How Magnum Stole My Innocence

Posted by Jayvee Fernandez at March 23rd, 2012

Sorry. No need to post a photo of that ice cream here because you all know what it looks like, thanks to the Internet.

I’m here to share a story. And some thoughts.

That Magnum ice cream in the Philippines is not new. I’ve been eating that for dessert for more than two years and the brand should be familiar to others (as from what I see on Twitter) because small grocery stores would carry it straight from other countries. Heck, Magnum was even around when I was in middle school (this product was released in the early 90′s). I would delight in it because there was a particular way I would eat it — since it had a thick layer of chocolate, I’d strip the bar naked of its chocolate covering then attack the ice cream proper and this feat of dexterity would perhaps be 80% of the novelty as to why I enjoyed eating it. I bought it for PHP 30.00 – PHP 35.00 if I remember correctly.

Fast forward to today. So I was out of the social media scene for about 2 weeks (I was busy getting married!). A few days before I went dark, I noticed a number of people post photos of a familiar ice cream brand on Instagram. I was delighted to hear that the product was now available locally (there was no doubt in my mind it was exactly the one I’d always get) so I nonchalantly went to 7-Eleven and bought one. It tasted exactly the same. And it was delightful. And I would think nothing about it afterwards. Why? Because it’s freakin’ ice cream, dude!

Whenever I walk into a 7-Eleven these days, I feel like all eyes are watching as I make my way to the freezer to grab a few bars to stock in my fridge at home. I open Twitter, and people are talking about it like it’s the worst thing ever made. Like how it’s a rip off. Like how Cornetto or Pinipig Crunch is much better. Frankly, I don’t care: on some days I want Cornetto. Other days I want Magnum. Sometimes I don’t have ice cream because I just had coffee. It’s the rewards of democracy that allows me to make mundane decisions like this everyday.

I want to enjoy my bar of ice cream in peace and not be subject to the amalgamated opinions of social media judging my every bite. And that blissful innocence was stolen, just recently.

Streetfood Tycoon: Local iOS game allows you to control your own Jolly Jeep

Posted by Jayvee Fernandez at March 22nd, 2012

[Download Streetfood Tycoon for iOS -- FREE]

I’ve known Erick Garayblas since my “way back” days in the old MaPalad.org and Pinoy Windows Mobile forum groups. Back then, he was already rocking the mobile gaming scene with hits like Traffic Jam and the highly addicting Tower Mogul that ran on both the Palm OS and Windows Mobile, the top two “advanced” mobile platforms at that time.

Just yesterday, Erick released another home-grown game for iOS under his new development house, Kuyi Mobile. Streetfood Tycoon is a strangely addicting “Jolly Jeep” simulator where you have to fulfill orders from walk-in customers by combining ingredients in the right order. Other than the time limit given to complete each order, you have to deal with restocking your ingredients, upgrading your facilities and buying better ingredients.
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Samsung announces Viki Premiere: All-Asian Telenovelas Download Service

Posted by Jayvee Fernandez at March 20th, 2012

I read an article yesterday about how the Philippines (as well as other countries in Asia) are pushing for an All-Asean VISA pass for foreigners. It’s similar to a Schengen VISA, but applied to Asia so that it unites then entire Asia in terms of tourism. After reading this, I hopped on to another announcement that’s in a different field altogether but still relevant by principle.

Last week at the Samsung SEA Forum, our very own Ariel Arias announced a new line of SMART TV’s (and I really feel bad because it renders my two 40″ Samsung SMART TV’s obsolescent!) but alongside this he also announced a new service called Viki Premiere which will debut in South East Asia. Essentially, Viki premiere is a subscription-based service exclusive to Samsung allowing all Asean neighbors to download and watch each other’s popular “Jewel in the Palace” tele-novelas (Korean, Filipino, Chinese, etc) and they will have respective subtitles and / or dubbing in each country’s language.

Why is this epic?

