Welcome to Thread 2! :cheers:

Keep posting forumers :okay:

Link to Thread 1 (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=327885)

^^ Be careful when accessing your Facebook and Twitter account via free wifi read below.

Firesheep app lets you hack Facebook

By TJ DIMACALI, GMANews.TV
10/27/2010 | 12:34 PM

Eric Butler, a US-based freelance web application and software developer, has just released an application on his blog called "Firesheep" that exposes the vulnerabilities of open wireless networks.

Firesheep allows a user to view and even edit the account of anyone using Facebook or Twitter while logged into an unsecure WiFi network.

According to Butler, this intrusion is possible because most websites —including Facebook and Twitter— only encrypt the user's initial login.

"When logging into a website you usually start by submitting your username and password. The server then checks to see if an account matching this information exists and if so, replies back to you with a 'cookie' which is used by your browser for all subsequent requests. It's extremely common for websites to protect your password by encrypting the initial login, but surprisingly uncommon for websites to encrypt everything else. This leaves the cookie (and the user) vulnerable," he explained.

"Facebook is constantly rolling out new 'privacy' features in an endless attempt to quell the screams of unhappy users, but what's the point when someone can just take over an account entirely? Twitter forced all third party developers to use OAuth then immediately released (and promoted) a new version of their insecure website," Butler added.

In Metro Manila, most public malls —including SM, Ayala, and Robinsons malls—now offer open and free WiFi access. According to Wikipedia, SM Megamall alone attracts foot traffic of some 800,000 people per day.

Butler said that he was not maliciously motivated to create the program.

"Websites have a responsibility to protect the people who depend on their services. They've been ignoring this responsibility for too long, and it's time for everyone to demand a more secure web. My hope is that Firesheep will help the users win," he explained. - RSJ, GMANews.TV

http://www.gmanews.tv/story/204444/firesheep-app-lets-you-hack-facebook-twitter-accounts

Philippines are now competitive with regards to BPO, but our government must provide more needed support to our local company and double our effort in the field of software development, which we are still behind India and china including singapore.

Be vigilant, ATM networks told

By Michelle Remo
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 05:10:00 10/28/2010

MANILA, Philippines—The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) has called on ATM networks—Bancnet, Megalink and Expresslink—to tighten the security features of the point of sale (POS) payment system on the back of the growing use of this method of payment.

Under the POS payment system, consumers use their ATM (automated teller machine) cards to pay for goods or services that they purchase. The amount of the purchase is automatically debited from the balance in their ATM accounts.

In a speech before the banking community and officials of the ATM networks yesterday, BSP Governor Amando Tetangco Jr. said that more and more Filipinos are using the POS payment system, largely eliminating the inconvenience of carrying cash.

According to Tetangco, in the first quarter of 2010 alone, there were already P11.3-billion worth of transactions using ATM cards.

He said this figure would grow further as the industry continues to innovate ways to make transactions easier for consumers.

On Wednesday, the ATM networks announced the interconnection of their POS payment systems. This means that a holder of any ATM card—Bancnet, Megalink or Expresslink—may use his or her card to pay for purchases from a merchant that uses any of the POS payment systems.

Before the interconnection, a consumer holding a Bancnet ATM card, for instance, could use the card to pay for a purchase only if the merchant also used the Bancnet POS system.

Tetangco welcomed the interconnection of the POS payment systems of the ATM networks, saying this would benefit consumers if the service is delivered properly.

He said the BSP is encouraging innovations in payment systems as these help increase economic activity in the country.

But he said the rising use of the POS payment system must come with tightening of security features to avoid any risk of failure or security breaches that could dampen the public’s trust in the system.

While there has been no significant problems encountered in the use of the POS system, it pays for the ATM networks to be cautious, Tetangco said.

ATM networks should also conduct an information campaign to make consumers aware of how to perform POS transactions safely and securely, he said.

Mom Kills Baby for Interrupting FarmVille

Florida mother Alexandra Tobias has pleaded guilty to killing her infant son after shaking him for crying while she was playing FarmVille on Facebook. She shook him, "smoked a cigarette to compose herself," and then shook him again.

http://gawker.com/5675276/mom-kills-baby-for-interrupting-farmville

Are texting and Facebook worse for teens than TV?

Manila Bulletin Today
October 28, 2010, 11:14pm

NEW YORK (AP) – Let's face it: Teenagers spend hours texting, socializing on Facebook and playing video games. And it's driving their parents nuts.

Sure, there are real dangers associated with all this screen time — everything from cyberbullying to couch-potato obesity. Not to mention driving while texting, shortened attention spans and Internet porn.

But many of today's parents spent hours as kids sitting in front of screens too — only they were TV screens.

Which raises an interesting question: Is Facebook really worse for teenagers' brains than the mindless reruns of "Gilligan's Island" and "The Brady Bunch" that their parents consumed growing up?

Douglas Gentile, a child psychologist and associate professor at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa, who studies the effects of media on children, says texting, Facebook and video games are not inherently bad. Nor are they inherently better or worse than watching TV, although they do pose different risks, such as cyberbullying.

But research has shown that the more time kids spend in front of screens — whether it's TV or instant-messaging — the worse their school performance. "That doesn't mean it's true for every kid, but it makes sense, that for every hour a kid is playing video games, it's an hour that they're not doing homework or reading or exploring or creating," he said.

Gentile calls this the "displacement hypothesis. If screen time is displacing doing their homework, that's bad. But if their homework is done, well, so what?"

Gentile, who admits that his own teenager crossed the "9,000 texts in one month barrier" last summer, acknowledged that parents are struggling to adjust to a world in which kids would rather look at words on a cell phone screen than have a conversation.

"The older generation, it's not their culture," he said. "There is a resistance to it."

Watching TV as a family, as mindless as that experience can be, is now regarded with nostalgia by parents. If your kid is sitting in the living room watching "American Idol," you can plop on the sofa with them, and "it's a shared experience," Gentile said. But if they're texting or video-chatting with a friend from school, "it's a private experience. It's like they're whispering secrets. And we find it rude."

Patti Rowlson, a mother of two in Everson, Wash., says this "has been a topic of discussion in our house for years now." She and her husband started out limiting TV time when their kids were little, but "then technology crept in. Cell phones, laptop computers, iPods with Wi-Fi. We, as parents, were no longer in control of screen time because we could not even tell when they were using it."

Recounting a struggle that will sound familiar to many parents, Rowlson said that at first, she and her husband imposed limits on tech use.

"There were battles and even groundings," along with the confiscation of iPods, she said. "We were constantly policing and the kids were constantly getting in trouble. We were trying to fight for the old ways, and it was causing a lot of stress and tension in the family. It was ridiculous. So we loosened up. And it's made everybody happier. We were fighting something that you can't hold back. It's how they communicate with their peers."

What's been the result? Two good kids, she said. "In the end I'm not sure if having boundaries early on helped them or made no difference at all."

Ron Neal, who lives in West L.A., has a teenage daughter who is "tech-driven and passionate about it. ... I don't know how it's going to play out, but I don't have this fear and dread about it."

Neal, who admits to watching a lot of "Gilligan's Island" growing up, added: "We had our minds numbed by TV, and maybe they're looking at useless things on the Internet or YouTube, but I also think they're developing a lot of skills through this technology that we could never comprehend. For my daughter, when she is home, she does have everything going — the TV, the computer, communicating with friends, and doing the homework at the same time."

He admits, though, that there are some frightening aspects to the dependence today's teenagers have on technology. "They are so emotionally connected to being tied in with their friends 24 hours a day, if they get a text, they feel obligated to respond in seconds," he said. He recalled a group of girls showing up for a birthday party at a restaurant, and "everyone of them had their head down, texting."

The explosion in teen screen time is well-documented. A recent Associated Press-mtvU poll found that one-third of college students use computers, cell phones or gaming consoles for six or more hours daily. A Kaiser Family Foundation study published in January found that total media use among 8- to 18-year-olds, including TV, music, computers, video games, print and movies has increased from six hours, 21 minutes daily in 2004 to seven hours, 38 minutes in 2009.

"Try waking a teenager in the morning and the odds are good that you'll find a cell phone tucked under their pillow," the Kaiser report said.

The Kaiser study also found that the more time kids spend with media, the lower their grades and levels of personal contentment are.

Gentile said the impact of screen time on school work can be mitigated by what he calls "protective factors." Those might include good teachers and a high-performing school, love of reading, coming from a family where education is valued, and exposure to experiences that are culturally and intellectually enriching. "If you had all these protective factors," said Gentile, "then that one little risk factor (screen time), who cares?"

He added that surprisingly, the amount of time kids spend watching TV has not declined precipitously with the popularity of computers and gaming, but "they don't pay nearly the attention (to TV) that they used to." The TV might be on, but "they're also instant-messaging, they're on Facebook, they're texting."

One thing parents should worry about, Gentile said, is the way electronic devices encourage multitasking.

"Multitasking is not really good for anyone," he said. "Your reflexes speed up, you're quicker to look over your shoulder and notice little noises or lights. This is not what they need when they get to the classroom and you're supposed to ignore the kid next to you. Scanning to see when the next message comes, this may not be good for kids. The more distractions you have, the worse your performance is." Getting kids to turn off their phones, iPods, and computers in order to concentrate on homework and reading, he said, "I think that's a fight worth having."

Bottom line: Never mind that your kid is spending two hours on Facebook each night. As long as they do their homework without texting in between math problems, it's probably no better or worse than the hours you spent watching "Star Trek."

Internet use in provinces catching up with Manila
TJ DIMACALI, GMANews.TV (http://www.gmanews.tv/story/204471/internet-use-in-provinces-catching-up-with-manila)
10/27/2010 | 04:18 PM

Provincial cities are catching up with Metro Manila in terms of internet use, according to a recent media study from The Nielsen Company.

Based on a rolling sample over the past year of males and females aged 10 and above across all socioeconomic classes, Metro Manila still showed the highest percentage of Internet users: as many as 40 percent of those surveyed went online in the past month.

However, close behind the capital city are Tuguegarao (37 percent), Olongapo (35 percent), Angeles (34 percent), and Dumaguete (33 percent) — each hosting a high concentration of tertiary schools and other educational institutions.

http://www.gmanews.tv/webpics/infotech/Nielsen2010_internetuse.jpg

Highly urbanized cities other than Metro Manila ("Tier 2") are quickly catching up in terms of internet usage. Source: The Nielsen Company

"Several factors are contributing to the rise of Internet usage across the country, particularly in urban centers outside Metro Manila," said Nielsen Media (Philippines) executive director Jay Bautista in an email interview with GMANews.TV.

He enumerated the following growth drivers:

* Proliferation of Internet café’s which allow even low-income consumers to go online
* Increase in the number of surplus PC shops (second-hand desktops and laptops from other countries)
* Decrease in access rates for DSL, availability of prepaid internet plug-ins
* Increase in the number of WiFi zones in commercial establishments
* Popularity of netbooks
* Popularity of BYO (build your own) PC’s
* Popularity of social networking sites (Facebook)
* Going online is proving to be a cheaper way to communicate with OFW’s or relatives who have migrated to other countries (Skype, etc.)

These factors play a key role in another important finding of the Nielsen study: the shift from shared Internet access to private access.

While Internet cafés continue to be the place of choice for going online, the number of people who patronize these establishments over the past three months dropped from 71 percent to 69 percent year-on-year. Access from school and work terminals has also declined, down to four and five percent, respectively.

In contrast, according to the Nielsen study, home usage has increased from 27 percent to 31 percent. And, most surprisingly, access via mobile devices (such as cellphones, personal digital assistants, and netbooks) went from zero just a year ago up to 5 percent in 2010.

http://www.gmanews.tv/webpics/infotech/Nielsen2010_mobileaccess.jpg

More people are going online using their mobile phones, netbooks, and other portable devices. Source: The Nielsen Company


The sharp rise in mobile Internet usage has been attributed to more affordable access rates and attractive tariffs from mobile telecommunications companies

Bautista said that Nielsen plans to look more closely into the phenomenon in an upcoming study.

"Next year we are planning to launch an internet café landscape study which will help us understand the nuances of urban cities," he said. - HS, GMANews.TV

Pinoy Facebook users reach almost 18M
SunStar Manila - Philippines
Monday, November 1, 2010

MANILA -- An analytic firm said the Philippines now holds the distinction of having the sixth largest population of users of popular social networking site Facebook.

According to Facebakers.com, the country already has 17,942,340 users as of October 30 this year and is expected to topple the 18-million mark this November after posting 8.08 percent growth rate or 1.5 million new users last month.

The Philippines trailed France (19.68 million), Turkey (23.13 million), United Kingdom (27.9 million), Indonesia (29.44 million) and the United States (143.09 million).

The report said a slim majority (52 percent) of Filipino Facebook users are females as compared to males (48 percent). It also indicated that the 17.9 million users represented 60.4 percent of online Filipinos or 18 percent of the country’s population.

Around 44 percent of users are bracketed in the 18-24 age group or those who are enrolled in college, while 24 percent are young professionals (25-34). Filipinos aged 55 and above had a paltry share of two percent or equivalent to 358,000 users. (Virgil Lopez/Sunnex)

^^Sooner or later Facebook will just be another phenomenon like having your maids or construction workers with their own cellphones, not one, but even two. One of the reasons for this is the telcos are now allowing Facebook updates via SMS (not just the mobile Facebook apps). If a teen can send an SMS to FB via Globe, Smart or Sun for less than P5 then it will come cheaper than updating each and every friend with an SMS that costs P1 each.

APEC eyes high-speed broadband networks by 2020

Tuesday, 02 November 2010 00:00

Asian and Pacific countries agreed on Sunday to help establish next-generation high-speed broadband networks in their region by 2020, overcoming the "digital divide" between rich and poor nations. The accord was mentioned in a declaration adopted by telecommunications and information ministers from the 21-memberAsia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum at the end of a two-day meeting in Okinawa, Japan.

The declaration, which will be submitted to the APEC summit scheduled for mid-November in Yokohama, Japan, was posted on the website of the Japanese internal affairs and communications ministry.

It said: "We recommend that the TEL (APEC Telecommunications and Information Working Group) works toward achieving the ambitious goal of access to next generation high speed broadband by 2020 to expand and improve ICT (information and communications technologies) infrastructure for knowledge-based economies in the APEC region."

"We acknowledge that the digital divide in the APEC region remains an obstacle to accessing the full benefits offered by ICT," the document said.

"We recognise that enhancing opportunities to access information through initiatives such as infrastructure development need to be a priority."
-- AFP


http://www.manilatimes.net/index.php/tech-times/31208-apec-eyes-high-speed-broadband-networks-by-2020

The dangers of tweeting

By Ira Pedrasa, abs-cbnNEWS.com
Posted at 11/02/2010 11:40 AM | Updated as of 11/02/2010 11:45 AM

MANILA, Philippines - It was not Vietnamese wine, but Chilean.

That was what veteran journalist Ellen Tordesillas revealed, quoting her sources at the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), during a discussion on Umagang Kay Ganda’s Punto Por Punto regarding the brouhaha caused by the recent tweeting of a Palace official.

“Pati pala Chilean, nilalait na niya, (She even ridiculed the Chilean),” Tordesillas said of President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III’s speechwriter, Carmen “Mai” Mislang.

Mislang came under fire following her posts on the popular social networking site, Twitter.

Mislang posted in her Twitter account, “The wine sucks” after the state banquet hosted by Vietnam President Nguyen Minh Triet in honor of Aquino.

She also tweeted: “Sorry pero walang pogi dito #vietnam.” (Sorry, there are no handsome men here.)

She also posted: “Crossing the speedy motorcycle laden streets of Hanoi is one of the easiest ways to die.”

Mislang has already been reprimanded, and Malacañang has stopped its communications officials from further using social networking sites pending a review of the social media policy.

However, this did not stop the veteran journalist from further lambasting Mislang. She has already posted her opinion on the matter in her blog, which was described as colorful and very Tordesillas.

She said if the tweets were mere correspondence between Mislang and Communications Secretary Ricky Carandang, she should have “texted” those instead.

Reporters too

Another veteran journalist Ed Lingao, the multimedia director of the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism, said the incident has shown a very thin line between the right to tweeting and issuing an opinion.

“With the Internet, you can’t separate anymore the private and public persona; the private opinion with professional opinion,” he said.

He noted that even reporters have been reprimanded by their editors for issuing opinions in their Twitter and Facebook accounts.

“Napapagalitan sila ng editors dahil nagti-tweet ng opinyon, samantalang they’re supposed to be perceived as being objective,” he said. (Reporters are being reprimanded for issuing opinions, when they’re supposed to be objective)

“Kung minsan hindi na nagkakaiba yung dalawa: tweeting and being objective. It’s just that, you give your personal side in a public forum,” he added. (Sometimes you can’t separate tweeting and being objective. It’s just that you give your personal side in a public forum.)

He said Mislang does have the right to express her opinions “although that does not excuse her from being careless.”

Tweet versus text

The tweets also showed her being unprofessional, he added.

Unlike texting, which is a one-on-one correspondence, tweeting is already micro-blogging, he added.

For Tordesillas, however, it all redounds to being courteous, no matter what the forum is.

“Kapag bisita ka sa isang bahay, hindi mo nilalait yung host…bastos yung nilalait yung nagpapakain sa iyo,” she said. (If you’re a mere visitor, you do not ridicule the host.)

She noted that Mislang went there as a representative of the country, not a mere visitor.

“Hindi ka ginastusan ng taumbayan para manlait…Naghahanap ka pala ng lalaking pogi, bakit ka pa nagpagastos sa taumbayan, e di nagbakasyon ka na lang sana,” she added. (The people did not spend money for you to ridicule. If you’re looking for good-looking men, you should have gone to Vietnam as a mere visitor.)

Asked if Malacañang did the right thing in halting the officials’ tweeting, Tordesillas said: “Depende kay President Aquino kung anong klaseng gobyerno ang nais niyang i-govern…The quality of the government that he will give us depends on the people that he wants around him.”


http://antipinoy.com/tweet-made-carandang-look-like-a-twit/

^^ grabe yung news about the killer mom.

"Globe Telecom, Inc., Philippines' second largest telecommunication firm, said that its broadband subscribers posted a 95-percent growth during the nine-month period compared with the same period last year. Stock price of the firm gained 0.55 percent."
http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/285568/philippine-stocks-hit-new-high

Facebook hits 200m mobile users
Robert Clark | November 04, 2010
telecomasia.net

Facebook’s mobile strategy has become clearer after introducing a new feature that allows retailers to offer discounts to customers near their stores.

The new Deals functions is similar to the retails offers from Groupon, and follows the launch three months ago of the FourSquare-like service Places.

Facebook also announced a sign-on feature, which means users can use their Facebook account to sign into other apps and accounts without adding new usernames or passwords.

Unveiling the new features Wednesday, the social networking giant revealed it is also a mobile giant, with more than 200 million mobile users – up threefold from a year ago.

CEO Mark Zuckerberg ruled out a Facebook phone but made it clear the company aimed to put Facebook on the maximum number of devices.

“It is bigger than Android or the iPhone,” Zuckerberg told reporters. “There’s been this rumor floating around recently that Facebook’s going to build a phone. No.”

Commented Wired: “Forget about the ‘Facebook Phone.’ Mark Zuckerberg’s strategy is to make every handset a Facebook Phone.

“The three prongs of Facebook’s platform are single-sign in, a locations service that apps can read and write to, and a deals platform that is tied to locations.”

Facebook has opened up the Places APIs to allow developers to integrate location into their apps.

“Facebook doesn’t seem to want to create a single operating system or a phone that embodies its mobile aspirations,” said GigaOm. “Whether it’s because Facebook doesn’t have the manpower yet or really has no larger ambitions is something we’ll have to see over time.”

Internet TV: Coming of Age?
November 8, 2010, 2:45pm

Today’s idiot boxes sure come with lots of smarts.

The world’s leading TV manufacturers, Sony, Samsung, and LG, have each introduced their respective 3D technology-enabled televisions. But what make these trailblazing TV sets are not their vertigo-inducing three-dimensional display capabilities.

These TVs come with full-featured Internet connectivity. They offer their users the full range of the online world as experienced on the PC platform; some analysts wonder whether they are still fit to be classified under the television product segment.

Web TV’s History

Internet TV, or what techies would call Internet protocol television, is basically a merger of the television, the world’s cheapest form of entertainment, and the Internet, the entertainment platform that might soon dislodge the TV from its pedestal. But Internet TV is so much more than television sets capable of surfing the Web. They are not merely computers that can download and display TV programs from the Internet.

Designed to make the most of the Web’s enabling nature, which makes finding and accessing video content as speedy and frequent as viewers want the whole process to be, Internet-enabled TVs can display both the broadcast channels and consumers’ favorite Web sites, when users want.

Google TV

Search giant Google’s Internet TV platform, the Google TV, paves the way for an IP-based television system that can “search Internet and TV for content using a searchbar.” Google TV also comes with HDMI input from either cable or satellite TV box in order to offer viewers traditional programming. It comes with Google Chrome built in, allowing for Web browsing. It also includes pre-installed applications for Youtube, Netflix, video-on-demand services, and online storage sites for videos, photos and other files.

Google TV even includes an integration feature for smartphones, allowing these mobile phones to function as remote controls. Google is working with Sony, Logitech, and Intel to include Google TV in today’s televisions.

Yahoo’s TV

But the Internet TV world is not solely the domain of the online search king. Yahoo, for its part, has teamed up with other TV manufacturers to promote its idea of what Internet-enabled TVs should be. The company believes that Internet TVs need not ape computers by being crammed full with the whole online universe. After all, TVs are not computers.

Last week, the second-largest search engine joined forces with Samsung to announce their plans to sell Yahoo! Connected TV sets in 26 more countries in Europe, raising to 39 the number of countries where the Korean electronics vendor sells television sets with pre-installed widgets from Yahoo.

Worldwide, the number is more than 130 countries. Earlier this year, Yahoo started forging partnerships with microchip vendors to push Connected TV software being built into DVD players and other entertainment devices.

Signal Interference

Some industry watchers, however, are saying that efforts to market Internet TV have not achieved top ratings so far. Google TV, for its part, is being hobbled by technical and business issues. Major U.S. broadcast networks block access to their online video portals from the Google TV browser. So, while audiences can view TV programs online; users of Google TV cannot. Unless Google can convince TV networks to play the game, its dream of monetizing its Internet TV efforts may prove elusive.

But it is still early in the game. These high-tech companies might still find an elixir to cure all these technical and business difficulties. Until they do, consumers can watch online TV the way they have been doing the past couple of years – via the old Wild West Internet. (Allan D. Francisco)


http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/286457/internet-tv-coming-age

Smart has 37 Million Subscribers
Globe = 25 M
Sun Celluar = 16 M

Total = 78 Million Subscribers or a penetration rate of 87% of population.

Sun Cellular subscribers surpass 16 million
By Mary Ann Ll. Reyes (The Philippine Star) Updated November 08, 2010 12:00 AM Comments (0) View comments

MANILA, Philippines - Sun Cellular, the mobile telephony service brand of the Gokongwei group, announced yesterday that its subscriber base has already exceeded 16 million, of which over one million are postpaid subscribers.

“The latest figures clearly show that Sun Cellular is number one in terms of number of postpaid subscribers. Last September, Sun exceeded the one million mark for postpaid and growing. This was the first time ever that a local carrier attained this magic number,” Digitel Mobile Philippines senior vice president Bill Pamintuan said.

Sun’s prepaid subscribers’ number meanwhile, has reached more than 15 million, he added.

Pamintuan explained that Sun’s lead in the postpaid market is sustainable, as they are getting seven out of every 10 new postpaid subscribers.

He attributed this to Sun’s ability to offer at the very least the same quality service as other carriers “since we have the latest network infrastructure, and nationwide coverage.”

Another reason for Sun’s lead in the postpaid segment, Pamintuan pointed out, is that subscribers can save on average 50 percent of their costs.

He also noted that Sun offers true unlimited call and text. “Sun’s ‘unli’ has been in the market since 2004. It is a permanent product where a subscriber gets a free phone, and can call and text the whole day while paying only P350 per month,” he pointed out.

Pamintuan also stressed that while others claim they are number one in terms of revenues, Sun gives back to its subscribers in terms of huge savings in their communications costs.

“Sun is no different from its sister company, Cebu Pacific, which offers lower fares and brand-new aircraft, and transports its passengers to their destination on time; or Go-Hotels which offers rooms at rates as low as P388 per day. We deliver the same quality products and services at best prices,” he added.

Digitel Mobile parent Digital Telecommunications Phils. Inc. (Digitel) posted a P145.4 million net income during the first six months of this year, a complete turnaround from the P638 million loss suffered in the same period last year, with the wireless communication and wireline data businesses leading the company’s performance.

The wireless communication business and wireline data communication services business generated a net income of P506.38 million and P81.7 million during the January to June 2010 period, respectively, which was more than enough to offset the P442.7 million net loss suffered by the wireline voice communication services business.

For the second quarter of 2010, Digitel posted a P188.6 million loss compared with a P351.4 million loss in the same period last year.

Service and non-service revenues for the period totaled PP4.07 billion, higher than last year’s P3.48 billion. Service revenue was higher at P4.01 billion compared with P3.45 billion.

During the first half of last year, the wireless communication services group posted a net income of P196.7 million while the wireline voice communication group suffered a loss of P885.4 million. The wireline data group generated P50.6 million last year.

Service and non-service revenues during the January to June 2010 period reached P7.97 billion, up P19 percent from last year’s P6.69 billion, driven mainly by the 30.6 percent growth in the wireless segment.

Wireless communication services contributing P6.24 billion (as against P4.78 billion last year), wireline voice P1.49 billion (1.7 billion), and wireline data P238.5 million (P205.5 million net income in the same period last year).

Earnings before interests, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) for the group during the period was at P2.75 billion, 28.9 percent higher compared with P2.13 billion in the same period last year.
http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=627999&publicationSubCategoryId=66

Smart has 37 Million Subscribers
Globe = 25 M
Sun Celluar = 16 M

Total = 78 Million Subscribers or a penetration rate of 87% of population.

Sun Cellular subscribers surpass 16 million
By Mary Ann Ll. Reyes (The Philippine Star) Updated November 08, 2010 12:00 AM Comments (0) View comments

MANILA, Philippines - Sun Cellular, the mobile telephony service brand of the Gokongwei group, announced yesterday that its subscriber base has already exceeded 16 million, of which over one million are postpaid subscribers.

“The latest figures clearly show that Sun Cellular is number one in terms of number of postpaid subscribers. Last September, Sun exceeded the one million mark for postpaid and growing. This was the first time ever that a local carrier attained this magic number,” Digitel Mobile Philippines senior vice president Bill Pamintuan said.

Sun’s prepaid subscribers’ number meanwhile, has reached more than 15 million, he added.

Pamintuan explained that Sun’s lead in the postpaid market is sustainable, as they are getting seven out of every 10 new postpaid subscribers.

He attributed this to Sun’s ability to offer at the very least the same quality service as other carriers “since we have the latest network infrastructure, and nationwide coverage.”

Another reason for Sun’s lead in the postpaid segment, Pamintuan pointed out, is that subscribers can save on average 50 percent of their costs.

He also noted that Sun offers true unlimited call and text. “Sun’s ‘unli’ has been in the market since 2004. It is a permanent product where a subscriber gets a free phone, and can call and text the whole day while paying only P350 per month,” he pointed out.

Pamintuan also stressed that while others claim they are number one in terms of revenues, Sun gives back to its subscribers in terms of huge savings in their communications costs.

“Sun is no different from its sister company, Cebu Pacific, which offers lower fares and brand-new aircraft, and transports its passengers to their destination on time; or Go-Hotels which offers rooms at rates as low as P388 per day. We deliver the same quality products and services at best prices,” he added.

Digitel Mobile parent Digital Telecommunications Phils. Inc. (Digitel) posted a P145.4 million net income during the first six months of this year, a complete turnaround from the P638 million loss suffered in the same period last year, with the wireless communication and wireline data businesses leading the company’s performance.

The wireless communication business and wireline data communication services business generated a net income of P506.38 million and P81.7 million during the January to June 2010 period, respectively, which was more than enough to offset the P442.7 million net loss suffered by the wireline voice communication services business.

For the second quarter of 2010, Digitel posted a P188.6 million loss compared with a P351.4 million loss in the same period last year.

Service and non-service revenues for the period totaled PP4.07 billion, higher than last year’s P3.48 billion. Service revenue was higher at P4.01 billion compared with P3.45 billion.

During the first half of last year, the wireless communication services group posted a net income of P196.7 million while the wireline voice communication group suffered a loss of P885.4 million. The wireline data group generated P50.6 million last year.

Service and non-service revenues during the January to June 2010 period reached P7.97 billion, up P19 percent from last year’s P6.69 billion, driven mainly by the 30.6 percent growth in the wireless segment.

Wireless communication services contributing P6.24 billion (as against P4.78 billion last year), wireline voice P1.49 billion (1.7 billion), and wireline data P238.5 million (P205.5 million net income in the same period last year).

Earnings before interests, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) for the group during the period was at P2.75 billion, 28.9 percent higher compared with P2.13 billion in the same period last year.
http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=627999&publicationSubCategoryId=66

I'm one of those SUNSTERS! Gokongwei yata yan............ Cebu din yan! I'll support it. ^_^

New Web browser launches with backing from Netscape pioneer
November 9, 2010, 1:11pm

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) – RockMelt, a new Web browser that highlights social networking, launched on Monday with backing from the co-founder of browsing pioneer Netscape.

RockMelt, which launched in beta, or test, version is vying to make a mark in a crowded Web browser arena that already features Microsoft's Internet Explorer, Apple's Safari, Google's Chrome and Mozilla's Firefox.

RockMelt is backed by Netscape co-founder Marc Andreessen and several other Web luminaries including Bill Campbell, the former chief executive of Intuit, and Ron Conway, whose investments include Google, Facebook and Twitter.

Based in Mountain View, California, home to Google, RockMelt said the company has "re-imagined the browser for modern Web users, building in the Web's most popular services."

"RockMelt enables you to interact and share with friends on Facebook, Twitter and other sites instantly from anywhere on the Web," it said in a statement.

"RockMelt integrates your Facebook friends directly into the browser, so you're always ready to chat, share a video, or keep up on what your friends are doing, wherever you are on the Web."

RockMelt displays a user's social networks such as Facebook and Twitter in a margin on the right hand side of the page and friends on the left hand side.

"Today's Web users need a browser that does more than just navigate pages," said RockMelt co-founder and chief executive Eric Vishria. "RockMelt helps people do the things they do every single day -- keep up with their friends, share, get updates, and search."

Andreessen, who launched a venture capital firm, Andreessen Horowitz, in July, said "RockMelt is onto something huge."

"They've rethought the browser around the massive shifts in user behavior that will drive the Web over the next decade," he said.

"RockMelt is the freshest, most innovative take on browsing since browsers were created," added Andreessen, who launched Netscape in 1994 and sold it to AOL four years later.

RockMelt, which works on Apple's Macintosh computers and computers running Microsoft's Windows is built on top of Chromium, the open source project behind Google's Chrome.

Invitations to use the beta version are available at rockmelt.com.


http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/286639/new-web-browser-launches-with-backing-netscape-pioneer

^^ Ma try nga...

Globe pilots LTE tech for mobile broadband
By EMMIE V. ABADILLA
November 13, 2010, 8:10pm

MANILA, Philippines – After successful laboratory and field testing, Globe Telecom plans to use Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology as it explores 4G next generation mobile communications for the Philippine market.

LTE is a high-performance air interface for cellular mobile technology.

After 2G and 3G, LTE is the next frontier in radio technologies designed to increase the capacity and speed of mobile telephone networks. It addresses the demand for higher data rates and increased quality of service and enables users to experience the fastest mobile broadband service up to 100 MBPS.

