ZALORA Online Retail NOW OPEN in the Philippines
Posted by Jayvee Fernandez at February 29th, 2012
Word is out on the street that ZALORA is launching in the Philippines. And it looks like the rumors are true. Like Zappos, ZALORA is fashion retail done online focusing on Asian markets like Malaysia and the Philippines. And guess what, the Philippines store is now open! Zalora is powered by the guys from rather controversial Rocket Internet. These are the ones who created Pinspire, which is very similar to Pinterest in order to appeal to regional markets.
Payment methods include VISA, Mastercard, Paypal, BDO and more. The items are delivered via LBC.
Is the Philippines ready for online retail? The answer is a big resounding YES! Multiply stores, eBay, Express Regalo and Amazon have been the front act for online retail in the Philippines. With more and more payment methods being accepted apart from credit cards, online retail brings the convenience of shopping to your computer. Yes, there’s always that natural high brought about by window shopping, but shopping online beats the long lines.
From their About Page:
ZALORA is an online fashion retailer in the Philippines. It is part of the largest online platform retailers in Southeast Asia. We are working with the best international and local suppliers, distributors and retailers to bring the major fashion brands to the online Philippine market.
Links you need to know
Site: ZALORA.com.ph
Twitter: @ZALORAPH
Facebook: facebook.com/ZALORAPH
Hotline: +632.531.0373
Samsung congratulates SMART for LTE Networks at Mobile World Congress 2012 ;)
Posted by Jayvee Fernandez at February 29th, 2012Straight from the camera of Jim Ayson, here’s a rather interesting video he took of a Samsung ad on the bridgeway of the convention center for Mobile World Congress 2012. It’s been a year since I was last in Barcelona for the Netphone launch and seeing these photos and videos brings about a tech nostalgia that only a geek can get lucid on.
Congratulations to Rico and Diana!
Posted by Jayvee Fernandez at February 28th, 2012
Last Saturday, one of my dearest childhood friends tied the knot with his college sweetheart. Congratulations, Rico and Diana!
Boostcase doubles iPhone 4 / 4s battery life in a most elegant fashion
Posted by Jayvee Fernandez at February 23rd, 2012
OK guys, if you’re reading this post it means that you most probably own a sexy iPhone 4 or 4s. You’ve made love to it, cradled it in your pocket for days, and have sworn everything to it. You tell everyone how beautiful a phone you have and yes you can even take it underwater. But, deep down, there is this one dark secret that you feel embarrassed about and it becomes a frustration which you try to justify every day: that your iPhone 4s has really crappy battery life. Take it out at 9AM and you’re down to 50% battery after lunch. Sucks doesn’t it?
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Borderlands 2 Trailer: Best cell shading I’ve seen (also 96% more dubstep!)
Posted by Jayvee Fernandez at February 23rd, 2012Saw this today. And it’s still months away from September 2012. Impressive.
There is signal underwater! Hands on with the Patima iPhone 4s UW Housing
Posted by Jayvee Fernandez at February 20th, 2012
Photo above: That’s me, doing extreme camwhoring! Shot by Boogs Rosales.
EDIT: Since the new iOS 5.1 update that changes the way users access the camera from the lock screen, Patima is releasing an adapter that will allow you to continue using the iPhone4s as intended underwater.
Some time ago I got word of a pretty little item that would amaze SCUBA divers and iPhone users. Made in Korea, the Patima underwater housing could withstand pressures up to 300 meters deep. That’s almost 1,000 feet and way way beyond recreational depths. Well I finally got the chance to try it out thanks to Jovic of Splash UW Imaging. Before I continue, note that I am not affiliated with Splash UW Imaging in any way nor do I get anything from the sales of this product.
Let’s begin!
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I really just have to get this out: Star Trek / Dr Who Crossover by IDW
Posted by Jayvee Fernandez at February 17th, 2012
My geeky brain is exploding (like right now) because I can’t contain the excitement! This isn’t the first time Star Trek had a crossover series. But Dr. Who.. well that’s something else!
And they’re both English. 
March 2012.
My (Growing) iOS Board Game Collection
Posted by Jayvee Fernandez at February 17th, 2012
Last week, I met up with my staple group of high school friends who play board games semi-regularly. And one of them was really surprised to see me with an iPhone 4s when I swore by my Android-powered Galaxy S II last year (LOL!).
Well I still have my S II and would never trade it off. I feel that for PIM and multitasking, it’s hands-down Android. They have better means to help you stay productive on the cloud. Despite Apple’s iCloud, I don’t feel it as much (unless if you probably own several iDevices). But because Android is powered by Google and Google has just become so ubiquitous, you can’t go wrong.
