Amazon just reveals the design for the customer terminal of their Project Kuiper Satellite Internet, their answer to SpaceX’s Starlink Internet. Amazon’s Project Kuiper is a low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite network that allows any connected device to access the internet.
In their announcement, Amazon explains that to “use the service, customers will install an outdoor antenna—called a customer terminal—to communicate with satellites passing overhead.” and Amazon developed 3 models of customer terminal.
The standard customer terminal measures less than 11 inches square and 1 inch thick, and offers speeds up to 400 megabits per second (Mbps) and will weigh less than five pounds without its mounting bracket. The standard customer terminal will have a pricetag for less than $400 each.
Then there’s ultra-compact model, which is a 7-inch square design and weighs just 1 pound, it offers a speeds up to 100 Mbps. As for the cost, according to Amazon will be a “lower-cost model.”
There will also be a high-bandwidth design, this will be Project Kuiper’s largest, most capable model which aim for enterprise, government, and telecommunications applications that requires large bandwidth. The terminal measures 19 inches by 30 inches, and will deliver speeds up to 1 gigabit per second (Gbps).
All terminals will be using Amazon-designed baseband chip called “Prometheus.” Prometheus combines the processing power of a 5G modem chip and the capability of a cellular base station to handle high traffic demands.
Amazon’s Project Kuiper is also preparing to deploy its first two prototype satellites on the first flight of United Launch Alliance’s (ULA) Vulcan Centaur rocket. Project Kuiper is scaling operations in preparation for its launch early 2024 and its plans to give early adopter access to the service beginning later that year.
Realme has officially announced the realme 10 Pro 5G Coca-Cola Edition. The phone is basically the realme 10 Pro 5G with Coca-Cola theme; from the box set, icons, notifications and ringtones. Realme even included a note with realme & Coca-Cola DIY Stickers, a custom-made SIM Ejector pin inspired by the classic Coca-Cola crown, and a Limited Number Card. The phone will only available this summer and is limited to just 589 units.
The realme 10 Pro 5G Coca-Cola Edition will feature a 120Hz Boundless FHD+ Display, a dual rear camera that’s composed of 108MP ProLight Camera and a 2MP Portrait Camera, powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 5G processor. It’s powered by a 5000mAh Battery with 33W SUPERVOOC Fast Charging, it also comes with 8GB RAM + 128GB storage.
realme 10 Pro 5G Coca-Cola Edition will be running realme UI 4.0, Android 13 right out of the box. The retail price of the phone will be PHP18,999.00 only from realme’s Shopee Official Store, the first 100 buyers will receive PHP500.00 discount of their purchase. realme 10 Pro 5G Coca-Cola Edition will be released on midnight of 19th of March 2023.
Department of Information and Communications technology (DICT) just announced that there have been a significant increase in the number of subscribers registering their SIM cards since the implementation of the SIM Registration Act. To date, a total of 44,298,445 subscribers registered their SIM cards, 26.22% of 168,977,773, which is the total number of mobile subscribers subscriber in the country.
Here’s the breakdown of all the registered subscribers;
Smart Communications – 22,673,630 registered or 33.35% of their 67,995,734 subscribers subscribers
Globe Telecom – 18,280,107 registered or 20.80% of their 87,873,936 subscribers
DITO Telecommunity – 3,344,708 registered or 25.52% of their 13,108,103 subscribers.
In their announcement, DICT Secretary Ivan John Uy thank the public for their cooperation in the SIM Card registration “The Department has been actively working with the PTEs to ensure that all SIMs are registered and verified. This initiative is in line with the government’s efforts to improve national security and curb the rising incidents of fraudulent activities, including scams and identity theft”
DICT Undersecretary and Spokesperson Anna Mae Lamentillo echoed the same sentiments and added the need to create a safe digital environment for everyone, to protect everyone’s personal information from being used in any illegal activity. Lamentillo said ““We appreciate the public’s cooperation in complying with the SIM registration process. With only a few weeks left before the April 26 deadline, we urge unregistered citizens to take the necessary steps to comply and to avoid any inconvenience. We assure you that your safety and security are our top priorities,”
For those who have not register, you can visit the official link of your respective provider to register your SIM Cards;
Twitter Blue, the company’s premium subscription service is now available in the Philippines. Twitter Blue is an opt-in, paid subscription that adds a blue checkmark to your account and offers early access to select and exclusive features, like Edit Tweet, 1080p video uploads, Reader, custom navigation, Bookmark Folders, Top Articles and more.
Twitter Blue offers two price plan; An annual plan of Php 383.33 per month, which will be billed annually, and a monthly plan of Php440 per month.
Since the first roll-out of Twitter Blue, impersonation have been a problem by Twitter, it’s unknown how will this affect the problem if fake news in the country, since anyone with enough money and motivation can have their account verified and spread fake news.
Apple has officially announce the ‘yellow’ iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus. The yellow colorway will only for the non-pro models, unlike last year. The yellow color is an addition to the 5 colors; midnight (black), blue, purple, starlight (white), and red, when the iPhone 14 was first announced last September 2022.