However, LTE will not only make existing mobile phone applications run faster but will pave the way for new functions previously available only on a wired internet connection. With LTE, multimedia content and applications would be available anytime, anywhere.

Globe began the trial of LTE technology early this year in partnership with NEC Corporation. Following the lab tests in May at the Globe 3G LTE test bed at the Valero Technopark in Makati, Globe and NEC conducted field trials in Quezon City as part of Phase 1 of this project.

The Phase 1 field trial verified a variety of LTE functions such as quality of service, latency and hand-over within urban areas were tested as these are required for commercial use of the technology. The trial achieved up to 60Mbps downlink data throughput rate at 10MHz bandwidth.

“Globe continuously monitors technology developments around the world that will improve the quality of experience and introduce new services of value for our customers,” explained Emmanuel R. Estrada, Network Technologies Strategy Head of Globe Telecom. “As mobile broadband grows and more subscribers clamor for faster and higher bandwidths, LTE will help us meet demand and improve service.”

As of end September 2010, the broadband subscriber base of Globe grew by 95% to reach 1,006,460, nearly double the 517,355 broadband subscribers reported in the same period last year.

As a pioneer in information and communications technologies, Globe is bent on deploying future technologies for use of Filipino customers such as LTE. However, it will take about six to nine months of trials before the telco can determine the best strategy for its local adoption.

The LTE trial of Globe is in conjunction with the Singapore Telecommunications (SingTel) Group, one of the company’s principals, who has spearheaded efforts for regional and coordinated LTE trials across affiliates in Singapore, Australia, Indonesia and the Philippines.

The results of the trials, which will be shared among SingTel's wholly-owned subsidiary in Australia, Optus, and other SingTel associates, such as Telkomsel in Indonesia, AIS in Thailand, Bharti Airtel in India, PBTL in Bangladesh, and Warid in Pakistan, will help determine the best strategy for its adoption in their respective local markets.

The trials will also lay the groundwork to establish a regionally-compatible LTE network to facilitate growth in the mobile broadband business for the SingTel Group. This high-speed network will also allow the Group to deploy new services across the region quickly, giving customers faster access to the widest selection of mobile service offerings in these markets.

Several worldwide carriers like Verizon and AT&T in the United States are beginning to prepare their networks for LTE adoption and global telecom industry analysts see demand for LTE connections soaring once the technology is commercially available.


http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/287457/globe-pilots-lte-tech-mobile-broadband

Research and Markets: Philippines - Broadband and the Internet Market

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/19dff2/philippines_broa) has announced the addition of the "Philippines - Broadband and the Internet Market" report to their offering.

“Philippines - Broadband and the Internet Market”

Compared with many of its Asian neighbours, the Philippines had been moving slowly on the adoption of Internet. Of the less than 6% of the population which constituted the Internet user population in 2007, only a fraction of these were using a high-speed broadband connection to go online. Nevertheless, this situation was changing rapidly and by mid- 2010 with the user penetration having passed 7%, the country's broadband market had finally started to expand. In fact the annual increase in broadband subscribers ran at in excess of 100% in successive years. Into 2010 around 50% of all Internet connections were broadband-based services. This report looks at the various projects and initiatives as the Philippines government continues to encourage the development of broadband in the country. The report also provides information on the wider Internet market in the country.
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20101118006341/en/Research-Markets-Philippines---Broadband-Internet-Market

I thought this is just an urban legend but it actually happen without notice. Now I won't trust facebook anymore because of this...... :ohno:

Phil. Gov’t pressures Facebook over Fans?

Published by: yuga under: The Internet , Web 2.0. 27 replies
posted: November 15th, 2010

There was a story in the Guardian UK that claims the Philippine’s is becoming like China in web censorship and I agreed to do an interview for an article as a rebuttal saying that the Philippines is among the most liberal in terms of general internet activity and social media and that there has been no cases of the government using its power & influence to pressure sites like YouTube, Facebook and the likes to its advantage.

Not until this month when the original FB Fan Page of Pres. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino (facebook.com/noynoy.aquino) was shut down by Facebook, allegedly under the order of the office of the President. All of the 2.2 million Facebook fans were gone overnight. This page was maintained by an supporter even before Noynoy announced he’s running for president.

On the other hand, a new and separate Fan Page (facebook.com/presidentnoy), created by the office of the President, also got a nice treatment from Facebook. With just over 100k Likes, it ballooned to 1.6 million in a matter of days.

The most logical reason for these changes was Facebook manually removed the Likes from one Fan Page and transferred it to the other Fan Page which is controlled by the government. All done magically without notice from Facebook.

The reason might seem pretty obvious — the original fan page was moderated by groups and individuals independent of the office of the President and allows free flow of content, positive or negative, on the page. Not good if you want to “filter” the flow of communication.

Taking over the fan page would look harsh so they decided to tell Facebook to just shut down the old one and transfer the Likes to the new one. The Philippines being in the top 10 most active FB users in the world, Facebook didn’t blinked an eye and gave in to the request.

http://www.yugatech.com/blog/the-internet/phils-govt-pressures-facebook-over-likes/

I see a pattern between censorship and brainwashing here. Scary.

I see a pattern between censorship and brainwashing here. Scary.

wag matakot, sa tuwid na daan ang tahak, magtiwala:D wag mangamba:D:lol::lol::lol:pramis:lol:

^^ At least hindi banned ang Facebook sa Pilipinas. :D

People there doesn't have to worry about the Great Firewall of China.

^^ Here's another reason why you should not put anything about yourself in facebook and other social networking sites..

Read below....

Social media background checks-Is this going too far? :bash:

by Leigh Ann Conselyea
Norfolk Workplace Examiner
October 1, 2010

A Santa Barbara-based company, Social Intelligence Corporation, is officially launching a social media screening and monitoring service this week that makes a huge leap from traditional background checks into what many consider to be a stunning invasion of privacy.

Essentially, Social Intelligence Corporation is taking the components of a traditional background check and moving them online to track social media networks including Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Youtube, Linked In, and even individual blogs.

“You cannot believe the things that we see. The amount of references to drugs and alcohol and the amount of provocative photos and the things that people say is jaw dropping,” says Max Drucker, chief executive of Social Intelligence Corp. “People that we see that are applying for jobs that have this kind of really incriminating information out there.”

Social Intelligence Corporation conducts investigations by taking personal information given to the company by its clients and using their own software to sift through the vast amount of data on the web, looking for user-generated content. The data is then reviewed manually and a report is generated that includes only the information requested by the client. Potentially discriminatory information such as race, religion and sexual orientation will be filtered out.

The company is operating as a consumer reporting agency and as such, will have to comply with the Fair Credit Reporting Act. Additionally, they have stated that they will not engage in “spy” techniques, such as friending someone on Facebook just to gain access to their private information. They have stated their intention is to only use information made available on public profiles.

CEO Max Drucker reveals that his company has had very little trouble uncovering dirt on people. He says a person Social Intelligence Corp. investigated online was found to have a threatening photo on a MySpace page showing the individual holding a gun and making an aggressive pose. One investigated person left inappropriate and profane comments on a blog entry and another posted a racist video clip on a message board.

Drucker claims that the standardized process Social Intelligence Corp is offering is better for everyone since companies have an obligation to assess employment risks. In addition, he rightly claims that it’s undeniable that companies are going to search the web to investigate prospective employees. It is his opinion that companies who do not conduct this type of search are not doing due diligence when it comes to background checks.

Social media sites have been in the headlines a lot lately, prompting many people to reconsider, revisit, and revamp their privacy settings on sites such as Facebook. With the advent of background checks specifically aimed at social media sites, it should serve as a reminder that, regardless of what you think your right to privacy is, if you post something on the internet, chances are very good someone you don’t know is going to see it.

http://www.examiner.com/workplace-in-norfolk/social-media-background-checks-is-this-going-too-far

Social media fuels 68% surge in bandwidth usage :lol:

Staff Writer | November 22, 2010
Telecom Asia

The synergy between social media and mobile broadband continues to strengthen as social networking becomes a 'must-have' part of peoples' lifestyles

Global mobile data bandwidth usage increased 68% in the first half of 2010 compared to the previous half.

Allot' MobileTrends report found the growth rate, which is equivalent to a CAGR of 184%, suggests that the mobile broadband market (devices, apps, etc.) has not reached full maturity. As the ecosystem continues to develop, massive amounts of data traffic will continue to create challenges for broadband operators.

One of the report' key findings is the natural synergy that exists between social media and mobile broadband, which the rise of Twitter and Facebook clearly illustrates. This synergy continues to strengthen as social networking becomes a 'must-have' part of our lifestyles and changes the way we conduct both our personal and business lives.

On the other hand, as new MIDs, applications and services continue to be developed, it seems certain that the challenges faced today by mobile broadband operators are just the beginning. With YouTube having increased its share of global mobile bandwidth usage to 13% from 10%, the consumption of more real-time, on-demand, user-generated content seems to be a major force for innovation and change within the market.

The latest MobileTrends report, Allot' fourth, collected data from anonymous sources from January 1 to June 30. These sources include leading mobile operators worldwide with a combined user base of more than 190 million subscribers.

The survey found that video streaming grew by 92% and remains as the fastest growing application type worldwide. As was apparent in all previous MobileTrends reports, video streaming is the single largest consumer of bandwidth, currently with a share of 35%.

This is likely due in part to the popularity of sites such as YouTube, the increased demand and subsequent bandwidth consumption per user and the move to more user-generated content.

YouTube's growth jumped to 123% in the first half of 2010 from 90% in the second half of 2009. YouTube remains the single most important destination for video streaming, accounting for 13% of global mobile bandwidth and 40% of overall video traffic in mobile networks. With more and more smartphones and MID's including pre-installed YouTube apps, mobile video has become a truly mainstream form of entertainment.

Twitter alone surged by 310% during the first half. One possible explanation for this is the sheer suitability of the medium for mobile. With dozens of mobile apps for Twitter in the market and more being developed every day, it has become a popular, affordable and user-friendly way of communicating.

Facebook jumped 200% in its global mobile bandwidth usage. This is likely due to the increase in mobile Facebook users which, according to the company's official statistics, currently number 150 million users.

Also, Allot found that HTTP downloads and peer-to-peer (P2P) growth rates slowed to 44% and 36%, respectively. P2P and HTTP downloads together represent 31% of global mobile bandwidth with an aggregate growth rate of 80%.

It should be noted that although VoIP and IM experienced 84% growth, these two applications account for only 3% of mobile broadband bandwidth.

The majority of VoIP traffic in mobile broadband networks is still generated by IM applications. Skype has continued to dominate this segment, increasing its share to 83% from 77%. Skype is leaving competitors like Google Talk, Yahoo Messenger and Windows Live Messenger far behind.

More domestic companies expected to resort to e-commerce next year

ELECTRONIC COMMERCE (e-commerce) sales in the country are expected to grow by 20% in 2011 from P3.45 billion this year as more companies gain confidence in using the Internet for their core business, experts said during an industry conference yesterday.

This, in turn, is because of growing awareness of savings in operating costs from using the Internet as well as better security.

Janette C. Toral, founder of the online community, Digital Filipino Club, told reporters at the sidelines of the 2nd Digital Filipino E-Commerce Summit at the InterContinental Manila that "the sectors that have the most benefit from e-commerce are the airline and hotel sectors."

"Reservation and purchasing of tickets are usually done now by customers online," Ms. Toral noted.

"In e-commerce, small, medium and even large enterprises are saving much in their operating expenses," she added.

"Next year, we are seeing growth in the number of large enterprises that would do transactions online."

She clarified that the value of e-commerce she cited does not include electronic banking.

Citing the findings of a global study conducted last year by online advertising firm Razorfish, Inc., Manolo P. Almagro, digital experience strategist of Jollibee Foods Corp. said in the same event that 64% of respondents made a first purchase of a product or service due to a "digital brand experience", 65% changed their opinion about a brand after having such experience and 97% said such exposure influenced whether they would purchase a product or service from a brand.

He said that "digital brand experience" includes a Web site and electronic mail offer. -- AMPD


http://www.bworldonline.com/main/content.php?id=21738

Philippines competes in int'l blog tilt
By ROBERT R. REQUINTINA
November 28, 2010, 6:08pm

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines advanced to the finals of the 2010 APEC Digital Opportunity Center (ADOC) international blog competition ongoing in Taiwan, in which the final voting will end Tuesday, Nov. 30, 2010.

Representing the Philippines is the Samahan ng Mamamayan-Zone One Tondo Organization (SM-ZOTO) which was declared country champion after it bested six other teams in the process. It will compete with other groups from Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Mexico, Peru, and Chile. The result of the final voting round will be announced on Friday, Dec. 3, 2010.

So far, the Philippines has won a trophy and two laptops, as country winner. The overall champion will receive one trophy, 12 personal computers, one printer, one router, one switch, one multi-functional machine, and one digital camera. Voting for the final round will end Tuesday, Nov. 30, 2010.

“With these, SM-ZOTO as the Philippines’ country representative is in need of the support of all. To vote, go to www.apecdoc.org, register and go to the page on blog competition,” the group said.

The blog competition features and highlights stories of people who became involved and are now using their new found knowledge and skills to make a difference in their lives, to better their situation.

In choosing the country champions, ADOC 2.0 Secretariat used three indicators — the first indicator being the number of successful stories submitted by the competing center, next is the number of successful stories submitted by the competing center and last is the total points of on-line voter’s opinion.

To be declared as the final winner of the competition, each PME blog entry will be evaluated through: (1) Online Voting 50 percent; (2) Press Promotion 20 percent; (3) ADOC Secretariat Auditing Meeting 30 percent.


http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/289962/philippines-competes-intl-blog-tilt

Why I don’t do Facebook

Manila Standard Today
Digital Life - Chin Wong
November 30, 2010

I DON’T do Facebook.
I will not be your “friend,” and I will certainly not sign up for a Facebook account simply “to connect” with anyone. Nor will I put the little “f” logo and a link back to Facebook anywhere on my blog.

Up until now, my resistance has been visceral.

I don’t like Facebook because I find it insipid—mediocre in concept, design and execution. I also question the wisdom of encouraging people to post private information on public pages without warning them that this is exactly what excites stalkers, burglars and other unsavory characters that prowl the Internet. But mostly, I resent being pressed to sign up for a service simply to get at the content inside that isn’t even generated by Facebook. Why should anyone get a free ride on data that I volunteer?

And one big free ride is what Facebook has been getting from everyone who has signed up, all 500 million of you, according to the latest statistics. Companies that are too lazy to set up their own Web sites and use Facebook instead to post information about themselves also fuel the social networking site’s growth.

Unfortunately, the free ride that Facebook continues to enjoy exacts a heavy price that isn’t immediately apparent, especially given the company’s subterfuge of embracing openness.

On his Facebook page, the company’s chief executive Mark Zuckerberg says: “I’m trying to make the world a more open place by helping people connect and share.” You can almost read the thought balloon that adds “...as long as they go through Facebook.”

Writing in the Scientific American, the inventor of the World Wide Web, Tim Berners-Lee, argues that far from encouraging openness, social networking sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn threaten the true democratic nature of the Web.

“The World Wide Web went live, on my physical desktop in Geneva, Switzerland, in December 1990,” writes Berners-Lee, on the 20th anniversary of the first Web page. “It consisted of one Web site and one browser, which happened to be on the same computer. The simple setup demonstrated a profound concept: that any person could share information with anyone else, anywhere. In this spirit, the Web spread quickly from the grassroots up. Today, at its 20th anniversary, the Web is thoroughly integrated into our daily lives. We take it for granted, expecting it to ‘be there’ at any instant, like electricity.”

But some of the Web’s most successful inhabitants have begun chipping away at the egalitarian principles that have made the Web such a powerful and ubiquitous tool, Berners-Lee says.

“Large social-networking sites are walling off information posted by their users from the rest of the Web...

“Facebook, LinkedIn, Friendster and others typically provide value by capturing information as you enter it: your birthday, your e-mail address, your likes, and links indicating who is friends with whom and who is in which photograph. The sites assemble these bits of data into brilliant databases and reuse the information to provide value-added service—but only within their sites. Once you enter your data into one of these services, you cannot easily use them on another site. Each site is a silo, walled off from the others. Yes, your site’s pages are on the Web, but your data are not. You can access a Web page about a list of people you have created in one site, but you cannot send that list, or items from it, to another site.”

He cautions: “If we, the Web’s users, allow these and other trends to proceed unchecked, the Web could be broken into fragmented islands. We could lose the freedom to connect with whichever Web sites we want. The ill effects could extend to smart phones and pads, which are also portals to the extensive information that the Web provides.”

It’s a warning well worth heeding, the next time you update your Facebook status.

COMDDAP promotes ict literacy, empowers communities

Thursday, 02 December 2010 00:00

One of the country’s most durable and respected trade organizations quietly gives back to society, integrating mainly the promotion of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) literacy and community empowerment in its institutional agenda. Over the past 24 years, the Computer Manufacturers, Distributors and Dealers Association of the Philippines (COMDDAP), the pioneering trade group in the local information technology industry, has not only introduced and made available the latest ICT products and services in the market, often at special prices and promotions, but also helped raise ICT awareness and skills among the underprivileged and rebuild the lives of our countrymen.

These life-changing projects are funded through COMDDAP’s annual trade exhibits, dues and fees and contributions or donations from its 41 member-companies, spreading what Juan Chua, a past president and presently chairman of COMDDAP Expo Manila 2010, describes as “the gospel of IT ” around the country.

Indeed, when COMDDAP was formed in 1986 through its first exhibit in September that year at The Peninsula Manila, COMDDAP was instrumental in making the public aware that the “Digital Age” has arrived in the country and is here to stay. This year’s COMDDAP Expo Manila is its 27th edition.

ICT education
While COMDDAP helped usher in the Digital Age in the country over two decades ago, it continues to exert efforts in bridging the digital divide among the underprivileged sectors of our society.

Part of spreading the IT gospel includes the Adopt-a-School program, a month-long hands-on training for public school students in coordination with the Department of Education. This bridges the IT literacy gap common in many public schools in the country. COMDDAP has also donated personal computers to public schools to help expose their students to the wonders of computer technology and the Internet.

A Training-the-Trainors program complements the student-focused IT literacy program of COMDDAP. For one month, public school teachers are also taught hands-on in preparing computerized reports based on the requirements set by the education department.

COMDDAP member-companies also agreed to provide service and technical support to sustain the operations of computer equipment they and other companies donated to various schools nationwide through GILAS or Gearing Up Internet Literacy & Access for Students, a multisectoral initiative by corporations and non-profit organizations that invests in bridging the digital divide among the country’s public high school students.

Meanwhile, dozens of rank and file employees of COMDDAP member-companies benefited through ICT-related vocational courses through the School-2-Work program. Many of those who went through this program are now gainfully employed in the ICT industry. Over 50 high-school graduates took up these vocational courses.

Rebuilding lives, empowering communities
As a nonstock, nonprofit IT trade group, COMDDAP holds exhibition events not to earn profit from them, but by sharing whatever goes to its coffers through its corporate social responsibility programs.

COMDDAP went beyond its industrial boundary by pouring nearly P1 million from its event coffers to a housing project organized by Habitat for Humanity Philippines for communities ravaged by Super Typhoon Reming that made the Bicol region a wasteland in 2006.

On COMDDAP’s end, a total of 18 houses were built and turned over to residents in the Maogma District of Naga City in January, 2008.

And when another super typhoon Ondoy hit the country last year, COMDDAP member-companies, who were themselves victims of flooding in some of their warehouses and offices, also donated to Tahanang Walang Hagdan (TWH) whose property in Cainta, Rizal and all its metal craft machines, raw materials and finished products were submerged and left useless.

Raising ICT awereness
ICT continues to shape societies and the way people learn, work, play and live. The research group IDC predicts that by 2012, there will be 1.9 billion Internet users worldwide, 30 percent of the global population will be online, there will be 3 billion Internet-connected devices (1.5 billion are mobile) and 1 billion online consumers will spend $1.2-trillion annually.

Keeping at pace with trends and developments in the global IT industry, COMDDAP continues to help raise ICT awareness among Filipinos by making ICT products and services available at reduced prices or exclusive promotions, especially in regions where ICT penetration is low, through its annual exhibits that are open to the public for free.

COMDDAP has mounted a total of 48 exhibits in various regions in the country, with 27 organized in Manila, 10 in Cebu, six in Davao, two in Baguio and one each in Naga, Iloilo and Dagupan. Over the last 23 years, COMDDAP has reached out to an estimated annual average of 50,000 people.

In Metro Manila alone, it is conservatively estimated that over half a million people have visited the premier IT exhibit in the country, COMDDAP Expo Manila, which introduces the latest computer products, whether hardware or software, and services in the market besides conducting technology updates and seminars free of charge to its visitors.

The Expo has especially benefitted students from various schools as they become acquainted with the latest technology and participate in various activities that raise their ICT knowledge and capabilities.

According to COMDDAP executive director Gina Dimayuga, student visitors comprise over 50 percent of attendees at any exhibit annually. Some 61 percent of about 20,000 visitors last year at the COMDDAP Expo Manila were students.

She has been approached several times by previous student attendees who are now professionals themselves, claiming their IT imagination was sparked by the COMDDAP exhibits. And they continue to visit the exhibits of the organization year after year with their children and family in tow.


[I] http://www.manilatimes.net/index.php/tech-times/33438-comddap-promotes-ict-literacy-empowers-communities

Davao sets 1st software exhibit
By MICK M. BASA
December 2, 2010, 8:38pm

DAVAO CITY, Philippines – This city is set to hold on Sunday its first software exhibition that will gather local software developers and other stakeholders to talk on their successful experiences and practices in software development, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said Thursday.

Government and industry experts will also participate in the Dec. 5 exhibition to be held at SM City Davao.

Dubbed “Sex in D’City,” the software exhibition will serve as a venue “where public sector initiatives in nurturing talent and strengthening information technology-enabled services will be discussed as they complete in the global marketplace and outsourcing services,” said Jenny M. Mendoza, public information officer of the DTI in Southern Mindanao.

Secretary Ivan John Uy of the Commission on Information and Communications Technology, Regional Director Anthony Sales of the Department of Science and Technology (DoST) 11, Director Edgardo Celorico of the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) in Zamboanga, and representatives from Bayan Telecommunications and IBM Phils Inc. are among the resource speakers in the plenary session of the exhibition.

Special track sessions will also be presented by the local industry associations such as the Davao United Animators and Designer Inc. (DUAADI), Transcription Alliance in Davao Inc. (TADI), Business Process Outsourcing Association of Davao Inc, (BPO-ADI), among others.


http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/290645/davao-sets-1st-software-exhibit

Internet addresses to be used up in January—expert

Inquirer.net
Agence France-Presse
First Posted 03:58:00 12/05/2010

MONTEVIDEO—The reserve of available Internet addresses will be used up around the world in January, warned experts based here.

Internet addresses are distributed by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, which provides them to five regional organizations around the world.

"The pool of central addresses will be used up in January," said Ernesto Majo, communications director for the Registry of Internet addresses for Latin America and the Caribbean, a Montevideo-based non-profit organization.

"This week four blocks of Internet addresses have been used up," Majo told AFP Friday. "We are left with only five, and it has been decided that they will be distributed to each of the regional Internet registries."

But Majo said the situation was "not serious" because a new Internet protocol will allow the production of billions more Internet addresses.

The currently used Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) manages about four billion addresses and has reached its limit, experts said.

But an alternative protocol -- IPv6 -- will allow to register and service billions new address.

http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/290848/limewire-says-close-december-31-after-legal-battleus-us



December 4, 2010, 12:26pm
NEW YORK (Reuters) – LimeWire, the music file-sharing service embroiled in a lengthy legal challenge from the music industry, said on Friday it would be shutting down by the end of the year and closing its sole office in New York.

In October, a U.S. federal judge granted the music industry's request to shut down the popular LimeWire file-sharing service, which had been found liable for copyright infringement.

"As a result of our current legal situation, we have no choice but to wind down LimeWire Store operations," LimeWire said in a statement on Friday.

"Despite our dedication and efforts, December 31, 2010, will mark the day when LimeWire Store shuts its virtual doors."

LimeWire said its plan to bring a separate, legal music service to market had been canceled.

LimeWire is one of the world's biggest outlets for people to share music, movies and TV shows free of charge over the Internet.

Founded in 2000 by Mark Gorton, LimeWire has been a thorn in the side of record companies because millions of fans used it to download music for free.

The music industry blames online and physical piracy as the primary reasons for declining music sales.

LimeWire has also been criticized by Hollywood.

The case is Arista Records LLC et al v Lime Group et al, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 06-05936.

Google launches Chrome Web Store and reveals Chrome OS
by Mat Bettinson



Acer and Samsung to launch Chrome netbooks mid 2011
Google has launched the Chrome Web Store and unveiled further information regarding the Chrome OS project at an event in San Francisco.
Declaring that the Chrome Web Store is ‘open for business’, Google said that developers had already begun uploading applications and that more were expected over time. While the Chrome Web Store is only official living in the US, at least as far as buying applications, there’s already a number of free applications which can be ‘installed’ outside of the US.
The Internet giant expressed satisfaction that users of the firm’s Chrome web browser had grown from 40 million to 120 million this year. Having recently launched Chrome OS 8, Web Store apps appear as large icons on new tabs within the browser.
Media outlets such as the New York Times, USA Today and Salon have already launched web applications but there are also some applications which provide a preview of more advanced functionality available in Chrome Web Apps such as Google’s own Picnik Photo editor.
Games are also well represented with the general theme of applications being on the rather simple side, similar to applications on smartphones.


Google also used the occasion to shed some light on the situation with the Chrome OS which had originally been scheduled to ship this year. However Google said that the OS was only “at the stage where we need feedback from real users.”
To that end Google announced a pilot program for Chrome OS which involves Google providing a free Chrome 12-inch Notebook called the Cr-48. Equipped with Wi-Fi and 3G, the Cr-48 about 1.7Kg and sports a full-size keyboard and “oversized touchpad” while also being good for eight hours of use and a week of standby.
Google also addressed concerns with the new cloud-based OS, demonstrating Google Docs operating in an offline mode with changes synced up to the cloud when a network connection becomes available. The company also talked up Google Cloud Print which enables printing to the user’s home printer from anywhere.
As expected, the Chrome OS will auto update regularly with security updates and new features. Vendors Samsung and Acer were confirmed as lining up Chrome OS-based netbooks around the middle of next year, presumably after the pilot program concludes and Chrome OS goes ‘RTM’.
“Chrome OS is designed to work across a wide range of screen sizes and form factors, enabling our partners to deliver computing devices beyond notebooks,” said Google engineering veep Linus Upson.
“We’re excited to get Chrome notebooks into the hands of users. The data from our test pilots is key to building something wonderful. We look forward to working together to make computers better.”


http://www.pcr-online.biz/news/35316/Google-launches-Chrome-Web-Store-and-reveals-Chrome-OS

Microsoft pushes technology PPPs, cloud computing

BusinessWorld Online
December 14, 2010

SINGAPORE -- Software giant Microsoft yesterday unveiled a regional push for public-private partnerships (PPP) in technology, urging governments to adopt "cloud computing" to cut costs and improve the delivery of services.

The tech firm is proposing a "model of a modern nation," saying investments in infrastructure are necessary for national competitiveness amid changes in the way information technology (IT) is consumed.

Orlando Ayala, Microsoft corporate vice-president and chairman for emerging markets, said cloud computing -- in which the Internet is used to share software, data, and other resources -- is increasingly becoming a utility.

"We are entering a fourth wave of a major disruption in technology," he said during the company’s two-day Accelerating Asia Pacific 2010 forum which opened yesterday, citing the progression to cloud computing from mainframes, client servers, and the Web.

The Colombian executive claimed that 70% of corporate IT budgets go to the maintenance of huge data centers, 85% of which are idle.

Most organizations already have a remote work force and by 2014 half of business devices will be smart-phones, he added.

Microsoft wants to focus on four areas: health, government transparency, education, and public safety, Mr. Ayala said.

The switch will benefit governments as this will lower IT costs with a "pay-as-you-go" model, and make budgeting easier as cloud services can be treated as operating rather than capital expenditures.

Microsoft is already competing with Internet search firm Google in securing US government contracts to switch to cloud computing, recently winning a deal with the US Department of Agriculture, which is migrating 12,000 workers to e-mail, Web conferencing, document collaboration, and instant messaging in the "cloud."

New York City, meanwhile, is switching to Microsoft Office 365, which brings together cloud versions of the popular productivity software.

Applications being offered by Microsoft include case and records management, data center efficiency, government performance management, identity management, a citizen service platform, government workplace modernization, and public finance and accounting.

Kevin Ackhurst, vice-president for sales and marketing of Microsoft Asia-Pacific, noted that the Philippines already had "a lot of examples in the use of technology."

It was unclear up to what extent the software giant would engage in PPPs in the region, with company executives noting that the existing business model is to work with third-party providers.

Microsoft is also open to expanding partnerships with nongovernment organizations, recently granting $800,000 to antihuman trafficking group the Visayan Forum Foundation for the training of victims and potential victims.

The Aquino administration has lined up at least three technology projects under its centerpiece PPP initiative which aims to improve public infrastructure -- the P1-billion e-Health project that aims to connect state hospitals nationwide, a common ticketing system for Metro Manila’s railway systems that is estimated to cost P330 million, and an P850-million electronic trading system for corn.

Microsoft has pledged additional resources, facilities, and manpower to help the government and businesses in IT, Mr. Ackhurst said.

Microsoft estimates that for every $1.00 in revenue it generates from the Philippines, "companies within the Microsoft system generate an average of $12.11." In the Philippines, the software company runs an "innovation center" to help start-ups and has 24 locations focused on research and development. It has a total of 803 business partners across the region.

Cathy Huang, analyst at Frost & Sullivan, told BusinessWorld that security was a concern hindering businesses from starting the momentum toward cloud computing.

One cause for concern amid efforts to move governments to the cloud is that malware, worms and even the emergence of whistleblowing site Wikileaks are acquiring a political character, she said.

"There’s a cyberwar going on and its going to be very challenging," she said.

^^ Hindi talaga pahuli ang mga pinoy pagdating sa social networking..:lol:

Facebook connections map the world :lol:

BBCWorld - December 14, 2010

Facebook intern Paul Butler has been poring through some of the data held by the social networking firm on its 500m members.

The map above is the result of his attempts to visualise where people live relative to their Facebook friends. Each line connects cities with pairs of friends. The brighter the line, the more friends between those cities.

After tweaking the graphic and data set it produced a "surprisingly detailed map of the world," he said in a blog post.

"Not only were continents visible, certain international borders were apparent as well," he wrote.

"What really struck me, though, was knowing that the lines didn't represent coasts or rivers or political borders, but real human relationships."

However, large chunks of the world are missing, such as China and central Africa, where Facebook has little presence.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-11989723

http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=469716398919

^^ The gossip map. Kaya pala maliwanag ang Pilipinas doon. :lol:

Pinoys spend Noche Buena on Facebook

TJ DIMACALI, GMANews.TV
12/25/2010 | 01:41 AM

The Philippines has long been known as the texting capital of the world, and local telcos have traditionally come to expect high traffic from well-wishers during the yuletide season. However, the past year has seen the growth of Facebook and other social media as challengers to SMS.

Still, Facebook's popularity hasn't prevented people from using SMS to its fullest potential. Filipinos have been known to be very creative with their use of SMS, even using the platform for graphics.

There were the usual Christmas trees:



,*, Merry
,*'@'*, Xmas!
,*'@*@'*,
"""""U"""""

Hope that I'm the
first person to put a
christmas tree on
your phone..


And some very personal ones, like this message from an airplane crash survivor:


-l-
:"":
---¤=:((*)):=¤---
ö ö

I'm sending thru
this flight:
A plane load of
LOVE, HOPE, JOY and PEACE 4 u n ur loved ones.
Merry Christmas!

