink, Purple and Starlight. The price starts at $499.00 and will be available on Sept. 24th.

Here is the complete price list for the new iPad mini (6th generation);
Wifi
64 GB – $499.00
256 GB – $649.00

Wi-Fi + Cellular
64 GB – $649.00
256 GB – $799.00

Specs of the new iPad and new iPad mini;

iPad iPad mini
Display 10.2″ Retina display 8.3″ Liquid Retina display
Resolution 2160-by-1620 resolution @264 ppi 2266‑by‑1488 resolution @326 ppi
Max brightness 500 nits 500 nits
Color profile sRGB Wide color display (P3)
Processor A13 Bionic chip A15 Bionic chip
Interface Lightning USB-C
Connectivity Wi‑Fi (802.11a/b/g/n/ac); 2.4GHz and 5GHz; speeds up to 866 Mbps Wi‑Fi 6 (802.11a/b/g/n/​​ac/ax); 2.4GHz and 5GHz; simultaneous dual band; speeds up to 1.2 Gbps
MIMO, Bluetooth 4.2 MIMO, Bluetooth 5.0
Wifi + Cellular 4G LTE 5G (sub-6 GHz)
UMTS/HSPA/​HSPA+/​DC‑HSDPA UMTS/HSPA/​HSPA+/​DC‑HSDPA
Built-in GPS/GNSS Gigabit LTE (up to 32 bands)
Data Only Built-in GPS/GNSS
Wifi calling Data Only
Wifi calling
SIM Nano SIM, eSIM Nano SIM, eSIM
Accessories 1st Gen Apple Pencil 2nd-Gen Apple Pencil
Smart keyboard Bluetooth keyboard
Storage 64 GB, 256 GB 64 GB, 256 GB
Rear Camera 8MP Wide camera, ƒ/2.4 aperture, Digital zoom up to 5x, HDR for Photos 12MP Wide camera, ƒ/1.8 aperture, Digital zoom up to 5x, Quad-LED True Tone flash, Smart HDR 3 for photos
Front camera 12MP Ultra Wide camera, ƒ/2.4 aperture, 2x zoom out, Center stage, Retina Flash, HDR for Photos. 12MP Ultra Wide camera, ƒ/2.4 aperture, 2x zoom out, Center stage, Retina Flash,
Smart HDR 3 for photos
Dimension 9.8 inch x 6.8 inch x 0.29 inch 7.69 inch x 5.3 inch x 0.25 inch
Weight 1.07 pounds (487 grams) 0.65 punds (293 grams)
Battery Up to 10 hours of surfing web on Wifi or watching video Up to 10 hours of surfing web on Wifi or watching video
Up to 9 hours of surfing web on cellular data Up to 9 hours of surfing web on cellular data
Audio Two speaker audio Two speaker audio landscape mode
Security Touch ID built into the Home button Touch ID built into the top or power  button
Sensors Three-axis gyro, Accelerometer, Ambient light sensor, Barometer Three-axis gyro, Accelerometer, Ambient light sensor, Barometer

UP Diliman Executive Committee opposes the nomination of Atty. Harry Roque for a seat in the International Law Commission (ILC)

September 14, 2021

It looks like it’s not just regular people who do not want Spox. Harry Roque to be at the seat of International Law Commission (ILC) even his former employer, University of the Philippines, is against his nomination.

UP Diliman Executive Committee just released a statement opposing the nomination of Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque to be one of the 34 members of the International Law Commission (ILC), a UN body responsible for helping develop and codify international law.

In their statement, they state that “they oppose the nomination” of Atty. Harry Roque, a former UP Faculty member to the International Law Commission.

Committee added that “Atty. Harry Roque, has a very poor track record of promoting, defending and fulfilling human rights and the rule of law, especially during the administration of President Rodrigo R. Duterte.” They ended their statement saying “his inclusion in the Commission would not serve its purposes but instead diminish the reputation of the body.”

I embedded the official statement released by UP below;

The statement was release after Spoks. Harry Roque drew flak for berating a group of doctors during the online IATF meeting last Tuesday.