This is not the first time that Apple released a iPhone color, last year they introduced the green iPhone 13, then the purple iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini, a year before.
Spec-wise, the yellow iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus will have the same components; Super Retina XDR display, A15 Bionic chip, up to 512GB of storage, Dual-rear camera system and 12MP front camera and up to 20 hours of battery life.
Colors of the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus: midnight, starlight, (PRODUCT)RED, blue, purple, and yellow.
The new yellow iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus will be available to pre-order this 10th of March and will be in retail store starting Tuesday, March 14th. Pricing will be the same as well; iPhone 14 starting price will be $799 (US) and $899 (US) for the iPhone 14 Plus.
Huawei just announced the Nova 10 Youth Edition, specs wise it looks similar to the specs of Huawei Nova 10 SE.
The Nova 10 Youth Edition features a Snapdragon 680 chipset for CPU, a 108MP main camera, and 8GB of RAM and up to 256GB storage. It features a 6.78-inch FHD+ IPS LCD display at 90Hz refresh rate. Nova 10 Youth Edition will have a 4,000 mAh battery slightly smaller than the one in the Nova 10 SE but with the same 66W fast charging. The Nova 10 Youth Edition will run HarmonyOS 2.0 right out of the box and will be available in Crystal Blue and Midnight Black colors.
Full Specs;
6.78-inch FHD+ (1080 x 2388 resolution) @387 ppi with 90Hz refresh rate
The Huawei Nova 10 Youth Edition will initially be available in China for CNY 1,699 or around SAR 920.00 for the 8GB + 128GB variant and CNY 1,899 (SAR 1028.16) for the 8GB + 256GB model. Local pricing is yet to be announce by Huawei.
It appears we will see another yellow iPhone will be as reports of a yellow iPhone 14 and 14 Plus have been floating around the net.
In an article on macrumors.com, Apple plans to release a yellow iPhone 14 and 14 Plus this spring, which is according to a Weibo post shared by Japanese blog Mac Otakara. As with any report outside Apple, we need to take this report with a grain of salt, since it’s hard to confirm the credibility of the Weibo account.
According to numerous sources, Apple’s PR department is preparing a product briefing for next week. On Tuesday, March 8 of last year, Apple introduced new Green hues for the iPhone 13 series, so there is a potential the briefing is connected to the announcement of a new iPhone color, but the topic of the briefing has not yet been confirmed.
The last time Apple released a yellow iPhone was in 2018 and 2019, when the company release the iPhone XR and iPhone 11, respectively. So far, the yellow color appears to be exclusive to iPhone 14 and 14 Plus and it’s unclear if it will find its way to the iPhone 14 Pro line, since yellow is very similar to the gold color.
Xiaomi just unveil the Xiaomi Wireless AR Glass Discovery Edition at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2023, an unexpected device to announced at the event.
Xiaomi said that its AR glasses is a new prototype Wireless AR Glass Discovery Edition, will weigh 126 grams and has a “retina-level” display. The company explained that when angular resolution or PPD (pixels per degree) approaches 60, the human eye cannot distinguish the individual pixel. The PPD of the Xiaomi Wireless AR Glasses is 58, which is the closest to AR glasses to meet this quality specification.
Instead of a built-in computing module, which make an AR Glasses look bulky, the Xiaomi Wireless AR Glass Discovery Edition will connect wirelessly to Xiaomi 13 series phone or any phones that uses Snapdragon XR2 Gen 1 Platform. The device is using Xiaomi’s own communication link to achieve full link latency as low as 50ms and 3ms1 with other smartphone devices.
Lei Jun, Xiaom’s Founder and CEO also explained;
Boasting a retina-level near-eye display for AR glasses, Xiaomi Wireless AR Glass Discovery Edition delivers a truly immersive visual experience. Moreover, our self-developed Xiaomi AR Gesture Control empowers effortless control between virtual and real space. pic.twitter.com/EipqBWxkpW
Xiaomi is not only company dipping their foot in the AR Space, Apple have been preaching that AR is the next wave of computing and not VR, while Oppo is also showcasing its Air Glasses 2. which they launched in China last year.
The Xiaomi Wireless AR Glass Discovery Edition is only available for developers and no details have been provided on the price and how to get a hold on one of these device.
At the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, Realme has announce the Realme GT3, a phones that can fully charge its 4,600mAh battery in just less than 10 minutes.
Aside from its ridiculous fast charging, the Realme GT3 is powered by Qualcomm SM8475 Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 for CPU with up to 16 GB of RAM and up to 1 TB for storage. It will feature a three-rear camera that’s compose of a 50 MP (primary wide), a 8 MP (ultrawide) and a 2 MP microscope, it also have the “Pulse Interface,” a little RGB lighting rectangle that is adjacent to the rear cameras. The “Pulse Interface” can light up in different colors for notification, charge indicator, as well as for incoming calls and count down timer for camera shot. The front shooter on the other hand is a 16 MP wide camera.