However, an informal survey conducted by GMA News showed that, as of 1:30am on Christmas day, 78 percent of respondents said they would rather use Facebook, Twitter, or other social media to send Christmas greetings to their loved ones. Only 12 percent said they would use SMS for the same purpose.

Even a year ago in 2009, before Facebook had become such a huge hit with Filipinos, social networks were already eating away at the dominance of SMS for delivering yuletide greetings.

"I remember waking up on the 25th to hundreds of text messages with greetings of Merry Christmas. Today, I still get tons of greetings but this time it’s on Facebook and Twitter. It’s a shift in the communication trends — Facebook updates and Tweeting is replacing the good old SMS," tech pundit Abe Olandres wrote on his blog.

He also warned that the phenomenon "could translate [into] millions or tens of millions of lost revenues for [telecommunications companies]."

According to Australia-based telecommunications research firm BuddeComm, as of June 2010, the penetration rate for mobile phones in the Philippines was 92 percent -some 85 million mobile phone subscribers out of a population of 92 million.

In contrast, Facebook metrics company Socialbakers.com says that the Philippines has just under 19 million Facebook users as of November, accounting for just 19 percent of the country's population.

Despite this, a growing number of people are choosing Facebook over SMS in an effort to avoid the hassle of congested mobile networks over the holidays.

"Hirap mag send ng mga txts ngaun kaya Facebook na lang para lahat magi-greet ko, lalo na ung mga nasa abroad kong kamag-anak at family. Unlimited greetings pa nagagawa ko, kaya Ok na OK," explained Rachelle Bernardino.

(It's difficult to send SMS right now, so I'll use Facebook instead so I can greet everyone, especially my relatives and family abroad. I can even send unlimited greetings, so it's really OK.)

"Traffic na sa mga (mobile) network, buti pa sa Facebook OK. Kaya babatiin ko lahat ng friends ko s Facebook," added Esther Villanueva Boringot.

(There's a lot of traffic on the mobile networks, but Facebook is better off. So I'm going to greet all my friends via Facebook.)

"May mas effective pa ba [sa Facebook]? Libre. [At] one click lang, worldwide pa," said Zoilo Roco.

(What's more effective than Facebook? It's free. It's just as easy as a click, and it's worldwide too.)

The novel use of SMS, coupled with the emergence of Facebook and other social media, has had a negative impact on the PHilippine postal service, which has been losing money on account of the phenomenon.

"We used to receive volumes of love letters (and) greeting cards. We still (get) about one million pieces of mail daily (but) technology has really overtaken the post," Philippine Postal Corporation (PhilPost) Assistant Postmaster General for Marketing Luis Carlos told GMANews.TV.

Carlos said the demand for snail mail service began its decline in the 2000 when mobile phones and now broadband became the rage, encouraging consumers to send their greetings through text, e-mail, or online social networking sites.

Telcos insist on limiting broadband Internet downloads

BROADBAND service providers will participate in the public hearing to craft the final draft of an order meant to address growing consumer complaints on slow broadband speed, but said regulators should set a maximum volume of data that users can download in a day.

John V. Rojo, Bayan Telecommunications, Inc. vice-president for corporate brand and communications, said in a telephone interview yesterday the company will join the scheduled public consultation on Jan. 11. “However, we would like also to be assured that in the fair use policy, service providers will also be protected from abusive use of the service,” he said.

Ramon R. Isberto, Smart Communications, Inc. public affairs head, said in a separate telephone interview that service providers have already submitted position papers before the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC).

“We will just wait for the final draft of the memorandum order. We will follow whatever the decision is,” he said.

Smart Communications is the mobile unit of Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT).

Globe Telecom, Inc. declined to comment.

The NTC started working on the draft of the memorandum order in September last year.

“The draft memorandum order has undergone several revisions since then as it continues to receive inputs from the public and public telecommunications entities (PTEs),” it said in a press release yesterday. “The latest modification in the proposed draft provided that ‘Service providers may set the maximum volume of data allowed per subscriber or user per day,’” the NTC added.

The NTC said the latest modification was suggested by PTEs to prevent network abuse by “unscrupulous” subscribers who violate intellectual property laws, particularly on copyright, by downloading movies and software.

Telcos likened this to “abusive” subscribers of unlimited call or text promotions, which are designed for person-to-person use.

“There are some consumers who use [broadband services] for voluminous commercial undertakings ... these types of network abuse limit accessibility to a few instead of providing adequate access for all of the subscribers,” the NTC said.

“Commercial or high volume users may avail [themselves] of other Internet connection packages which have committed higher speeds and allow heavy data exchanges,” it added.

The NTC wants broadband service providers to specify their minimum broadband connection speeds and service reliability, as well as service rates in advertisements, flyers, brochures and service and legal agreements.

Mediaquest Holdings, Inc., a unit of the Beneficial Trust Fund of PLDT, has a minority stake in BusinessWorld. -- Aura Marie P. Dagcutan
|

http://www.bworldonline.com/main/content.php?id=23876

House committees OK formation of ICT dep’t

THE COMMITTEES on information and communications technology and government reorganization of the House of Representatives have jointly approved a bill that seeks to form the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), a move business chambers have been pushing to further boost the industry.

Taguig Rep. Sigfredo R. Tinga, chairman of the House ICT committee, confirmed the approval of the bill in a phone interview yesterday.

Under the proposed law, DICT will assume the communications-related functions of the Department of Transportation and Communication (DoTC) and will absorb the Commission on Information and Communications Technology under the Office of the President. It will absorb three DoTC offices, namely: the National Computer Center, the Telecommunications Office and the Communications Planning Service division.

The DICT will be the primary policy, planning, coordinating, implementing and administrative entity of the government in the promotion and development of the country’s ICT sector.

Sought for comment, Business Processing Association of the Philippines Chief Executive Oscar R. Sañez said via text, "The country needs a Cabinet-level department to lead government efforts in driving our country to the digital age by way of setting policy and standards for the industry, streamlining government bureaucracy and e-government, leading the program for digital infrastructure for the country and partnering with the ICT industry to promote the development of IT and BPO (business process outsourcing) capability in the country," he said. -- NMG

http://www.bworldonline.com/main/content.php?id=24068

this is good.....

Prolonged Play of Video Games Raises Children's Depression, Anxiety Risks :lol:

Bloomberg.net
By Elizabeth Lopatto
Jan 17, 2011 1:00 PM GMT+0800

About 9 percent of children play such long hours of video games that they are pathological gamers, increasing risks of anxiety, depression, bad grades and social phobia, a study in Singapore found.

The compulsive gamers played for a weekly average of 31 hours compared with 19 for kids not deemed pathological, according to research released today by the journal Pediatrics. Overall, 83 percent of 3,034 children in the study played video games at least occasionally.

Gamers are considered pathological when their playing interferes with everyday life, and their behavior is described as being similar to that of gambling addicts, according to background information in the paper. The gaming isn’t merely a symptom of disorders such as depression, anxiety and social phobia, today’s study found. Rather, gaming can cause and reinforce those maladies.

“Although children who are depressed may retreat into gaming, the gaming increases the depression,” wrote the study authors, led by Douglas A. Gentile, a psychologist at Iowa State University, in Ames.

The study, of children in grades 3, 4, 7 and 8, lasted two years. Kids who stopped being pathological gamers during the study period showed lower levels of depression, anxiety and social phobia compared with peers who didn’t stop, the researchers said.

First Pinoy Facebook game taps into social media :banana:

GMANews.tv
01/18/2011 | 06:12 PM

The power unit of business conglomerate Aboitiz Corp. is taking to social media to push its environment agenda by creating a Facebook game application that is geared towards educating people about the concepts of carbon footprints and cleaner and renewable sources of energy.

The game, called Alter Space, is reputedly the first Facebook game to be developed locally. It was commissioned by AboitizPower. According to Socialbakers.com,

The energy provider is taking advantage of social games as there are about 56 million Facebook users playing daily and 290 million playing monthly. Up to 265 million Facebook gamers, meanwhile, spend 210 minutes playing games. Twenty-percent of these game players even pay cash for in-game benefits.

In the Philippines, 54 percent of social networking site users cite gaming as the reason they log on, the company said. According to Socialbakers.com, there are over 20.8 million Filipinos —or just under 21 percent of the country's total population— on Facebook as of January 2010.

In Alter Space, the game players’ mission is to take care of their own little planet. They do this by keeping their carbon footprint levels low, while still keeping their Happiness levels up. They will have to accomplish fun tasks and challenges while their carbon footprint is measured.

Every choice they make affects their environment, and the game always gives feedback as to whether the player’s choice was environmentally sound or not. They can also invite friends to be their neighbors, and their over-all carbon footprint as a community will be calculated.

If they fail to make the cleaner and greener choice, their virtual planet will experience disasters like Smog, which cause their avatar to lose interaction, and Heat Wave, wherein they will have to perform extra tasks or pay a fee to bring their carbon footprint down.

Aside from the carbon footprint calculator, game players’ progress is also measured through their Happiness level, Current-cy, and Experience points.

Mini-games, meanwhile, provide game players an interactive way with which they could learn more about the different sources of cleaner and renewable energy. Harvesting alternative energy is how they earn points in their planet — a significant function of the game that encourages players to seek out and use alternative energy.

The mini-games include Solar, wherein they are tasked to catch as many sunbeams as they can; Geo, wherein they are asked to click the steam that goes out of the valves of hot spots; and Hydro, wherein they create a passageway for the water to reach turbines.

Practical tips, trivia, and other features guide players along as they strive to make their virtual planet a cleaner and greener one.

While addressing the bigger issues of carbon footprint reduction and environmental preservation, Alter Space employs some uniquely Filipino features in doing so. The use of pamaypay (the Philippine native fan), the playing of the game sungka, and eating what is colloquially call “dirty ice cream" are incorporated into the game for that distinct Filipino flavor.

The Facebook game is scheduled to be launched on February 7, although players can take a peek by visiting www.facebook.com/AlterSpaceGame. — Newsbytes.ph

Are the days of phone numbers numbered?
By Alma Buelva (The Philippine Star) Updated January 17, 2011 12:00 AM Comments (0) View comments

MANILA, Philippines - Are phone numbers fading into the sunset?

Some tech watchers think so. How soon? In five years, some of them say.

Nikhyl Singhal, co-founder and chief executive of voice-application startup SayNow, points to social networks and game-changing companies like Google, Microsoft, Apple, Yahoo!, Facebook and Skype as reasons why many people find themselves punching numbers less and less to reach another person.

More people are now finding it more natural to just send an e-mail rather than pick up a phone to communicate. It helps, too, that voice or chat services are available in e-mail accounts like Gmail.

Social networks like Facebook also offer the convenience of sending out messages instantaneously to as many people as needed without having to know and dial every recipient’s number.

Although many still believe that phone numbers won’t really go away, kids today are growing up with no concept of how important telephone numbers used to be. They also probably will never touch, much less lift, one of those big Yellow Pages telephone directories just to locate a number.

Singhal says phones, especially smartphones, will still be an essential communication device for contacting people, but instead of punching numbers, users will just tap their contacts through their social network accounts accessible on their phones.

Singhal’s company has developed a number of applications that introduce alternative uses for the phone. A voice on top of present social networks should further simplify things, he says. This might lead to the demise of phone numbers and give carriers something to think about.

The fact that phone numbers are attached to a device and not exactly to the user is becoming a growing issue as people become used to sending and receiving communications only from those who are on their contacts or “friends” lists.

It’s also a control issue as anyone can dial a phone number without permission, whereas a social network account has settings to prevent strangers from simply leaving any message, useful or not.

In short, despite concerns about security, a social network like Facebook offers more protection and user control than telephone numbers, which can still be the target of unwanted calls even if the numbers are unlisted, explains Singhal.

He believes a voice application on top of social networks will give users more control over who can call them or not, just as they can select who can see their photos online.

World 'running out of Internet addresses' :lol:

ABS-CBNNews.com
Agence France-Presse
Posted at 01/22/2011 5:47 PM | Updated as of 01/22/2011 5:47 PM

SYDNEY - The world will run out of Internet addresses "within weeks", according to one of the founding fathers of the web, a report said Friday.

Vint Cerf, who helped create the web by connecting computers using Internet Protocol (IP) addresses, said it was his "fault" that the 4.3 billion addresses created were running out, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

"I thought it was an experiment and I thought that 4.3 billion would be enough to do an experiment," Cerf, who is Google’s vice president and "Chief Internet Evangelist", was quoted as saying in an interview.

"Who the hell knew how much address space we needed?"

In 1977, Cerf created the web protocol IPv4, which connects computers globally, as part of an experiment while working with the US Department of Defense. He said he never expected his experiment "wouldn’t end".

"It doesn’t mean the network stops, it just means you can’t build it very well," Cerf said.

IP addresses are the unique sequence of numbers assigned to each computer, website or other Internet-connected devices. They are not the same as website domain names.

The overwhelming number of devices now accessing the Internet means the addresses are running out fast.

To resolve the crisis, an updated protocol for the Internet, IPv6, currently being planned by the industry, will create trillions of addresses.

As Google vice president Cerf, who was in Australia to address a conference, said he thought the new chief executive of the California-based giant, Larry Page, was ready to lead the company into the future.

In a surprise move, Google announced on Thursday that co-founder Page would replace Eric Schmidt as chief executive in April.

Schmidt, 55, a former chief executive of Novell, will remain with Google as executive chairman, focusing on deals, partnerships, customers and government outreach, Google said.

He will also act as an adviser to Page, 37, who served as CEO previously, from 1998 to 2001.

Cerf said Schmidt had been chief executive for 10 years -- "a nice round number" -- and Page was ready to lead the company into the future.

"Larry and Sergey are 10 years older than they were when they thoughtfully hired Eric to be the CEO... so everybody's growing up," Cerf said.

Google has grown over the past decade from a start-up battling other Internet search engines into a technology giant with nearly 25,000 employees and annual revenue of nearly $30 billion.

The company meanwhile reported its fourth-quarter net profit increased to $2.54 billion from $1.97 billion a year ago, while revenue rose 26% to $8.44 billion.

^^ Hahaha! The cyberworld rally is BIG! :D

UN cites Pinoys for outstanding online volunteerism :hug:

GMANews.tv
01/22/2011 | 04:45 PM

A Filipino graphic artist and a medical technologist are among the winners of the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) program’s “Online Volunteering Award 2010," the Philippine Mission to the UN disclosed over the weekend.

Professor Edwin Cuenco and Edith Marie Garingalao were cited for their outstanding contributions to peace and development, and to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) through the internet.

"The Germany based UNV said Cuenco provided pro bono graphic design services to various NGOs, including the Association Against Women Export (AAWE)," the Mission said in a news release on its website.

Cuenco, an award-winning graphic designer who teaches graphic design at the Arkansas Tech University, developed promotional materials that “strengthened AAWE’s capacities to advocate against human trafficking and contributed to raising funds for the organization’s women empowerment projects in Edo State, Nigeria."

His volunteer work focused on MDG goal 3, which is to promote gender equality and empower women.

“Online volunteering completely changed my life... I volunteer online because it is my civic and moral duty. I have learned that if we do not help each other nothing will ever be sustainable," Cuence said in the release.

“This makes me feel good as I do remember growing up in poor and indigent surroundings. Since then I swore that I would give back in any way I could. As I enjoy my online volunteer experience, I plan to keep on helping to the extent that I am able for my entire life," he added.

On the other hand, Garingalao, a medical technology professional, was part of the Kitega Community Center (KCC) team which identified possible health service models and assessed their relevance for Kitega, a small rural town in Uganda.

The teams’ contributions focused on MDGs 4 to 6, which are to reduce child mortality; improve maternal health; and combat HIV/AIDS and other diseases.

“I was in Uganda in 2002 and saw first-hand how the people there tend to cope especially in terms of health issues. When this project was offered, I thought it would be great to share what I know to help the people and also learn from their traditional understanding of such issues." Garingalao said.

A jury of experts in volunteerism and development cooperation, including UNV representatives from country offices and headquarters, chose the winners based on their commitment and contributions, the results of their collaboration, and their impact on the activities of the non-profit development organizations they supported.

Philippine Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Libran Cabactulan said the recent recognition demonstrated the ability of Filipinos to contribute to development beyond the Philippines through their experience, expertise and knowledge of information and communications technology.

He said the passion and creativity of Filipinos can be tapped to help move many development organizations – both within and outside the Philippines - towards accomplishing their goals and, consequently, in achieving MDGs.

In a statement, UNV Executive Coordinator Flavia Pansieri emphasized volunteers’ important role in achieving the MDGs.

“We can meet the goals, but only if we complement essential government action with the engagement of millions of people through volunteer action," she said.

The Mission noted that, every year, more than 9,000 online volunteers engage in non-profit development organization work through the UNV Online Volunteering service, which has entered its 10th year. — TJD/JA, GMANews.TV

IPv4 tank nearly dry

Dylan Bushell-Embling | February 02, 2011
Telecomasia.net

The crunch time for IPv6 migration loomed closer yesterday, as internet registry APNIC was allocated the final free-floating blocks of IPv4 address space.

ICANN and the Number Resource Organization have called a press conference for tomorrow to “make a significant announcement,” leading to speculation that the final five of the 256 blocks of IPv4 spectrum will be allocated then.

Under a long-standing policy one of these blocks, each containing around 16.7 million addresses, will be allocated to each regional internet registry.

APAC's APNIC said it will continue normal allocations for only the next three to six months.

After this time it will start doling out only small allocations from the final block, to ensure adequate IPv4 address space is available for IPv6 transition.

According to industry projections, had APNIC chosen to continue to allocate IPv4 unabated, it would run out of addresses by mid-2011. It would be the first of the regional registries to exhaust their address pool.

In an indication of regional service providers' response to the looming deadline, Australian ISP Internode yesterday revealed that it plans to allocate both IPv4 and IPv6 addresses in a dual-stack configuration to new internet users for a number of years.

“The exhaustion of new IPv4 allocations from global Internet Registries is a little like Peak Oil,” managing director Simon Hackett said.

“There won’t be any more large ‘discoveries’ of IPv4 addresses, so ISPs around the world will now mine their existing stocks to exhaustion point over the next few years.”

He said the company will move its IPv6 service into full production in 2011, but that it holds sufficient IPv4 address space to meet customer demand for at least three to five years.

Broadband will boost Philippines online trade, says eBay

By Dennis Estopace, Business Mirror
Posted at 02/06/2011 7:13 AM | Updated as of 02/06/2011 7:13 AM

MANILA, Philippines - Availability or lack of high-speed broadband access may make a difference in online trading in the Philippines, executives of information technology firm eBay Philippines Inc. said.

“eCommerce will remain wanting as broadband remains a little low,” business head Abhimanyu Lal told reporters on Thursday. “eCommerce has yet to explode here, but soon, maybe [in] about two to three years,” he added.

Lal, who flew in from Kuala Lumpur, said the Filipinos’ engagement in transacting over the Internet has grown last year, with the whole online trade growing at his estimate of 30% overall.

That is also the percentage amount of growth that Philippines country manager Ambareesh Murty estimated the Internet penetration in the country.

The eBay executives’ announcement followed the inclusion by the United Nations Commission on Trade and Development (Unctad) of the Philippines among the top 20 exporters and importers of information-communications technology (ICT) goods.

The Unctad said on Wednesday that about 36.4% of total exports of ICT goods worth $14 billion came from the Philippines in 2009, the UN agency’s latest summarized data.

The Unctad said the data it released on February 2 from Geneva, Switzerland, “supports recent findings that the global financial crisis has led to significant shifts in world trade of ICT goods towards Asia.”

While ICT exports from most major exporters fell in 2009 as a result of the financial crisis, the Unctad said, the declines in exports experienced by the Philippines, also China, Hong Kong (China), the Republic of Korea, and Thailand, “were relatively modest.”

The data may have boosted eBay’s confidence as Murty told the BusinessMirror after the press briefing they have put up a “small office” to manage the company’s business in the Philippines.

The company said it has over 750,000 registered users in the Philippines that, at any given time, list about 400,000 products and services to trade.

A piece of women’s clothing or a health or beauty product sells every three minutes on eBay Philippines. A woman’s handbag or a piece of jewelry sells every six minutes. Dennis Estopace

The company said more than half of its registered users are women.

Over 3,000 sellers derive income from eBay sales.

As many as 74% of online shoppers bought in the lifestyle vertical followed by the technology sector.

Villar seeks to criminalize nasty blogs :?

SunStar.com Philippines
Sunday, February 6, 2011

MANILA -- Senator Manuel Villar Jr. has filed a measure to make "electronic libel" a crime.

His bill, if passed, will amend the Revised Penal Code (RPC) to include disparaging remarks made over "electronic media such as, but not limited to, the Internet" in the definition of libel.

Villar said the Internet has helped bridge information gaps and "has opened infinite possibilities to people located even in the remotest area in the country."

"Unfortunately, unscrupulous individuals have found and exploited with impunity a new avenue to defame another: through the use of electronic media," he said.

Under the RPC, libel is punishable by at least four years and two months in prison, or a fine of P200 to 6,000 pesos. (Jonathan de Santos/Sunnex)

Villar seeks to criminalize nasty blogs :?

SunStar.com Philippines
Sunday, February 6, 2011

MANILA -- Senator Manuel Villar Jr. has filed a measure to make "electronic libel" a crime.

His bill, if passed, will amend the Revised Penal Code (RPC) to include disparaging remarks made over "electronic media such as, but not limited to, the Internet" in the definition of libel.

Villar said the Internet has helped bridge information gaps and "has opened infinite possibilities to people located even in the remotest area in the country."

"Unfortunately, unscrupulous individuals have found and exploited with impunity a new avenue to defame another: through the use of electronic media," he said.

Under the RPC, libel is punishable by at least four years and two months in prison, or a fine of P200 to 6,000 pesos. (Jonathan de Santos/Sunnex)

It's very easy to post a slanderous blog, go online in an internet shop, and get out. Clearly there's a part of him that's not thinking.

Are the days of phone numbers numbered?
By Alma Buelva (The Philippine Star) Updated January 17, 2011 12:00 AM Comments (0) View comments

MANILA, Philippines - Are phone numbers fading into the sunset?

Some tech watchers think so. How soon? In five years, some of them say.

Nikhyl Singhal, co-founder and chief executive of voice-application startup SayNow, points to social networks and game-changing companies like Google, Microsoft, Apple, Yahoo!, Facebook and Skype as reasons why many people find themselves punching numbers less and less to reach another person.

More people are now finding it more natural to just send an e-mail rather than pick up a phone to communicate. It helps, too, that voice or chat services are available in e-mail accounts like Gmail.

Social networks like Facebook also offer the convenience of sending out messages instantaneously to as many people as needed without having to know and dial every recipient’s number.

Although many still believe that phone numbers won’t really go away, kids today are growing up with no concept of how important telephone numbers used to be. They also probably will never touch, much less lift, one of those big Yellow Pages telephone directories just to locate a number.

Singhal says phones, especially smartphones, will still be an essential communication device for contacting people, but instead of punching numbers, users will just tap their contacts through their social network accounts accessible on their phones.

Singhal’s company has developed a number of applications that introduce alternative uses for the phone. A voice on top of present social networks should further simplify things, he says. This might lead to the demise of phone numbers and give carriers something to think about.

The fact that phone numbers are attached to a device and not exactly to the user is becoming a growing issue as people become used to sending and receiving communications only from those who are on their contacts or “friends” lists.

It’s also a control issue as anyone can dial a phone number without permission, whereas a social network account has settings to prevent strangers from simply leaving any message, useful or not.

In short, despite concerns about security, a social network like Facebook offers more protection and user control than telephone numbers, which can still be the target of unwanted calls even if the numbers are unlisted, explains Singhal.

He believes a voice application on top of social networks will give users more control over who can call them or not, just as they can select who can see their photos online.

I think Japan has used this kind of system (e-mailing instead of texting) almost 10 years ago.

Reminders:

1. Strong reminder on posting images: provide credit, link to source and respect copyrights! (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/announcement.php?f=585&a=1131)

This is a strong reminder to all forum users that posted images which are not owned and hosted by yourself must be properly credited, a link to the source must be provided and individual copyrights respected. Posted images which are not compliant to this are subject to removal. Thanks all for your cooperation.

2. When posting online articles/news items. (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/announcement.php?f=585&a=477)
When posting articles taken from online sources, please also take the time to provide the link as to acknowledge your source. It's only fair and just to do so. Thank you very much for your cooperation on this matter.

All images and news items/articles posted without proper sourcing or linking will be subject for deletion.

Reminders:

1. Strong reminder on posting images: provide credit, link to source and respect copyrights! (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/announcement.php?f=585&a=1131)

This is a strong reminder to all forum users that posted images which are not owned and hosted by yourself must be properly credited, a link to the source must be provided and individual copyrights respected. Posted images which are not compliant to this are subject to removal. Thanks all for your cooperation.

2. When posting online articles/news items. (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/announcement.php?f=585&a=477)
When posting articles taken from online sources, please also take the time to provide the link as to acknowledge your source. It's only fair and just to do so. Thank you very much for your cooperation on this matter.

All images and news items/articles posted without proper sourcing or linking will be subject for deletion.

House OKs data privacy bill on 2nd reading

The Manila Times.net
Tech Times
February 17, 2011
http://www.manilatimes.net/?p=2877

The House of Representatives has passed on second reading the proposed Data Privacy Act, which seeks to govern and establish fair practices in the collection and use of personal details stashed in the computer systems of the private sector and the government.

The House action came shortly after the committee on information and communications technology, along with the committee on government reorganization, endorsed the bill authored chiefly by Representatives Roman Romulo of Pasig City and Susan Yap of Tarlac.

Romulo, who also serves as Deputy Majority Leader, said the measure: Covers all entities and individuals involved in the gathering and processing of all types of personal information; Sets rigorous standards for and controls on the lawful culling, processing and retrieval of personal information; Defines the rights of data subjects, or the individuals whose personal information are being compiled; and Mandates the Commission on Information and Communications Technology (CICT) as administrator of all electronic data privacy controls.

The measure would prevent the misuse of personal facts in computer systems, including identity theft; reinforce consumer confidence in electronic commerce; and build up the country’s business process outsourcing (BPO) activities that handle a great deal of personal information, according to Romulo.

“The bill is quite strong. For instance, if you are a credit card issuer, you are expected to adopt adequate organizational, physical and technical measures to protect your electronic files,” Romulo said.

“In the event of unauthorized access to the files of your cardholders, you have to alert the CICT right away. Failure to issue a breach notification is enough to make you liable to pay a fine of up to P5 million per violation, to be imposed by the CICT,” he said.

“The punitive fine is without prejudice to possible criminal charges, once the Department of Justice ascertains that the failure (to issue a breach notification) was intentional,” Romulo added.

The bill sets the following criteria for the lawful processing of personal information: The data subject has given his or her clear consent, which must be in writing or through other similar means of express consent, depending on the circumstances; The processing is necessary and is related to the fulfillment of a contract with the data subject or in order to take steps at the request of the data subject prior to entering into a contract; The processing is required to protect the data subject’s vital interests, including life and health; or The processing is needed in order to respond to national emergency, to comply with the requirements of public order and safety, or to fulfill functions of public authority.

It's very easy to post a slanderous blog, go online in an internet shop, and get out. Clearly there's a part of him that's not thinking.

To think that the IP address is dynamic, and there are plenty of locations to choose from: internet cafés, free WiFi hotspots, etc.

They can even hide their own identity, as if the person does not exists.

Facebook page calls for Qatar emir's ouster

Agence France-Presse
Posted at 02/27/2011 2:01 AM | Updated as of 02/27/2011 2:01 AM
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/lifestyle/02/26/11/facebook-page-calls-qatar-emirs-ouster

DUBAI - A Facebook page demanding the ouster of Qatar's moderate, pro-Western emir, accusing him of being an agent of Israel, had attracted 18,262 fans by Saturday in the latest web-driven push for change in the Arab world.

In what is apparently the first call for change in the gas-rich state since popular revolts began sweeping the Arab world, the page has a profile picture with an image of Emir Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, crossed out in red.

Against a backdrop of Qatar's flag is the tagline: "For Qatar: try the traitor, an agent of Israel."

Entitled "Freedom Revolution, March 16, Qatar," the page calls on Qataris to hit the streets to demand change."

It could not be determined how many of the page's followers are in the gas-rich emirate, nor how many many might turn out.

Among other demands are the exclusion from public affairs of the emir's wife, Sheikha Mouza, and an end to Qatari ties to Israel and the United States, which has a military base in the small Gulf state.

Qatar does not have diplomatic relations with Israel but did maintain informal ties with the Jewish state.

It broke off those ties and closed Israel's trade office in Doha in protest at Israel's offensive against the Gaza Strip over New Year 2009 in which more than 1,400 Palestinians were killed.

The page features pictures of Hamad and others with Israeli officials accompanied by angry comments about the emir being a "traitor like Mubarak."

Ousted Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak pursued close ties with Israel during years of efforts to help broker a peace deal with the Palestinians.

The number of Facebook users in the Arab world rose by 78% in 2010, from less than 12 million to around 21 million, according to a report published by the Dubai School of Government.

Facebook and Twitter have played a significant role in a wave of anti-government protests around the Arab world, fanned by poverty and unemployment, that have grown into major revolts.

A popular uprising led to the ousting of Tunisian strongman Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and Egypt's Mubarak, and similar revolts have sprung up in Bahrain, Yemen and Libya.

Earlier this month, a page dedicated to Saudi Arabia surfaced on Facebook, urging political, social and economic reforms. By Saturday, the page had attracted more than 9,400 fans.

On Wednesday, in an apparent bid to keep his citizens happy, Saudi King Abdullah announced a boost in social benefits, a 15% pay rise for state employees and an increase in cash available for Saudi housing loans.

Laptop registration opposed :bash::bash::bash:

SunStar Manila - Philippines
Monday, February 28, 2011
http://www.sunstar.com.ph/breaking-news/laptop-registration-opposed

MANILA -- A proposal by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to have laptops registered has been called an overreaction that could violate the right to privacy.

Senator Francis Escudero said the proposal would give laptops the same status as guns and chainsaws the government keeps track of.

Speaking after a Senate hearing on proposed cybercrime laws, Escudero said requiring registration would be a hassle for laptop owners.

He said an alternative would be for law enforcement agencies to coordinate with internet service providers and telecommunication companies to monitor the devices.

"It would probably be easier for law enforcement agencies to monitor the Internet service providers. That way, whatever device is used -- laptops, cell phones -- can be monitored without violating anyone's privacy too much," he said.

Escudero said this would let the police track laptops without being too intrusive.

Senator Edgardo Angara, chairman of the Senate committee on science and technology committee, also predicted "tremendous" opposition to the proposed registration.

The proposal was made by the NBI's Anti-fraud and Computer Crimes Division who reported that cybercrime is difficult to trace because half of the Internet connections in the country is wireless.

Angara, author of the Anti-Cybercrime bill, earlier warned that cybercrime like identity theft and hacking must "be taken seriously at the highest level."

"Cybercrime is an actual danger to democracy, human rights and the rule of law," Angara warned. (Jonathan de Santos/Sunnex)

Beware of Facebook ‘likes,’ drug agency warns Filipinos :ohno:

By Julie M. Aurelio
Philippine Daily Inquirer First Posted 10:15:00 03/01/2011
http://globalnation.inquirer.net/news/breakingnews/view/20110301-322853/Beware-of-Facebook-likes-drug-agency-warns-Filipinos

MANILA, Philippines—Be wary of foreigners suddenly “liking” you on Facebook or other social networking sites, an official of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) advised netizens.

PDEA spokesperson Derrick Carreon said many drug mules or persons used to transport drugs through international borders were befriended and recruited online.

“Some of the mules or couriers we interviewed said they were befriended through the Internet by foreigners. Such cases are increasing,” he said in a forum in Quezon City.

Comparing the cases with those of Filipinos being personally approached by recruiters, the PDEA official said incidents of online “recruitment” of drug mules were now on the rise.