• It is a powerful statement to go for digital downloads. The Philippines (and the rest of Asia) absolutely needs its own digital distribution system for music, movies and other forms of entertainment. We can’t default to iTunes because they have Western-focused content. What about Asia?
• It is contextually brilliant as it brings together the rich pop culture of all the nations in South East Asia, pushing them to compare, improve and discuss their shows in a one stop digital platform.
• Because digital distribution is sexy

Although they didn’t go into detail about how this will work, it appears that the service will be tied into their new line of SMART TV’s (I’m not sure if the previous models will be able to avail of the upgrade but theoretically, they should). In addition, Samsung has revamped its AllShare platform turning it into its own Cloud-based sync platform. This allows you to sync content between your SMART TV, Galaxy phones and tablets.

Parting shot: World Domination.

Real or Fake: Pirate Bay announces it will start hosting using low orbit servers

Posted by Jayvee Fernandez at March 19th, 2012

Say what you want about software pirates but you cannot deny the fact that software piracy is building the future of computing tomorrow, today. Think of the most popular application for distributing your movies and music — torrents — and how it is being used to share information in the most convenient way possible. My take on piracy has always been a functional one more than a financial one: i don’t mind paying for my media. What I don’t mind is the hassle of going through hell just to install something i legitimately bought.

Today. the Pirate Bay has once again taken computing to the next level. They are set to be using drones to hover their servers in the air:

TPB LOSS

We were down a few hours earlier today. There’s no need to worry, we haven’t been raided this time. We’re only upgrading stuff since we’re still growing.

One of the technical things we always optimize is where to put our front machines. They are the ones that re-direct your traffic to a secret location. We have now decided to try to build something extraordinary.

With the development of GPS controlled drones, far-reaching cheap radio equipment and tiny new computers like the Raspberry Pi, we’re going to experiment with sending out some small drones that will float some kilometers up in the air. This way our machines will have to be shut down with aeroplanes in order to shut down the system. A real act of war.

We’re just starting so we haven’t figured everything out yet. But we can’t limit ourselves to hosting things just on land anymore. These Low Orbit Server Stations (LOSS) are just the first attempt. With modern radio transmitters we can get over 100Mbps per node up to 50km away. For the proxy system we’re building, that’s more than enough.

But when time comes we will host in all parts of the galaxy, being true to our slogan of being the galaxy’s most resilient system. And all of the parts we’ll use to build that system on will be downloadable.

Low Orbit Server Stations. That’s mind-blowing. Is this an early April Fool’s joke or a lot of amazing technology at work (for those curious, this is done via Magnet Links) to prove a point about the free Internet?

Look what just finished downloading!

Posted by Jayvee Fernandez at March 18th, 2012

Total File Size: 7.6GB
Launch Date: May 15 2012

You can pre-purchase the game as early as now in time for the launch in about 2 months.

Thoughts on the Samsung Galaxy Beam: Android Phone with Built-in Projector

Posted by Jayvee Fernandez at March 16th, 2012

I really want this phone to fly. Well, if not the phone, then at least the concept of adding a 15-lumen projector to a smartphone, in the same way that cameras and GPS are now built into your mobile, it doesn’t get highlighted as a main selling point, but as a staple in handheld devices. Imagine the following scenarios:

• an artist (in this case an independent film maker) wants to show off his new movie via an impromptu screening in a public area. All you need is a wall and the requirement that the movie be no longer than 2 hours (that’s the battery life of the phone when you turn on the projector)
• Protest rallies .. you can easily set up a multimedia hub
• Impromptu statements, which, although highly controversial can really serve its purpose: “Eat here!” or “Don’t eat here — service really bad!”

Marketers have been consistently trying to find more ways to bring together the Internet and real-world behavior. With “social” and “sharing” becoming the buzz of the industry the past few years, how would retailers feel if you could literally write something on their store wall, and not just on Facebook?

The Samsung Galaxy Beam boasts a decent spec sheet for a modern-day smartphone: ships with Android 2.3 Gingerbread, 4″ WVGA display, and runs on a 1GHz dual-core processor. The Beam is their first projector-enabled smartphone (640 x 360 at 50 inches maximum size) at 15 lumens. It doesn’t perform very well during daylight but at night, it can definitely grab your attention.