The Realme GT3 will have a 6.74 AMOLED display with 1B colors, at 144Hz, which make the phone ideal for gaming. Just like with newer Android phones, Realme removed the 3.5mm audio jack and it will have an under-display fingerprint scanner for its biometrics.
The Realme GT3 will have a starting price of $650 for an 8/128GB model, making it the cheapest Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 phones available. Going back to its fast charging, Realme explained that their “special sauce” for fast charge is the three “industry first” charging technologies. The Realme GT3 uses three 100W charging chips to achieve 98.5% transfer efficiency during charging. The power comes from a dual GaN charger that is the same size as Realme’s 150W charger from its previous smartphones, and third, is the first 12A USB cable since no one needed to push that much current over USB before.
Get ready to witness the power of #realmeGT3! Check out this video and experience the ultimate combination of speed and style. pic.twitter.com/xVtP63xvPG
At the MWC in Barcelona Spain, Nokia just unveil a new logo that will coincide with the company rebranding, placing more emphasis on being a “business technology company.”
In a blogpost by Pekka Lundmark, Nokia President and CEO said;
We are updating our strategy, and, as a key enabler, we are also refreshing our brand to reflect who we are today: a B2B technology innovation leader pioneering the future where networks meet cloud. Here is why we have chosen to do that now.
Even though they are no longer in the smartphone business, the company still very much involved in the mobile space thru their networking equipment and the licensing of its many patents. The company is also a big believer in 5G.
Lundmark ended his announcement with the rebranding of the company focusing on networking, innovation, collaborative partnerships and technology leadership.
Our new visual identity captures Nokia as we are today, with renewed energy and commitment as pioneers of digital transformation.
We built on the heritage of the previous logo, but made it feel more contemporary and digital, to reflect our current identity.
The brand was launched today at MWC Barcelona and it is now being rolled out across our sites and assets. The website has a new look and feel already – as you can see – and Nokia sites will begin transforming soon.
But this isn’t just about what we look like. It’s about our strength in networking, innovation, collaborative partnerships and technology leadership. It’s about our value propositions in current and prospective markets.
And most of all, it’s about our people.
In my view Nokia has the best, most talented and inspiring people in the business. Every day I feel privileged to work alongside them.
So Nokia’s leadership team and I wanted to create a new brand that worked for them, representing who they are, what they do and why they do it.
Our refreshed brand is an investment in them.
This is Nokia … but not as the world has seen us before.
This is Nokia, but not as the world has seen us before. Our new brand signals who Nokia is today. We’re unleashing the exponential potential of networks and their power to help reshape the way we all live and work. https://t.co/lbKLfaL2OI#NewNokiapic.twitter.com/VAgVo8p6nG
Two days after Starlink announced it availability in the Philippines, Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) posted a message on their facebook page welcoming Elon Musk’s Starlink Satellite Internet.
The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) today announced that Starlink of Elon Musk’s SpaceX is now in the Philippines, the first country in Southeast Asia to enjoy its services that promises to provide download speeds of up to 200 Mbps.
DICT Secretary Ivan John E. Uy said that Starlink’s entry to the Philippines will be a gamechanger, stressing that Starlink will augment and complement existing broadband capacities, enabling faster broadband speed and better connectivity, particularly in areas where connectivity has been difficult or impossible.
“In welcoming this new technology that is Starlink, our BroadBand ng Masa can now provide free high-speed internet access to our geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas in the Philippines, ensuring that no Filipino will be left behind,” said Uy.
With its Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite network constellation, Starlink can improve internet access in unserved and underserved areas in the country.
As of February 2023, Starlink is comprised of over 3,580 operational satellites. But the company aims to have as many as 40,000 satellites to be able to deliver high-speed, low-cost internet to remote regions across the globe.
Starlink is a division of Elon Musk’s SpaceX that provides broadband internet using low Earth orbit satellites. Starlink offers a download speed up to 200mbps on a ₱2,700.00 per month subscription. The only disadvantage is that Starlink does not provide any subsidy for its hardware, since you need to pay ₱29,320, compare to local provider that offers free hardware as long as you have contract commitment.
Ahead of this year’s MWC that will be held in Spain, HMD the maker of Nokia smartphone, just announce their latest entry level smartphone, the Nokia C02. The phone features a removable battery, IP52 rating and a headphone jack.
The Nokia C02 features a 5.45-inch display with FWVGA+ resolution and an 18:9 aspect ratio. The Nokia C02 features a 2 MP front facing camera and a single 5 MP rear camera. The phone is made out of a polycarbonate frame and the replaceable 3,000 mAh battery will have a nano-texture. The C02 have a dual SIM slots and a microSD card slot to expand its 32 GB storage up to 256 GB. The phone will also have 2 GB of RAM.
On the software side, the Nokia C02 will be running the Go edition of Android 12 and will receive two years of security updates. Colors for the Nokia C02 will be Dark Cyan and Charcoal colors. The pricing and availability will be announce locally.
The monthly fees for the service is only ₱2,700.00 but the hardware, the Starlink Kit will cost ₱29,320, a bit pricey for hardware will include a self-orienting Starlink phased array antenna, WiFi router, cables and base. It promises to provide high-speed, low-latency broadband internet and a download speeds up to 200 Mbs.