Many Filipino drug mules have been arrested and convicted abroad for illegal drug trafficking. In China, some are facing the death penalty.

“A big percentage” of those arrested, Carreon said, were recruited through online networking sites like Facebook.

“We do not mean to discriminate, but be wary of foreigners ‘liking’ you on Facebook,” he said.

Carreon, in a presentation, noted that those at risk of being victimized by such syndicates were poor Filipinos with little or no educational background.

“It’s the lure of easy money and going abroad. Some things to watch out for are groups of foreigners on the Internet which offer travel,” he said.

Celso Hernandez Jr. of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration’s (POEA) Anti-Illegal Recruitment Branch said Filipinos looking for overseas jobs should always go the legal way.

According to PDEA data, drug syndicates pay mules up to $3,000 for each successful trip. Some are recruited as tourists, while others are promised jobs abroad.

Hernandez said a task force on illegal recruitment would be formed soon in order to give the POEA more forces to run after illegal recruiters.

“Through a task force, we will be empowered to conduct entrapment operations and arrests,” the POEA official said.

The agency, he added, would include a briefer on the dangers of being a drug mule in the pre-orientation seminars of would-be overseas workers.

Carreon said they are also launching a media campaign to warn Filipinos about the dangers of being a drug courier for such syndicates.

Some of the reminders include not accepting packages from strangers at airports, and not being lured too easily by big money.

PLDT to spend P67B for expansion of broadband network

By Paolo Luis G. Montecillo
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 21:59:00 03/01/2011

MANILA, Philippines—Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) plans to spend a total of P67 billion over the next two years to expand its broadband network, anticipating a surge in Internet use throughout the country.

More..
http://business.inquirer.net/money/topstories/view/20110301-322921/PLDT-to-spend-P67B-for-expansion-of-broadband-network

Beware:

http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd350/RonnieR_2008/antipiracy.jpg

Facebook ousts Google in the Philippines :lol:

Telecomasia.net
Melissa Chua | March 10, 2011
http://www.telecomasia.net/content/facebook-ousts-google-philippines

Social networking sites are appealing to the hearts of Internet users in Southeast Asia, according to digital research firm comScore.

Facebook is proving especially popular in the Philippines, with 93.7% of the country’s Internet users signed up to the social network. According to Joe Nguyen, comScore’s VP for Southeast Asia,

Facebook is so rampantly used among the country’s Internet users that it effectively dethroned Google as the country’s most-surfed site.

According to the report, the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia are among the world’s top 15 countries for Facebook penetration.

Indonesia remained the country with the world’s largest number of Facebook users, said Nguyen, and its registered 87.4% penetration rate for Facebook in the study did not include access via the mobile channel.

Indonesia, Singapore and the Philippines came out tops in the region for Twitter visits, coming in at fourth, eighth and ninth in global rankings.

While Indonesia’s 21% penetration rate for Twitter may not appear impressive, Nguyen said the figure would likely be higher if the study included Twitter access from Internet cafes and handsets.

mong the countries studied - Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam - Vietnam was shown to have the lowest penetration rate (66%) for social networking.

This figure was however a great improvement over the 49% reported for 2009. Nguyen said Vietnam’s lifting of its Facebook ban in 2010 probably contributed toward the increase.

Malaysia’s social networking penetration improved 10% last year to stand at 91%, while Hong Kong’s improved 8% last year to 76%. Singapore’s penetration rate stood relatively stable, up just 1% to 81%.

A Small Quantum Leap

New switching device could help build a dream: the ultrafast quantum Internet

By Megan Fellman


EVANSTON, Ill. --- Northwestern University researchers have developed a new switching device that takes quantum communication to a new level. The device is a practical step toward creating a network that takes advantage of the mysterious and powerful world of quantum mechanics.

The researchers can route quantum bits, or entangled particles of light, at very high speeds along a shared network of fiber-optic cable without losing the entanglement information embedded in the quantum bits. The switch could be used toward achieving two goals of the information technology world: a quantum Internet, where encrypted information would be completely secure, and networking superfast quantum computers.

The device would enable a common transport mechanism, such as the ubiquitous fiber-optic infrastructure, to be shared among many users of quantum information. Such a system could route a quantum bit, such as a photon, to its final destination just like an e-mail is routed across the Internet today.

The research -- a demonstration of the first all-optical switch suitable for single-photon quantum communications -- is published by the journal Physical Review Letters.

“My goal is to make quantum communication devices very practical,” said Prem Kumar, AT&T Professor of Information Technology in the McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science and senior author of the paper. “We work in fiber optics so that as quantum communication matures it can easily be integrated into the existing telecommunication infrastructure.”

The bits we all know through standard, or classical, communications only exist in one of two states, either “1” or “0.” All classical information is encoded using these ones and zeros. What makes a quantum bit, or qubit, so attractive is it can be both one and zero simultaneously as well as being one or zero. Additionally, two or more qubits at different locations can be entangled -- a mysterious connection that is not possible with ordinary bits.

Researchers need to build an infrastructure that can transport this “superposition and entanglement” (being one and zero simultaneously) for quantum communications and computing to succeed.

The qubit Kumar works with is the photon, a particle of light. A photonic quantum network will require switches that don’t disturb the physical characteristics (superposition and entanglement properties) of the photons being transmitted, Kumar says. He and his team built an all-optical, fiber-based switch that does just that while operating at very high speeds.

To demonstrate their switch, the researchers first produced pairs of entangled photons using another device developed by Kumar, called an Entangled Photon Source. “Entangled” means that some physical characteristic (such as polarization as used in 3-D TV) of each pair of photons emitted by this device are inextricably linked. If one photon assumes one state, its mate assumes a corresponding state; this holds even if the two photons are hundreds of kilometers apart.

The researchers used pairs of polarization-entangled photons emitted into standard telecom-grade fiber. One photon of the pair was transmitted through the all-optical switch. Using single-photon detectors, the researchers found that the quantum state of the pair of photons was not disturbed; the encoded entanglement information was intact.

“Quantum communication can achieve things that are not possible with classical communication,” said Kumar, director of Northwestern’s Center for Photonic Communication and Computing. “This switch opens new doors for many applications, including distributed quantum processing where nodes of small-scale quantum processors are connected via quantum communication links.”

The National Science Foundation through their Integrative Graduate Education and

Research Traineeship (IGERT) program supported the research.

The title of the paper is “Ultrafast Switching of Photonic Entanglement.” In addition to Kumar, other authors of the paper are Matthew A. Hall and Joseph
B. Altepeter, both from Northwestern.

http://www.northwestern.edu/newscenter/stories/2011/03/quantum-communication.html

:cool:

Pinoys boast world's highest Facebook penetration
http://www.gmanews.tv/story/216166/technology/pinoys-boast-worlds-highest-facebook-penetration

US-based research firm comScore has crowned Filipinos the world’s heaviest users of social media in terms of online penetration among countries around the world.

In terms of unique online visitors to Facebook.com, the report found that the Philippines emerged as the top market with nearly 93 percent of its online population visiting the social media site during February 2011.



Israel and Turkey followed, both seeing more than 89 percent of their Web populations frequenting the social networking site during the month.

Neighboring countries Malaysia and Indonesia were at sixth and seventh places, respectively, with 87.4-percent and with 86.2-percent penetration rates.

Last year, comScore also released a study which showed the Philippines as having the highest penetration of social networking usage in the Asia Pacific region with 90 percent of the local Web population burning their time on Facebook.

Joe Nguyen, vice president for Southeast Asia at comScore, said in a report that Facebook has also toppled Google as the most common touchpoint for Web users in the Philippines, with local folks spending an average of seven hours per month on the site.

The Philippines was not as prominent, however, in the micro-blogging site Twitter as it placed only eighth worldwide in the usage rankings. The Netherlands was the top country in Twitter use. — Newsbytes.ph

Asia's IPv4 pool runs dry

Dylan Bushell-Embling | April 15, 2011
Telecomasia.net
http://www.telecomasia.net/content/asias-ipv4-pool-runs-dry

Regional internet registrar APNIC today revealed it had reached the last in its pool of IPv4 addresses, triggering rationing for its remaining supply.

Allocations will now be limited to a maximum of 1,024 new addresses to each member, and applicants will have to meet an application criteria, APNIC said.

“Considering the ongoing demand for IP addresses, this date effectively represents IPv4 exhaustion for many of the current operators in the Asia-Pacific region,” APNIC director general Paul Wilson said. “From this day onwards IPv6 is mandatory for building new internet networks and services.”

He said the policy was designed to ensure that new operators can secure enough IPv4 address space to start operations, and to leave enough address space for the transition to IPv6. But he cautioned the plan will not be enough to maintain Asia's internet development rates with IPv4 alone.

“APAC must quickly become the leader in IPv6 deployment so that it can maintain strong internet growth rates in large maturing economies such as India and China,” he said. “Any organization that wishes to remain viable must push forward with their IPv6 deployment.”

The NRO assigned the last of five blocks of around 16.7 million IPv4 addresses to each of the regional internet registries in February.

Microsoft paid $7.5 million to buy 666,624 IPv4 addresses from Nortel last month, leading to speculation that a “gray market” for IPv4 address sales between companies is starting to emerge.

Beware:

http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd350/RonnieR_2008/antipiracy.jpg

random? but they're announcing it? :lol:

pagtalikod nila nagbebenta na ulit sila eh sa quiapo nga di maubos ubos eh......

pagtalikod nila nagbebenta na ulit sila eh sa quiapo nga di maubos ubos eh......

sana unahin muna nila na totally malinis ang quiapo and ibang mga malls na nagbebenta ng pirated software. at ang mga malalaking kumpanya na gumagamit ng pirated software.

I have a question, would you think the Philippines is an ICT hub in Asia or at least ASEAN?

^^ In the middle I think?

^^ In the middle I think?

Please educate me. In ASEAN, basically we are on top yes? Obviously our infra for knowledge services are the most competitive in ASEAN otherwise no point in BPO putting up locating in PHL?

^^ I'm not sure, I have Singapore in mind and perhaps Malaysia and Thailand but I don't think we're at the level of Myanmar and Cambodia (:lol:)

...if it is ICT in general...not just BPO

^^ I'm not sure, I have Singapore in mind and perhaps Malaysia and Thailand but I don't think we're at the level of Myanmar and Cambodia (:lol:)

...if it is ICT in general...not just BPO

Hmm... You think we are right behind SG and ahead or the same level as MAS and THA?

We're ahead of them. We have one of the most advanced telecommunications technology in the region. AFAIK lang.

^^

obviously this guy have not been outside of the country.

^^ Whats with the going outside the country anyway?

^^ Whats with the going outside the country anyway?

:lol:
to check if they have 4G, HSPA signals, if they have towers as high as mt everest, and the roads are all concrete:rofl:

random? but they're announcing it? :lol:

"Surprise" quiz :lol:

^^

obviously this guy have not been outside of the country.

You're right. I've never been. That's why I said AFAIK. It's just as far as what my mind knows right? heheh. ;)

so how did you know that we're the best in the region? obviously first hand experience.

^^ maybe what he meant is cellphone penetration (sms volume) in relative to the population.

Well in that category we're no.1 in the world.

I think China is now ahead with SMS.

Yung tatlong lukotoy dito sa amin, nag half day para pumila, ngayon nagsisisi. :lol:
Pag sale ng half price na lang, saka ko titingnan kung ano ang hype... o pag binigay na libre... :lol:

http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/02l29r0g4u7yk/610x.jpg
Filipinos wait for an Apple store to open prior to the launch of the new iPad 2 in the Philippines in Manila on April 29, 2011. The debut of the iPad 2 in the Philippines drove bevvies of excited fans rushing to Apple stores in Manila hours before shops even opened their doors to clients.

PH named "The Social Networking Capital of the World" says financial news site;
9 of 10 online Pinoys are on Facebook

http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/228102_202236033150789_100000931803612_522575_6481237_n.jpg

(SPOT.ph) Financial news site 24/7 Wall St. reported last week that nine out of 10 online Filipinos are on the social networking site Facebook, reports GMA News Online.

The article entitled "The Ten Nations Where Facebook Rules The Internet" said more Filipinos use Facebook than Google, with a penetration rate of 93.9 percent. Photo sharing has also increased by 46 percent in one year, mostly due to Facebook.

With a 95 percent rate in social network penetration, the Philippines has been called "The Social Networking Capital of the World," according to 24/7 Wall St. The article also said the Philippines has a Twitter penetration rate of 16.1 percent.

Following the Philippines are Israel (91 percent), Turkey (90.9 percent) and Chile (90.2 percent). 24/7 Wall St. used data from comScore, Inside Facebook, New Media Trend Watch, and ZDNet, reports GMA News Online.
source (http://www.facebook.com/notes/balagtas-bulacan/ph-named-the-social-networking-capital-of-the-world-says-financial-news-site-9-o/211083105578657)

^^ Mabagal naman mga ISP natin pero ok na din...

hindi namn kailanagn mabilis ang facebook, pag meron na youtube naka embed yun na:D

Ako nalang yata kakilala ko na marunong magcomputer na walang Facebook account.
































































tweet nyo ako :)

kawawa ka naman pala:D buti pa yung aso namin meron syang sariling account,ang dami nga nag like sa kanya:rofl:

Sa sobrang bilis, may mini-video store ka na before maluto yung sinaing mo.


German scientists beat data transfer record
Agence France-Presse
5:38 pm | Tuesday, May 24th, 2011

BERLIN – Computer users who despair over slow Internet connections should take heart. German scientists have broken a speed record, sending data contained on 700 DVDs over a single laser beam, in one second.

The scientists at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) Monday said they had broken the world record by sending data at a speed of 26 terabits per second.

The data, sent over 50 kilometers (31 miles) on a single laser beam, was coded thanks to a system known as orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) in which the laser beam is divided into separate colour streams.

“With 26 terabits per second, you can simultaneously transmit up to 400 million telephone calls per second,” said Professor Juerg Leuthold of the institute in a statement.

http://technology.inquirer.net/714/german-scientists-beat-data-transfer-record/

26 terabits/sec?? wtf! sana ganyan din ang akin. haha :lol:

goodbye friendster ... :)

^^ Don't worry, may mga fraudsters naman... :D

:lol:... mas sossy adw ang friendster 2 dahil may music at games na raw

BusinessMirror.com.ph
Pinoys are ‘cyber butterflies’–study (http://businessmirror.com.ph/component/content/article/52-technology/11683-pinoys-are-cyber-butterfliesstudy)
Saturday, 28 May 2011 16:01 Rizal Raoul Reyes / Reporter

Filipinos are social butterflies in cyberspace, according to a recent study conducted by custom research company TNS

According to the study called Digital Life 2011, Filipino online users are spending an average of nine hours a week connected, majority of which are for e-mail (29 percent of online users check e-mail daily), social networking (28 percent) and multimedia (20 percent). Meanwhile, young Filipinos belonging to the 16 to 24 age group are most active in social networking.

The number of mobile Web users visiting social-networking sites grew from 30 percent to 46 percent globally, and from 26 percent to 50 percent in emerging markets, leapfrogging many of the developed markets. In the Philippines Facebook ranked third as the top mobile content/service provider (2010).

“This study covers more than twice as many markets as any other research.” said TNS chief development officer Matthew Froggatt in a media briefing held in Makati City.

“It is the first truly global research into online activities, including all the key emerging markets of the BRICs [Brazil, Russia, India and China] and many of the ‘Next 11.’ We have also researched beyond basic behavior to provide more detailed data into attitudes and emotional drivers of that behavior,” he added.

The study also pointed out that online consumers are on an average basis spend more time on social-networking sites, such as Facebook and LinkedIn, than on e-mail despite the former getting popular in many countries in the last two to three years.

In rapid growth markets, such as Latin America, the Middle East and China, TNS said online users on an average time per week spend 5.2 hours compared with only four hours on e-mail. Online consumers in mature markets remain more reliant on e-mail, spending 5.1 hours checking their inboxes compared with just 3.8 hours on social networking. Malaysians (nine hours per week), Russians (8.1 hours per week) and the Turks (7.7 hours per week) are the heaviest users of social networking.

Malaysian online consumers emerged as the friendliest with an an average of 233 friends in their social network, closely followed by Brazilians with 231. The least social are the Japanese with just 29 friends and Tanzanians who have, on average, 38 in their circle of friends.

Surprisingly, the study said Chinese consumers only have an average of 68 friends in their networks despite being heavy users of social-networking sites, an indication that the Chinese culture espouses closer friendships.

Meanwhile, Filipino digital consumers have shown a relatively large number of social network and brand friends. Filipinos have an average of 171 friends, higher than the global average of 120. Brand friends (engaging with brands and their activities on social media) are also slightly higher at the average of five, compared to the global average of four. Just like their global counterparts, the survey noted the Filipinos’ eagerness for information and special offers are key drivers for engaging with brand fan pages.

“Social media can be used as platforms for executional expressions of the communications idea that connect, engage and actively encourage consumers to join in, share, comment and cocreate,” explained Gary de Ocampo, TNS Philippines managing director.

He added that 83 percent of Filipinos online were found to be “aspirers.” This means 27 million Filipinos seeking to create a personal space online.

TNS said the Internet has a pervasive role in the 21st century but the impact will differ depending where the people live. In developed countries the Internet has already become a commoditized item that consumers take for granted.

However, in underdeveloped markets, like the Philippines, users are embracing these new channels in much more active ways. The study said the Internet has motivated the people in developing countries to become more active online and engaging in new forms of communications.

Globally, people who have online access have digital sources as their number one media channel. About 61 percent of online users use the Internet daily against 54 percent for TV, 36 percent for radio and 32 percent for newspapers.

In the Philippines however, digital is the third most frequently-used medium with 11 million Filipinos aged 16 to 60 from class ABCD homes accessing the Internet daily, following the more traditional media of television and radio, at 81 percent and 43 percent, respectively.

it's pinoy culture to want to reconnect with old friends, classmates, teachers. kaya nga mahilig tayo sa batch/class reunions. lol

^^ Actually mahal na ang lupa ngayon at wala na ngang space yung iba kaya virtual space na lang.

pati friends/lovers/pets virtual na rin:D

Filipinos are the most open minded, yet most vulnerable to first priority attacks from the "man".

dp

GOOGLE + (http://searchengineland.com/first-look-hands-on-with-google-plus-83486#) vs Facebook(Skype) (http://www.tmcnet.com/topics/articles/193796-facebooks-big-announcement-breaking-conference-bubble.htm) watch out!



Can search giant topple down the King of social? Alarm by google + killer apps hang-out, facebook immediately partnered with skype. :)

Sh...t! Gusto ng mom ko gumawa ako ng facebook account.

^^

Just remember the friendster and myspace they take it easy and did not innovate! facebook learned from this two. Time will tell if people will migrate to google+, innovation is the name of the game, those who can provide better services will win.:)

^Based on how google+ looks like, atm..they won't be able to get facebook users...not unless they do something interesting.

And for facebook to hold on to their market, they must get rid of the viruses....

Too much tech is stressing us out, says new study

Are all your gadgets, devices, and social networking causing anxiety and stress? Turns out, according to new research, one out of three people claim they're overwhelmed by everything from email to Twitter.
In the study announced last week, the University of Cambridge polled 1,300 people in the UK and revealed that feeling stressed about your communication technology can lead to general feelings of dissatisfaction with your life.

Interestingly, even younger tech users reported similar feelings of stress. The study noted that about 38 percent of study participants ages 10 to 18 felt overwhelmed by too much technology, compared to 34 percent of adults between the ages of 25 and 34.

This study follows another announced earlier this year that claimed Facebook and similar social networking sites can leave some feeling depressed. Stanford University in the UK researchers showed that because people tend to publicize only good moments, photos, and events in their lives, while hiding the negative ones, users are left with a skewed view of their friends' lives, feeling sad or dull by comparison.

One way to avoid negative feelings associated with technology is to take steps to control it: for example, avoid distractions by turning off automatic email notifications, according to a recent report in the UK's Guardian.

WebMD interviewed Tim Ferriss, best-selling author of The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich, who recommends the following tips:

• Turn off your devices for shorts periods of time. Your life won't implode, Ferriss states, but expect a period of withdrawal or anxiety.

• Leave your mobile phone and PDA at home one day a week. Ferriss recommends Saturdays.

• Devise a "not-to-do list." For instance, don't check email before 10 a.m., he says. Attempt to set some limits.

• Accept the fact you can't respond to 500 emails a day. "A big part is getting over yourself," he said. "You don't have a superhuman email checking ability."

• Learn moderation. Make a note of how many times a day you check your email, or how many times you scan your social networking sites, experts recommend. Realize when you have a problem, and make a practice of not being a slave to your devices.
Read more on the subject:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2011/feb/14/information-overload-research
http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/features/when-technology-addiction-takes-over-your-life
Thinking of going on a digital fast? Here are some tips: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmCeEmKvQUQ

source: Yahoo! Philippines (http://ph.news.yahoo.com/too-much-tech-stressing-us-says-study-145152844.html)

Capturing the twittering masses :)

BusinessWorld Weekender
Posted on July 21, 2011 05:43:35 PM
BY JEFFREY O. VALISNO, Sub-Editor

WITH OVER 1.4 million followers, actress and TV host Anne Curtis is definitely the undisputed queen of Twitter here in the Philippines.
People just cannot seem to get enough of the fashionable showbiz personality, who made history last April by becoming the first Filipino to have more than a million Twitter followers.

Ms. Curtis’s clout in the Twitter universe became more evident earlier this month when she became a global trending topic (or the most popular breaking news in Twitter) when she took the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) to get to the Araneta Coliseum to catch the concert of Australian dance diva Kylie Minogue on July 5.

The rare incident would have gone unnoticed had Ms. Curtis not posted her photo and written about her experience with public transport on the micro-blogging Web site.

While on board the MRT, Ms. Curtis tweeted: “Hulaan nyo kung nasaan ako para makahabol kay #Kylie? :p” (Guess where I am to make it to Kylie?). She then posted her picture on board one of the MRT coaches, exciting Twitter users even more.

A few hours after she posted her picture on her Twitter account @annecurtissmith, the photo was viewed over 38,000 times. The words “MRT” and “Anne Curtis” also became the fourth and fifth trending topics, respectively, on Twitter.

Ms. Curtis is currently ranked the 297th most followed on the entire Twitter site, ahead of international celebrities like Victoria Beckham (299th), Beyonce (304th) and Leonardo DiCaprio (373rd).

How it started

Launched five years ago in San Francisco, California, Twitter is a social networking and micro-blogging service that enables its users to send and read messages called tweets.

Tweets are text-based posts of up to 140 characters which are displayed on the user’s profile page.

Twitter now has more than 200 million users worldwide who generate as much as 350 billion tweets a day. It handles over 1.6 million search queries per day.

Twitter said that while 224 tweets were sent on Twitter’s first day of operation on July 15, 2006, users now send 224 tweets in less that a tenth of second.

“Delivering 350 billion tweets a day is a terribly fun engineering challenge. But it doesn’t capture how passionate our users are,” Twitter engineers said in a tweet last July 15.

A research report by Twitter released in May showed that there are more than four million Twitter users in the Philippines, putting the country at the eighth slot when it comes to Twitter use on a global scale.

Marketing through Twitter

Ms. Curtis said she started using Twitter in March 2009 upon the suggestion of a friend’s ex-boyfriend.

She initially followed Hollywood celebrities like Ashton Kutcher, Demi Moore, and Paris Hilton.

Then before she knew it, she had over a million followers. “It happened so fast. Nakakatuwa (It is funny),” Ms. Curtis told reporters.

Ms. Curtis said she usually tweets about what is happening in her day; this includes writing about the brands that she is endorsing: L’Oreal Shampoo, SM Development Corp., Palmolive Soap, Greenwich Pizza, Whisper Feminine Pads, and Olay.

Marketing consultant Myrna A. Garcia of Prime Edge Professionals, Inc.

said Ms. Curtis’s mention of the products in her tweets helps boost awareness about the brands she endorses.

“Whenever Ms. Curtis mentions something about a product, there is an audience of more than 1.4 million people who will get to know about that brand in an instant,” Ms. Garcia said in an interview.

“That is more powerful than any traditional form of advertising. You have a captive audience who agreed to receive that information, and is willing to read about what Ms. Curtis is saying about the product,” she added.

Ms. Garcia said brand-marketing efforts done through Internet Web sites like Twitter is in its infancy in the Philippine business environment.

“While there are about nine million Internet users in the Philippines, marketing through the web has yet to take off,” she said.

Ms. Garcia said industry estimates show that online ad spending in the Philippines comes up to only P100 million, or a measly 0.2% of total advertising spending last year.

But recent developments, including a Filipino celebrity like Ms. Curtis having more than a million Twitter followers, makes Ms. Garcia confident that marketing on the Internet will soon be used as a complimentary tool to traditional media, “as advertising and marketing professionals understand how these new tools can be used and optimized.”

“Twitter marketing is a new promotion tool for companies. There is absolutely nothing to lose with maintaining a Twitter account,” Ms. Garcia said.

“If people get to see the tweets made, they will react by making ideas, and regardless if the comments are good or dangerous, the mere proven fact that we had been able to elicit a reaction is sufficient to present that utilizing Twitter as a marketing strategy is indeed a really efficient tool,” she added.

Twitter leads to endorsements

Anama Dimapilis, brand PR manager for the local unit of multinational heavyweight Procter & Gamble (P&G) said Ms. Curtis’s strong online following was considered when they selected the young actress to be the endorser of Whisper sanitary napkins and Olay beauty products.

“She has a strong following among the target markets of our brands,” Ms. Dimapilis told BusinessWorld in an interview.

She said P&G recognizes the growing importance of the Internet in getting their brand messages across to consumers.

She said the company has significantly increased its budget for Internet marketing for this year, compared to last year, to boost the online presence of its top brands like Whisper and Olay, as well as shampoo brands like Pantene, Rejoice, and Head and Shoulders. She however declined to provide actual figures.

“Definitely, we [at P&G] recognize the need to communicate to our target market through the Internet,” Ms. Dimapilis said. She cited the case of Pantene, as an example, where they selected models for their latest TV commercial through Facebook.

She added that the company also conducts games and contests online to boost the interaction between its brands and the consumers.

Actress Angel Locsin -- who is the second most followed local celebrity on Twitter with 830,932 followers of her @134redangel account -- said she mentions her endorsements in her tweets to inform her fans about her work.

For example, Ms. Locsin said she tweeted about Head and Shoulders shampoo to thank P&G for making her it’s endorser for the past six years.

“I do not endorse a product I do not believe in, so I am proud to tell my followers about these products through Twitter,” Ms. Locsin told reporters.

Aside from providing updates, Ms. Garcia said companies can use Twitter to announce sales and special offers, promote news, and obtain customer feedback.

“Many corporate executives either dismiss social networking as a time-wasting distraction or regard it as a risk management problem.

Much of their fear has focused on potential risks like security breaches and data privacy,” Ms. Garcia said.

“Proponents of Internet-based marketing, on the other hand, argue that it can facilitate an open-ended corporate culture that values transparency, collaboration and innovation. Most important, it can be an effective way to build a customer-centric organization that not only communicates authentically but also listens to customers and learns from that interaction,” she added.

The 25 Most Followed
Local Celebrities on Twitter
(as of July 20)

1. Anne Curtis @annecurtissmith 1.4 million followers
2. Angel Locsin @134redangel 830,932 followers
3. Kris Aquino @itsmekrisaquino 747,320 followers
4. Sam Milby @samuelmilby 691,003 followers
5. Vice Ganda @vicegandako 674,775 followers
6. Bianca Gonzalez @IAMSUPERbianca 606,001 followers
7. Angelica Panganiban @iamAngelicaP 602,170 followers
8. KC Concepcion @kc_concepcion 601,986 followers
9. Pokwang @pokwang27 594,162 followers
10. Iya Villania @iyavillania 561,740 followers
11. Luis Manzano @luckymanzano 540,581 followers
12. Lea Salonga @MsLeaSalonga 505,823 followers
13. Ruffa Gutierrez @iloveruffag 453,402 followers
14. Kim Atienza @kuyakim_atienza 441,967 followers
15. Sarah Geronimo @SGeronimo25 436,041 followers
16. Nikki Gil @nikkigil 420,535 followers
17. Mariel Rodriguez @itsmemarielt 419,812 followers
18. Maja Salvador @dprincessmaja 404,120 followers
19. Tim Yap @iamtimyap 400,455 followers
20. Mo Twister @djmotwister 398,360 followers
21. Maxene Magalona @maxenemagalona 379,467 followers
22. Karylle @anakarylle 362,321 followers
23. Christian Bautista @xtianbautista 343,197 followers
24. Georgina Wilson @iloveGEORGINA 332,933 followers
25. Raymond Gutierrez @mondgutierrez 295,615 followers

^^ wow. and the top 10 are all from channel 2.

http://www.bworldonline.com/adserver/bworldonline/images/logo.png

Leyte gets second IT park (http://www.bworldonline.com/content.php?section=Economy&title=Leyte-gets-second-IT-park&id=35558)
Posted on July 28, 2011 10:02:42 PM

TACLOBAN CITY -- The town of Palo is positioning to become an information and communication technology (ICT) hub in Leyte province and the entire Eastern Visayas, with another ICT park to be established in barangays Pawing and Campetic.
The proposed 23-hectare Leyte IT Development Park, a project of businessman Charles Uykim, is located across the provincial government-run Leyte ICT Park, which is a Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA)-accredited facility.
Palo town Mayor Remedios L. Petilla said in a press conference that the developer is applying for the required permits from her office. Construction is targeted to start within the year.
The new IT park will add to the growing community along Maharlika Highway which includes the Leyte ICT Park, government offices and other businesses that have started to locate within the Government Center as well as residential subdivisions that have sprouted along the corridor.
Ms. Petilla said that the Leyte IT Development Park will host facilities for IT businesses as well as a hotel and recreation area.
“These investments will spell [sic] more income to the local government unit; but more importantly, it will create more jobs for the people in Palo in Leyte and other parts of the region,” the mayor said.
Ms. Petilla said that, with new businesses coming to the Palo area, the local government is putting in place the necessary support system to ensure smooth flow of business and investments, particularly in terms of securing needed documents and permits.
The municipal council of Palo is drafting the Business and Investment Code, while the Mayor’s Office recently established the Economic and Development Unit which will address concerns of investors and local entrepreneurs. -- Reyan L. Arinto

indeed

TrendLabs engineers spotted a phishing email that looked like the legitimate Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) express alert. It informed the recipients that BPI online banking has upgraded. It then asked the users to view the message by clicking the link. Clicking the URL directs the users to a spoofed site that asks for user information.

http://about-threats.trendmicro.com/Spam.aspx?language=us&name=BPI+Express+Phishing+Scam

Bloggers’ promos, contests to be regulated :lol:

BusinessWorld Online
Posted on August 28, 2011 10:48:45 PM
BY ELIZA J. DIAZ, Reporter

THE TRADE department plans to regulate bloggers who hold online contests and promos in an effort to protect consumers from fraudulent activities on the internet.
A group involved in digital social media, meanwhile, advised the department to consider the personal -- rather than commercial -- motivations of bloggers when giving away prizes to its readers in drawing up guidelines.

The new guidelines, due in less than three months, will be considered an extension of the Consumer Act (Republic Act 7394), which regulates business sales promotions.

"There is already a technical working group composed of public officials and representatives from the blogging community drafting the guidelines," Trade Undersecretary Zenaida C. Maglaya, head of the consumer welfare and trade regulation group, told BusinessWorld last week.

"Their deadline for the guidelines is first week of November -- earlier, if possible, but we gave them three months to come up with it," Ms. Maglaya continued.

Trade officials explained last month at a consultative meeting that the government didn’t want to step into the blogosphere to impose restrictions but to promote consumer welfare.