GACA issue new guidelines for residents and visitors entering Saudi Arabia and shorten quarantine period

September 14, 2021

Saudi’s General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) issued today, Sept. 13th, new instructions to all airliners operating in the Kingdom’s airports to update their respective entry mechanism and procedures, for residents and visitors arriving in the Kingdom from permitted countries and to reduce the period of institutional quarantine.

Here’s the official statemenet from GACA;

First: A non-vaccinated person who has received one dose of the approved vaccines in the Kingdom, provided that he submits a negative (PCR) exam of a sample swab taken within (72) hours before leaving to the Kingdom at the latest, and that institutional quarantine procedures are applied to him for a period of five days. Furthermore, a corona exam to be conducted within (24) hours of arrival, and another exam on the fifth day after arrival (the recipient must adhere to the times of the corona examination based on what appears to him in the “Tawakkalna” application in the chronology service). The period of institutional quarantine ends with the appearance of a negative test result.

Second: Arriving passengers who completed one of the vaccines not approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) and not approved in the Kingdom, or who completed one of the vaccines approved by the World Health Organization and not approved in the Kingdom, provided that he submits a negative PCR exam of a sample swab taken within (72) hours before leaving for The Kingdom at the highest estimate, and that institutional quarantine procedures are applied to him for a period of five days, and that a corona examination is conducted within (24) hours of arrival and another examination on the fifth day after arrival (the recipient must adhere to the times of corona examination based on what appears to him in the Tawakkalna application, in the chronology service), and the period of institutional quarantine ends with the appearance of a negative test result.

GACA also stated that dependents can also enter the country with their “immune” relatives, in accordance to the following;

First: Unvaccinated dependents under the age of eighteen shall be subject to home quarantine procedures for a period of five days, provided that a corona exam (for those who have completed eight years and above) is conducted on the fifth day, and that they’re committed to applying all precautionary measures determined by the Ministry of Health.

Second: Institutional quarantine procedures are applied to unvaccinated dependents who are eighteen years of age, or older.

These new guidelines will take effect on Sept 23rd.

GCA also stressed the following;

  • Arriving residents must complete the vaccine doses available in the Kingdom after the end of the institutional quarantine period, and whoever completed one of the vaccines approved by the organization and not approved in the Kingdom (currently the Sinopharma vaccine and the Sinovac vaccine) should obtain a booster dose from one of the vaccines available in the Kingdom after arrival.
  • Arriving passengers must register on “Quddum” platform before going to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
  • Isolation procedures will be applied according to the Ministry of Health protocols, for those who will be tested positive during institutional quarantine
  • Recovery from infection with the Coronavirus is not considered as a justification to not undergo Institutional quarantine procedures.

GACA also added that the amendment of the home quarantine procedures also applies to the non-vaccinated, which requires a home quarantine for a period of five days, and a PCR exam will be conducted on the fifth day in accordance to Ministry of Health protocols. A person will not be allowed to all places, activities, events and government and private facilities and the use of public transportation without being vaccinated with one of the approved coronavirus vaccines in the Kingdom.

Source: GACA

Instagram is testing a new feature called ‘Favorites,’ giving you more control over your IG Feed

September 14, 2021

Your Instagram feed will soon look like it got some advice from Marie Kondo, since it is currently testing an new feature called ‘Favorites,’ which give you more control and better organize your IG feed.

You will no longer have to scroll endlessly in order for you to checkout your friend’s foodgram or watch the latest ‘House of Highlights’ post, since you now designate an account as a “favorite’ which tells Instagram these are accounts that are more important to you.

Instagram tested a similar feature back in 2017, by limiting the people who can view each of your post.

According to Alessandro Paluzzi, a mobile developer, Favorites will allow you to let Instagram know which of the accounts that you follow is more important to you, so their posts will appear “higher” in your feed.



Accounts that you tag as your “Favorites” will by pass Instagram’s algorithm, so that you’ll be able to see them first rather than later.

Of course it’s still not clear if Instagram will make this feature official and rollout to all its users. I guess we just have to wait and see.

