Smart Online Store: iPhone4s delivered to your home

Posted by Jayvee Fernandez at January 10th, 2012

SMART Communications recently launched their online store. The deal here is that you can order your iPhone4s (+ other devices) without having to wait in line. In the case of the iPhone, you can choose your color and capacity then have it delivered to your place. This applies to prepaid purchases. Free delivery until June 30 2012.

No to Mining in Palawan Online Signature Campaign (YES to Tourism!)

Posted by Jayvee Fernandez at January 5th, 2012

This is very timely especially since the Philippines is re-launching its new tourism campaign. I am not against mining per se, but mining in an archipelago — one of the centers of the world’s biodiversity — is like taking away our core competence when in fact eco-tourism is so scarce nowadays we’re one of the few countries that the world is willing to spend $$$ on to get here. And when I say “here” it’s not Manila. It’s the islands.

What happens to the signatures? It will be sent to PNOY as they finalize the deliberations for the future of the economy. If you’re pro-tourism, then the Philippines has a special type of tourism tied to its environment.

Add yourr name here if you believe in it.

Startups and the Road to Perdition?

Posted by Jayvee Fernandez at January 3rd, 2012

Ages ago there was a little service called Animoto that offered to make magic out of your photos turning them into ready-made professional videos. “Professional” was the operative word and they delivered. And then Apple ruined the fun by making iMovie (and yes even iPhoto) more interesting with new effects, taking something that was cloud based and turning it into a desktop app. When you’re dealing with a lot of photos, we can forget the cloud for a while.

And Microsoft’s in it too. Ever tried their new versions of Movie Maker? It’s mind blowing as well.

There’s nothing wrong with services like Animoto. In fact, startups like these make the Internet awesome. But what happens when the big boys copy these amazing ideas and incorporate them into their already existing services? For one, they scale better. I used to have a one year free service at Animoto and now my account has been severely crippled into a 30 second teaser. Not with iMovie on the Mac. They both have drag + drop functionality and they both can end up on YouTube. One is just, free. Forever.

And it is things like these that make me wish services like YouSendIt or Dropbox continue to offer amazing services for free (no payment tiers) because they don’t need to scale. But they do and that, I guess, is the road to startup perdition.

Photos used are from the 2012 AXE Cream Ball to celebrate the Final Edition. It’s the new gold one you can find in stores. It smells epic.

Turn your Facebook profile into an emoticon; amaze your friends!

Posted by Jayvee Fernandez at December 28th, 2011

Wanna see something cool? First, try chatting with someone. Anyone. Via Facebook chat. Do this through the desktop. It doesn’t work when using Facebook Messenger for mobile.

Then, insert the Facebook profile name of anyone using this [[insert name here]] variable. For instance [[jayveefernandez]]. Press enter. If no profile name is available, use the number ID of your friend’s page. Remember, use the profile name stated in the Facebook address, not the first + last name. So if mine was facebook.com/jayveefernandez then the ID is [[jayveefernandez]].

Amaze your friends!

[image via Mashable]

In next 10 years every home will have a 3D printer giving rise to modern day blacksmiths

Posted by Jayvee Fernandez at September 27th, 2011

I strongly feel that in more ways than one, humanity had been trained for over three decades in the art of the sandbox — designing their own little worlds in the confines of video games and editing tools on the computer. Call it divine preparation. Call it some sort of premonition of things to come. Even call it an accident. Whatever it may be, it is apparent that man will always long to expand the realm of his imagination into something more and more tangible.

So take for instance video games such as Little Big Planet, Minecraft, The Sims and The Incredible Machine that all allow you to create your own little worlds. From the virtual dollhouses of The Sims to the virtual cities of SIM City. From the text-based storytelling of Sierra to scripted cinematics found in the Half-Life series. This is man punching a hole through the roof to see the cosmos of progress.

I predict in the next 5-10 years that there will be a big shift in the consumer paradigm. Customer is king these days, but I’m talking about something totally different. I’m talking about the stuff only science fiction can bring to your doorstep, such as the replicators from Star Trek.

In the near future, every home will have a large format 3D printer. It will print tools. It will print furniture. It will even print your car. Every home will need to stock on a supply of raw material, resin perhaps for most but there will be a number of compounds (in powdered form) which homes can utilize for the creation of their little sandbox reality.

This eco-friendly car was printed using a 3D printer. At least most of it.

“Goodbye hardware store. I can print all my tools.”

In the same way that the Internet and social media gave rise to new jobs we’ve never heard of before, the large format 3D printing industry will give rise to new jobs in the creative sphere. Where before, creativity was mostly limited to the expression of art, this creativity found in the depths of Minecraft level designers and gaming engine moders can be directly applied to the real world. In printed form.

I see an economic shift as hardware stores may actually become a thing of the past and we will in some way go back to medieval times and have our wrench made from “Steve” three blocks away because he developed a really amazing schematic which he shares online. And he gets a cut whenever the schematic is downloaded.

They are our modern day blacksmiths, working not with their hands but with the machinations that occur in their minds. And the world will once again give rise to craftsmen and artisans.

Hello there. Are you looking for work?

Posted by Jayvee Fernandez at September 26th, 2011

Hello there. Are you looking for work? Are you looking forward to a career in a not-so-BPO setting?

Do you want to have a commanding view of the entire Fort Global City while you plot for world domination?

Do you want to work in an office that only uses Mac OS?

Do you want a competitive salary that’s higher than your typical BPO?

Also, do you want lampshades that look like dangling balls?

If so, why not check TxVia at the Fort Global City!