In an archipelago like the Philippines, a space-based internet provider is the most ideal, since you do not need to invest in any cell sites and cables. It’s still unknow how’s the performance of Starlink in the Philippines and since it’s summer in the country, those who ordered it will be able to get a good connection.
Netflix Philippines just announced a new pricing for its Basic and Standard Plan in the country that will take effect this 21st of February 2023.
From ₱369 per month, the new price for the Basic Plan will now be ₱249 per month, and Standard Plan will now be ₱399 from ₱459 per month. The new price changes will apply to both new and current subscribers. The Basic and Standard Plan are basically the same plan except that the Standard Plan will offer Full HD (1080P) resolution, while the Basic Plan only have HD (720P).
The price adjustment appears to be Netflix PH answer to the increasing competition in the country, since subscription to other streaming service available in the Philippines offer a much lower monthly plan.
Meta just announced that they’ll be testing a new verification service called Meta Verified, for both Facebook and Instagram. On his Facebook account, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said “this week we’re starting to roll out Meta Verified — a subscription service that lets you verify your account with a government ID, get a blue badge, get extra impersonation protection against accounts claiming to be you, and get direct access to customer support.”
Meta Verified accounts will enjoy the following features;
A verified badge, confirming you’re the real you and that your account has been authenticated with a government ID.
More protection from impersonation with proactive account monitoring for impersonators who might target people with growing online audiences.
Help when you need it with access to a real person for common account issues.
Increased visibility and reach with prominence in some areas of the platform– like search, comments and recommendations.
Exclusive features to express yourself in unique ways.
Zuckerberg also added that the new Meta verified service “is about increasing authenticity and security across our services.” Also, there will be no changes to accounts on Instagram and Facebook that are already verified based on prior requirements, including authenticity and notability.
Meta Verified will be first roll-out in Australia and New Zealand later this week, then to the rest of the world. Meta Verified is available for direct purchase on Instagram or Facebook in Australia and New Zealand starting later this week. Users can purchase a monthly subscription for (USD) $11.99 on the web and (USD) $14.99 on iOS and Android.
realme Philippines has officially announced 2 new smartphones under the realme 10 smartphone series; the realme 10 pro 5G and the larger realme 10 pro+ 5G.
The realme 10 pro 5G is now available for order from Shopee and Lazada, and in local retailer;
8GB RAM and 256GB of storage – ₱16,999.00
While the availability of realme 10 pro+ 5G is yet to be announce;
Steamdeck is now available in Saudi Arabia. You can purchase Valve’s handheld gaming computer – Steamdeck from Xcite, which from a quick lookup, appears to be the only local retailer to sell the gaming device. Before, if you want to purchase Steamdeck, you can either need to contact someone from the United States or buy it from the gray/black market.
The Steamdeck is a handheld gaming computer developed by Valve Corporation. Released on February 25, 2022, the Steam Deck can be played as a handheld or connected to a monitor in a similar manner to the Nintendo Switch. Steamdeck is designed to designed for playing Steam-based game, but can also support third-party storefronts like Epic Games Store, Ubisoft Connect, or Origin. The user can also replace the preinstalled SteamOS with a different operating system entirely, since it supports multi-booting.
Here are the pricing of Steamdeck, based on Xcite’s website listings;
SAR 2,498.99 – Steamdeck 64GB eMMC
SAR 3,199.00 – Steamdeck 256GB NVMe SSD
SAR 4,199.00 – Steamdeck 512GB NVMe SSD
Here’s the full specs of the Steamdeck;
Compute
Processor
AMD APU
CPU: Zen 2 4c/8t, 2.4-3.5GHz (up to 448 GFlops FP32)
GPU: 8 RDNA 2 CUs, 1.0-1.6GHz (up to 1.6 TFlops FP32)
APU power: 4-15W
realme Philippines will soon launch their realme 10 Pro Series 5G on 14th of Feb. 2023.
This is what they posted on their Facebook page;
First announced late last year, realme 10 Pro 5G is the latest flagship smartphone from the Chinese Smartphone maker. realme 10 Pro 5G features a 6.7-inches FHD+ display, powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 5G Processor with 108MP and 2MP dual rear camera, and a 16 MP front-facing selfie camera.
As for the rest of the specs, you can check them out below;
Google just announced the availability of Android 14 Developer Preview 1, which can be downloaded from Android for Developers website. The Android 14 Developer Preview 1, as the name suggest, is mainly for Android developers and Android hardware manufacturers to make sure that their apps and devices are fully compatible with the Android 14.
We released the first Developer Preview of #Android14!
It includes changes to streamline background work, along with enhancements to privacy, personalization, security, and more.
Notable features of the upcoming Android 14 are; support for tablets and foldable form factors, enhancements to performance, privacy, security, and user customization. Google plans to release the beta version of Android 14 in two months and release the final beta version by June 2023 and the candidate release up to the stable release by 3rd qtr of this year. It’s still unclear what features will be available in the final release but if you want to take a sneak peek at what is new with Android 14, then you can get the Android 14.