Source: The Verge

Disney drops Hawkeye series poster and trailer, will stream on November 24th

September 13, 2021
Disney drops Hawkeye series poster and trailer, will stream on November 24th

Disney just drop the ‘Hawkeye’ series poster and trailer, the next original series that will be available on Disney+ this November 24th.

The trailer (embedded above) gives us a good idea on what the series will be all about and of course, the introduction of the new Hawkeye, Kate Bishop to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The series is set right after the event Avengers: Endgame, and will focus on the development of Kate Bishop, from a goofy-wannabe-vigilante to someone who can carry the role of ‘Hawkeye.’

Series Poster

Marvel Studios’ Hawkeye will be a six-episode series and will star Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton / Hawkeye, Hailee Steinfeld as Kate Bishop / Hawkeye, Vera Farmiga as Eleanor Bishop, Alaqua Cox as Maya Lopez/Echo and Florence Pugh reprise her role as Yelena Belova from the MCU Black Widow film.

K Brosas files lawsuit against Contractor for abandoning her 7-million house project

September 13, 2021

Maria Carmela Brosas, popularly known a K Brosas, has filed a lawsuit against a house contractor for abandoning the building of her house, even though she already paid the 7-million house project in full. She posted the filing of the case and the details on how she met the contractor in her Instagram account.

K Brosas is currently the host of TV5’s “Lunch Out Loud” and one of the hosts for GMA’s upcoming reality singing competition Sing Galing! She can also be seen as one of the judges of It’s Showtime’s “Tawag ng Tanghalan” and a frequent guest on TV5’s “Bangon Talentadong Pinoy.”

Philippine Red Cross releases report for their COVID-19 pandemic response accomplishment

September 12, 2021

A day after President Duterte threaten to stop any government transactions with the Philippine Red Cross (PRC), the humanitarian agency releases their first report regarding their COVID-19 pandemic response accomplishment.

These are the numbers so far;

  • Tested 4,199,910 swab and saliva samples, which is 22% of all tests conducted in PH.
  • Vaccinated 205,060, where 31.35% or 64,288 are fully vaccinated.
  • Helped 3,253 patients in isolation
  • Deployed 121 medical tents in 62 hospitals that served 34,660 patients.

Also included in the report are the numbers of patients served by their ambulance and the people who ate the hot meals served by their rolling kitchen. You can also see the numbers for their blood services, dialysis treatments as well as those who received covalescent plasma from PRC.

Facebook announces Ray-Ban Smart Glasses

September 12, 2021

Facebook, the social media giant, has officially announce the first-generation smart glasses called Ray-Ban Stories.

The smart glasses was built-in partnership with Facebook and EssilorLuxottica, Ray-Ban Stories start at $299 USD and will be available for purchase in 20 style combinations online and in select retail stores in the US, as well as Australia, Canada, Ireland, Italy and the UK.

Here are some of the notable features and specs of Ray-Ban Stories;

  • Integragted with a 5MP cameras for video and image capture from a first-person perspective.
  • up to 30-second videos using the capture button or hands-free with Facebook Assistant voice commands.
  • A hard-wired capture LED that notify people around you that you’re taking a photo or video.
  • Open-ear built-in speakers with three-microphone audio array for for calls and videos calls.
  • The speaker will be using beamforming technology and a background noise suppression algorithm for better audio.

You can use the new Facebook View app to import, edit and share content captured on Ray-Ban Stories and can be shared on Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, Twitter, TikTok, Snapchat and more.

Facebook is not the first company to release smart glasses but they may be banking on the idea that this is the perfect time to release a smart glass, since both Google Glass and Snap’s Spectacles, which failed to gain momentum when they release their own respective smart glasses.

Source: Facebook

COVID-19 for Sept. 12th: DOH reports 21,411 new cases with 2 million patient who recovered from the coronavirus

September 12, 2021

In today’s COVID-19 update, Department of Health (DOH) just reported that there are 21,411 new COVID-19 cases and and 168 deaths, with 2 million patient who recovered from the coronavirus, which is a bright spot in the report.

Since the pandemic started, the total number of cases in the Philippines is now at 2,227,36, and the total number of deaths just crossed the 35k mark with 181,951 active cases.

