m|PH: Tech to Go
Today we shot the cover for the next ish of Mobile Philippines. On the cover is Bubbles Paraiso.
What makes this particular shoot a little special for me is that Bubbles used to be my student when I taught NSTP for one semester back in UA&P.
Here’s a little teacher-student moment behind the scenes.
The finished product can be viewed over here. MPH, now known as Mobile Philippines is part of the Top 10 Technology Magazines in the Philippines according to a recent Synovate Survey.
New name. New look. More fun, geeky stuff inside. Welcome to transition phase one as we move on to leverage this magazine’s potential.
Holy cow it’s out! Wait, how come the name is different? Well technically it’s not. Part of our efforts to make the magazine more recognizable is to expand the name of m|PH to its full name which is Mobile Philippines. When we came out three years ago, a bunch of folks thought we were a car magazine, for obvious reasons. Three years later, we’re still that same mag on tech you can take with you – but this time more visible, wittier, and we’ve become the preferred read for the geek community. Thank you for three years of support and we sincerely hope that you’ll accompany us on our geeky journey for several more.
I had the chance to interview one of the newest writers for m|PH. His name is Hondo Vicente. His work has been around for the past two months, spanning reviews of the Sony Ericsson W550i and the Motorola RAZR V3i. He also helps with the on-location WiFi hotspot shoots.
Jayvee: How long have you been in the tech scene?
Hondo: Not too long ago. I learned a lot about tech from my master. He’s always in front of the computer. Sometimes I try to make pa-cute so he will notice me but he seems to be too engrossed with what he’s doing. So what I do is put my paws on the keyboard and try to mess up whatever he’s typing.
Hondo spending some quality time with tech assistant editor Eva Gubat. He is her favorite writer.
Jayvee: What do you do during your spare time?
Hondo: Apart from running around in the garden and playing with my collection of toy balls, I’m usually asleep or eating. Between chasing the stray cat and my daily 7:00 pm walk, I can be found on the rug drafting my plans for the new democracy.
Jayvee: Tell me something that a lot of people don’t know about you.
Hondo: Contrary to how most people see me, I’m actually a dog.
Jayvee: Are you happy with your life?
Hondo: Yes I am. There are a lot of things to look forward to. I consider myself pretty accomplished for my state of being. I mean, I’m a dog, dude. Name me other dogs that write reviews for a gadget magazine.
Jayvee: Who are your idols?
Hondo: There’s Scooby Doo, Barkley from Sesame Street and Pluto.
Jayvee: If you had one wish that you could make come true, what would it be?
Hondo: World peace.
Photos by Rikki
Well, it’s here! A few days shy of Labor Day and right on schedule, this issue of m|PH will be the most memorable one in our collection. That’s because something really interesting is happening next month in time for the magazine’s third year in the business.
So if you do get to grab a copy, try to grab an extra one – and laminate it or something. Maybe even turn it into bronze. Because by June, big things will come in small packages.
m|PH, the most visible home-grown magazine on mobile technology is now available in newsstands for the month of May. The jaw-dropping Kelly Misa graces the cover, making her every midsummer geek’s dream.
Travel photography is this month’s focus feature so whip out those cameras and learn a thing or two from the country’s most talented photographers – the young and restless Jake Verzora, the eccentric Andy Maluche, the fabulous Dominque James, and other talented shutterbugs like Kai Huang, Toto Labrador and Chad Samaniego. This month’s issue is also jam-packed with information on understanding the rudiments of operating your professional camera to making a do-it-yourself lens cleaning lab.
Because summer travel is in, m|PH takes a look at the WiFi scene in Cebu. Gadget reviews are abundant as the editors and team of writers showcase the new Motorola RAZR V3i, the 3G capable Nokia 6280, the powerhouse Nokia N80, and the travel-friendly Siemens ME75. There are a lot of notebooks in season this summer including the Fujitsu C1321 and the Sony VAIO TX27GP. Some cameras featured in this issue include the BenQ DC C500 and the Sony Cybershot DSC R1.
m|PH, which stands for Mobile Philippines, is a monthly publication geared towards the Filipino who is always on the go. Faithful readers have always described m|PH as the most informative and engaging among all the technology magazines because of its tongue-in-cheek humor and three years of credibility. m|PH is available at all news stands and technology hubs for just P80.00 per issue.
You can check out the mag’s content here.
As reprinted in my m|PH March 2006 issue column titled The Prodigal Screen Protector and Other Bedtime Stories
There are those rare moments when the demo unit reveals all
There’s a reason why I love reviewing phones for m|PH. In the beginning I ‘d choose to review phones for the pure sake of gadget bliss. Lately however, I’ve wanted to get the last dib on mobile phones, from the long line of people from the press and the rest of the local tech community. You heard that right. I like being the last person to review a press unit. But why, pray tell am I so excited to get the tail end of this month’s tech?
The answer is quite simple – because I like counting on the fact that Filipinos are too lazy to reset devices back to factory settings. Most people think that once they let go of a unit, it will auto-reset itself erasing whatever evidence they left behind.
Evidence may include text messages in the inbox and sent folder, names and contact numbers of loved ones, videos and pictures if the phone happens to have a camera. If I were an ass, I could think of a hundred ways to have fun with these people. If.
On several occasions I get tech feedback from writers from other magazines. I remember the time when one of our editors was fiddling around with a certain mobile phone just last year. True enough there remained some text messages that formed part of a conversation between the previous user and someone who was asking feedback. “Dud, iksi ng battery nya†(‘the phone has a short battery life’) was the first message I read. Thanks for the feedback, Mr. Anonymous.
There was another time in 2004 when I kept a certain handheld device for a couple of weeks. Because it was a PDA-phone, it had an almost unlimited amount of space for messages. As a bonus, I had a ball reading the text conversation between two lovers. I had found out that the guy, perhaps from the media, had no time for his girlfriend. The girlfriend, insecure most likely, would ask him to send pictures from the phone just to prove that the guy was still at work burning the midnight oil, and not with friends. Alas, the trials and tribulations of young love.
Sometimes though I find interesting gems – like familiar numbers of people I know in the industry as well as camera phone shots of writers’ pets, children and the occasional “I love you Daddy!†that makes the heart melt. Sometimes I also grab interesting quotes and jokes, which people leave behind, on purpose I would guess.
There are many things one can learn from a person by just browsing through his or her mobile. It’s that human element that makes me want to see how individuals put their gadgets to use. Of course, in the real world, no one in their right mind would let me read their message inbox. Let’s just say that during these rare moments with the demo unit, I get to know a little bit more about the lives of our happy little tech community.
The moral of this bedtime story is obvious – be the last in line!