Samsung announced the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra with Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23+ last Feb 1, 2023 at their Galaxy Unpacked 2023. In a nutshell, the Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23+ are the same phones with different screen size while the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is the premium version that supports S-Pen and features a 200 MP camera.
You can read more about the new Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23+ here.
Aside from the new Galaxy S23 phones, Samsung also announced in their Galaxy Unpacked 2023 event, the Galaxy Book3 series; the Galaxy Book3 Ultra, Book3 Pro 360, Book3 360 and Book3 Pro. Except for the Galaxy Book3 Ultra all other Galaxy Book3 features similar specs.
Samsung describes the Galaxy Book3 Ultra as a “premium PC” with “ultra-high-performance computing,” while the Galaxy Book3 Pro 360 is a 2-in-1 convertible that supports S Pen functionality and the Galaxy Book3 Pro will be the the thinnest laptop in the series. The new Galaxy Book3 Ultra and Pro series will have a full aluminum frame and parts built from recycled plastics.
All Galaxy Book3 will be connected to an assortment of services like the Windows / Microsoft Phone Link; Windows / Microsoft Phone Link’s to Recent Websites; Instant Hotspot; Samsung Multi Control, Samsung Pass and much much more.
The Galaxy Book3 Ultra will be Samsung’s entry to the gaming space, since it features Intel’s 13th Gen Intel® Core™ i9 processor and NVIDIA® RTX Geforce™ 4070 laptop GPU. Both the Galaxy Book3 Ultra and Pro series will be available in 14-inches and 16-inches displays, that uses Samsung’s Dynamic AMOLED 2X display, first used in Galaxy premium smartphone lineup display. The display supports 3K (2880×1800) resolution, and 120Hz refresh rate. It is also VESA ClearMR and DisplayHDR TRUE BLACK 500 certified, and has received SGS Eye Care Display certification.
As for its availability, the new Galaxy Book3 series will be available for purchase this February 17th, 2023, starting with the Galaxy Book3 Pro and Pro360 models in select markets.
The Galaxy Book3 Pro will start at $1449.99, available in 14-inch and 16-inch sizes with Graphite and Beige color options. The Galaxy Book3 Pro 360 will start at $1899.99, available in 16-inch size with Graphite and Beige color options, and Galaxy Book3 Ultra will have a starting price of $2,399.99, available in a 16-inch size in Graphite.
Here’s the specs of the 16-inches Galaxy Book3 Pro 360.
Last Wednesday, Feb. 1st, at the Galaxy Unpacked 2023 – Samsung has officially announced their next line of smartphones, the Galaxy S23 Ultra. It composed of 3 new smartphones; the Galaxy S23 and the larger Galaxy S23+, then there’s the premium version the Galaxy S23 Ultra.
Samsung Galaxy S23 and the Galaxy S23+
The Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23+ are basically the same phones, the only difference is on the display, storage and battery. The Galaxy S23 features a 6.1-inch FHD+ Dynamic AMOLED display and a 3,900mAh battery, while the Galaxy S23+ will have a 6.1-inch FHD+ Dynamic AMOLED display and a whopping 4,700mAh battery.
Both phones will use Corning’s latest Gorilla Glass Victus 2 and Quamcomm’s Snapdragon® 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform.
Both Galaxy S23s will have same 8GB RAM, the storage offerings of the smaller Galaxy S23 will start at 128GB, up to 256GB of storage, while the larger Galaxy 23+ will be 256GB and up to 512GB of storage.
Both the Galaxy S23 and the Galaxy S23+ will be available in 4 colors; Cream, Lavender, Phantom Black, Green. Plus 2 online exclusive colors; Lime and Graphite. The starting price of the Galaxy S23 will be $799.99 and the Galaxy S23+ will be $999.99. Samsung is already taking pre-orders.
Samsung Galaxy S23 & Galaxy S23 Plus
Here are the specs for both the Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23+;
Galaxy S23
Galaxy S23+
Display
6.1-inch FHD+*
6.6-inch FHD+*
Dynamic AMOLED 2X Display
Dynamic AMOLED 2X Display
Super Smooth 120Hz refresh rate (48~120Hz)
Super Smooth 120Hz refresh rate (48~120Hz)
240Hz Touch Sampling Rate in Game Mode
240Hz Touch Sampling Rate in Game Mode
Vision booster
Vision booster
Enhanced comfort
Enhanced comfort
Dimensions & Weight
2.79 x 5.76 x 0.3in, 5.93oz
3.07 x 6.43 x 0.35in, 6.91oz
Camera
12MP Ultra-Wide Camera
• F2.2, FOV 120˚
50 MP Wide Camera
• F1.8, FOV 85˚
10MP Telephoto Camera
• 3x Optical Zoom, F2.4, FOV 36˚
12MP Front Camera
• F2.2, FOV 80˚
Processor
Snapdragon® 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform for Galaxy
Memory & Storage
8 + 256GB
8 + 512GB
8 + 128GB
8 + 256GB
Battery
3,900mAh
4,700mAh
OS
Android 13
One UI 5.1
Network and Connectivity
5G*, LTE**, Wi-Fi 6E***, Wi-Fi Direct Bluetooth® v 5.3
Security
Samsung Knox, Samsung Knox Vault
Water Resistance
IP68
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
Samsung also announced a premium smartphones that they’re calling the Galaxy S23 Ultra. From the looks of its specs, Samsung went all-out on this device. Just like the Galaxy S23 and the Galaxy S23+, the Galaxy S23 Ultra uses Corning’s Gorilla Glass Victus 2 and powered by Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform. It supports the S Pen, for productivity, notetaking, hobbies, etc.