Edson C. Guido, ABS-CBN News Data Analytics Head, also pointed out that the “positivity rate decreased for the 3rd straight day but is still at least 27% for the 10th straight day.” and “ICU bed occupancy rate is at 77%,” the highest to date.

Warner Bros. drops the official trailer of Matrix Resurrection

September 10, 2021

After releasing a number of teaser, Warner has official drop the official trailer of Matrix Resurrection, the 4th film of the Matrix franchise by the Wachowskis.

The trailer, just like the teaser, did not reveal too much about the plot of the film except that Thomas A. Anderson a.k.a Neo, is still alive together with Trinity inside the Matrix, even though they died in Revolutions. We can also see Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Morpheus, replacing Laurence Fishburne, from the first Matrix trilogy.

The new trailer also shows that Neo and also Trinity may have gained new powers while inside the Matrix. At this point, we can only speculate on that the film will be all about based on this one trailer but since release date of the film is just over 3 months, we surely be getting more materials regarding the film.

The Matrix Resurrection is directed by Lana Wachowski and written Lana Wachowski, David Mitchell and Aleksandar Hemon. Returning to the film are Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Jada Pinkett Smith and Lambert Wilson to reprise their role, with new comers Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Morpheus, Daniel Bernhardt as Agent Johnson, with Jessica Henwick, Jonathan Groff, Neil Patrick Harris, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Christina Ricci, Telma Hopkins, Eréndira Ibarra, Toby Onwumere, Max Riemelt, Brian J. Smith, Andrew Caldwell, and Ellen Hollman have been cast in undisclosed roles.

The Matrix Resurrection will simultenouely be in theater and on HBO Max on December 22th.

COVID-19 Updates September 9th: Philippine registered 22,820 new COVID-19 case, a new record high

September 9, 2021

After delaying today’s case bulletin, Department of Health (DOH) reported that the country has registered 22,820 new covid-19 case, a new record high. The previous record for the single day tally was last September 6, 2020, with a recorded 22,347 of new covid-19 cases. DOH added that the there have been 12,337 recoveries and 61 died because of coronavirus.

The new report will push the total number of cases in the Philippines to 2.16 million, with 166,672 active cases, 1.96 million have recovered from coronavirus and a total of 34,733 deaths.

According to DOH, the data is from the contribution of 5 labs for the past 14 days.

PDP-Laban Cusi-lead faction official announce its candidates for 2022 National Election

September 9, 2021

PDP-Laban faction lead by Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi has officially announced the party’s candidates for the upcoming 2022 National Election, headed by Sen. Bong Go for President and Pres. Rodrigo Duterte as his running mate for Vice President. PDP-Laban held their national convention in San Fernando, Pampanga, yesterday, September 8, 2021.

Even though Bong Go already decline the nomination, PDP-Laban officials said that the party will continue to convince him to run for the highest Government position in the country.

Contrary to Sen. Bong Go, President Rodrigo Duterte has accepted and approve his nomination to run for Vice President saying that he is running for “continuity” and his “love of country.”

Cusi’s PDP-Laban also named additional candidates for its senatorial lineup;

  • Silvestre Bello III – the current Labor Secretary
  • Salvador Panelo – Chief Presidential Legal Counsel
  • Lucy Torres-Gomez – currently the Representative for Leyte 4th District
  • Arthur Tugade – Transportation Secretary

Serving as “guest candidates” are;

  • Greco Belgica – is the Chairman for Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC)
  • Rodante Marcoleta – Representative for SAGIP Partylist
  • Harry Roque – the current Presidential Spokesperson
  • Mark Villar – is the Public Works Secretary

The other half of the PDP-Laban which is lead by Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III has yet to name their nominees, but we don’t need to wait long, since they are scheduled to have their own meeting later this month.

Source: Rappler

Apple to hold an event on Sept 14th and calling it “California streaming”

September 8, 2021

Apple’s next event will take place on September 14th, at 10 a.m. PDT, and they are calling it “California streaming.” The event, just like the past “shows” and because of the threat of COVID-19, will be a pre-recorded broadcast from Apple Park.