"We understand that many of these bloggers do this [blogging] for personal reasons and not to make money. We are simply here to ensure traceability of the items given away and to promote transparency -- for example, we want the readers to know from the bloggers how the ‘winners’ are picked," an official explained.

Hence, one of the proposed guidelines only requires bloggers to secure a permit from the Trade department if they plan to hold a contest or a series of promos within a year where the value of the giveaways total in the hundreds of thousands of pesos or higher.

"We plan to require a DTI (Department of Trade and Industry) permit for bloggers who give away P200,000 worth of sponsored prizes, or items given to netizens by a business or commercial entity, per year or P1 million worth of personal items given as prizes per year," Ms. Maglaya said.

However, imposing clear-cut rules on a fluidly defined activity like blogging -- and an online activity at that where identities and nationalities can be concealed -- could foster the creation of outlaws.

"Bloggers are not businesses. They were saying [at the consultative meeting] that they put up blogs not to earn money or to sell, but to share their thoughts and opinions," said Michael Palacios, Internet and Mobile Marketing Association of the Philippines (IMMAP) director for policy and ethics, said at the sidelines of the recent Fifth Internet and Marketing Mobile Summit.

"Bloggers have readers, not consumers. So when they do raffles, which is most of the time, the prizes usually come out of their own pockets," he added.

Bloggers who develop huge followings, however, often draw the attention of brands and businesses looking for strategic and cost-effective ways of reaching their target market and delivering their sales pitch convincingly.

Filipino Fashion blogger Bryan Grey Yambao, popularly known as Bryanboy, eventually became a "professional blogger" earning over $100,000 a year, according to Huffington Post, as haute couture designers took notice of his ability to sway his site visitors, be they fans or haters.

"Blogs can evolve to become ‘commercial’ or an ‘income-generating activity’ over time, but even then, they still retain their personal nature," Mr. Palacios said.

The IMMAP, in a statement issued on July 29, said that "while we appreciate the DTI reaching out to communicate its policies with concerned individuals and entities, IMMAP recognizes that the definition of eligibility they are operating on can be seriously problematic for brands, companies, and individuals who run online promotions, many of them out of their own pocket."

Using the Consumer Act as basis for the guidelines, the organization said, could end up forcing bloggers to conform to outdated models and attitudes toward building consumer or reader rapport.

For instance, the IMMAP pointed out that the current law, which hasn’t been updated since 1992, does not acknowledge "[t]he notion that a raffle can be conducted purely for goodwill purposes, and not by a company but rather an individual."

It added that the law was passed at a time before greater internet accessibility created, for many people, a "virtual reality" where time and distances are compressed.

The Consumer Act, the organization said, does not acknowledge "[t]he fact that timelines to deploy and operate an online promotion have shrunk from weeks to days to hours...."

The Trade department, said Ms. Maglaya, wants to take these new circumstances into consideration in coming up with the guidelines.

"We are aware of the personal nature of these blogs and how they can evolve, which is why we are working with bloggers on these guidelines," she said.

http://www.bworldonline.com/content.php?section=TopStory&title=Bloggers%E2%80%99-promos,-contests-to-be-regulated&id=37332

Email is 29 years old today

GMANews – 15 hours ago

Email (electronic mail), one of the staples of the Internet age, marked its 29th birthday on August 30, 2011, with its inventor looking forward to its continued growth.
Dr. V. A. Shiva Ayyadurai, who got a copyright for "EMAIL" on Aug. 30, 1982, said EMAIL has so far defied "experts" who had been writing it off since 2000.
Email not dead
"Since 2000, experts at Gartner, PC Week, and others have made these claims. Even now, in 2011, experts, (Facebook founder Mark) Zuckerberg, etc. claim, EMAIL will be replaced. The data shows otherwise. EMAIL volume continues to grow. EMAIL access on web, and now mobile devices, is growing exponentially," he said in his website.
He said that while many people text and chat, that is not replacing email, which he said is "a bit more structured (and) formal."
Also, he found it ironic that, although Zuckerberg had been quoted as saying "email is dead," there are reports of him launching @Facebook as a direct challenge to GMail.
Vaporizing paper mail
Shiva, a scientist-technologist, inventor and educator, said he started work on the first EMAIL system at age 14 in 1978, at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ).
"The two words, 'Electronic' and 'EMAIL' juxtaposed together for me originally brought images of vaporizing paper and somehow transporting it across electrical wires, like the transporter in Star Trek. That is how NEW those two terms next to each other were in 1978," he said.
At the time, he hoped to make the electronic equivalent of the paper-based inter-office communications for UMDNJ, complete with elements such as "To:", "From:", "Date:", "Subject:", "Cc:", "Bcc:", and "Attachment."
"It was fascinating. Cc literally meant carbon copy. A secretary would put a piece of carbon paper between two sheets of white letter and type to create a carbon copy, on which was sent to the original recipient and the other to the person Cc'd. Such an analysis and understanding was new in 1978. I spent the next three years building the first Electronic MAIL system," he said.
Award-winning achievement
He was recognized with the Westinghouse Science Award for original innovation in 1981. In that same year, Shiva applied for a US Copyright.
"No one compelled me to. I thought about it as a literally piece of work, and thought it should be properly referenced. It took over one year to explain to the Copyright office what EMAIL was, finally resulting in the Copyright being issued in August 30, 1982 for EMAIL," he said. — TJD, GMA News

More Pinoys access Internet

BusinessMirror Online
Tuesday, 06 September 2011
By Armin Amio - Companies and Technology Editor

JUST like anywhere in the world, it appears that human life in the Philippines is now being mirrored online. Nearly half of urban-based Filipinos are turning to the Internet for information, communication and entertainment. This, thanks to the lower acquisition cost of Internet-capable devices such as computers and mobile phones and the decline in connection charges, market-research company Synovate Inc. said on Tuesday.

In its 2010-2011 Media Atlas Philippine survey, Synovate said 46 percent of urban Filipinos access the Internet, 14 percentage points higher than the previous year’s 32 percent, with the bulk of the increase coming from the 15- to 24-year-old segment which posted a high 71 percent. Last year only 57 percent of this age group accessed the Internet.

“Based on these figures and on the resulting psychographic analysis done on the data, Internet may be considered a real challenge to print and radio as an advertising medium, with 25 percent of the respondents finding it an effective medium for advertising compared with television’s 37 percent,” Carole Sarthou, managing director of Synovate-Philippines, said.

Sarthou, however, pointed out that in terms of people engagement, the print media figures much higher than with television and radio. She said newspapers and magazines posted a high 62 percent compared with radio’s 19 percent and TV’s low 19 percent. “This means that readers are more focused when accessing information from the print media compared with those whose main information channels are TV and radio as they tend to do other chores such as eating, doing housework or talking to the phone,” she said.

The Synovate executive also noted that the observed decline in preference for the print media may have tapered off. “Over the past two survey periods, newspapers remain a firm favorite with 30 percent of the population reading one or more local language or English titles and about 22 percent read magazines,” she said.

As in previous years, Steve Garton, Synovate managing director for media for Greater China, pointed out that print readers tend to be more upscale, belonging to the A, B and C+ socioeconomic classes and tend to be within the older age group. The company also observed that there is a “flight to quality” in terms of print media consumption, meaning readers want value and excellence from their newspapers and magazines.

The challenge for print media owners, said Sarthou, is how to drive the interest of the younger age category to this medium.

“Mainstream media must learn to be a part of the action,” noted Garton, adding that the continued growth of Internet use in the country cannot be ignored. Access to the Internet has crossed all socioeconomic classes and age groups. “Even those in the 50- to 60-year-old age group find it a whole lot easier to access the Internet, thanks to easier user interface,” Garton said.

The precursor to this trend, however, remains those in the younger age group who now “define their lives digitally.” He explained that there is now a growing preference for the two-way communication provided by the Internet as readers can interact and reply compared with the one-way information transfer given by traditional media. A game-changer, he said, is when the so-called Internet or smart TV will become predominant in the market.

Garton also said more and more Filipinos are accessing the Internet in their homes rather than the Internet café, mainly because of the lower cost of broadband connection provided by telecom companies. Desktop PCs are the predominant mode of Internet access at 82 percent of the study population, while laptops and mobile phones posted 35 percent and 21 percent, respectively. He, however, expects mobile-phone Web access to increase to around 33 percent by 2012.

Filipinos, the survey noted, access the Internet mainly to communicate (e-mail and chat), visit social-networking sites (such as Facebook, Twitter or MySpace), search for information, download or upload music video and software, play online games, listen to music, share files and even book for their travel requirements.

http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/home/top-news/16204-more-pinoys-access-internet

OT. we're working for an ONLINE SHOPPING MALL, hopefully to be launched on October 1. If anyone wants to have their online Shop and promote their products for free, let me know. PM me.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b1/Applecom_homepage_after_death_of_Steve_Jobs.png

Goodbye STEVIE,..

^^

Steve's genius was in marketing, not technology. He had an awesome intuition for what retail customers wanted. The NYT quotes him delightfully in response to a question about market research for the iPad: "... it's not the customers' job to know what they want". In a nutshell you have the reason why he became a billionaire: he gave customers what they wanted even when they didn't know they wanted it.

In this he follows on from Akiro Morita, who gave the world the iPod's precursor, the Sony Walkman. He also famously ignored the market research sticking to his personal belief that the product would be a hit with customers even though focus groups rejected it.

I have seen this point made before, but it doesn't get the recognition it deserves. So: Steve Jobs became a billionaire because he ignored the research on what customers wanted. He trusted his own instincts for taste and quality.

Lesson: if you want to follow in his footsteps, recognise that you need to learn "taste" and "quality" and so long as you produce a product which has both, you will have produced something the customer wants. It's not about building a better mousetrap - indeed the iPod, Ipad and even the Apple Mac weren't technically innovative, they were brilliantly repackaged technology delivered with "taste" and "quality". This was Steve's genius.

http://www.economist.com/comment/1069185#comment-1069185

Philippines tagged as 'rock' of global IT-BPO industry :banana::cheers::banana::cheers::banana::cheers:

by Tam Noda Home Updated October 11, 2011 03:50 PM

http://www.philstar.com/nation/article.aspx?publicationsubcategoryid=200&articleid=736317

MANILA, Philippines - Citing the way Filipinos deliver their services through call centers and outsourcing firms in the country, the Philippines today was tagged as "rock" of the global IT and Business Process Outsourcing (IT-BPO) industry.

"If before we call the Philippines as an important key in the field of outsourcing, we call it today as the rock of the global IT-BPO industry," said Martin Noel Conboy, president of the Australian BPO Association, during this afternoon's press conference of the 3rd Annual International Outsourcing Summit (IOS) at the Sofitel Philippine Plaza hotel.

Conboy made the announcement with Alfredo Ayala, chairman of the Business Processing Association of the Philippines (BPAP); Valentin Makarov, president of RUSSOFT Association in Russia; Gaurav Gupta, managing partner (India) of Everest Group; Nour Al Hmoud, director of Investment Promotion at Jordan Investment Board; Grace Castillo, head of enterprise segment of Globe Telecoms; and Albert Mitchell Locsin, vice president and head of corporate relationship management of PLDT (Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co.).

Ayala told reporters that over 400 delegates and 80 speakers from various countries took part in this year's IOS, a high-level conference organized by BPAP to tackle the future of the global IT-BPO industry, particularly the development of non-voice and complex IT-BPO services.

BPAP reported the more than 50 percent of the summit's audience composed of foreign nationals only shows the country's significant role in the global IT-BPO industry that is expected to grow to $270 billion by 2016.

"Competition may be tough, but it opens a world of possibilities as well, especially for Asia. Our focus is on strengthening the country's IT-BPO sector," Lacdao said, as he reiterates BPAP's strategies in creating stronger collaborations and partnerhips with the government.

Lacdao shared that President Benigno Aquino III is keeping a proactive stance towards the industry by way of his Public-Private Partnership (PPP) program, intending to extend this to infrastructure projects and to be applied later on to the local IT-BPO sector.

BPAP said that although voice service has grown globally by 20 percent since last year, non-voice is growing faster in services on back office, health care, IT, engineering, among others.

Conboy said the current outsourcing industry in the Philippines is no longer entirely made up of voice service, but more on non-voice and the challenge remains on how to attract the country's rich pool of non-voice talents to work in the industry.

Conboy added that among the new non-voice talents that are in demand today are the country's supply of workers who are skilled in social media such as Facebook and Twitter.

Animation, according to Lacdao, remains a hot channel that the country can explore and develop fresh talents.

A study by The Everest Group revealed that Asia accounts for 21 of the 38 new delivery centers established in the second quarter of 2011. Aside from the Philippines, Brazil is considered a "mature" market location for IT services, while countries like Nicaragua and Kenya are emerging destinations for delivery centers.

'Philippines is rock of global BPO industry' :banana::cheers::banana::cheers::banana::cheers:

by Ira Pedrasa, abs-cbnNEWS.com Posted at 10/11/2011 6:01 PM | Updated as of 10/12/2011 12:16 AM

Global partnerships, local initiatives seen to buoy BPO-IT sector

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/-depth/10/11/11/philippines-rock-global-bpo-industry

MANILA, Philippines - Sustained by strong fundamentals, the Philippines’ information technology and business process outsourcing sector (IT-BPO) will be able to surpass the bleak economic outlook affecting the globe, experts said on Tuesday.

Business Processing Association of the Philippines (BPAP) President Alfredo Ayala told reporters the industry will “post a similar experience of a slowdown like in 2008…but will still post a double-digit [revenue] growth.”

The global economic downturn suppressed the industry’s economic growth to 18% in 2009, but this picked up later in 2010.

The same can be said this year, even if the World Bank changed scenarios for the country.

“After the drop, it will grow again,” Ayala said.

The Washington-based lender recently changed its forecast for the country’s economy to 4.5% this year and 5% in 2012. It initially expected a growth of 5% for this year and 5.4% for 2012.

Ayala said the industry will be able to post around US$25 billion in revenues by the year 2016 if government comes in to spur growth.

“We’re pleased with a pro-active Aquino administration, we hope they’ll be able to [add to] the initiatives we’ve been working on.”

‘Rock of BPO industry’

The positive outlook is also shared by other countries looking to partner with the Philippines in terms of “synergies and exchange of ideas.”

Australian Business Process Outsourcing Association President Martin Noel Conboy said the country used to be the best kept investing site secret in Asia, and now it is the “Rock of the BPO industry globally.”

To keep pace with the changing times, the country has to go beyond the voice segment of the industry.

BPAP said the voice segment is now only 70% of the whole BPO industry.

Some call centers, for example, have even moved up to higher-end, non-voice-based services, which require more of technical knowledge and problem-solving capabilities.

Nonetheless, the voice-segment still posted a 20% revenue growth last year. This means it remains a major driver of the BPO sector, BPAP said.

Jordan Investment Board director for investment promotion Nour Al Hmoud added there are sub-sectors by which foreign countries could partner with the Philippines, such as in animation and online gaming.

Local initiatives
Locally, the BPAP is working on key initiatives aimed at strengthening the supply-side.

Ayala said that if the $25 billion revenue goal by 2016 is to be achieved, the industry should be able to keep up with the growing demand for quality workers.

At the current pace, companies are able to get only 5 quality workers from around 100 applicants. The industry needs around 80,000 new hires per year.

“We have to increase the volume and quality…maybe we could market more to non-fresh graduates and career switchers. We need to do a better job at convincing them,” Ayala said.

In the meantime, the industry is looking into academic curriculums, combined with professional training, to fill-up the supply-side of the equation, he added.

This includes tapping the so-called “near hires” by investing in the skills they have and making them more employable. He also cited the need for “training the trainer.”

BPAP is also pushing for a global competitiveness assessment test, which will analyze the skills and capabilities of students or applicants.

At present, the Department of Science and Technology is also working with a private firm for the creation of a modules-based software that can be used by anyone interested in joining the IT-BPO sector

http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee174/Carl666flips/a-16.jpg

United States revealed as Philippines' best friend in cyberspace
http://mb.com.ph/articles/337492/united-states-revealed-philippines-best-friend-cyberspace

Philippines’ Facebook connections revealed as Western Union announces last call for the world’s most globally connected person

Manila, Philippines – The United States has been revealed as the Philippines’ best friend in cyberspace, according to a unique new league table released by Western Union, one of the world’s most globally connected brands.

The league table has been created using data from Western Union’s Your World Facebook Application, which visualises each user’s Facebook connections around the globe and gives them a score for how globally connected they are.

Your World has enjoyed more than 250,000 hits worldwide since its launch in July this year, as individual users compete in the Western Union Network Challenge: a hunt for the world’s most globally networked person on Facebook. On the 18th of October Western Union will announce the winner - and reveal an opportunity for them to use their global network as a force for good.

With so much aggregate data being generated by Your World, Western Union has been able to build a bird’s eye view of how different countries connect to one another on Facebook. The data reveals the Philippines’ top ten best friends in cyberspace: those countries where Facebook users in the Philippines have the most Facebook connections.

The results show how social media is shrinking the world we live in – with some of the Philippines’ closest friends in cyberspace based thousands of miles away in the real world:

United States
Canada
Singapore
United Kingdom
Australia
United Arab Emirates
Spain
India
Indonesia
Saudi Arabia
Western Union launched the Your World Application and associated Western Union Network Challenge in July this year to mark its 160th Anniversary and celebrate its unique status as one of the world’s most globally connected brands. With approximately 470,000 locations in 200 countries and territories[1] turning over 19 transactions per second, Western Union has a greater physical presence than any other company globally - and ten times more locations than famous global restaurant chain, McDonald’s.

Western Union President and CEO, Hikmet Ersek, said:

“We’re delighted that so many consumers have been enjoying Your World. It not only gives them a fun way to see their global network, but as a business provides us with a fascinating bird’s eye view of how countries around the world connect to one another. Western Union has been privileged to connect people across the globe for more than 160 years, so this kind of insight is invaluable.”

He added: “On the 18th of October we will be announcing the winner of the Western Union Network Challenge - the Your World user who has the most global connections. We will be inviting him or her to partner with us to use their network as a force for good. So I would urge anyone who has not yet tried out the Application to give it a go.” (Green Bulb PR)

http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee174/Carl666flips/a-16.jpg

HAHAH! NICE!:lol: ^^

Launch of Youtube Philippines
IK83Q5o4Yfs

:banana::banana::banana::banana::banana::banana::banana::banana::banana::banana::banana::banana::banana::banana::banana::banana::banana::banana::banana::banana::banana::banana:


http://newsbytes.ph/2011/10/13/ph-version-of-youtube-debuts-a-first-in-sea/

PH version of YouTube debuts, a first in Asean
Posted on 13 Oct 2011 at 2:58pm

A Philippine version of YouTube was officially unveiled on Thursday, becoming the first localized flavor of the online video site in Southeast Asia and the 34th in the world.

Adam Smith, head of YouTube for Asia Pacific
YouTube, which is owned by Internet giant Google, cited the prolific video habits of Filipinos in the launching the localized service even as it noted the discovery of Filipino singing artists Charice and Arnel Pineda through the site.

Charice, which rocketed to fame after being discovered in a YouTube video while singing in a Korean talent contest, sent a video message for the launch during the event held at the Blue Leaf Tent in Taguig City.

The YouTube Philippines site offers a local interface and aggregates videos that are relevant to Filipinos. Users can go to the localized site by choosing “The Philippines” as the location setting at the bottom of the YouTube homepage.

To provide a unique feel, the video site signed up local content partners which included TV stations ABS-CBN, GMA-7, and TV5, as well as record labels Star Records, Viva Records and Vicor Records, and with the Filipino Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (Filscap).

Also launched during the event are the updated presidential channels from Pres. Noynoy Aquino III at www.youtube.com/govph
and www.youtube.com/rtvmalacanang.

Company executives also disclosed Aquino will also participate in YouTube’s World View live interview series where the questions come directly from citizens.

Aquino will be the first Asian head of state to participate in the program on November 4, officials said. US Pres. Barack Obama is also scheduled to take in the online interview series.

Julian Persaud, managing director for Google Southeast Asia, said video sharing in the Philippine is one of the highest in the Asean region.

“The Philippine online population is even bigger than the actual population of most countries in Southeast Asia,” Persuad noted.

Adam Smith, head of YouTube for Asia Pacific, added that Filipinos upload tremendous amount of videos to YouTube – also one of the highest daily averages among Internet users.

Despite its increasing presence in the country, Google executives refused to comment if it has plans of putting up a local office. The company is currently represented in the country by a consultant, Aileen Apollo.

Google executives said the local YouTube channel has the capability to livestream local events such as concerts. Last year, the concert of Irish rock band U2 was also broadcast to the global audience via YouTube.

As for local partners GMA-7 and ABS-CBN, the networks said they would put most – but not all – of their TV shows on the online video site. The content providers expect to generate revenues when advertisements are displayed in their videos uploaded in YouTube.

Filscap, meanwhile, signed a deal with YouTube to allow Filipino music artists and authors to receive payments from their associations when rights holders distribute them.

Ricky Carandang, head of the presidential communications group, said the two YouTube presidential channels would also give Filipinos here and abroad the ability to expose corruption and the same time showcase their talent.

“Since it is impossible to reach all of our people, this initiative would provide a powerful, relevant way to inform our countrymen what this administration is doing,” said Carandang.

With the localized site in the Philippines, the company also announced that opening of the YouTube Partner Program to enable regular video content creators in the country to become content partners with YouTube and monetize their work on the site through advertising.

Content creators will be able to apply online for the program at http://www.youtube.com/creators/partner.html.


----- MABUHAY YouTube Philippines!-------
:cheers::cheers::cheers::cheers::cheers::cheers::cheers::cheers::cheers::cheers::cheers::cheers::cheers::cheers::cheers::cheers::cheers::cheers:

^^ Sir you've told us that thrice already. Please no cross posting. We get your point already.

^^ Sir you've told us that thrice already. Please no cross posting. We get your point already.

I just posted this one in the ASEAN Thread and Good News Thread. My apologies. I think it was also fitting on this thread too? :)

^^ Just post it in one thread. No offense but someone does that here.

Don't tell me you're working for Youchuub Philippines?

Hahahaha. Definitely not!

I was just surprised to see something that the Philippines can pioneer in ASEAN region. I mean, these guys from YouTube can choose SG to launch their platform but they chose us.

Maybe i was just too proud it overflowed in other threads.

Sige, i will take note of that. Di na mauulit. :)

Unix creator Dennis Ritchie dies aged 70

13 October 2011 Last updated at 14:22 GMT

Pioneering computer scientist Dennis Ritchie has died after a long illness.

Mr Ritchie was one of the creators of the hugely influential Unix operating system and the equally pioneering C programming language.

A vast number of modern technologies depend on the work he and fellow programmers did on Unix and C in the early days of the computer revolution.

Those paying respects said he was a "titan" of the industry whose influence was largely unknown.

The first news of Mr Ritchie's death came via Rob Pike, a former colleague who worked with him at Bell Labs. Mr Ritchie's passing was then confirmed in a statement from Alcatel Lucent which now owns Bell Labs.

Jeong Kim, president of Alcatel-Lucent Bell Labs, said Mr Ritchie would be "greatly missed".

"He was truly an inspiration to all of us, not just for his many accomplishments, but because of who he was as a friend, an inventor, and a humble and gracious man," said Mr Kim.

Along with Ken Thompson, Brian Kernighan, Douglas McIlroy, and Joe Ossanna, Mr Ritchie was one of the key creators of the Unix operating system at Bell Labs during the 1960s and 70s.

Unix's influence has been felt in many ways. It established many software engineering principles that persist until today; it was the OS of choice for the internet; it kicked off the open source movement and has been translated to run on many different types of hardware.

It was also at Bell that Mr Ritchie created C, one of the most widely used programming languages in the world. It is familiar to almost every modern-day developer.

In 1999, Mr Ritchie's influence and accomplishments won official notice when he was awarded the US National Medal of Technology - the highest honour America can bestow on a technologist.

Mr Pike said that with his passing, the world had lost a "truly great mind."

Paying tribute on his blog, Google programmer Tim Bray said it was impossible to overstate the debt his profession owed to Dennis Ritchie.

"I've been living in a world he helped invent for over thirty years," he wrote.

On Twitter, developer James Grimmelman said: "Ritchie's influence rivals Jobs's; it's just less visible."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-15287391

http://external.ak.fbcdn.net/safe_image.php?d=AQASsYCS3gNDGAwx&w=90&h=90&url=http%3A%2F%2Ftech.ratedsawj.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2011%2F10%2F1997_dennis_ritchie.jpg
Dennis Ritchie, the creator of C and the co-creator of Unix passed away this weekend.

This man gave us C programming and was the main figure for Unix. Without his inventions, the software industry would have never gone far. Sadly, he does not get the recognition that Steve Jobs does.

RIP Dennis Ritchie.

^^Rest in peace.. your C is still one of the most popular language being used as a programming foundation in most of the colleges in the Philippines.

http://s0.2mdn.net/1706891/Ph-worldview.jpg (http://www.youtube.com/worldview)

google next?probably philippines as the google HQ in asia?what do you think?

google next?probably philippines as the google HQ in asia?what do you think?

I know they've put up their ASEAN hq in singapore years ago. they have offices in malaysia and thailand. perhaps they'll consider us in 2012 :)

In the Philippines, we have:

1. e-Burol (on line viewing of the deceased and the wake)
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_BaWeTAWt3VI/SQr6dSZ2q6I/AAAAAAAAJec/IoInezPfPgg/s400/mutimedia-coffin.jpg

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_FS0U0BRcT0E/SLPWB9nfK5I/AAAAAAAAApk/Sp89MSmUUdU/s400/st+peter+e-burol.jpg

2. e-dalaw (on line viewing of inmates)
http://www.balitapilipinas.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/e-dalaw.jpg

Prisoners Find Their E-Families
By Art Fuentes and Kara Santos

MANILA, Oct 27, 2011 (IPS) - For the first time since giving birth in prison 13 years ago, Sarah, an inmate in the Philippines’ largest detention centre for female convicts, saw her daughter via Skype video chat in her prison cell.

Sarah (not her real name) was convicted over a decade ago for selling illegal drugs at a time when she did not know she was pregnant.

Three weeks after giving birth in Quezon City Jail, she sent her daughter to live with her relatives in Iloilo - a province on an island roughly 480 kilometres away from Manila. Her only communication with her family was through snail mail, which reached her about once every three months.

But two weeks ago, with the launch of a virtual visitation programme in the prison, Sarah finally got to see her youngest daughter and speak to her two eldest children for the first time in over a decade.

The "e-dalaw" (Filipino for visit) or electronic prison visit programme, allows prisoners to communicate with their families and loved ones via Skype video chat. Before the e-visit programme was implemented on Oct. 13, Sarah, like many inmates languishing in Manila’s overcrowded prisons, had endured years without any visits.
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=105621

^^ We tried the e-burol thing but it's not as gaudy as a casket with webcam... That would be borderline unpleasant, disrespectful, and distasteful.

They placed a webcam overlooking the entire wake.

^^ Actually, it's the choice of the family...they can rotate the camera towards the relatives, friends, casket or to the face of the dead.

^^ Haven't tried the on-the-face burol thing. That wouldn't be good.

^^ As expected more Filipino nowadays is spending more time on the internet than traditional media medium (tv, radio, newspaper)

Internet tops TV among Pinoys:wave:

BusinessMirror Online
Thursday, 03 November 2011 20:52
by Cai U. Ordinario / Reporter

EVEN with the majority accessing the Internet in Internet cafes, Filipinos now spend more time surfing the Web than watching TV, according to the inaugural Nielsen Southeast Asia Digital Consumer Report.

The Nielsen Co. said Filipinos spend an average of 21.5 hours on the Internet every week, second only to Singaporeans who spend an average of 25 hours online per week.

Filipinos spend only 13.3 hours every week watching television; 6.3 hours listening to the radio; and 3.6 hours reading newspapers, magazines and other periodicals.

“Rapid technological developments, including high-speed Internet access and Wi-Fi, and increasing ownership of connected devices such as smartphones and tablets are revolutionizing digital media usage in Southeast Asia, with Internet usage in some markets surpassing time spent on traditional media such as television, radio or print,” Nielsen said.

http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/home/top-news/18837-internet-tops-tv-among-pinoys

^^ It only means one thing: the people are tired of listening to the likes of irresponsible journalism.

^^iadd mo pa ang mga puro basurang drama at chismis na hindi naman dapat pinagtutuunan ng pansin...

pinoys should spend more time on studying(research & dev) as well as making this country liveable by being a disciplined citizens

Hahahaha. Definitely not!

I was just surprised to see something that the Philippines can pioneer in ASEAN region. I mean, these guys from YouTube can choose SG to launch their platform but they chose us.

My speculation.

The reason why Youtube choose us they believe they have a wider market here in Philippines.

http://tonyocruz.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/chart+3A.jpg

http://tonyocruz.com/?p=3219

Angry Birds tops 500M downloads



HELSINKI -- Mobile gaming firm Rovio said on Wednesday its hit game Angry Birds had reached a record 500 million downloads in less than two years since its launch.
"It’s more than any game ever before," Rovio’s marketing chief Peter Vesterbacka told a conference in Helsinki.

Unlike most mobile-game crazes, Angry Birds -- in which players use a slingshot to attack pigs who steal the birds’ eggs -- has stayed at the top of the charts since it was launched for Apple’s iPhone on Dec. 11, 2009.

read more: http://www.bworldonline.com/content.php?id=41047

Microsoft NGO Connection Day – L’Fisher Hotel, Bacolod (http://archian.wordpress.com/2011/11/09/microsoft-ngo-connection-day-lfisher-hotel-bacolod/)
http://archian.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/microsoft-ngo-connection-day.jpg

http://archian.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/mcrosoft-bacolod-program.jpg

All Systems Go for Digital ICT Congress in Pangasinan
Eran P. Garcia

PANGASINAN – a richly blessed province yet once considered a dragon on a slumber. It has now tremendously transformed and is experiencing economic rebirth. Today, it is a leading premier province in the North thriving with life and investment, pulsing full of opportunities. Yet the province is still restless and pushing boundaries ready to thrust into the wave of the future.

Going digital is the wave of the future and is considered the missing link that will fully optimize Pangasinan’s vision of economic advancement and development especially in its way of doing business in the government.

http://www.wheninmanila.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Pampanga-ICT-Congress-flyer-2_thumb.jpg

Pangasinan will never be caught groping in the dark tunnel in this ever-changing landscape of digital technology, as it has geared up to full throttle, to close the gap in achieving its vision of becoming “the best place to invest, work, live and raise a family”.

Thus the Provincial Government is staging the 1st Pangasinan Digital ICT Congress as its first step towards, stepping up the game as it recognizes the impact of information technology and digitalization in our government services, industries, institutions and across all aspects of our society.

The Pangasinan Digital Life ICT Congress to be held on November 21 to 26 at the Pangasinan Training and Development Center at the capitol town of Lingayen is envisioned to prepare the province for the many challenges, opportunities and even threats en route to full digitalization of its offices and services.

It is a 6-day event with all the literati in information and communications technology taking part, thus providing an at least thirty thousand (30,000) -strong crowd with an unparalleled panel of experts, leaders and legends in the Digital world, sharing their insights and success stories on a number of special sessions.

This information and technology fair is an initiative of Gov. Amado T. Espino, Jr. and the social media team of the province of Pangasinan.

