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Logitech H540 headset + giveaway!

August 15, 2013August 15, 2013 ajay Leave a comment

Headset brands are a dime a dozen these days, and they’re really getting cheap too. But like any other product, it pays to put a premium on quality. Some headphones can be expensive but they make up for the price by their amazing sound quality and of course their durability.

The Logitech H540 headset is a mid-priced accessory (retail price: P2,580) that works on your PC with easy plug & play functionality. Surely you can use this gear for listening to music like we did. Its built-in equalizer and laser-tuned drivers delivered crisp sound and rich digital details, so much so that it seemed like Jessie J was in front of me as I listened to her old song “it’s not about the money, money, money. Forget about the price tag..”

Actually, one reason that would make you cha-ching, cha-ching your way to buy this headset at the store (or join our giveaway, more towards the end of this post) is its good use for chatting.Yes Virginia, in this age of Viber, LINE and other phone-based services, many people still prefer doing the old-fashioned Skype, Yahoo Messenger or Gmail Voice bit on their laptop or desktop computers.

And what do you do so the whole room doesn’t hear you? Put the Logitech H540 over your head. It has a number of features to ensure a hassle-free chatting experience. The adjustable microphone brilliantly reduces background noise.When not in use, you can even rotate the mic so that it can stay hidden beneath the ear cup. You can also adjust the volume or mute the mic with on-ear controls you can activate at the touch of the button. There is an easy-to-see mute indicator light as well to ensure that you don’t talk with the mute on again.

For its number of features, the H540 is actually not complicated to use. The soft leatherette padding on the ear cups appealed to me, design-wise. And true enough, ’twas really of utmost comfort as I listened to my music selection at home one weekend and didn’t notice the hours pass by.

This is me channeling the call center agent look You can win this headset by joining this giveaway now. Winner must be be able to claim the prize in Metro Manila only. Mechanics via Rafflecopter. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Logitech Wireless Touch Keyboard k400r

August 12, 2013August 12, 2013 ajay Leave a comment

A computer keyboard is perhaps ignored by most as just one of those things that keeps a PC running. But am actually the type who’s picky about it, crazy in a way that I expect it to behave like a human… tactile, responsive and compatible with my fingers. How do I know? I just know it by feel when I touch it and type on it for the first time

These days you can probably get some cheapo USB keyboard from places like CDR King (that’s where I got my spare one the last time). But I couldn’t resist the Logitech Wireless Touch Keyboard k400r when it was offered to me to review & to keep (yay!)

Logitech is a trusted name when it comes to computer peripherals. The market price of P2,107.00 is perhaps justified by the fact that 1) it’s wireless, and 2) the keyboard is already integrated with the touchpad, which means you have everything in one place.

See how it looks so neat from this angle on my puter table. No wires, just a block of rectangle.

Unboxing the package revealed the main keyboard which has official dimensions of .94 inch (H) and 13.94 inches (W). It is also really light at 320g (my smartphone is heavier.) Also included are a USB range extender, a Unifying Receiver and a foldable poster revealing an easy-to-understand setup guide.

Setup was a breeze. The keyboard’s Plug & Play functionality meant that I just needed to insert the Logitech Unifying Receiver (nano-sized) into the USB port and am ready to go. Even more wonderful, I can even add five more compatible devices to the same receiver.

The keyboard runs on two AA batteries located on the underside but no need to insert new ones since the batt already comes with the purchase. Logitech claims that the batteries last for one year (whew!) and the more you save power by switching off when not in use.

Wireless range is up to 10 meters (33 feet). This feature made sure the keyboard didn’t stay on my computer table. The keyboard was on my lap as I connected our Windows-enabled laptop to the smart TV where the kids and I watched MTV videos and surfed the web.

Now for the multi-touch Touchpad of the k400r. It was good that I already had experience with the hand gestures for Windows 8 from my previous review of the Logitech T650 Wireless Touchpad. Vertical and horizontal scrolling was a snap. If you ever wonder how this touchpad works, it’s just like using your smartphone: zoom your fingers to pinch or spread, move your hands like a cursor to swipe in the direction you want to.

Using the keyboard itself, I loved that the keys were soft, sleek and hardly made a sound when typing.The size of this device may be small but the characters are bold and bright which makes the letters & numbers easy to read, even when my room was dimly lit.

Anyhow, I have no complaints with this thing. Consider me a happy user Logitech.

Welcome Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom & S4 Active!

July 30, 2013July 30, 2013 ajay Leave a comment

And so it seems, the days of the point-and-shoot camera will soon be over. Unless you’re really serious with photography, then you can always lug around a DLSR. But the more practical users will want the latest breed of smartphones which boast not just of text & call but offer fun apps and professional camera capability.

So let’s say hello to the Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom which is your S4 but transforms into a digicam when you flip it over. With a suggested retail price of P23,990, this beauty has 10x Optical Zoom, 16 Mega Pixel CMOS Sensor, OIS and Xenon Flash. Its In-Call Photo Share Feature lets you share an MMS instantly while talking to somebody (see specs at end of post).