The Galaxy S23 Ultra will also have the largest battery capacity with 5,000mAh and the main rear camera will use a “new 200MP Adaptive Pixel sensor” for taking that “epic” photo.
The Galaxy S23 Ultra will be available in 3 configuration; 12GB RAM with 1TB storage, 12GB RAM and a 512GB storage, and 8GB RAM with 256GB storage. The phone will be available in available in 4 colors; Cream, Lavender, Phantom Black, Green; and 4 online exclusive colors; Lime, Graphite, Sky Blue, and Red.
The starting price for the Galaxy S23 Ultra will be at $1,199.99 for the 8GB RAM + 256GB storage configuration. Pre-order for the Galaxy S23 Ultra is now available.
Here’s the specs of the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra;
Galaxy S23 Ultra
Display
6.8-inch QHD+ Edge*
Dynamic AMOLED 2X Display
Super Smooth 120Hz refresh rate (1~120Hz)
240Hz Touch Sampling Rate in Game Mode
Vision booster
Enhanced comfort
Dimensions & Weight
3.07 x 6.43 x 0.35 in , 8.25oz
Camera
12MP Ultra-Wide Camera
• F2.2, FOV 120˚
200 MP Wide Camera
• F1.7, FOV 85˚
10MP Telephoto Camera
• 3x Optical Zoom, F2.4, FOV 36˚
10MP Telephoto Camera
• 10x Optical Zoom, F4.9, FOV 11˚
12MP Front Camera
• F2.2, FOV 80˚
AP
Snapdragon® 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform for Galaxy
Memory & Storage
12GB + 1TB
12 + 512GB
8 + 256GB
Battery
5,000mAh
OS
Android 13
One UI 5.1
Network and Connectivity
5G*, LTE**, Wi-Fi 6E***, Wi-Fi Direct Bluetooth® v 5.3
Official Unveiling of the Samsung Galaxy S23 Series
EA’s Respawn Entertainment, the makers of Apex Legends, just announced that they will sunset the the mobile version of Apex Legends. In their announcement, the company said that players with existing Syndicate Gold can keep playing the full game until 4 PM PDT on May 1st, 2023, which is when the game will stop operating on all regions.
The game publisher did not provide any reason for the decision except that the game “fall short of that bar for quality, quantity, and cadence.” The company added that both “Respawn and the Apex Legends team remain excited about mobile as a platform and look forward to new opportunities to serve players there in the future.”
We have made the decision to sunset Apex Legends Mobile.
Nissan and New Balance just create a one of a kind car that both car-lovers and sneaker heads will surely like. It’s not uncommon for car manufacturer to partner with fashion and lifestyle brands to create a “new” product; like the Puma Ferrari shoes or the Porche Design Huawei Mate 40 RS, but with Nissan and New Balance collab it’s the other way around, instead of the car-inspired shoe design, they created a “shoe-inspired” car design. Both Nissan and New Balance literally created a Nisan Kicks, one that they’re calling Nissan Kicks 327 Edition.
Nissan Kicks 327 Edition is “Nissan Kicks e-POWER 4WD” wrapped with New Balance “327” specifications. The car was wrapped material to represent the suede fabric texture of the “327” shoes and the tongue part was carefully created from the reproduction of the shape to the texture of the shoe.
Nissan did not mention if they will mass product the Nissan Kicks 327 Edition but it was exhibited at NISSAN CROSSING (Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo) starting last Tuesday, January 24th until this Wednesday, February 1st.
For reference, this is what the New Balance 327 looks like.
Queen of All Media, Kris Quino, Kristina Bernadette Cojuangco Aquino in real life, took to social media in sending her message for the 90th birthday of Former President Cory Aquino.
In her 10-minute Instagram video, Kris shared how she copes with four autoimmune diseases, showing how challenging her medical situation has been and also explain the conditions she is dealing with, even though she believes her mother can see everything from heaven.
Together with the new Mac mini, Apple also announced a new MacBook Pro powered by the new M2 Pro and M2 Max. With the new M2 Pro and M2 Max, the new Macbook Pros’ “battery life will be up to 22 hours — the longest battery life ever in a Mac.”
The new Macbook Pro features Liquid Retina XDR display, 16GB unified memory that’s configurable up to 96GB RAM, a 22 hours battery life, 512GB SSD storage which you can upgrade up to 8 TB. As for expansion slots, you’ll find SDXC card slot, HDMI port, 3.5 mm headphone jack and MagSafe 3 port for charging. It also have Thunderbolt 4 for charging and display. Its backlit magic Keyboard will have an integrated Touch ID, ambient light sensor and force Touch trackpad for precise cursor control and pressure-sensing capabilities; enables Force clicks, accelerators, pressure-sensitive drawing, and multi-touch gestures.