For more information, please visit www.pangasinandigital.com

http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/s720x720/381823_306840382675647_100000490634642_1276166_1801606175_n.jpg

MEDIA SPONSORS:
http://pangasinandigital.com/wp-content/themes/pangasinan%20digital/images/logos/wheninmanila.pnghttp://pangasinandigital.com/wp-content/themes/pangasinan%20digital/images/logos/tv5.pnghttp://pangasinandigital.com/wp-content/themes/pangasinan%20digital/images/logos/mediag8way.pnghttp://pangasinandigital.com/wp-content/themes/pangasinan%20digital/images/logos/inquirerdigital.png

MAJOR SPONSORS:
http://pangasinandigital.com/wp-content/themes/pangasinan%20digital/images/logos/SolidHostingSquare.pnghttp://pangasinandigital.com/wp-content/themes/pangasinan%20digital/images/logos/globe-gcash.jpghttp://ts4.mm.bing.net/images/thumbnail.aspx?q=1305056784183&id=242ce2bdab3af0c19e2337e6b6441e2chttp://pangasinandigital.com/wp-content/themes/pangasinan%20digital/images/logos/multiply.gifhttp://pangasinandigital.com/wp-content/themes/pangasinan%20digital/images/logos/pldtsme.jpg

have you check youtube.com lately? it redirects me to this youtube.com/guide :shocked:

Internet keeps government honest – Google chief :righton:

Agence France-Presse
12:50 pm | Sunday, November 13th, 2011

HONOLULU – Broader adoption of the Internet will keep governments on their toes as wired-up citizens exercise their newfound power to check rights abuses, Google chief Eric Schmidt said on Saturday.

“In nations and communities around the world, citizens are turning to online tools to keep their governments honest,” he told business leaders on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in Honolulu.

“Whistleblowing has never been so easy,” he said.

Schmidt cited demonstrations that toppled the leaders of Tunisia and Egypt in which activists used Facebook to schedule protests, Twitter to coordinate them and YouTube to broadcast the events to the world.

“Online citizens can find like-minded allies, they can find like-minded diasporas from a country,” he said.

With 52 percent of the global population under the age of 30, the youth can have a bigger say on issues because they are the most prolific users of the Internet.

“They are the ones who are online, that’s how you reach them, that’s how they talk to each other. They share applications and proxy and circumvention tools and help magnify each others’ causes,” he said.

But while governments should not ignore online protests, Schmidt also warned that they could be exaggerated.

“It’s easy in the online world to create the impression of a revolution in the form of noise. It’s important to understand what is a legitimate protest and whether it’s just people trying to create some noise… some excitement.”

Greater adoption of the Internet will lead to the creation of two global systems – the physical sphere where the government has power over its people and a virtual world where people can have more influence, he said.

And there’s little place to hide for those who do bad.

Atrocities against citizens can be documented more easily and “we can start trials against evil-doers before (their acts are) even stopped,” he said.

“There are no caves online.”

With only an estimated two billion of the global population of seven billion online, there is still room for expansion, Schmidt said.

http://technology.inquirer.net/6183/internet-keeps-government-honest-%E2%80%93-google-chief/

ang ganda ng galaxy note!

^^ Ang laki ng aking note! :rofl:

Anyway, yung Samsung S2 ang nakakapaglaway sa akin ngayon...

hindi ba yung note?:rofl:

MMDA app for Android phones, devices features metro traffic updates (http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/342772/mmda-app-android-phones-devices-features-metro-traffic-updates)


MANILA, Philippines — The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) has launched the MMDA application for Android phones and tablets, another innovation that would provide real-time traffic information to the public.

Users can download the application from the Android marketplace by searching for MMDA or going to http://j.mp/MMDAAppA on their Android device.

Since we got talents in IT, this author has done a good job, but we still need to see if this is not another "ningas cogon" like the previous pulitiko drama. Any here knew the background of the author? I hope they include Senator Angara the former CLASSIC TRAPO-turned science and technology driver for the country to be at par with our neighbors and sustain the gain our country's stride in ICT..,I hope EA will transfer their profitable game titles here and let the pinoys do the game development,..

Lawmakers lead development of 'Silicon corridor' in Phl
(The Philippine Star) Updated November 28, 2011 12:00 AM Comments (7)

MANILA, Philippines - ]Taguig City Rep. Freddie Tiñga[/COLOR] of the 2nd district, chairman of the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) committee, and Cavite Rep. Joseph Emilio Abaya, chairman of the Appropriations committee, have taken the initial bold steps to spearhead the development of a “Silicon corridor” in the country.

The two lawmakers led a congressional delegation last week on a successful visit to Silicon Valley in northern California, USA, and met with top officials of Cisco Systems, Synopsys, Google, Genentech and Electronic Arts. They also visited the campuses of Apple and the Plug and Play Tech Center, an incubator of start-up technology companies.

The delegation also held a roundtable discussion with Filipino tech entrepreneur, Dr. Diosdado Banatao, principal of Tallwood Venture Capital, a leading venture capital company in Silicon Valley.

Dr. Banatao stressed the importance of education, research and development, and the risk taking of venture capitalists who are the pillars of Silicon Valley’s success and the need to replicate these in the Philippines. “Continue to retool the Philippines’ education system and focus on math and science, as well as the relevant new technologies in order to be competitive,” Banatao urged the group.

The group is now keen on identifying promising Filipino IT companies and exposing them to the Silicon Valley ecosystem. They will prioritize next wave cities in transforming these into the Philippine Silicon Corridor.

“The success of Filipino professionals in Silicon Valley, and their desire to help grow the Philippine IT industry would create global opportunities for the sector,” Tiñga said.

http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?publicationSubCategoryId=63&articleId=752736

^^ any concrete measures being done for this to happen??????

^^ any concrete measures being done for this to happen??????

binawasan ang budget sa edukasyon at dinagdag sa CCT:nuts::nuts::nuts:

All Systems Go for Digital ICT Congress in Pangasinan
Eran P. Garcia

PANGASINAN – a richly blessed province yet once considered a dragon on a slumber. It has now tremendously transformed and is experiencing economic rebirth. Today, it is a leading premier province in the North thriving with life and investment, pulsing full of opportunities. Yet the province is still restless and pushing boundaries ready to thrust into the wave of the future.

Going digital is the wave of the future and is considered the missing link that will fully optimize Pangasinan’s vision of economic advancement and development especially in its way of doing business in the government.

http://www.wheninmanila.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Pampanga-ICT-Congress-flyer-2_thumb.jpg

Pangasinan will never be caught groping in the dark tunnel in this ever-changing landscape of digital technology, as it has geared up to full throttle, to close the gap in achieving its vision of becoming “the best place to invest, work, live and raise a family”.

Thus the Provincial Government is staging the 1st Pangasinan Digital ICT Congress as its first step towards, stepping up the game as it recognizes the impact of information technology and digitalization in our government services, industries, institutions and across all aspects of our society.

The Pangasinan Digital Life ICT Congress to be held on November 21 to 26 at the Pangasinan Training and Development Center at the capitol town of Lingayen is envisioned to prepare the province for the many challenges, opportunities and even threats en route to full digitalization of its offices and services.

It is a 6-day event with all the literati in information and communications technology taking part, thus providing an at least thirty thousand (30,000) -strong crowd with an unparalleled panel of experts, leaders and legends in the Digital world, sharing their insights and success stories on a number of special sessions.

This information and technology fair is an initiative of Gov. Amado T. Espino, Jr. and the social media team of the province of Pangasinan.

For more information, please visit www.pangasinandigital.com

http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/s720x720/381823_306840382675647_100000490634642_1276166_1801606175_n.jpg

MEDIA SPONSORS:
http://pangasinandigital.com/wp-content/themes/pangasinan%20digital/images/logos/wheninmanila.pnghttp://pangasinandigital.com/wp-content/themes/pangasinan%20digital/images/logos/tv5.pnghttp://pangasinandigital.com/wp-content/themes/pangasinan%20digital/images/logos/mediag8way.pnghttp://pangasinandigital.com/wp-content/themes/pangasinan%20digital/images/logos/inquirerdigital.png

MAJOR SPONSORS:
http://pangasinandigital.com/wp-content/themes/pangasinan%20digital/images/logos/SolidHostingSquare.pnghttp://pangasinandigital.com/wp-content/themes/pangasinan%20digital/images/logos/globe-gcash.jpghttp://ts4.mm.bing.net/images/thumbnail.aspx?q=1305056784183&id=242ce2bdab3af0c19e2337e6b6441e2chttp://pangasinandigital.com/wp-content/themes/pangasinan%20digital/images/logos/multiply.gifhttp://pangasinandigital.com/wp-content/themes/pangasinan%20digital/images/logos/pldtsme.jpg

The SEO company, Search Opt Media Inc. was one of the presenters where they discuss about SEO on audiences. You may want to see the services they offer. here http://www.searchoptmedia.com/seo-services-offered

MMDA app for Android phones, devices features metro traffic updates (http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/342772/mmda-app-android-phones-devices-features-metro-traffic-updates)


MANILA, Philippines — The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) has launched the MMDA application for Android phones and tablets, another innovation that would provide real-time traffic information to the public.

Users can download the application from the Android marketplace by searching for MMDA or going to http://j.mp/MMDAAppA on their Android device.
^^^^
hope that this app would resolve the long time problem in traffic also to its implementors... and generally help people

^^ I hope it's like an MMDA app talaga na may live feeds.

Tatoo, Smartbro, Sun Broadband, Wi-Tribe...
Which USB broadband internet is the best?

;86593787']Tatoo, Smartbro, Sun Broadband, Wi-Tribe...
Which USB broadband internet is the best?

Depends on your location.

;86593787']Tatoo, Smartbro, Sun Broadband, Wi-Tribe...
Which USB broadband internet is the best?

Completely depends where your location is! Just like in metro manila, tattoo, smartbro and sun is fast! Never heard of Wi-Tribe though. :lol: :lol: (http://www.dmcileasing.com/dhls-condo-testimonials-and-articles.php)

This is good news! Hopefully, tuloy-tuloy na 'to.

House passes measure creating ICT department

Philippine Daily Inquirer
Tuesday, December 13th, 2011

The House of Representatives passed on third reading House Bill 4667, creating the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), to develop and implement policies and government programs that would boost and improve the country’s competitiveness in the IT field.

Taguig 2nd District Representative Freddie R. Tiñga, chairman of the House ICT Committee, said the approval of the bill would solve the country’s need for a solid agency that would be focused more on the development of IT and modern communications facilities.

The agency is expected to provide strategic, reliable and cost-efficient citizen-centric ICT infrastructure, systems and resources.

It will also seek to accelerate the convergence of ICT facilities such as the development of networks, ensure access and high-speed connectivity at fair and reasonable costs, including in areas not adequately served by the private sectors.
http://business.inquirer.net/35005/house-passes-measure-creating-ict-department

Completely depends where your location is! Just like in metro manila, tattoo, smartbro and sun is fast! Never heard of Wi-Tribe though. :lol: :lol: (http://www.dmcileasing.com/dhls-condo-testimonials-and-articles.php)

WiTribe is a the newest 4G provider in the Metro Manila. (see their site (http://www.wi-tribe.ph/)). This is a partnership of San Miguel and QTel (http://www.qtel.qa/en/home) of Qatar. I think I might go with Smatrbro.

^^ gusto ko pa rin yung Bayantel for my broadband connection. I have to admit it's pretty stable in my location though I wish I could have this "on-the-go" kind of connection (laptop-cellphone-etc.)

This is good news! Hopefully, tuloy-tuloy na 'to.

House passes measure creating ICT department

Philippine Daily Inquirer
Tuesday, December 13th, 2011


http://business.inquirer.net/35005/house-passes-measure-creating-ict-department

:lol:bakit?
di ba nareview na ni Noy to?
at sa kanyang angking talino ay lumabas na di na kailangan, kaya binasura nya ang ICT^ dept na dapat nagawa noon pa?:lol:

Internet keeps government honest – Google chief :righton:

Agence France-Presse
12:50 pm | Sunday, November 13th, 2011

HONOLULU – Broader adoption of the Internet will keep governments on their toes as wired-up citizens exercise their newfound power to check rights abuses, Google chief Eric Schmidt said on Saturday.

“In nations and communities around the world, citizens are turning to online tools to keep their governments honest,” he told business leaders on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in Honolulu.

“Whistleblowing has never been so easy,” he said.

Schmidt cited demonstrations that toppled the leaders of Tunisia and Egypt in which activists used Facebook to schedule protests, Twitter to coordinate them and YouTube to broadcast the events to the world.

“Online citizens can find like-minded allies, they can find like-minded diasporas from a country,” he said.

With 52 percent of the global population under the age of 30, the youth can have a bigger say on issues because they are the most prolific users of the Internet.

“They are the ones who are online, that’s how you reach them, that’s how they talk to each other. They share applications and proxy and circumvention tools and help magnify each others’ causes,” he said.

But while governments should not ignore online protests, Schmidt also warned that they could be exaggerated.

“It’s easy in the online world to create the impression of a revolution in the form of noise. It’s important to understand what is a legitimate protest and whether it’s just people trying to create some noise… some excitement.”

Greater adoption of the Internet will lead to the creation of two global systems – the physical sphere where the government has power over its people and a virtual world where people can have more influence, he said.

And there’s little place to hide for those who do bad.

Atrocities against citizens can be documented more easily and “we can start trials against evil-doers before (their acts are) even stopped,” he said.

“There are no caves online.”

With only an estimated two billion of the global population of seven billion online, there is still room for expansion, Schmidt said.

http://technology.inquirer.net/6183/internet-keeps-government-honest-%E2%80%93-google-chief/

^^^^
it is true that internet is a powerful medium of communication wherein people can share their thoughts with the possibility of having heard all over the world. :cheers: (http://www.dmcileasing.com/apartments-for-rent-taguig.php):cheers:

VP Binay's website hacked on New Year's Day

Vice-President Jejomar Binay's website has been hacked again, just a few months after the site was defaced.

The site was accessible Sunday night but instead of government statements, visitors are welcomed by pop-up messages that say "Hacked by PrivateX and Blackrain" and "Hoi Hoi #OpSecure."

A message on the defaced frontdoor of the Office of the Vice President's (OVP) website claimed that the hacking was made by members of Anonymous, a large group of online activists who attack websites of government agencies, institutions, and high-profile organizations worldwide to either reveal vulnerabilities or lash out at perceived wrongdoing.

Other government websites were also defaced by the group on New Year's day.

The hacked websites that went "tango down" include: set.gov.ph, camiguin.gov.ph, and omb.gov.ph.

"Greetings World, Happy New Year! Months had passed when we first wired our sentiments and growing passion of concern to intensify the Information Security here in the Philippines," the statement posted on hacked websites said.

"Occupants of the west are still on the move and in no such time, Manila, will be the center of unethical activities in Asia. For some reasons that is untold, they choose the Philippines to organize a legion that will nullify the entire Philippine Cyberspace. This is what we are afraid of," it claimed.

"The medium of our emphasis in calling out the government's action toward cyber security, and our actions in which this defacement is performed. A change in our society pointing out the role to authorize each and every Filipino citizen through education that is recognizable by its function to contrive in the economy and innovating more concepts in Information Security," it added.

"We lay our hands on the fight against corruption and the call of the #InfoSec. In as much as we offer our wants to oversee every Filipino people have their knowledge to produce and live productively in which the people become other than themselves, and others may discover the Philippines that contain potentials other than it appears," the message said.

The hackers also claimed that "nothing was lost during the process of this defacement."

The "PrivateX" logo on the websites is linked to the group's Facebook page, where they post news on their latest targets.

Full story here (http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/01/01/12/vp-binays-website-hacked-new-years-day)

^^
sad to hear this one :ohno: malupit ang hacker nito!:skull:

^^
sad to hear this one :ohno: malupit ang hacker nito!:skull:

mali:D
mahina ang security ng website ni Binay:lol::nuts::nuts::nuts:

mali:D
mahina ang security ng website ni Binay:lol::nuts::nuts::nuts:

Which is very plausible. :)

Well, from the looks of it, design-wise, the site is rather old, even the layout of the website is very old.

Which is very plausible. :)

Well, from the looks of it, design-wise, the site is rather old, even the layout of the website is very old.

Makita nyo mga website ng government parang website na gawa nung 1998! :lol::lol:

^^ I agree.. haha.. Kelangan nila ng bagong web designer..

^^ I agree.. haha.. Kelangan nila ng bagong web designer..

si rene salud puede na kaya?


















ay, fashion designer pala yun:lol:

Japan developing 'good virus' vs cyberattackers

Chalk one up for the good guys. Japan’s Ministry of Defense is working on a computer virus that can track, identify and disable potential sources of cyberattacks, a Japanese news agency reported this week. The Yomiuri Shimbun said development of the virtual cyberweapon started in 2008 and is being tested in a closed-network environment. “The most distinctive feature of the new virus is its ability to trace cyberattack sources. It can identify not only the immediate source of attack, but also all “springboard” computers used to transmit the virus,” the report said.

The report added that the virus also has the ability to disable the attacking program and collect relevant information. Also, it cited sources as saying the Defense and Foreign Ministries have started legislative consideration on the matter the use of cyberweapons against external parties on foreign attacks.

Read more... (http://ph.news.yahoo.com/japan-developing-good-virus-vs-cyberattackers-070412977.html;_ylt=AsNl4VkauXFj8mGQtgj23FnmV8d_;_ylu=X3oDMTNjMW5tZGdtBG1pdAMEcGtnAzY3M2I1NzQ0LWVlYjUtM2ZkZC05NjBjLWE1MmM3NDZlNjEwNQRwb3MDMTAEc2VjA2xuX0dNQV9nYWwEdmVyAzRlNGVlMjYwLTM2YTItMTFlMS04NjE5LTVjY2QyZDdjY2MzOQ--;_ylv=3)

^^ Para palang Bifidus...

hehehe Yakult:D sarap noon:lol:

^^

Yakult everyday...everyday ok :rofl:

Internet security


MANILA, Philippines — The Senate Committee on Science and Technology Sunday pushed for the passage of two bills that seek greater Internet security following reports of the latest cyber attacks.

Sen. Edgardo Angara, chair of the committee, said Internet security should be a legislative priority of Congress to ensure that Filipinos are protected against cyber crimes such as malware invasion, phishing scams and sexual predation.

Angara made the call following reports of a new computer worm which is targeting users of popular social networking site Facebook and stolen more than 45,000 Facebook login credentials around the world.

Read more... (http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/347408/internet-security)

Affordable music, legal downloads now at Mymusicstore.com.ph
(The Philippine Star) Updated January 23, 2012 12:00 AM
View comments

MANILA, Philippines - Downloading music off the Internet is easy — just ask anyone from today’s generation. They liken it to buying designer coffee: they want it hot, and fast. With a click of a button or a swipe on their touch screens, they can access a music site and listen to their favorite tracks on their gadgets right away.

But not all music downloading sites are created equal. This 2012, music lovers will finally be able to experience the biggest and most innovative music-downloading site in the Philippines — MyMusicStore.com.ph.

MyMusicStore.com.ph is a one-stop mega-shop for all your music download needs. It boasts thousands of songs and albums for you to choose from.

With just a click of a mouse or a touch of your finger, you can instantly enjoy listening to your favorite local and international artists by downloading their music for a minimal fee. Payment is also hassle-free as it can be made through PayPal, credit card or mobile load.

MyMusicStore.com.ph was revealed recently to the public with its launch party at Robot Restaurant and Lounge on Makati Avenue in Makati City.

http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=770284&publicationSubCategoryId=71

Parang iTunes sa Pinas! :)

^^ No offense but we need to showcase our indie talents...

But then again, most indies, while struggling for gigs, are all for free downloads.

^^ No offense but we need to showcase our indie talents...

But then again, most indies, while struggling for gigs, are all for free downloads.

sa technology ngayon, kung maliit na artista ka lang di ka na talaga kikita. alam mo bakit?

dahil sa technology, madali na ma kopya ang kanilang mga kanta, meron akong computer, puede ko ma upload sa file sharing sites, meron akong cellphone with FM radio, record ko na lang ang broadcast to mp3 format then share sa mga kaibigan.

dati plaka lang ang gamit, walang portable recorder, walang DVD/CD recorder, kaya nabibili ang kanilang mga plaka.:)

Aquino’s man no poster boy for antipiracy drive
By Dona Policar
Inquirer Bandera

Someone in the Aquino Cabinet, it seems, is into collecting hot stuff.

More than three months after a high-power assault rifle police discovered in his SUV put him on the spot, Ronald Llamas, presidential adviser on political affairs, may need some more explaining to do.

This time, for apparently ignoring the government campaign against movie piracy.

This writer personally witnessed how Llamas bought a stack of pirated DVDs in one of the stalls at Circle C mall on Congressional Avenue, Quezon City, on Monday night.

With his two barong-clad security aides hovering nearby, Llamas seemed unfazed by the people who recognized him as a Palace insider as he browsed through the illegal merchandise.

Llamas took his time picking his titles, from 7:30 to 8 p.m. He was accompanied by two women who also bought a few DVDs for themselves.

P2,000 worth of DVDs

After paying for the merchandise, he and his companions casually left the stall and headed to the nearest escalator, toting their purchases discreetly in black plastic bags.

A check with the stall vendor revealed that Llamas bought almost P2,000 worth of DVDs that night.

“It’s not a big purchase, but it’s Llamas,” the vendor told this writer in Filipino.
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/133563/aquino%E2%80%99s-man-no-poster-boy-for-antipiracy-drive

Japan developing 'good virus' vs cyberattackers

Chalk one up for the good guys. Japan’s Ministry of Defense is working on a computer virus that can track, identify and disable potential sources of cyberattacks, a Japanese news agency reported this week. The Yomiuri Shimbun said development of the virtual cyberweapon started in 2008 and is being tested in a closed-network environment. “The most distinctive feature of the new virus is its ability to trace cyberattack sources. It can identify not only the immediate source of attack, but also all “springboard” computers used to transmit the virus,” the report said.

The report added that the virus also has the ability to disable the attacking program and collect relevant information. Also, it cited sources as saying the Defense and Foreign Ministries have started legislative consideration on the matter the use of cyberweapons against external parties on foreign attacks.

Read more... (http://ph.news.yahoo.com/japan-developing-good-virus-vs-cyberattackers-070412977.html;_ylt=AsNl4VkauXFj8mGQtgj23FnmV8d_;_ylu=X3oDMTNjMW5tZGdtBG1pdAMEcGtnAzY3M2I1NzQ0LWVlYjUtM2ZkZC05NjBjLWE1MmM3NDZlNjEwNQRwb3MDMTAEc2VjA2xuX0dNQV9nYWwEdmVyAzRlNGVlMjYwLTM2YTItMTFlMS04NjE5LTVjY2QyZDdjY2MzOQ--;_ylv=3)

Maybe in response to the Chinese hacking attacks. Good Job! :banana::banana:

Lumaki ulo ng mga Intsik - akala nila napakasophisticated na nila. Kahit superpower na sila, wala pa rin sila sa kalingkingan ng mga Hapon. :lol:

Aquino’s man no poster boy for antipiracy drive
By Dona Policar
Inquirer Bandera

Someone in the Aquino Cabinet, it seems, is into collecting hot stuff.

More than three months after a high-power assault rifle police discovered in his SUV put him on the spot, Ronald Llamas, presidential adviser on political affairs, may need some more explaining to do.

This time, for apparently ignoring the government campaign against movie piracy.

This writer personally witnessed how Llamas bought a stack of pirated DVDs in one of the stalls at Circle C mall on Congressional Avenue, Quezon City, on Monday night.

With his two barong-clad security aides hovering nearby, Llamas seemed unfazed by the people who recognized him as a Palace insider as he browsed through the illegal merchandise.

Llamas took his time picking his titles, from 7:30 to 8 p.m. He was accompanied by two women who also bought a few DVDs for themselves.

P2,000 worth of DVDs

After paying for the merchandise, he and his companions casually left the stall and headed to the nearest escalator, toting their purchases discreetly in black plastic bags.

A check with the stall vendor revealed that Llamas bought almost P2,000 worth of DVDs that night.

“It’s not a big purchase, but it’s Llamas,” the vendor told this writer in Filipino.
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/133563/aquino%E2%80%99s-man-no-poster-boy-for-antipiracy-drive

Baka nagka-rickets si Ronnie Ricketts kaya di ito nahuhuli.

Internet usage overtakes radio, print media in Philippines :banana::banana:

The PhilStar
By Tam Noda
Updated January 31, 2012 04:33 PM

MANILA, Philippines – A latest study showed internet usage in the country has overtaken Filipinos’ access to radio and print media.

The study, dubbed TNS Digital Life 2012, reported that 45 percent of the Filipinos connect to the internet, 36 percent listen to the radio, 12 percent read newspapers, and four percent read magazines.

Access to television remained the highest at 89 percent.

Lester Sualog, associate research director of TNS Philippines, said the survey was conducted mostly in selected urban areas in the country.

“A total of 85 percent of Filipinos aged 16 to 20 years old have accessed the Internet within the past four weeks, followed by 74 percent of Filipinos between the ages 21 to 24 years old,” Sualog said.

The study also showed that more males were accessing the Internet (58 percent) compared to females (52 percent).

The study also discovered that the incidence of internet usage is over 50 percent across the urban areas in the Philippines, said Gary de Ocampo, managing director of TNS Philippines.

De Ocampo noted about 71 percent of Filipinos from the ABC socio-economic classes (SEC) and 51 percent from the D SEC have access to the internet.

Details of the study also showed most online users are still accessing the internet through personal computers at home (50 percent), and internet cafés (49 percent).

Consequently, consumers accessing the internet through their mobile phones and tablets earned 12 percent and 1 percent rates, respectively.

http://www.philstar.com/nation/article.aspx?publicationsubcategoryid=200&articleid=773104

Social Media + Real Estate Business

It is an undeniable fact that social media has been widely accepted as the key that opens the doors to prospect clients and has establish interaction to a more large scale. Comparing social networking to traditional way of marketing, it can be considered a more effective and efficient way to market product and business. Online businesses have incorporated widgets and toolbars, created fan pages, circles, groups and accounts just to extend there reach to potential customers. Real estate business is one of the industries that have been greatly influenced by social media. The University of Maryland's Smith School of Business conducted a study about the relationship of social networks to businesses and they found out the in the United States of America, technology adoption rate has double comparing it to the past year, from 12 percent to 24 percent respectively. From this study it is noticeable that many businesses have integrated social networks and is no surprise why they have included social marketing as a part their internet marketing strategy. :banana::banana:

Read Entire Article Here! (http://goarticles.com/article/Social-Media-Real-Estate-Business/6018337/) :lol::lol:

Want to peek what Facebook headquarter look like... nothing special since I saw some of office scenery here already in PH specially in some BPO site offices.... :lol:

http://images.businessweek.com/slideshows/20120201/inside-facebook-headquarters/

Anyone has tried smartbro's rocket plug it to a 3g wifi router? will it work?

Music, film industries lobby for PH version of SOPA (http://www.interaksyon.com/article/22438/music-film-industries-lobby-for-ph-version-of-sopa)
John Mark V. Tuazon, InterAksyon.com

MANILA, Philippines -- Various groups in the music, movie and software industries want Congress to pass a bill similar to the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) in the US, a local music executive told InterAksyon.com.

During the launch of MyMusicStore.com.ph on Wednesday, Ramon Chuaying, Universal Records executive vice president, said several industry groups are in talks with various legislators to pass a bill that would curb digital piracy in the Philippines.

These groups include the Philippine Association of the Record Industry (PARI), of which Chuaying is a board director; the Anti-Film Piracy Council; the Motion Picture Association; the Business Software Alliance; and the IP Coalition.

"We are lobbying for Congress to pass an Internet piracy bill, quite similar to US and some parts of Europe," he said. "In other words, if this law passes, we can require the Internet [service] provider to block off websites hosting illegal content."...

...Chuaying said they are prepared for the public backlash should the bill bear fruit in Congress since there was no other means of curbing digital piracy in the Philippines...

Chuaying said talks with legislators are still in the "very early stages," although Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez and Senators Edgardo Angara and Loren Legarda have expressed support for such a bill.

click HERE (http://www.interaksyon.com/article/22438/music-film-industries-lobby-for-ph-version-of-sopa) more

^^Ayan na, Ingat ingat na lang sa mga pulitiko na gagawa at susuporta sa bill na iyan. baka mawalan kayo ng boto sa susunod na eleksiyon! :lol:

Cyber Crime, Calamities Costs Mount

MANILA, Philippines - Extreme rainfall by typhoon Sendong in the Cagayan de Oro-Iligan areas in Mindanao, the worst flooding in 50 years in central Thailand, the double-whammy calamities (earthquake and tsunami) in Japan, and the killer tremors in New Zealand were only among the weather-related disasters that cost economic losses estimated by the global insurance industry at more than $380 billion in a single year.

The other major risk now confronting business is cyber security. Global economic consequences of cyber crimes, according to the US Federal Bureau of Investigation, may be underestimated as many companies, particularly banks and other financial institutions that rely on digitized systems, may have opted to absorb billion-dollar losses to organized cyber criminals with increasing capacity to access online banking /brokerage accounts and disrupt global supply chain operations.

This is the background for the seventh series scheduled next month of *PROTECT 2012* (Doing Business Amidst New Threats), a forum organized by Leverage International. *PROTECT* annual series was initially conceptualized in cooperation with the Anti-Terrorism Council in 2005 and has evolved to cover other aspects of security which have developed over the years.

The event website is www.protect.leverageinternational.com.

Continue reading here... (http://ph.news.yahoo.com/cyber-crime-calamities-costs-mount-183958188.html;_ylt=At3XrkJlvG2.VBV1UH5YA8vmV8d_;_ylu=X3oDMTQxN2wyODVxBG1pdANUb3BTdG9yeSBQaGlsaXBwaW5lc1NGBHBrZwNiZGE1ZjZiZC1jZTExLTMwNjktOTA3Yi00MjQzNjE5ZDMyY2MEcG9zAzE2BHNlYwN0b3Bfc3RvcnkEdmVyA2E5ZmEyNmMwLTU4ZDQtMTFlMS1iZmZmLThlMjFlYmE3MzI0OQ--;_ylg=X3oDMTF2M3NpaDUyBGludGwDcGgEbGFuZwNlbi1waARwc3RhaWQDBHBzdGNhdANwaGlsaXBwaW5lcwRwdANzZWN0aW9ucwR0ZXN0Aw--;_ylv=3)

Survey scams now on Pinterest too

With its rising popularity, fledgling social networking site Pinterest is now becoming a target for cyberattacks that have plagued other social sites.
Parties behind survey scams have started targeting users of the new site, computer security firm Trend Micro said over the weekend.

"The image (in one scam) prominently features the Starbucks logo with a message stating that Starbucks was giving away free gift cards to all Pinterest users. Users will then need to visit a particular site to claim the gift card," it said in a blog post.

Another pinned image claimed luxury brand Coach was giving away free wallets and purses to users if they visit a particular site.
But if users visit either of the two sites, they are redirected to websites that urge them to first re-pin the images.

The last step involves clicking a link that leads to a survey scam site.
"It is interesting to note that both the Starbucks and Coach scams lead to the same survey site," Trend Micro said.

Pinterest is a new social networking site where users can create their own “boards” where they can “pin” images or videos of anything they like.
Users can “re-pin” images and videos posted by other users to their own boards or they can use the Pin It button to grab images from various sites or videos from YouTube.

Continue reading here... (http://ph.news.yahoo.com/survey-scams-now-pinterest-too-090008284.html;_ylt=AjAJwXbQmoJAMmcE2D1OLPDmV8d_;_ylu=X3oDMTNiaXMyOHRmBG1pdAMEcGtnAzI4MWRkOWFlLTM5ZmUtMzk2My1iZmUwLTRkY2Y5MTU5NTcwNQRwb3MDMQRzZWMDbG5fR01BX2dhbAR2ZXIDNDY3YjgzNDAtNjUwZi0xMWUxLWI3ZGEtODFjNDE0ZWJhOTU1;_ylv=3)

^^ Thanks for the share! :D

Goodbye 'Android Market,' hello 'Google Play'

Say goodbye to Android Market, and hello to Google Play.

The search giant has consolidated its apps, music, e-books and other services under the "Google Play" brand, tech site CNET reported.

CNET quoted Jamie Rosenberg, director of digital content for Google, as saying the move - which absorbs Google Music and Google eBookstore - seeks to create a more comprehensive source for movies, apps, music, and e-books.