Meanwhile, the Galaxy S4 Active is ideal for sports enthusiasts, scuba divers and others who pursue an active lifestyle. Among its features are a LED flashlight, Aqua Mode for enhanced underwater images, 8 megapixel camera and “Glove Touch” for operating the phone with gloves even during winter weather conditions. Suggested retail price is P27, 990.

Galaxy S4 Zoom specifications:

Dimensions: 125.5 x 63.5 x 15.4mm; weighs 208 g with standard battery
4.3 inch sAMOLED screen
LTE ready
1.5 GHz Dual Core Processor
1.5 GB RAM
8GB internal memory plys microSD slot up to 64GB
2330mAh battery
Android 4.2 Jelly Bean

Galaxy S4 Active specifications:

139.7 x 71.3 x 9.1 mm; weighs 153 g
LTE capable
1.9 GHz Quad Core Processor
IP67 certified – dust and water resistant (IP stands for International Protection against ingress of solid foreign objects and harmful ingress of water. The highest level is IP68)
2600 aMh battery capacity
5-inch Full HD LCD screen
1.9GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 quad-core processor
8 mp rear camera with LED flashlight
Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean
Colors: Urban Grey, Dive Blue, Orange Flare

Samsung Galaxy Mega giveaway: take our 7-day challenge!

July 29, 2013July 29, 2013 ajay Leave a comment

How would you like to win the all-new Samsung Galaxy Mega DUOS? Glad to announce that we will be giving away this spanking unit worth at least P20,000 to one exceptional reader who will take part in our 7-day challenge.Simply take a photo of your daily adventures for 7 days and share this in your social networks (Instagram, Twitter, FB). Just remember to use the hashtag #GalaxyMega and tag @samsungph @annalyn in your posts.

How to begin? Your entry can have a concept like the 7 fashion styles you’ve worn, meals you’ve eaten in a restaurant etc. Let your creativity take rein. There will be no random winner this time as I will judge the photos based on over-all impact and creativity. Impartiality assured.

I’ve upgraded to the Galaxy Mega myself and find it the ultimate PHABLET: something you can carry like a phone and use like a tablet. You’d find out that it’s really great for reading e-books,watching videos or simply taking pictures.

Here are some still shots I’ve shared in Instagram of my weekend in a neighboring country. They’re all taken with the Galaxy Mega:

Waterfalls in Hong Kong Park -

Birds feeding on different fruits in the park -

To join, please leave a comment below and the links to your Instagram/Twitter/FB posts. Your profiles should be public. Add me on Instagram too @annalyn_jusay

Here are the remaining mechanics:

1. Giveaway/contest period ends on August 10, 2013.

2. To be eligible to join, follow the requirements stated in Rafflecopter. Participating entries will be cross-checked against this.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

3. Entries will be determined based on the following criteria:

Overall impact – 60%
Creativity – 30%
Social media sharing – 10%

so be sure to share to your social networks as much as possible using tags #galaxymega @samsungph @annalyn

4. Winner must be available to claim the prize in a specified place in Manila. We will not ship to provincial winners. Good luck!

Viber without Wi-Fi @ Globe Prepaid GoUNLI25

July 17, 2013July 17, 2013 ajay Leave a comment

We should know by now what Viber is. It’s this generation’s Skype without the charges. Although it seems to be facing competition from other equally aggressive messaging services, Viber is here to stay with an estimated 6.1 million users from the Philippines out of its 200 million-strong global base.

Just when you ask “what will now happen to telcos?” with free voice and text messaging apps available for today’s smartphones,Globe announced a tie-up with Viber to come up with an irresistible bundled offer for its prepaid subscribers. The whole idea: get to use Viber even without wi-fi or additional data charges for as low as P25-P20 per day.

With GoUNLI25, subscribers can connect with contacts in any Globe network as well as with other users subscribed to other networks both in the Philippines and abroad, for as long as these contacts have Viber accounts.

People who want a full Viber experience can also avail of unlimited Viber calls and chat for only P20 a day. To register to any of the Viber mobile browsing promos, just dial *143# for free.

Present during the presscon to announce the Globe-Viber partnership were George Bithos (middle of photo) who is senior advisor for Globe’s Consumer Business and Viber CEO Talmon Marco (right) who flew in from his home base of New York just for the occasion with the help of the Zoho Help Desk.

According to Mr. Bithos: “We are happy and excited to collaborate with Viber as their exclusive Philippine telco partner to expand their user base and presence in the country. This is all in line with Globe’s strategy to explore new revenue streams beyond call and text services.”

And Mr. Marco said: ” With Viber’s revolutionary features that Filipinos love, it is a refreshing experience to use the application without having to wait for Wi-Fi. With the innovative offers from Globe, every Filipino will now get a chance to explore the Viber experience.”

A common question asked of Viber as a company is: “how do you earn money?”, the service being ads-free. With a hint of mystery, the Viber CEO only said “we are going to earn money.” I guess the tie-up with Globe already gives us an idea how they are going to do it, aside from reportedly selling their famous stickers in an online sticker store. We just hope Viber will remain free, fast and feature-rich for its millions of users for a long time.

Viber is currently available on the iPhone (iOS), Android, Windows Phone, Blackberry, Windows, Mac and other devices over 3G/4G or Wi-Fi connections.