Apple usually announce the next iPhone for their fall event, for 2021, it is expected to be called the iPhone 13. The upcoming iPhone 13 is reported to follow the same design language of iPhone but with a much higher refresh-rate with smaller notch and plenty of camera enhancements. Displays with higher refresh-rate have been available on a number of Android phones, most notably those gaming phones.

It’s hard to know what are the hidden messages that Apple puts into their invites but this AR Apple logo Easter egg that they included in the event site is a good indication that Apple may be announcing a new AR or mixed reality device, or may be an AR/mixed reality feature on the new iPhones.

If you want to see the AR Apple logo, using any iOS device, go to the Apple event site, then tap on the event Apple logo, after that the glowing AR Apple event logo will render within your surroundings.

Aside from the AR features, high refresh rate and better cameras, other enhancement that Apple is reported to be including in the new iPhone are; SharePlay, astrophotography mode, satellite link and an always on lock screen.

Apple may also be announcing other products like the next Apple Watch, a new entry-level AirPods and may be by a longshot, a Macbook Pros that’s powered by Apple-designed chips and an SD card slot. I guess we just have to wait and see.

August 2021 Architect Licensure Examination Result

September 7, 2021

The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) just release the result of the August 2021 Architect Licensure Examination, five days after the last day of examination.

PRC added that 560 out of 849 passed the Architect Licensure Examination (ALE), which is a 65% passing rate. The Architect Licensure Examination (ALE) was given by the Board of Architecture headed by its Chairman, Arch. Robert S. Sac and board member, Arch. Robert M. Mirafuente. The examination was held in Baguio, Cebu, Iloilo, Koronadal, Legazpi, Lucena, San Fernando (Pampanga), Tacloban and Zamboanga last August 27 and August 29, 2021.

Below are the Top 10 of the August 2021 Architect Licensure Examination (ALE);

Rank Name School Rating %
1 Benson Heinrick Booc Go University of San Carlos 83.5
2 Mark Anthony Veloso Flordelis University of San Carlos 83.4
3 Ryan Rosales Adarlo Batangas State University –  Alangilan 82.9
4 Patris Anneveyle Hernandez Cruz Bataan Peninsula State University – Main Campus 82.1
5 Alyanna Marya Tricia Marquez De Villa Bicol State College of Applied Sciences and Tech. 81.9
6 Magdalena Beatriz Lepiten Arriola University of San Carlos 81.6
Gerard Luague Borbon University of San Carlos 81.6
Jose Angelo Solitaria Mangcupang Ateneo De Devao University 81.6
7 Richard Marzan Lictaoa Saint Louis College of San Fernando 81.5
Lester Mark Vitug Manalo Holy Angel University 81.5
8 Renato Tuazon De Guzman Jr. Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology Cabanatuan 81.4
9 Gian Favian Soto Cabrera Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology Cabanatuan 81.3
10 Danielle Gonzales Franco Holy Angel University 81.1
Joshua Seth Magno Jabile Ateneo De Devao University 81.1

Here’s the complete list of passer;

The date and venue for the mass oathtaking of the successful examinees in the said licensure examination will be announced at a later date.

Source: PRC

Watch Christopher Lloyd and Jaeden Martell as Rick and Morty in a promo video by Adult Swim

September 7, 2021

Adult Swim, the American adult-oriented nighttime programming block of Cartoon Network, just release 3 very short promo video of Rick and Morty, that features Christopher Lloyd as Rick Sanchez and Jaeden Martell portraying Morty.

Based on the caption, “Rick and Morty” are travelling to the different universe in each of video. First back home in C-132, which if you are watching the show, refers to the show’s main universe.

Then the second video C-1.21, this refers to the show’s multiverse and a call back to Lloyd’s Back to the Future character as Doc brown and the show’s season three episode “Pickle Rick”.

The third and hopefully not the last video, is a promo for the Rick and Morty dot com, and at the same time, the availability of the show’s final season.

It’s unclear if we’ll more of Christopher Lloyd and Jaeden Martell, playing the portal travelling duo, I guess only time will tell.