For connectivity it supports Wi-Fi 6E 802.11ax and Bluetooth 5.3. The new Macbook Pro will have a 1080p FaceTime HD camera, six built-in speakers with force-cancelling woofers and wide stereo sounds. If you’re concern about the weight there a very small different between the weight of the Macbook Pro with M2 Pro and M2 Max. Right out of the box, the new Macbook Pro will run Apple’s latest macOS Ventura.
The new MacBook Pro models with M2 Pro and M2 Max are now available for order in 27 countries and they will begin arriving to customers and will be in Apple Store locations and Apple Authorized Resellers starting Tuesday, January 24.
The new 14-inch MacBook Pro with M2 Pro starts at $1,999 (USD) and the 16-inch MacBook Pro with M2 Pro starts at $2,499 (US).
MacBook Pro with M2 Pro and M2 Max will be available in Australia, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Macau, New Zealand, and Singapore beginning Friday, February 3.
Apple just announced an updated version of the Mac mini powered by their very own M2 and the all-new M2 Pro Soc.
Mac Mini with M2 chip
The new Mac mini with the M2 features an 8-core CPU with four high-performance and four high-efficiency cores, along with a 10-core GPU — perfect for users looking for superfast performance and incredible productivity at an even more affordable starting price of $599. It supports up to 24GB of unified memory and 100GB/s of bandwidth and the M2 model can also simultaneously play up to two streams of 8K ProRes 422 video at 30 fps, or up to 12 streams of 4K ProRes 422 video at 30 fps.
Specs of Mac Mini with M2 chip;
Apple M2 chip
– 8-core CPU with 4 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores
– 10-core GPU
– 16-core Neural Engine
– 100GB/s memory bandwidth
8GB unified RAM, configurable to 16GB or 24GB
256GB SSD, configurable to 512GB, 1TB, or 2TB
2x Thunderbolt 4 ports
2x USB-A ports
HDMI port
Gigabit Ethernet ports
3.5 mm headphone jack
Built-in speaker
Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, Ethernet Connectivity
3.58cm x 19.70cm x 19.70cm dimension
1.18 kg weight
Apple Mac mini with Studio Display and Magic accessories.
Mac Mini with M2 Pro chip
The new Mac mini with the M2 Pro will provide pro-level performance with up to 12-core CPU with eight high-performance cores and four high-efficiency cores, together with an up to a 19-core GPU. It supports up to 32GB of memory, a faster Neural Engine and a powerful media engine for streaming 8K ProRes 422 video at 30 fps, or up to 23 streams of 4K ProRes 422 video at 30 fps. The M2 Pro-powered model is up to 14x faster than the fastest Intel-based Mac mini.
Specs of Mac Mini with M2 Pro chip;
Apple M2 Pro chip
– 10-core CPU with 6 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores
– 16-core GPU
– 16-core Neural Engine
– 200GB/s memory bandwidth
16GB unified RAM, configurable 32GB
512GB SSD, configurable to 1TB, 2TB, 4TB, or 8TB
4x Thunderbolt 4 ports
2x USB-A ports
HDMI port
Gigabit Ethernet ports
3.5 mm headphone jack
Built-in speaker
Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, Ethernet Connectivity
3.58cm x 19.70cm x 19.70cm dimension
1.28 kg weight
The new Mac mini with M2 and M2 Pro is now available for order and will start arriving to customers, and in Apple Store locations and Apple Authorized Resellers, starting Tuesday, January 24. Mac mini with M2 will have starting price of $599, while the Mac mini with M2 Pro will be $1,299. Mac mini with M2 and M2 Pro will be available in Australia, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Macau, and New Zealand beginning Friday, February 3.
LinkedIn, the social media network for professionals and businesses just reveal the 15 fastest-growing job titles in the Philippines. The list is a good reference for those who are planning to switch jobs or gauge if there’s long term opportunity in the industry where you’re at.
LinkedIn explained that the list was published by “LinkedIn Economic Graph researchers examined millions of jobs started by LinkedIn members from January 1, 2018 to July 31, 2022 to calculate a growth rate for each job title.” and added “To be ranked, a job title needed to see consistent growth across our membership base, as well as have grown to a meaningful size by 2022.”
Here’s the full list of LinkedIn’s 15 fastest-growing job titles in the Philippines;
Clinical Research Associate
What they do: Clinical research associates are responsible for the setup, conduct, and supervision of clinical trials and studies designed to determine the effectiveness and safety of drugs, products, and procedures.
Most common skills: Good Clinical Practice (GCP), Clinical Monitoring, Clinical Trial Management System (CTMS)
Most common industries: Manufacturing, Professional Services, Hospitals and Health Care
Business Development Representative
What they do: Business development representatives help both the marketing and sales departments of a company by identifying, connecting, and nurturing new clients in order to generate new revenue.