Installing PC Games: Then and Now

Posted by Jayvee Fernandez at March 16th, 2012

Huge, huge realization about the PC gaming industry today. You see, I finally found the time to install Mass Effect 3 for the PC. Yup, you read it right. You actually need to dedicate time to installing it as if it were a chore. If the multiplayer wasn’t so epic, I would have thrown a fit.

Here’s why:

Installing Games Before:

1. Buy the retail box
2. Insert disc into PC
3. Install the game
4. Play the game

Installing Games Today:

1. Pre-order the game to get exclusive in-game bonuses
2. Buy the game (either from the retail store or via digital download)
3. Insert disc into PC (if retail copy)
4. Install Download Client (EA uses Origin) by downloading it (you NEED Internet)
5. Figure out if Origin carries over from previous EA Account
6. Retrieve old password from EA Account
7. Install the game
8. Download the patch fixes
9. Retrieve pre-order rewards via DLC
10. Purchase Day 1 DLC that DID NOT come free with the game, yet still very important because it contains a huge crux of the game’s lore
11. Download 500+ MB of data for update
12. Play the game

I mean, WTF right? I’m all for giving money to the gaming industry but I can really understand why people pirate games. It isn’t just about not being able to afford an original copy, but also about how bootleg versions don’t put you through such a tedious process.

Live from the SEA Samsung Forum 2012 in Bangkok

Posted by Jayvee Fernandez at March 15th, 2012

Hi guys! We’re here in Bangkok for the annual Samsung Forum for South East Asia. What exactly is it? Every year, Samsung brings together all its regional dealers and the media together for several days of product announcements and briefings. The PH contingent is composed of about 100+ members from Samsung, the local media (print + online) and the store dealers. This year, the focus of the announcements will be in new AV products (will we see the SMART Window?). I’m particularly excited because this also means looking at updates for their SMART TV line which is getting more and more interesting with more things to do under the hood. Will they announce new software updates to their TV line? What about new home theater systems? Android ICS updates? Stay tuned!

For updates during the day (March 15 2012), I will be posting from both Twitter and Instagram with omnibus blog posts wrapping up the day with analysis and summaries.

You can follow me via Twitter (@jayvee) and if you’re on Instagram simply look for @jayveef for photo updates. Stay tuned! It starts in a few hours!

Finally! A commercial that captures SMART’s Brand Equity

Posted by Jayvee Fernandez at March 11th, 2012

I’ve been a loyal SMART subscriber for more than 8 long years and I’ve always seen them as the better network (which is also why I chose to work with them). This commercial finally captures their brand equity.

I wouldn’t have stuck with them for this long if their service was crap.

Lenovo A335: Dual SIM, Custom Background Sounds for PHP 2,490.00

Posted by Jayvee Fernandez at March 5th, 2012

Let’s go on low gear for a bit and talk about feature phones. The Lenovo A335 is a feature phone (OMG it’s not a smartphone!) that carries dual SIM features, camera, MP3 player and a 1700mAh battery that will last you more than 2 days.

But its best feature is the customized ambient sounds that is built into the phone. When you’re talking to someone, you can .. well.. fabricate your whereabouts. From being in transit on the MRT to being on a bike or a restaurant. And you can even add your own. Like .. if you’re talking to your loved one, have the sound of wedding bells in the background! O diba!
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Beyond the Box now open 24 hours on weekends for emergency gadget purchases

Posted by Jayvee Fernandez at March 2nd, 2012

We have 24-hour convenience stores and 24-hour fast food chains. But sometimes, because our lives are so intertwined with technology we sometimes NEED to find a new laptop before the start of a new day. Or an iPad. Or a charger for your MacBook (because the old one broke while you were burning the midnight oil). Or a replacement battery.

Well just so you know, the flagship store of Beyond the Box is open 24 hours on weekends and until 12 midnight on weekdays. BTW this will last till the end of summer but who knows, if there is demand for this place to stay open at 4AM, then hopefully Charlie will keep these store hours.

The Beyond the Box flagship store is located in One Rockwell. If you haven’t been there, it’s not exactly in the mall. It’s a street cross away and can be found near Wine Story and right beside the new Apartment 1B.