"Google Play will become a single experience for users. This creates a more powerful experience around Android and also increases opportunities for content partners," CNET quoted Rosenberg as saying.

Rosenberg added the Google Play strategy has been in the works for some time, but did not specify how long.

He said the changes may take several days to roll out across the Android platform, but will not alter libraries or playlists.

A separate article on AndroidPit.com said Google Engineering Director Chris Yerga said the search giant had been thinking about the name change for quite some time, but felt it was finally time to make the change.

"Google's music app, for example, will be renamed Google Play Music ... The change will immediately go live, but updates will roll out over the next few days for affected apps," it said.

Continue reading here... (http://ph.news.yahoo.com/goodbye-android-market-hello-google-play-114406109.html;_ylt=Ahy.LXWQ2vHikYPiXvIcU7LmV8d_;_ylu=X3oDMTQxcmU5N2Y3BG1pdANUb3BTdG9yeSBQaGlsaXBwaW5lc1NGBHBrZwNmMjkzZmFkYS05M2YyLTMxMzItOWFkMi1hZGQ1MDA2MWJlYzMEcG9zAzEwBHNlYwN0b3Bfc3RvcnkEdmVyA2Q4NTc4YWYwLTY4NGEtMTFlMS1iZWY2LWFlMjViYWY5YTM5Yg--;_ylg=X3oDMTF2M3NpaDUyBGludGwDcGgEbGFuZwNlbi1waARwc3RhaWQDBHBzdGNhdANwaGlsaXBwaW5lcwRwdANzZWN0aW9ucwR0ZXN0Aw--;_ylv=3)

Microsoft launches TechSoup in PHL

As Microsoft Philippines celebrated NGO (non-government organization) Connection Day, it simultaneously launched TechSoup Asia which aims to help organizations acquire technology information and resources.

“Today, we are also announcing the availability of TechSoup Asia in the Philippines. It is through such collaborative efforts that NGOs are able to have access to the needed technologies and innovations that will help increase productivity,” Mike Yeaton, Vice President at TechSoup Asia, said in a statement on Wedenesday.

He noted that TechSoup Asia “provide the right resources to support effective use of technology to address social challenges.”

TechSoup Asia, a program which is being made available in the Philippines, bringing the non-profit sector donation programs from multiple private sector companies like Microsoft, Symantec and SAP, the statement read.

On its website, the NGO-service provider said that it is involve in data services, product philanthropy and facilitating collaboration:
Data Services: We make data about NGOs accessible to improve transparency and the flow of needed resources. Product Philanthropy: We are the premier source of technology products and knowledge for the NGO sector. Facilitating Collaboration: We connect those using technology innovatively to address social challenges. “Today’s NGO Connection Day will leverage on the announcement of TechSoup Asia in the Philippines. We at Microsoft will further push to help NGOs and businesses alike to acquire the correct access to various technology products and resources,” John Bessey, managing director at Microsoft Philippines, said in the same statement.

Continue reading here... (http://ph.news.yahoo.com/microsoft-launches-techsoup-phl-115212115.html;_ylt=Ag9zdJgqzB2tjd3HvVbcWBXmV8d_;_ylu=X3oDMTQwcnFucDFlBG1pdANUb3BTdG9yeSBQaGlsaXBwaW5lc1NGBHBrZwNjOWJjYTMwMy0wODRmLTM5ZDEtODRjOS02MDdmY2I3OGZmMjQEcG9zAzgEc2VjA3RvcF9zdG9yeQR2ZXIDMjI4ODAxMDAtNmRjYy0xMWUxLWI5NzctMzc4NmNkOWNkNDI5;_ylg=X3oDMTF2M3NpaDUyBGludGwDcGgEbGFuZwNlbi1waARwc3RhaWQDBHBzdGNhdANwaGlsaXBwaW5lcwRwdANzZWN0aW9ucwR0ZXN0Aw--;_ylv=3)

PH techies create app, win big in Facebook tilt
By: Paolo G. Montecillo
Philippine Daily Inquirer 12:44 am
Saturday, March 24th, 2012

From “text capital” to “social media capital of the world.” That’s how the Philippines would henceforth be known, thanks to four Filipino programmers who bagged a major prize at the recent Facebook Mobile held in Singapore.

Besting other programmers from several Asian countries, Jason Sia, Miko Ignacio, Melvin Fetalvero and Josh Basarte, programmers working for home-grown technology firm Chikka.com, won the “Hackathon’s” Best Mobile Open Graph award for creating “Hear Me,” an application that lets users post audio notes on their Facebook home page.

The term Hackathon was coined by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. Featured in the Academy Award winning film “The Social Network,” Hackathons are Facebook’s main recruitment method for finding talented programmers to work for the Internet giant.

At the recent Hackathon in Singapore, developer teams were tasked to conceptualize, write programs and present the finished application within a short period of time.

The Hear Me application was developed as an iPhone application or “app” that would allow users to record voice greetings and post these on their own or on other users’ Facebook pages. Other users can then listen to the recording, “like” it, and even share it with their friends.

The app was created using Facebook’s Open Graph application programming interface (API), which enables developers to create apps that take advantage of Facebook’s social ecosystem.

The team from Chikka—now a subsidiary of Smart Communications—was able to create Hear Me in just four hours and without the need to use expensive IVR (Interactive Voice Response) and VoIP (Voice Over IP) systems-technologies used in popular Internet communications software such as Skype and Yahoo! Messenger.

Chikka’s flagship Chikka Text Messenger, which allowed Internet users to send short messaging service (SMS) or “text” messages to mobile phone users, was the world’s first commercially successful integration of web and mobile services.

Mendiola said Filipino telecom firms also invented the card-less over-the-air and peer-to-peer exchange of load between mobiles, which is now adopted in major mobile markets all over the world. Filipinos are pioneers as well in user-generated status broadcasts to a base of mobile followers, a precursor to such popular social media apps as Twitter, he said.
http://technology.inquirer.net/9395/ph-techies-create-app-win-big-in-facebook-tilt

Does anyone know of a jeepney and bus route planning app for metro manila that runs either on Android or IOS? If there isn't any, the DOT should seriously look into sponsoring it's development to help ease the travel woes of tourists who find navigating through our multi-modal transportation system such a daunting task.

^^ None, as far as I know. All we have is the official MMDA app. It's available on the app store for iOS and google play store for Android.

Filipino developers to vie in global tech competition with Autism education software

MANILA, Philippines—A team of Filipino developers will represent the Philippines in an international technology competition that aims to help autistic students learn better.

The team named Divided By Zero won in the Software Design Category of Microsoft Philippines’ Imagine Cup 2012 local finals held last March 23 with their “KidCAMP” web and mobile application. They will represent the Philippines in the upcoming Imagine Cup 2012 World Finals that will be held in Sydney, Australia in July.

The locally-developed application “KidCAMP” aims to enhance “special education to improve autism communication tools, assist teachers to create various learning resources, monitor student performance and support global statistics of progress in autism spectrum disorder (ASD),” Microsoft said in a statement.

John Bessey, Microsoft Philippines Managing Director, said in an interview that the Philippines have “always been very successful as a country in that competition.”

In 2010, the Philippines, represented by “Team By Implication”, won the Gold Medal in the Game Design Category of the Imagine Cup World Finals held in Poland.

Another Philippine team, “Signum Fidei”, won the Silver Medal in the Web Game Design Category in the Imagine Cup 2011 World Finals held in the United States.

De Dios said that the Philippines has consistently “been placing on the top of the world finals” in the past two years.

The Imagine Cup has had over 1.4 million student participants since it began in 2003. Last year’s Imagine Cup 2011 saw 358,000 students from 183 countries and regions competing against each other in several categories.
http://technology.inquirer.net/9697/filipino-developers-to-vie-in-global-tech-competition-with-autism-education-software

Coming soon: More software that’s made in the Philippines

MANILA, Philippines — Your medical records since birth stored in your tablet personal computer and a comprehensive vehicle fleet tracking system accessible via the Internet. If these software programs sound like future technology being developed in advanced countries, then better think again.

These are just some of the computer programs developed here by Filipino software developers and showcased by Microsoft Philippines in its “Who Dunn I.T. 2012″ event held last March 21-23.

“The Filipino community definitely has the inherent potential to become world-class innovators. Local developers and IT (Information Technology) professionals have demonstrated their skills in solving challenges and sharing their best IT practices, which other people may learn from and adapt in their own ways,” Tim Vergel de Dios Microsoft Philippines’ Audience Marketing Manager said.

The event invited an estimated 50 local startup companies, developers, and IT students, who have developed their own computer programs aimed at creating innovative solutions.

Among the locally developed software programs were ClarusCIS (Clinic Information System) and ClarusPHR (Patient Health Record) by Rhema Software Solutions Inc.

Both programs aim to easily track and monitor patients’ medical records in digital format, saving paper and making them accessible via any computer device.

ClarusCIS can be used by clinics or doctors to record every patient’s information such as laboratory results, medications given, diagnosis, treatments undertaken, vital statistics, billings and payments, all accessible anytime through any computer or mobile handheld device.

ClarusPHR is designed for patients to keep their own record of their medical history such as allergies, medications, previous illnesses, operations, diagnostics history, vital signs, etc. ClarusPHR is also accessible through any computer or mobile handheld device.

The best feature of the two programs is they can transfer information easily so that a patient can consult with any doctor simply by uploading the data from his/her ClarusPHR to the doctor’s ClarusCIS. Any doctor could also add information to the patient’s medical records for future reference.

Another showcased software that was developed in Davao city by Accelerate Desk Business Solutions was a vehicle fleet tracking solution that uses Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) technology.

The software, named “My Geo Desk”, can show any vehicle’s current location, speed, vehicle usage, and route taken via Google Maps on the Internet.

It also has special features like low-battery warning and an emergency alert in case of unfortunate incidents that may put the vehicle or the driver in danger.

The software is particularly useful for Taxi and logistics companies, as well as others that have a fleet of vehicles that need to be tracked.

http://technology.inquirer.net/9711/coming-soon-more-software-thats-made-in-the-philippines

Internet usage overtakes radio, print media in Philippines :banana::banana:


a tectonic shift in how we connect to the world and how the world connects to us.

Philippines tails ASEAN neighbors – and Rwanda – in ‘network readiness’ index (http://www.interaksyon.com/infotech/philippines-tails-asean-neighbors---and-rwanda---in-network-readiness-index)

MANILA, Philippines, SAN FRANCISCO, USA – The Philippines ranks lower than most of its Southeast Asian neighbors – and four notches below Rwanda :shocked: – in a global survey looking into the “network readiness” of 142 countries.

The Philippines placed 86th overall in the World Economic Forum’s newly released “Network Readiness Index”, the pillar of the WEF’s Global Information Technology Report for 2012.

The country trailed Vietnam (83rd), Indonesia (80) and Thailand (77). On the other end of the ASEAN spectrum, Singapore came in second worldwide, behind only top-scoring Sweden. Malaysia was in 29th place in the global ranking.

With a record coverage of 142 economies worldwide, the GITR remains “the most comprehensive and authoritative international assessment of the impact of ICT on competitiveness and the well-being of nations,” the WEF said. “After a two-year review process, the Networked Readiness Index (NRI) featured in the report has evolved to ensure that it captures the main drivers of a rapidly changing ICT industry and remains relevant for public- and private-sector decision-makers,” the WEF said in a statement. “The NRI has increased its focus on the impacts of ICT to better align with areas of public policy. It has added new, relevant indicators such as mobile broadband subscriptions, and dropped other outdated indicators.”

“The Networked Readiness Index (NRI) has been adopted by several governments as a valuable tool for assessing and leveraging technology for competitiveness and development. The success of the NRI emphasizes the importance of continuing to evolve its framework with the changing landscape of technology and the new opportunities it creates,” said Soumitra Dutta, Roland Berger Professor of Business and Technology at INSEAD, a co-editor of the report. “To measure this impact effectively, we have introduced a new set of impact-oriented metrics this year that assess not just the availability of technology, but also the ways in which economies put that technology to greater use. Considering how ICT has become omnipresent, the focus has moved from access to making the best use of ICT in order to improve business innovation, governance, citizens’ political participation and social cohesion,” added Dutta.

Philippine ICT experts said they were still looking at the details of the GITR report, but surmised that weak and slow infrastructure, the absence of a central department for ICT, and the absence of publicly available data on the sector may have all factored in the country’s poor rating.

----------

THANK YOU PNOY for abolishing the CICT. :applause::bash::bash::applause:

hindi naman daw importante yan sabi ni pnoy.

you can see the full report of the World Economic Forum - Network Readiness Index 2012 here:
http://www.weforum.org/issues/global...eadiness-index


Out of 138 countries...

Philippines (rank per section)
Individual usage = rank 85
Business usage = rank 32
Government usage = rank 81
Market environment = rank 83
Political and regulatory environment = rank 95
Infrastructure environment = rank 86
Individual readiness = rank 74
Business readiness = rank 109
Government readiness = rank 121


there are several sub-sections under each section..here are some notable sub-sections where the Philippines ranked in the top 30 (i labeled as "successes") or ranked below 100 (i labeled as "failures"):

SUCCESSES:
Philippines (rank per sub-section)
High-tech exports = rank 1
Internet and telephony sectors competition index = rank 1
Fixed telephone tariffs = rank 1

FAILURES:
Philippines (rank per sub-section)
Internet users = rank 106
ICT use and government efficiency = rank 113
Government success in ICT promotion = rank 105
Number of procedures required to start a business = rank 129
Time required to start a business = rank 110
Burden of government regulation = rank 125
Time to enforce a contract = rank 117
Efficiency of legal framework in challenging regulations = rank 115
Efficiency of legal framework in settling disputes = rank 121
Intellectual property protection = rank 102
Judicial independence = rank 110
Effectiveness of law-making bodies = rank 119
International Internet bandwidth = rank 102
Quality of scientific research institutions = rank 107
Electricity production per capita = rank 105
Telephone lines = rank 102
Residential monthly telephone subscription = rank 136
Quality of math and science education = rank 111
Business monthly telephone subscription = rank 137
Business telephone installation fee = rank 104
Importance of ICT to government vision of the future = rank 106
Government procurement of advanced technology products = rank 128
Government prioritization of ICT = rank 105

Hewlett-Packard Philippines opens new state-of-the-art center in McKinley Hill

http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/9274/800x600ximg3390jpgpages.jpg
HP’s state of the art Mission Control Center as seen from an adjacent boardroom. The 42-foot wall display shows a multitude of data using HP’s own “Photon Engine” software that “stitches” together the displays of several projectors. Everything is controlled through the touch screen control panel seen at the center. Matikas Santos/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines— You’ve seen it in the movies, somebody in front of a large transparent, paper-thin screen viewing and moving data and information from one screen to the next by gesturing with his hands at the screen.

This is the real-life version of it.

Several projectors displaying a multitude of data, graphs, tables, videos, photos, others on a wide screen on a wall at least 40 feet in length. All information being displayed is in the control of a person operating from a touch screen control panel. With a simple tap of the controller’s smart phone at the bottom portion of the display, the entire display can be controlled on a touch-screen phone.

This is just one of the several cutting edge technologies in Hewlett-Packard (HP) Philippines’ newly opened state of the art facility, aptly named “Mission Control Center and Customer Experience (MCC),” and “Executive Briefing Center (EBC)” in Mckinley Hill.

President Benigno Aquino III, who toured the site during its inauguration on March 29, was very impressed by the technologies being used and expressed interest in using it for disaster relief operations.

HP executives called the facility a “Global Delivery Access Center,” and said there are only six of these in the world. The Philippines was lucky enough to be one of the places chosen by HP.

“We are focused on countries that we believe have a lot of potential from an IT sector growth point of view and the Philippines is exactly one of those countries,” Brian Humphries, HP’s Growth Markets Organization Senior Vice President, told journalists during a tour of the facility.

Not only was the Philippines chosen as one of the six countries in the world to have this facility, but it is also the first to go live using HP’s high-tech software.
http://technology.inquirer.net/9769/hewlett-packard-philippines-opens-new-state-of-the-art-center-in-mckinley-hill

PHL has 2nd slowest web loading speeds

The Philippines may have the world's second slowest average online loading speed on desktop computers, according to search giant Google.

A report on Bloomberg cited Google's findings showing the Philippines' 15.4-second loading time was second only to Indonesia's 20.3-second time.

Bloomberg said Google's findings found the Slovak Republic the fastest in terms of loading web pages at 3.3 seconds, with South Korea second at 3.5 seconds.

The rest of the top 10 in terms of speed included (http://go.bloomberg.com/tech-blog/2012-04-19-whos-fastest-google-measures-web-speeds-around-the-world/):

Czech Republic (3.7)
Netherlands (3.9)
Japan (4)
Denmark (4.3)
Switzerland (4.3)
Sweden (4.5)
Belgium (4.6)
Norway (4.8)

On the other hand, the bottom 10 in desktop speeds included:

Chile (10)
Colombia (10.2)
Peru (11.7)
Brazil (11.8)
Argentina (12.8)
Malaysia (14.3)
Venezuela (14.9)
India (15.1)
Philippines (15.4)
Indonesia (20.3)

In terms of mobile Internet, South Korea had the fastest connection, with pages loading in 4.8 seconds, followed by Denmark at 5.2 seconds.

Hong Kong was third (5.9), Norway fourth (6), Sweden fifth (6.1); followed by Estonia (6.2), Czech Republic (6.3), Japan (6.4), Romania (7.5), and Slovak Republic (7.6).

The slowest in mobile speeds was the United Arab Emirates, with an average loading time of 26.7 seconds. Those with the slowest mobile web loading times include:

Malaysia (12.7)
Indonesia (12.9)
Singapore (12.9)
Mexico (14.1)
Brazil (15.8)
Argentina (16.3)
India (16.4)
Thailand (17.4)
Saudi Arabia (21.2)
United Arab Emirates (26.7)

Bloomberg said Google measured Web page load speeds on desktop computers and mobile devices in 50 countries with the fastest Internet connections earlier this month.

"The United States, meanwhile, was somewhere in the middle. On the desktop, it took an average of 5.7 seconds. On a mobile device it took 9.2 seconds to load, which for many folks here, feels like an eternity," it said. — ELR, GMA News

link (http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/255696/scitech/technology/phl-has-2nd-slowest-web-loading-speeds)

NEW HACKED WEBSITES BY THE PHILIPPINE HACKTIVIST

http://img152.imageshack.us/img152/1777/picture1gtj.png
http://img152.imageshack.us/img152/1777/picture1gtj.png

http://img849.imageshack.us/img849/5296/picture2ibb.png
http://img849.imageshack.us/img849/5296/picture2ibb.png

e2 yung mga bagong sites:

http://www.lzrk.gov.cn/index.asp - GOVERNMENT WEBSITE

http://www.tjhousing.com/OutWeb/WebIndex/Index.htm

http://www.cyr1.com/philippines.html

http://www.higvod.cn/

This article shows how the Internet came about in the Philippines.

No Steve Jobs they, but this team got Filipinos on Internet

It is every information technology (IT) geek’s dream to work on a project that will change the lives of millions. That dream came true for a group of Filipinos from the University of San Carlos in Talamban, Cebu, on March 29, 1994, at 10:18 a.m. when, through their efforts, the Philippines first logged on to the Internet.

“We’re in,” team member Jim Ayson, now senior manager for partner management at Smart Communications Inc., remembered blurting out.

Ayson and his then fellow Internet noobs (newbies) reunited recently at the Smart offices in Makati to look back on that technological turning point 18 years ago that changed the Philippine telecommunications industry.

The journey to cyberspace began as early as 1988 when Arnie del Rosario, head of Ateneo de Manila University’s Computer Center, did a comparative study for the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) on network technologies.

“In the running were infrastructures such as Timenet, Bitnet and, of course, the eventual victor that we now all know as the Internet,” he said.

The efforts didn’t really take off until four years later when the DOST finally expressed interest in the project.

With government approval assured, it was time to formally create a working committee. That was a task for Rodel Atanacio and Rommel Feria who had already gained fame maintaining the Bulletin Board System of the University of the Philippines in Diliman.

The group was known as Philnet Technical Committee, aka PhilNet Phase 1, and also included Del Rosario, Ateneo de Manila computer science instructor Richie Lozada, student Luis Sarmenta (who had written an anti-virus software), De La Salle University’s Kelsey Hartigan-Go and Joel Disini, now CEO of DotPH Inc.

Their task? To create an e-mail linkup between UP, Ateneo and Victoria University in Australia.

With government approval and funding, the project was a huge success. Students from the three universities could now send e-mail to each other. They then faced the next challenge: Keeping the system up and running, which required funding.

“I did the math and, given the funding from the DOST, we would only last for six months,” Del Rosario said.

That’s when Dr. Rudy Villarica, then head of the Industrial Research Foundation (IRF), came in to help secure additional funding from DOST. That ultimately earned him the title “Father of Philippine Internet.”

Villarica’s big assignment was to establish the country’s first live Internet connection or PhilNet Phase 2.

Villarica said it cost $11,000 a month to lease a 64kbps line at that time, a high price to pay considering that it could only connect to Victoria University in Australia and do basic tasks such as send e-mail and transfer files.

To make matters worse, the Internet didn’t seem to be financially and commercially viable then. Del Rosario was repeatedly told this, plus the fact that it was only for members of the academe and of research firms—“just for nerds.”

But as it happened, the demand for connectivity skyrocketed and big companies such as the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) began including Internet services in their portfolio.

Of course, the whole effort was far from being a walk in the park, as Benjie Tan, then working with Comnet Inc., recalled. Comnet Inc. was a local distributor of Cisco Systems which supplied and set up the Cisco 7000 router used for the project.

The rest, as they say, is history.

Today, the Internet is literally everywhere, thanks to the efforts of companies such as Smart, which helped make it accessible and affordable to Filipinos.http://technology.inquirer.net/10477/no-steve-jobs-they-but-this-team-got-filipinos-on-internet

Paging any smartypants from GlobeTelecoms.

I brought my new iPad3 to the country for my surfing. Thence I needed to buy the microsim from Globe coz it was the nearest one at ATC (Alabang Town Centre). Fine... Except that, oh for cryin out loud. At first I tested the Globe WIFI something sometihng and then this Globe Tattoo at Starbucks by the newly renovated Corte de las Palmas. Ano ba naman yaan!!!! :gaah: The freakin thing was just cycling and cycling for almost half an hour. The charge of my iPad3 dropped considerably from 96% to 90%. After my coffee I had to rush back up sa likod ng San Mig Pub sa shop ng Globe. Ano yan? WiFi DSL speed?

Then the guy explained that I had to turn off the WiFi coz marami daw gumagamit. Thats beside the point kung maraming gumagamit they should improve on that no. Fine, fine, fine...

Then we proceeded to the 3G kuno. Of course, my new iPad3 is 4G but it can handle the inferior services of an alanganin provider, meaning my 4G can stoop down to their 3G level. :lol: But this provider was ridiculous. I tried the itunes store, hala ikot ng ikot hirap na hirap maghanap. Wala. I tried the Apps application, cycling over and over pero wala. Next I tried my SSC App. Hala hindi ako maka-reach sa Philippine forums hirap na hirap siyang mag-surf. What is this???????? You call this 3G at DSL speeds???

Do you Globe guys mean my load will be consumed in endless cycles and walang silbi itong mga public Wifi NOR 3G prepaid card niyo??? Of course, I had to buy only prepaid coz I dont live here. Whatta f&cking loadwaster.

Isa pa, I utterly dislike explaining my needs and enquiries to a Security Guard who is obviously not equipped to handle my questions. Further interrogation on his part is just pure time-wasting, by his doing so 3 other customers were able to bypass me in the queue.

The waiting queue at that store, I can imagine all Globe shops are like that, is excruciatingly soooooooooooooo loooooooooooooooong. I'm not used to that kinda inefficiency. It was so inefficient I lost track of my GNC bag with my purchases of Soy Protein & Jug mixer. To their credit naman, naitago nila kaya na-retrieve ko rin ang naiwanan. But I digress. Everything seems to be so slow, and before you guys start blaming my new ipad, FYI this new iPad3 was bought and tested already in the US. It worked like a charm also in HK and SG. EWAN dito. :rant: :rant: Lousy infrastructure how can anyone attract the Net dependent tourist or businessman with this kinda primitive technology?

:bash: :bash: :bash: :bash:

IBM, DOST team up to build R&D lab (http://newsbytes.ph/2012/05/03/ibm-dost-team-up-to-build-rd-lab/)
Posted on 03 May 2012 at 10:32pm

Tech titan IBM and the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) on Thursday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to work together to establish the first Philippine Systems & Technology R&D Laboratory in the country.

A statement from IBM Philippines, which initiated the project, did not disclose financial details or the location of the facility. The lab, however, will be owned and operated by the US-based tech giant, although projects that developed in the lab will be geared for government use.

In the signed agreement, the projects to be undertaken by the lab will be in line with the priority projects of the government based on the National Economic Development Authority’s (Neda) Medium Term Development Plan.

The DOST and IBM said it may consider the following areas as the initial projects of the lab, subject to export and other applicable laws:

• Project audit system and database;
• E-governance services including a dashboard view for government officials;
• Landslide predictive analytics;
• Weather prediction and flood mapping;
• Crime prevention;
• Traffic management; and
• High-performance computing and business analytics.

In a press statement, IBM said the lab is aligned with the country’s strategic growth initiative, which calls for greater partnering between industry and government.

The facility will focus mainly on four critical areas: business process outsourcing, governance for anti-corruption, talent development, and innovation for a knowledge-based economy.

IBM said it has the “technical capability, expertise, and know-how to collaborate” with the DOST in its research efforts and programs after putting up numerous R&D laboratories and co-laboratories in many countries.

“2012 marks IBM’s 75th year in the Philippines and this cooperation with the DOST furthers our commitment to, and trust in the region and its people,” said Mariels Almeda Winhoffer, president and country general manager of IBM Philippines.

“The project is also a great example of an integrated, joint approach to research that combines IBM’s global expertise with the skills and knowledge of the Filipino people to accelerate their preparedness for the global marketplace,” Almeda Winhoffer said.

Montejo said the R&D Lab will take advantage of IBM’s experience and international best practices and local scientific talent. “This R&D center will go a long way in building domestic capacity to support continued economic growth and global competitiveness,” Montejo said.

Cooperation with the private sector particularly in the information and communications technology (ICT) industry plays a significant role in the development of the industry, he added.

“This cooperation with IBM ensures that industry and government initiatives are cohesive and yield long term benefits for the most number of people,” said Louis Casambre, executive director of the Information and Communications Technology Office of the DOST.

Fastest internet in PH at ADB meeting
BY KATHERINE VISCONTI
Posted on 05/05/2012

http://static.rappler.com/images/Screen%20Shot%202012-05-06%20at%2010.00.57%20PM.png
WIRED. Asian Development Bank's IT team wired the media room with extra cables and computers as a backup for the extensive wifi network setup in the Philippine International Convention Center.

MANILA, Philippines - For the 45th annual meeting of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) board of governors, Manila pulled out all the stops to make a good international impression -- from erecting a wall infront of a sprawling slum, to providing a courtesy lane for delegates' cars and even outfitting the venue with 40 hot spots and a microwave tower for ultra fast internet.

For the first week of May, the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) was home to one of the fastest internet connections in the Philippines.

Using the consumer website speedtest.net, Rappler clocked a download speed of 84.05 megabits per second (Mbps) inside the venue. That's about 76 times the national average, which was registered at 1.1 Mbps in the 'State of the Internet' report published by internet content delivery network Akamai in the 3rd quarter of 2011.

Speedtest gave the connection a national grade of an A+ or 100%, meaning no other connections in the country were faster, and a global rating of 95%, meaning 5% of global connections were faster.

Pierre Passin, ADB's Principal IT specialist, who oversees the backend setup for internet and webcasts at international conferences, said his tech team actually measured the internet speed at over 100 Mbps, explaining that a "consumer tool" like Speedtest.net doesn't "use the full extent of the bandwidth."

rappler (http://www.rappler.com/business/4898-fastest-internet-in-ph-inside-adb-meeting)

NEW HACKED WEBSITES BY THE PHILIPPINE HACKTIVIST

http://img152.imageshack.us/img152/1777/picture1gtj.png
http://img152.imageshack.us/img152/1777/picture1gtj.png

http://img849.imageshack.us/img849/5296/picture2ibb.png
http://img849.imageshack.us/img849/5296/picture2ibb.png

That should show those commies the truth! Go anonymous PH!:banana:

Posted on May 10, 2012 09:47:26 PM

Pinoy kids among the most-connected in the region (http://www.bworldonline.com/content.php?section=TopStory&title=Pinoy-kids-among-the-most-connected-in-the-region&id=51536)

ABOUT TWO-THIRDS of children in the Philippines own a mobile phone, more than kids in Australia and Taiwan, a Cartoon Network study showed.
-- Jonathan L. Cellona

The cable TV network’s New Generations 2012 poll found that personal ownership of mobile phones among Filipino children aged seven to 14 had increased dramatically to 65% as of this year, a 71% jump from the 38% recorded three years earlier.

Current mobile phone ownership levels among kids in Australia and Taiwan, in comparison, were at 42% and 22%, respectively.

Duncan Morris, vice-president for research and market development of Turner International Asia Pacific, Ltd., said the high level of mobile phone ownership indicated that the next generation of Filipinos was one of the most connected in the Asia-Pacific region.

Turner International is the parent firm of Cartoon Network.

Mr. Morris said the same study showed that more than half (53%) of the Filipino children surveyed from urban centers now live in Internet-enabled homes, up significantly from 32% three years ago.

Eight out of 10 (82%) Filipino children access the Internet at least weekly and over a third (37%) are daily Internet users.

Even among younger kids aged seven to eight, Internet usage is high at 75% weekly, while 45% of teens aged 13-14 use the Internet daily.

The study also indicated that Filipino children were adept at switching between screens and devices.

Over a third (38%) watch TV on a flat panel screen. This has more than tripled since 2009 when only 11% of homes owned this type of TV set.

As much as 54% of kids’ homes have access to digital cameras (up 29% from the 42% of homes in 2009), while 20% of those surveyed have a smartphone within reach.

Close to two thirds of kids (63%) live in homes with a desktop or laptop computer, up 34% from the 47% seen in 2009.

A little over one in 10 kids (12%) have their own computer -- three times higher than the 4% in the last survey.

The latest gadget to break into the market is the tablet and already 16% of homes in the Philippines have one.

"The findings show young Pinoys not only have the know-how in the digital space, but increasingly have the tools to consume and experience media across multiple platforms -- from TV to PC, from their tablet to phone," Mr. Morris said in a statement.

New Generations 2012 is the fifth in a series of surveys dedicated to the opinions, preferences, and lifestyles of Filipino kids released by Cartoon Network since 2003.

The study also revealed that the Internet was an increasingly large virtual playground for Filipino kids, with 82% of those living in homes with a computer going online every week.

Gaming continues to be the top Internet pastime with 58% playing daily. Catching up quickly in popularity are social networking sites, with 52% of kids surveyed logging on every day.

Other common Internet activities include listening to music (41%), watching videos (36%), doing homework (28%) and photo sharing (23%).

But even if more Filipino kids have mobile phones and other gadgets, most still prefer the television, the survey found.

In an average week, 99% watched TV while only 76% accessed the Internet. By comparison, 40% listened to the radio, 13% read newspapers, and 9% read magazines.

(snipped)

More Filipinos developing their online brand

In a recent interview, Cliff Rosenberg, Southeast Asia managing director at LinkedIn.com, said developing one’s “online brand” is slowly turning into a necessity for professionals around the world.

“People need to think about this early into their careers,” Rosenberg told Manila-based reporters during a teleconference.

LinkedIn is the world’s largest social network designed especially for professionals. Whereas Facebook and Twitter are designed to help improve one’s social life (or eliminate it completely, depending on how you look at it), Rosenberg said LinkedIn is designed to help one’s career.