There is ONE thing that Android doesn’t have though. And it’s a huge collection of board game ports into iOS. I’m not referring to Monopoly or Scrabble. Or Words with Friends. I’m talking about the geekier ones you can find on Board Game Geek which are so hard to come by locally. On iOS, a huge chunk of these titles are readily available for a fraction of the price. With multiplayer online support via GameCenter.
Here’s a roster of some of my growing collection above:
Hive Online – A hex based strategy game where you need to surround your opponent’s Queen Bee.It’s kinda like Chess.
Carcassone – A classic tile-based kingdom builder that has become one of the pillars of Euro-themed board games.
Ticket to Ride – Another classic. It’s fairly simple to play: each team has to build the longest railway system. You get points for completing train routes. It was free for some time.
Bang! The Bullet HD – This is one of my all-time favorite card games (featured back in 2010). One sheriff, two deputies, one renegade, and three outlaws. The twist is that the roles are hidden from all players except the identity of the sheriff. Game ends when the sheriff and his deputies kill the outlaws or vice versa. The “renegade” wild card wins if he’s the last man standing.
Kard Kombat – From Richard Garfield, the creator of Magic: The Gathering. It’s Mortal Kombat .. with cards. Sort of.
Ascension – One of the world’s most popular deck building games similar to Dominion and Thunderstone.
Caylus – A popular Kingdom builder Euro-themed game, Caylus is a race to build and expand King Philip the Fair’s castle and make France strong!
Puerto Rico HD – Puerto Rico is still newly discovered and it’s your job to dominate the island. This is a popular role-playing board game that’s also kingdom-builder themed.
Neuroshima Hex – A hex based sci-fi combat game that’s honestly a lot more fun than Hive Online.
7 Wonders Scorer – This is a scoring app for 7 Wonders, a board game that is coming soon to iOS!
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Are any of you guys fond of board games? The experience of playing with cardboard vs digital is very different, but one thing’s for sure — the digital version beats cleaning up afterwards!
Any other games to recommend?
Outbreak Manila: A 5k run I would join
Posted by Jayvee Fernandez at February 16th, 2012Similar to the US-based Run for Your Lives 5k zombie infested obstacle course, Outbreak Manila is a 5k thematic race where you can either role play as a survivor or a zombie. The race has goals: survivors will have 3 red flags attached onto their person. In turn, zombies must grab the flags. Once a runner has run out of flags, his brains are eaten. Figuratively of course.
The race will be held in Nuvali. For more details, check out:
Facebook: Outbreak Manila
Twitter: @OutbreakManila
Website: www.outbreakmanila.com
P50.00 a day can get you a Netbook and Home Internet
Posted by Jayvee Fernandez at February 14th, 2012Yesterday we asked you how far your P50.00 a day could go. We mostly talked about apps you can download from the iTunes store but really, an app is an app … is an app! So the word’s out today. The PLDT-Smart group have released a new home office promo which sounds mighty attractive: for PHP 50.00 a day you can get WiMax in your home plus a Neo Netbook.
Here are the plans:
PHP 999 Canopy / Wimax + PHP 500 = Php 1,499 / mo for a Neo Netbook
PHP 999 Canopy / Wimax + PHP 800 = Php 1,799 / mo for an Acer Netbook
For more details you can follow @PLDThome on Twitter and check out their unlimited Internet + Netbook bundle.
This is a steal if you’re really on a budget but need to get a home workstation going as soon as possible. We have no word about the exact model of the netbooks but I will surmise that it is probably one of these. I have had the opportunity to review Neo-branded netbooks and generally speaking, they perform at par with other brands. You also get that added patriotic flag for choosing Pinoy-made!
Do yourself a favor: if you think this this promo is epic, do inquire first about the signal strength in your area. At everything constant, the 2Mbps signal is pretty stable and enough to get you through all your Internet needs.
N.B. PLDT is an advertiser on this blog.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Posted by Jayvee Fernandez at February 14th, 2012
To the younger readers, you probably may not remember this but back in the days when the Sony Walkman was the portable music player to have, it had one particular feature that trumped any other portable device. Yes even the iPod. At that time, carrying around a Walkman enabled you to “share music” but in a way different from how we share music today.
You see, the original Walkman came with two mini headphone jacks, allowing you and a friend to listen to the same music, out of the box. Of course, nowadays you can always buy a third party splitter for your 3.5mm headphone jack, but I was quite glad to find this feature being brought back with the set of Fanny Wang’s sitting on my desk. Aside from being epic noise-canceling over ears, it comes with a splitter so you can share your music with another person sitting beside you. Romantic!
Isn’t that such a romantic thing? You and a special someone can listen to the same music without getting all awkward with a single set of headphones.
Happy Valentine’s Day, dear readers! Full review soon!