TxVia is a global company specializing in providing platforms for payment gateways. If, say, WordPress, Blogspot or Tumblr are platforms for sharing thoughts and photos, TxVia builds platforms for prepaid card systems for Visa, Mastercard and the like. The work is actually pretty interesting. Since they’re relatively new in the Philippines, it will be easy to forge a career path with them whether you’re from the BPO industry or a financial analyst.

They need everyone. BUT, If you’re a developer, they are actually looking for FRESH java developers who can be trained to use their proprietary language after 3 weeks of training.

You can leave your resume at:

Address
Picadilly Star Building
Bonifacio Global City
Taguig

or email them at:

Jobsph@txvia.com

Save paper; Get your SMART bills electronically

Posted by Jayvee Fernandez at September 13th, 2011

Just a friendly PSA for fellow SMART subscribers. Did you know that you could view your SMART bills online? That would mean not having to wait for the courier to deliver your bills AND you get to save paper! The service works for both prepaid and postpaid services and you can have multiple numbers and services linked up to one account. If you were using a service called Web Connect before, well, consider this the v 2.0 of the system. It works pretty well!

This is my mobile number linked up to the service. You will need to have your cell number and account number to register a number with the service. A SMS is sent to your phone to confirm validity so you will also need to have your phone with you.

http://my.smart.com.ph

SendMoNowNa.com: A Pinoy YouSendIt =)

Posted by Jayvee Fernandez at August 10th, 2011

UPDATE: Just found out who runs the site. It’s good to know that SendMoNowNa is actually being run by three good friends from the industry — Raffy and Sara of Globedez and l33t web designer Jec of Bayan who helped me out long ago with a podcast series. Good to know that the site is under trusted hands.

I use YouSendIt and Dropbox a lot for sending and sharing huge files. Good to know that there’s a local “version” of this file sharing service called Send Mo Now Na! I love it! Clean interface, Facebook login integration (FB login fixed!), free and paid plans, and a 30 day validity for files to share. It’s actually a decent replacement/complement to YouSendIt as the latter now limits file sizes and only stores links for 7 days. At least Send Mo Now Na stores it for 30!

If you’re wondering what the difference is between the paid plan and free plan is:

With a Premium Account you can download without any wait times and limits.
Your Premium SendMoNowNa account also allows you to upload to 5 files at the same time.
SendMoNowNa also becomes advertising free once you log-in.

Check it out!

Facebook bans ‘Like’ campaigns

Posted by Jayvee Fernandez at May 30th, 2011

For those unaware, Facebook updated their Promotional Guidelines early this month. Here it is.

“You must not use Facebook features or functionality as a promotion’s registration or entry mechanism. For example, the act of liking a Page or checking in to a Place cannot automatically register or enter a promotion participant.”

What this means is that you cannot use features such as Likes, checking in using FB Places, and tagging a photo as part of contest mechanics. Furthermore, contests should be run using an App. Check out Woobox or Wildfire for your promo needs. On a more interesting note, I’ve heard that the DTI is actually enforcing this.

Can I just say .. THANK YOU LORD! These Like campaigns are really annoying.

Breaking: Android Paid Apps now available in the Philippines via Mastercard and VISA

Posted by Jayvee Fernandez at May 13th, 2011

Exciting. This news is so exciting, I decided to post the full press release. Thanks to Aileen Apolo, Ms. Google Earth Philippines for sending this over. If you own an Android phone, this is all the more reason to keep it. I can finally buy the full license of ROBO DEFENSE!!!!

TL;DR: Paid Android apps can now be bought in the Philippines via VISA and Mastercard

FULL PRESS RELEASE:

Google expands support for paid Android apps to consumers in the Philippines

(Manila, Philippines, May 12, 2011) – Today Google announced that Android Market will increase consumer access and developer support for paid applications in several new countries, including the Philippines. Consumers from 99 new countries will be able to purchase apps from Android Market. This latest expansion of Android Market means more applications — including games, social, and productivity apps — for consumers.

The number of countries where Android users can purchase priced apps will increase to 131 including the addition of the Philippines. Consumers from these newly supported countries will now have access to over 200,000 free and paid apps in Android Market, which they can access directly from their Android-powered device. Apps will be priced in US Dollars, and can be bought through Google Checkout, which supports local Mastercard and Visa credit cards.

Android Market was launched to help developers distribute mobile applications on a level playing field, while enabling users to find and download apps that leverage the unique capabilities of the Android platform. Google is pleased to announce the expansion of Android Market’s offerings in these additional countries to deliver more apps for more people.

About Google Inc.
Google’s innovative search technologies connect millions of people around the world with information every day. Founded in 1998 by Stanford Ph.D. students Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Google today is a top Web property in all major global markets. Google’s targeted advertising program provides businesses of all sizes with measurable results, while enhancing the overall Web experience for users. Google is headquartered in Silicon Valley with offices throughout the Americas, Europe, and Asia. For more information, visit www.google.com.ph.

Topshop uses Microsoft Kinect as virtual fitting room

Posted by Jayvee Fernandez at May 13th, 2011

No it isn’t Topshop Philippines. This is in Russia. But the concept of an augmented reality fitting room should not be too hard to implement because one half of the concept is already there — the Kinect hardware! All you need to do is find someone to write the software. Because of the long lines in fitting rooms (mostly in stores for women — the men get the comfortable couches though!), shoppers can pass the time by fitting the latest collection in all it’s augmented glory. ANd it works for everything. Not just clothes. But bags, shoes, food …

Looking to spice up your next in-store campaign? This is worth exploring.