LinkedIn now has over 150 million users, with about two more users joining every second, globally.

“LinkedIn’s global reach and scale enable professionals in the Philippines to find and connect with business contacts and showcase their skills to global audiences,” Rosenberg said.

About 25 million of LinkedIn’s base is from Asia-Pacific. About a million are from the Philippines, the social network’s latest data showed.

This makes the Philippines one of the biggest sources of LinkedIn users in Southeast Asia, which has four million users.

LinkedIn has some interesting data on the breakdown of these one million Filipinos on the network.

The most represented sector is the information technology and services industry (read: business process outsourcing).

The next-biggest industry is the education management sector. Rounding out the top three is, strangely enough, the accounting industry.

The company is also able to break it down by corporation.

Technology firm Accenture has the most users in the Philippines on LinkedIn, followed by little-known Palawan Biodiesel Development Corp. and call center Convergys.

Schools too, have their own LinkedIn rankings.

The university with the most LinkedIn users is the University of the Philippines, followed by De La Salle University and Ateneo de Manila University.http://technology.inquirer.net/10911/more-filipinos-developing-their-online-brand

Filipino students top int'l cyber security contest
Home Updated May 14, 2012 05:21 PM
http://www.philstar.com/nation/article.aspx?publicationsubcategoryid=200&articleid=806978

MANILA, Philippines - A team of Filipino students from the University of the Philippines (UP) won the international and final round of the 2012 Kaspersky International Cup held in The Netherlands over the weekend.

Kaspersky Lab announced that the UP students, represented by 21-year-old Joshua Arvin Lat, won first place with their cybercrime study titled "SOUL System: Secure Online USB Login System."

Lat's group took home 1,500 Euros. They will also be given a chance to train in Kaspersky Lab, an internet security firm.

Hello everyone! If you're an avid and prolific tweeter, can I interest you as a "curator" for @WeAreFilipinos (https://twitter.com/WeAreFilipinos/) for a week? It's part of a social project called "Rotation Curation." You can read all about it from this link: http://rotationcuration.com/

We started one for the Philippines and Filipinos (local and abroad). We tweet what is it like living in the Philippines or what is like to be a Filipino (or of Filipino descent) living abroad.

If you think you'd be a good fit for this project, you're only committed to it for one week (7 days) and you can tweet anything you like about the Philippines (cultural, geographical, historical, trivia and fun facts). So, if you're interested, just let me know if you want to try curating or any questions about the project.

Thanks for your time. Cheers!

@kiretoce (https://twitter.com/kiretoce/) (on Twitter) :colgate:

Globe launches $700-M program
http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/home/top-news/23339-globe-launches-700-m-program
WEDNESDAY, 15 FEBRUARY 2012 21:51 MIA M. GONZALEZ AND LENIE LECTURA / REPORTERS
GLOBE Telecom on Wednesday launched a $700-million mobile-network modernization program at Malacañang which President Aquino promptly described as a rightful bet on a country like the Philippines that has become a “virtual gold mine for the telecommunications sector.”

Mr. Aquino witnessed the ceremonial signing of the contracts between Globe and Huawei on the project, and another between Globe and Alcatel-Lucent, to manage the project, at Malacanang’s Rizal Hall.

“We would like to thank Globe for this massive investment, for placing a bet on our country’s future that enables us to address the problems really in a much quicker pace to the ultimate benefit of our people,” he said.

In an interview with reporters after the event, Globe chairman Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala said, “We are here today to show our commitment to the economy by continuing to invest heavily in the infrastructure that the country needs.”

Ernest Cu, Globe president and chief executive officer, said the company’s infrastructure upgrade “allows Globe to compete harder and more aggressively in the future, because our operating costs will be lower.”
Cu said Globe expects “significant savings” in operating expenses on a year-on-year basis, once the modernization is complete.

“The Philippines is in a very highly competitive climate when it comes to telco services, as you know. And so we fully expect that level of competition will continue in 2012, because we have two strong companies competing with each other—the incumbent, and of course, the challenger Globe Telecom,” he said.

He said, “As more and more smart phones come into the country, the profile of use of a subscriber would change from just voice/calling, SMS, to include a lot of browsing on the Internet,” which is why the Globe network “is being built the way it is, this is made in anticipation of the change in habit of the Filipino mobile phone user.”

When asked, Cu said Globe expects to “sustain the momentum” it has enjoyed in the past five quarters, through this year.

“We just expect that same momentum in terms of market share gains, in terms of revenue gains, to continue,” he said.

He said Globe grew to 30 million subscribers in 2011, and will grow even more this year, with the trend toward postpaid subscribers’ growth “picking up.”

“Globe’s subscriber base 18 to 20 months ago, was just around 700,000 to 750,000; today it stands at 1.5 million. So there is maybe a shifting sentiment as far as the public is concerned. They want to move into more post-paid plans now, it’s quite an interesting phenomenon that we’re seeing in terms of this high-end prepaid consumers now opting for a committed plan, Cu said.

Alcatel-Lucent, the project manager and integrator of Globe Telecom Inc.’s $700-million network modernization program, on Wednesday said it wants to take part in government-initiated projects in the Philippines.

“We are talking to a number of government departments and fully expect that we will participate in some of those projects,” said Alcatel-Lucent President Rajeev Singh-Molares in discussions with the media on Wednesday morning.

Molares is in the country for the contract signing with Globe officials held in Malacañang.

Molares refused to say which government agencies Alcatel-Lucent is in contact with.

“At this stage, we’re talking, and it’s best for me not to say any specifics on what we are doing…We are aggressive players. We have many ideas that we’ve done in many parts of the world.”

Alcatel-Lucent is involved in Australia’s national broadband network project. In the country, its largest project is with the Ayala-controlled cellular firm.

Morales said that if ever Alcatel-Lucent would seal a deal with the Philippine government it would not be as big as the contract it inked with the cellular firm.

Globe is undertaking an ambitious network modernization program, touted as the most significant investment it made in the last two decades that costs $790 million. Of the amount, $530 million will be spent in 2012 and $110 million in 2013.

The network modernization, which is expected to be finished after five years, includes an all-Internet protocol infrastructure, pervasive 3G coverage, double fiber optics capacity, 4G and long-term evolution readiness, and overall quality and resiliency.

The cellular firm has tapped Huawei as lead partner and end-to-end network solutions provider, while Alcatel-Lucent was assigned as project manager.

Globe telecom claims to be upgrading their 3G networks to actual 3G speeds (7 Mbps) before the year ends. They would expand their "4G" network to cover most of Metro Manila by next year.

Not all Philippine cities were surveyed, so the rankings in this chart are far from accurate (take for instance the absence of prosperous CDO, Angeles and Baguio). However, it reflects the high degree of internet penetration in our city (82K FB accounts in a 120K city)...


http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fBOC4ZKkdyU/T9dYHzFbrKI/AAAAAAAAM3Y/7StTQI7bpc0/s1600/fb_in_ph.png

http://www.pinoysocialmedia.com/2012/06/infographic-facebook-usage-in.html

How come there were more than 4M users from Makati when official population in 2007 was only 548,983, 1,660,714 for Manila, and 2,679,450 for QC...

Hereunder is the Facebook penetration per city based on 2007 population, http://www.census.gov.ph/data/pressrelease/2008/pr0830tx.html:


Cebu City – 823,340/799,762 (?)
Davao - 561,020/1,366,153 = 41%
Zamboanga -193,260/774,407 = 25%
Bacolod – 171,600/499,497 = 34.35%
General Santos – 156,800/529,542= 29.61%
Iligan – 129,760/308,046 = 42.12%
Tarlac - 128,600/314,155 = 40.93%
Olongapo- 118,540/227,270 = 52.15%
San Fernando, Pampanga – 117,300/269,365 = 43.54%
Naga City – 101,920/160,516 = 63.5%
Dumaguete 82,140/116,392 = 70.57%
Cotabato – 75,760/259.153 = 29.23%
Tagum – 66,420/215,967=30.75%

http://img28.imageshack.us/img28/5079/skyn.jpg

http://img192.imageshack.us/img192/4554/sky3p.jpg

Mini notebooks and Public Sector Growth Boost Philippines PC Market Recovery in 1Q12, says IDC

10 Jul 2012

Manila, July 4, 2012 -- According to IDC’s Asia/Pacific PC Tracker, the Philippines PC market showed stellar growth in 1Q12, shipping a total of 544,000 units. This represents a sequential increase of 25% after plunging in the last quarter. The growth was possible as the situation with hard disk drive (HDD) shortages, which disrupted PC shipments in 4Q11, improved faster than expected. Several large government projects which had been delayed for months were also rolled out this quarter.

The consumer market grew 30% sequentially as mini notebook shipments spiked upwards by 52% quarter-on-quarter (QoQ) to corner 32% of the total PC market share. Mini notebooks were overlooked in the previous quarter as vendors strove to protect their revenue share by focusing on shipping larger, high-end portables. But the trend was reversed this quarter after HDD component production returned to normal levels.

http://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prPH23590312

How come there were more than 4M users from Makati when official population in 2007 was only 548,983, 1,660,714 for Manila, and 2,679,450 for QC...

Hereunder is the Facebook penetration per city based on 2007 population, http://www.census.gov.ph/data/pressrelease/2008/pr0830tx.html:


Cebu City – 823,340/799,762 (?)
Davao - 561,020/1,366,153 = 41%
Zamboanga -193,260/774,407 = 25%
Bacolod – 171,600/499,497 = 34.35%
General Santos – 156,800/529,542= 29.61%
Iligan – 129,760/308,046 = 42.12%
Tarlac - 128,600/314,155 = 40.93%
Olongapo- 118,540/227,270 = 52.15%
San Fernando, Pampanga – 117,300/269,365 = 43.54%
Naga City – 101,920/160,516 = 63.5%
Dumaguete 82,140/116,392 = 70.57%
Cotabato – 75,760/259.153 = 29.23%
Tagum – 66,420/215,967=30.75%

That infographic looks dubious. I for a fact am stunned that San Fernando is in the list and Angeles is not when in fact population and economy-wise the latter is ahead of the former (although by a small margin only).

Philippines has 9.5M Twitter users, ranks 10th

The Philippines has once again been recognized as one of the world’s social media capitals, ranking 10th in the list of countries with the most number of users on website twitter.com. Data from social media monitor Semiocast showed that 9.5 million out of Twitter’s 517 million users were from the Philippines, placing the country in the 10th spot in the worldwide rankings, trailing Spain but ahead of Turkey. The feat was achieved despite the fact that only 30 percent of Filipinos have access to the Internet.http://technology.inquirer.net/15189/philippines-has-9-5m-twitter-users-ranks-10th

How about the Internet Shopping Trend...

i got one here.... www.hallohallomall.com

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j88/Josephbc/hhm1.jpg

Multiply.com quits social networking

Time to transfer those photos and videos.
Mutliply.com announced on Thursday that it will stop its social networking functions in December, choosing to focus instead on its electronic commerce operations in Indonesia and the Philippines.
“From December 1st, we will unfortunately no longer be able to support Multiply in its current form - notably we will be removing the social networking and content sharing part of Multiply (photos, videos, blogs, social messaging, etc.),” Stefan Magdalinski, chief executive officer at Multiply Global, said in a statement posted on its website.
With the rise of Facebook as the dominant player in the social networking arena, Multiply had sought to differentiate itself from competitors by highlighting itself as the ‘social shopping’ hub for online marketers.
“For our existing users of social networking features, we will be providing easy ways for you to either download your stuff (photos, blogs, content, etc), or migrate it to other online services,” he noted, saying that they will announce the file migration details soon.
The eight-year-old service, which claimed to be the “biggest and beloved” e-commerce marketplace in Indonesia and the Philippines, will now focus on its e-commerce platform.
“Our singular focus now is for Multiply to retain its status as a vibrant e-commerce destination in Southeast Asia in the years ahead,” Magdalinski noted.
To gear up for the anticipated service transfer, Multiply launched last June its “Merchant Dashboard” that provides technology solutions to its online sellers.
The new feature provides detailed product listing, inventory management, and order tracking.
The website likewise put up a buyer protection program that aims to safeguard online shoppers from fraudulent merchants and scammers.
Currently, about 130,000 Multiply users in the Philippines are involved with online selling. — TJD, GMA News

http://ph.news.yahoo.com/multiply-com-quits-social-networking-105744961.html

http://ph.news.yahoo.com/ph-named-world-s-2nd-slowest-in-web-page-loading.html

When it comes to surfing the Internet, Filipinos may have to be extra patient.

This, as the Philippines was listed among the slowest countries in the world for loading Web pages on a desktop computer, according to a study from the Internet giant Google.

The Philippines, with an average Web page loading speed on desktops of 15.4 seconds, was named the world’s second slowest behind Indonesia’s 20.3 seconds, said a Bloomberg report which cited Google's study .

The Slovak Republic meanwhile has the fastest average time with 3.3 seconds, the report showed.

South Korea, the second fastest in desktop speeds, was also the zippiest in loading Web pages using mobile devices with an average loading time of 4.8 seconds while the slowest country in mobile was United Arab Emirates with 26.7 seconds, it added.

Here’s the complete list of the top and bottom 10 countries both in desktop and mobile speeds for loading Web pages according to Google:

Top 10 in Desktop Speeds (in seconds)
Slovak Republic (3.3)
South Korea (3.5)
Czech Republic (3.7)
Netherlands (3.9)
Japan (4)
Denmark (4.3)
Switzerland (4.3)
Sweden (4.5)
Belgium (4.6)
Norway (4.8)

Bottom 10 in Desktop Speeds (in seconds)
Chile (10)
Colombia (10.2)
Peru (11.7)
Brazil (11.8)
Argentina (12.8)
Malaysia (14.3)
Venezuela (14.9)
India (15.1)
Philippines (15.4)
Indonesia (20.3)

Top 10 in Mobile Speeds (in seconds)
South Korea (4.8)
Denmark (5.2)
Hong Kong (5.9)
Norway (6)
Sweden (6.1)
Estonia (6.2)
Czech Republic (6.3)
Japan (6.4)
Romania (7.5)
Slovak Republic (7.6)

Bottom 10 in Mobile Speeds (in seconds)
Malaysia (12.7)
Indonesia (12.9)
Singapore (12.9)
Mexico (14.1)
Brazil (15.8)
Argentina (16.3)
India (16.4)
Thailand (17.4)
Saudi Arabia (21.2)
United Arab Emirates (26.7)

Bloomberg said Google measured Web page load speeds on desktop computers and mobile devices in 50 countries with the fastest Internet connections earlier this month.

The report noted that the United States was somewhere in the middle. “On the desktop, it took an average of 5.7 seconds. On a mobile device it took 9.2 seconds to load, which for many folks here, feels like an eternity,” it said.

http://www.interaksyon.com/infotech/ph-trails-in-internet-speed-broadband-adoption-in-sea-report
According to a white paper report by Akamai, the Philippines is ranked 103 globally in average internet speed. Based on the Q2 2011 data the average internet speed of Filipinos is 1.2 Mbps. 10% have more average speeds of more than 2 Mbps. This is actually and improvement versus last year and the previous quarter. This is probably due to the aggressive rollout of both Smart and Globe with their 3G and HSPA+ networks. We’re still behind the global average though of 2.6 Mbps.
ASIA PACIFIC AVERAGE INTERNET SPEED DATA

The fastest internet in the world can be found in South Korea. The average internet speed there is at a whopping 13.8 Mbps, or around 6-7 times more than what we have here in the Philippines. South Korea is followed by Hong Kong and then Japan. The United States is ranked at 12th place registering an average of 5.8 Mbps.

There’s so much data and analysis that can be extracted from the white paper. I’ll probably write about this again when I have more time to go over the entire document.

Source: Akamai

WE, the Filipino people, along with the Philippine government, should do something about the slowness of our country's internet speed. We should aim at 5mbps average for the whole country to be at par with Developed countries. What do you think guys?

^^ Well, telecom providers such as PLDT and Globe Telecom have 3 Mbps plans but in reality their speeds usually hit less than 1 Mbps. They pretty much rip off their customers :lol:

Young set invests time, effort in web design firm

DAGUPAN CITY, Philippines—Twenty-six-year-old Mikkle Angelo Fernandez dreamed of having his own company and running it someday.

He was still an information technology student then but he was already designing websites with the passion and excitement of a child playing with a favorite toy.

Two months ago, Fernandez’s dream came true when he and college friends, William Allan Balanza and Ronald de Leon, launched Pixel Hub Creative, the first web design agency in Pangasinan.

“We’re so excited to have this business and this office,” says Fernandez, the company’s managing director.

After his college graduation in 2006, Fernandez was hired as web designer and developer by The Design People in Metro Manila. After two years, he went freelance and had as clients CIS One/CIS Media, a web designer and developer firm based in Pasadena, California; Bain and Mercer, an online marketing specialist based in Singapore; and Paper Boat Creative, a web design firm based in London.

Balanza, 30, a computer engineering graduate, used to be a freelance web and graphic designer.

His clients, all of them based in the US, included the software giant Microsoft, animated cartoons and movie producer Walt Disney and telecommunications firm Siemens.

De Leon, 30, has worked for more than six years as software engineer in different companies in the US. He is now connected with the Recreational Equipment Inc., an award-winning gear and clothing company in the US.

In April, his company “branded” the Bangus Festival—from website (www.dagupanbangusfestival.com), billboards to brochures. They also redesigned the Pangasinan provincial government’s website (www.pangasinan.gov.ph) to make it more attractive and interactive.

http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/1562/pixel2.jpg
http://technology.inquirer.net/15484/young-set-invests-time-effort-in-web-design-firm

Multiply.com quits social networking

Time to transfer those photos and videos.
Mutliply.com announced on Thursday that it will stop its social networking functions in December, choosing to focus instead on its electronic commerce operations in Indonesia and the Philippines.
“From December 1st, we will unfortunately no longer be able to support Multiply in its current form - notably we will be removing the social networking and content sharing part of Multiply (photos, videos, blogs, social messaging, etc.),” Stefan Magdalinski, chief executive officer at Multiply Global, said in a statement posted on its website.
With the rise of Facebook as the dominant player in the social networking arena, Multiply had sought to differentiate itself from competitors by highlighting itself as the ‘social shopping’ hub for online marketers.
“For our existing users of social networking features, we will be providing easy ways for you to either download your stuff (photos, blogs, content, etc), or migrate it to other online services,” he noted, saying that they will announce the file migration details soon.
The eight-year-old service, which claimed to be the “biggest and beloved” e-commerce marketplace in Indonesia and the Philippines, will now focus on its e-commerce platform.
“Our singular focus now is for Multiply to retain its status as a vibrant e-commerce destination in Southeast Asia in the years ahead,” Magdalinski noted.
To gear up for the anticipated service transfer, Multiply launched last June its “Merchant Dashboard” that provides technology solutions to its online sellers.
The new feature provides detailed product listing, inventory management, and order tracking.
The website likewise put up a buyer protection program that aims to safeguard online shoppers from fraudulent merchants and scammers.
Currently, about 130,000 Multiply users in the Philippines are involved with online selling. — TJD, GMA News

http://ph.news.yahoo.com/multiply-com-quits-social-networking-105744961.html




Multiply now shares the same faith of Friendster. :ohno:

Young set invests time, effort in web design firm


http://technology.inquirer.net/15484/young-set-invests-time-effort-in-web-design-firm

my very same dream.... i just need money to start... hayzt

Multiply now shares the same faith of Friendster. :ohno:

at least multiply will be an income-generating site...

DOST withdraws support for Dept of ICT
Patrick Villavicencio, InterAksyon.com · Thursday, August 23, 2012 · 9:46 am

www.interaksyon.com/infotech/dost-withdraws-support-for-dept-of-ict

baka siguro mabawasan lalo ang budget nila. :ohno:

Website offers Filipinos chance to freelance

Freelancer.com is an online outsourcing and crowd sourcing marketplace. It works like a middleman between small and medium-sized businesses and entrepreneurs around the world who would like to increase their global labor force by bidding out projects, services and tasks.

Matt Barrie is the man behind freelancer.com. Back in 2009, he purchased a number of smaller independent sites and bundled them together to create freelancer.com.

The mother company, freelancer.com, has been rolling out regional offices across the globe to provide their services. Among the chosen region in Asia-Pacific is the Philippines.

It was in 2011 when freelancer.com.ph came to local shores. And it was eventually embraced by the millions of tech-savvy Filipinos. Through freelancer.ph, employers can hire through bidding, freelancers to do work in areas such as software, writing, data entry, and design; right through to engineering and sciences, sales and marketing, and even accounting and legal services.

Freelancer.com.ph built an identity verification system for the security of all users.

A resume must be created and it will automatically update whenever a user has successfully completed a freelance task. Registration is free but a meet-up commission of 10 percent for successful bids is collected by freelancer.com.ph.

The website’s interface was simplified in order to create a more user-friendly interaction among its users. Each user can search for a project and if it is to his or her liking, the user can bid on it.

After the bidding, the employer would then settle a milestone payment—a bond between employer and employee so that in the event of a dispute, both parties must agree to settle the said dispute before the milestone payment is released to them.

When the work is done and the employer is satisfied with the output, the user then gets paid.http://technology.inquirer.net/16450/website-offers-filipinos-chance-to-freelance

^^ Well, telecom providers such as PLDT and Globe Telecom have 3 Mbps plans but in reality their speeds usually hit less than 1 Mbps. They pretty much rip off their customers :lol:

I do agree with you on that one and not too mention that their prices is ridiculously overpriced - I was looking at their sites and 15 meg link costs around 6.3k

here in Europe you can get 30 meg link for around 3k (converted PHP).

:applause:

New law punishes hacking, online libel, Internet child porn

Philippine authorities just got more teeth against computer-related offenses such as hacking, child pornography, and even online libel, after President Aquino signed the Cybercrime Prevention law.

Defense lawyers have used the absence of a law to argue against punishing hackers and bloggers who attack the reputations of others. Turning frequent acts on the Internet into crimes is expected to make potential violators think before they click.

But at least one lawmaker has already warned that the law is a potential threat to Internet freedom and can be used to silence criticism on the web.

The new law signed by Aquino on September 12 as Republic Act 10175 also punishes cybersquatting and identity theft, according to the text of the law posted on the Official Gazette website on Saturday.

Spamming or unsolicited commercial communication is also among the offenses covered by the new law.

Those convicted of violating the law face a punishment of prision mayor or a fine of at least P200,000, or both.



Those convicted of misusing devices may face prision mayor and/or a fine of P500,000.

But if the offense is committed against a critical infrastructure, the penalty is reclusion temporal and/or a fine of at least P500,000.

On the other hand, those found guilty of child pornography will be meted a punishment one degree higher than those in the Anti-Child Pornography Act of 2009.

Also, the law mandates the creation of an Office of Cybercrime within the Department of Justice, the central authority in all matters related to international matters including extradition.

Also to be created is an inter-agency Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC), under the administrative supervision of the Office of the President.

A budget of P50 million will be appropriated annually for the implementation of the law. (http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/274167/scitech/technology/new-law-punishes-hacking-online-libel-internet-child-porn?ref=secitem)

Multiply now shares the same faith of Friendster. :ohno:

what's their religion now? :D

^^ hahaha.

May religion na ba social networking?

:applause:

New law punishes hacking, online libel, Internet child porn

(http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/274167/scitech/technology/new-law-punishes-hacking-online-libel-internet-child-porn?ref=secitem)




The only thing i agree here is child porn. But hacking and libel? Totalitarian regime!

^^ hahaha.

May religion na ba social networking?

Lugilogy





:lol::lol::lol:

:cheers:

Internet growth exceeding expectations in PH
Yahoo! Southeast Asia Newsroom
By Kim Arveen Patria | Yahoo! Southeast Asia Newsroom – Fri, Sep 7, 2012

The Philippines is among a group of countries where the growth, usefulness and impact of the World Wide Web exceeds expectations, a recent report showed.

The country placed 32nd out of 61 in the first Web Index ranking released Thursday by the World Wide Web Foundation. The group is led by British Web inventor Tim Berners-Lee.

The Web Index incorporates indicators which assess Web connectivity and infrastructure as well as its political, economic and social impact, the group said.

It added that the ranking is "meant to underscore the true criticality of the Web in improving the lives of billions of people around the world."

The Philippines posted a Web Index score of 46.81 points and ranked mid-range in all three sub-indices in the report.

It placed 33rd in terms of the Web readiness sub-index, which the report said "examines the quality and extent" of communications and institutional infrastructure.

The Philippines had the same rank in terms of the Web use and content sub-index.

It meanwhile bagged the 32nd place in terms of the impact sub-index, which accounts for social, economic and political impact.

Among Southeast Asian countries, the Philippines emerged as the second best performer, topped only by Singapore, which ranked 11th.

The Philippines fared better than Indonesia (34th), Thailand (37th), Vietnam (47th) and Bangladesh (55th).

The Philippines, along with several other countries, also "seemed to outperform in the index" relative their economic status based on per capita income, the report noted.

Ranking 43rd in terms of gross domestic product (GDP) per capita did not seem to dampen the Philppine's Web Index performance.

http://ph.news.yahoo.com/internet-growth-exceeding-expectations-in-ph.html

Kung natuloy kaya ang ZTE deal, baka mas mabilis ang internet speed natin ngayon.

I don't think so.
NBN ZTE is for government use.

:cheers:

Internet growth exceeding expectations in PH
Yahoo! Southeast Asia Newsroom
By Kim Arveen Patria | Yahoo! Southeast Asia Newsroom – Fri, Sep 7, 2012

The Philippines is among a group of countries where the growth, usefulness and impact of the World Wide Web exceeds expectations, a recent report showed.

The country placed 32nd out of 61 in the first Web Index ranking released Thursday by the World Wide Web Foundation. The group is led by British Web inventor Tim Berners-Lee.

The Web Index incorporates indicators which assess Web connectivity and infrastructure as well as its political, economic and social impact, the group said.

It added that the ranking is "meant to underscore the true criticality of the Web in improving the lives of billions of people around the world."

The Philippines posted a Web Index score of 46.81 points and ranked mid-range in all three sub-indices in the report.

It placed 33rd in terms of the Web readiness sub-index, which the report said "examines the quality and extent" of communications and institutional infrastructure.

The Philippines had the same rank in terms of the Web use and content sub-index.

It meanwhile bagged the 32nd place in terms of the impact sub-index, which accounts for social, economic and political impact.

Among Southeast Asian countries, the Philippines emerged as the second best performer, topped only by Singapore, which ranked 11th.

The Philippines fared better than Indonesia (34th), Thailand (37th), Vietnam (47th) and Bangladesh (55th).

The Philippines, along with several other countries, also "seemed to outperform in the index" relative their economic status based on per capita income, the report noted.

Ranking 43rd in terms of gross domestic product (GDP) per capita did not seem to dampen the Philppine's Web Index performance.

http://ph.news.yahoo.com/internet-growth-exceeding-expectations-in-ph.html

well, thanks to smart-pldt and globe network upgrades, PH will be more connected than before.

Anonymous Philippines has just hacked the BSP website in retaliation against the passage of the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.
http://i.imgur.com/LqNpB.jpg

Internet freedom: Phl ranks 6th
(The Philippine Star) Updated September 28, 2012 12:00 AM Comments

MANILA, Philippines - Internet use in the Philippines is among the freest in the world, according to a report of independent rights watchdog Freedom House.

An article posted on Yahoo! News yesterday said that in Freedom House’s report titled “Freedom on the Net 2012,” the Philippines was rated free, scoring 23 points.

A score of zero in the report means “most free” and 100 “least free.”

The Philippines and Italy placed sixth out of the 47 countries in the list, Yahoo! News said.

Leading the pack of the freest countries were Estonia, with a score of 10 points; US, 12 points; Germany, 15 points; Australia, 18 points; and Hungary, 19 points.

Yahoo! News said the Freedom House report also indicated that in Asia, the Philippines is the only country deemed “free.”

Considered “partly free” were South Korea and India, with 34 points and 39 points, respectively; along with Indonesia, 42 points; and Malaysia, 43 points.

http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=853617&publicationSubCategoryId=63

Rebellion via internet? Bayan slams ‘draconian’ anti-cybercrime law (http://technology.inquirer.net/17400/rebellion-via-internet-bayan-slams-draconian-anti-cybercrime-law)
By Matikas Santos
INQUIRER.net
12:47 pm | Friday, September 28th, 2012

MANILA, Philippines—“Will we now have offenses such as inciting to sedition with the aid of a computer? Or rebellion committed via the internet?”

The leftwing Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) on Friday criticized the “draconian” Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, saying it violates people’s constitutional rights.

“The new cybercrime law reeks with potential violations of our constitutional rights including our right to privacy and right against unreasonable searches and seizures,” Bayan secretary general Renato Reyes Jr. said in a statement.

“The government will now have tremendous powers, including the collection of real-time traffic data based simply on ‘due cause’, search warrants based on ‘reasonable grounds’ and not probably cause, the blocking of access to websites, and the forcible taking down of websites among others,” he said.

Reyes pointed out that provisions of the law made libel committed online a criminal offense with a heavier penalty. This was contained in the “catch-all” provision in Section 6 of the law that makes all crimes in the Revised Penal Code “if committed by, through and with the use of information and communications technologies” punishable one degree higher, Reyes said.

“Will we now have offenses such as inciting to sedition with the aid of a computer? Or rebellion committed via the internet? The potential for harassment suits against government critics is so huge under this law,” he said.

“With admissions coming from lawmakers that the law is flawed, we are confident that the people’s opposition will succeed. We urge the Supreme Court to give due course to all the petitions filed and will be filed against the draconian cybercrime law,” Reyes added.

Bayan said it would support a protest set on October 2, when the Supreme Court would hold an en banc session to tackle the issue. At least three petitions have been filed before the Supreme Court questioning the constitutionality of the law.

Senator Francis Escudero, one of the authors of the law, had admitted the “shortcomings” of the law, saying he would file an amendment to the law removing the criminal liability but retaining the civil liability.

“We are now studying filing an amendatory law even this early to repeal that provision just to be consistent with the bill that I filed in connection with libel law to impose civil, instead of criminal liability,” Escudero had said.

Anonymous Philippines has just hacked the BSP website in retaliation against the passage of the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.

Amazing! Matindi talaga mga Pinoys sa IT.

wag ka ma amaze, yun talaga trabaho nila, kung hindi secure ang website mo madaling mapasok yan.

parang eskwelahan lang yan, tadtad ng guard sa harapan, pero yung likod pala may daan na walang bantay:D

wag ka ma amaze, yun talaga trabaho nila, kung hindi secure ang website mo madaling mapasok yan.

parang eskwelahan lang yan, tadtad ng guard sa harapan, pero yung likod pala may daan na walang bantay:D

So in a way BSP website -- which you be a highly secured website -- is not secured? Whoa, so hackers can just get in and change interest rates and figures on that site. Scary premise.

Yung website nila na nahack display lang ng info, naka link sa mas secure na server, meron pa silang ibang server mas secure para sa mga critical na data.

SC defers action on petitions vs cybercrime law (http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/281390/sc-defers-action-on-petitions-vs-cybercrime-law)
By Tetch Torres
INQUIRER.net
12:46 pm | Tuesday, October 2nd, 2012

MANILA, Philippines—The implementation of Republic Act 10175, or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, will push through on Wednesday after the Supreme Court decided to defer action on various petitions questioning its constitutionality.

The high court deferred the deliberation on the controversial law due to the absence of several justices. The petitions are set to be deliberated again next Tuesday.

Only three of the justices who were absent were named. They are Associate Justices Lucas Bersamin, Diosdado Peralta and Mariano Del Castillo, who are all abroad on official business.

So far, seven petitions from various organizations have been filed with the high court, all claiming that several provisions of the Cybercrime Prevention Act violates the 1987Constitution specifically those on freedom of speech, equal protection of the law, right to privacy, illegal searches and seizures, double jeopardy, and libel.