Most common skills: Lead Generation, Business Development, Cold Calling.
Most common industries: Technology and Media, Professional Services, Entertainment Providers.
Insights Analyst
What they do: Insights analysts are responsible for translating a company’s financial, customer, and market data into insights that can help the business make informed decisions.
Most common skills: Microsoft Power BI, Business Insights, Data Visualization
Most common industries: Professional Services, Manufacturing, Technology and Media
Delivery Specialist
What they do: Delivery specialists manage projects on behalf of clients, making sure that projects are completed within deadlines and budgets and that projects meet every client specification.
Most common skills: Service Delivery, Alteryx, Business Process Improvement
Most common industries: Professional Services, Technology and Media, Administrative and Support Services
Anti-Money Laundering Analyst
What they do: Anti-money laundering analysts help organizations comply with anti-money laundering regulations by monitoring financial transactions and investigating any suspicious activity.
Most common skills: KYC Verification, Anti-Money Laundering, Due Diligence
Most common industries: Financial Services, Professional Services, Technology and Media
Media Analyst
What they do: Media analysts measure the success of advertising campaigns and other marketing activities through the monitoring of media channels and analysis of media data.
Most common skills: Media Analysis, Media Monitoring, Data Analysis
Most common industries: Professional Services, Technology and Media, Financial Services
Customer Success Specialist
What they do: Customer success specialists help businesses retain existing customers by responding to inquiries, resolving issues, and providing other support that ensure customer satisfaction.
Most common skills: Account Management, Customer Success, Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
Most common industries: Professional Services, Financial Services, Technology and Media
Virtual Medical Assistant
What they do: Virtual medical assistants take care of many administrative and clerical duties for clinics or hospitals, including the maintenance of medical databases, appointment scheduling, patient billing, and insurance coverage processing.
Most common skills: Virtual Assistance, Medical Assisting, Appointment Scheduling
Most common industries: Professional Services, Hospitals and Health Care, Administrative and Support Services
Salesforce Consultant
What they do: Salesforce consultants help companies use the Salesforce CRM software, providing expert guidance during the setup, implementation, and optimisation of the tool to suit the company’s needs.
Most common skills: Salesforce.com Administration, Apex Programming, Salesforce Sales Cloud
Most common industries: Professional Services, Technology and Media, Manufacturing
Data Engineer
What they do: Data engineers work with raw data and transform it into a format that’s more accessible and usable for further analysis by data scientists.
Most common skills: Data Engineering, Load (ETL), Python (Programming Language)
Most common industries: Professional Services, Financial Services, Oil, Gas, and Mining
Security Operations Center Analyst
What they do: Security operations center analysts protect a company’s computer network by monitoring system activity, identifying and responding to threats, and patching any system security flaw.
Most common skills: Security Information and Event Management (SIEM), Security Operations Center, Cybersecurity
Most common industries: Professional Services, Financial Services, Technology and Media
DevOps Engineer
What they do: DevOps engineers sit between software development and software operation teams to improve end user experience, balancing the rollout of new features with maintaining the stability and security of the software.
Most common skills: DevOps, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Kubernetes
Most common industries: Professional Services, Financial Services, Technology and Media
Product Owner
What they do: Product owners take the lead in all aspects of new product development and are responsible for setting the vision for the product, deciding what features the product should have, and managing the whole process from start to finish.
Most common skills: Agile Methodologies, Scrum, Product Management
Most common industries: Financial Services, Professional Services, Technology and Media
Cloud Engineer
What they do: Cloud engineers manage a company’s cloud-based systems and are responsible for setting it up, ensuring its stability, implementing updates, and customizing its features to suit end users’ needs.
Most common skills: Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, Cloud Computing
Most common industries: Professional Services, Technology and Media, Manufacturing
Tax Associate
What they do: Tax associates help organizations file their taxes correctly, find opportunities for tax deductions, and provide guidance on tax-related matters.
Most common skills: Tax Preparation, Tax Compliance, Accounting
Most common industries: Professional Services, Financial Services, Real Estate and Equipment Rental Services
Apple just announced that they are adding karaoke features to Apple Music. The company said that they’re calling this new feature Apple Music Sing, “a new feature that allows users to sing along to their favorite songs with adjustable vocals and real-time lyrics.” It added that “Apple Music Sing offers multiple lyric views to help fans take the lead, perform duets, sing backup, and more — all integrated within Apple Music’s unparalleled lyrics experience.”
The new feature will be available this month to all Apple Music Subscribers worldwide and can be access using compatible iPhones, iPads, and the new Apple TV 4K. Apple will also create 50 dedicated companion playlists featuring all of the karaoke friendly songs all around the world to sing and it’s fully optimized for the Apple Music Sing experience.
The compatible devices that Apple Music Sing will be available are; iPhone 11 to the latest iPhones; iPhone SE (third-generation, 2022); the iPad 9, 10, iPad mini 6, iPad Air 4 and 5; the M1 and M2 iPad Pro, and the said devices needs to updated to the latest iOS 16.2, which will be release this December 2022.
