Wazzup Pilipinas News and Events

Friday, December 9, 2016

GEM Launches Asia-wide Search for Singing Talents for I Can Sing in Japanese!

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Asian entertainment channel GEM is holding an online call to search for talented individuals in Asia who can sing in Japanese. The winner of the search will represent GEM in Nippon Television Network Corporation (Nippon TV)’s singing competition show I Can Sing in Japanese! in Tokyo next year.

Broadcast since 2011 in Japan, the prestigious programme has attracted applicants from all over the world, including Denmark, Spain, and Jamaica amongst other countries. The show is a platform for aspiring non-Japanese singers to showcase their talents on a national stage, with some of its past participants even going on to make professional debuts. Incredible singing talent aside, viewers can also expect to be astounded by the impressive sight of non-natives belting out pitch-perfect Japanese tunes. Some past winners from Asia include Singapore’s Jeremy Teng, Indonesia’s Fatimah Zahratunnisa and Michael David Bodin from the Philippines.

“Continuing our tradition of offering the best of Japan’s entertainment to audiences in Asia, we are elated to give viewers in the region the opportunity to be more involved, be it as a participant or as a supporter of their country’s representative. We are looking forward to see the talent that Asia has to offer.” said Virginia Lim, Senior Vice President and Head of Content, Production & Marketing, Sony Pictures Television Networks, Asia.

The Road to Stardom in Japan Awaits. Apply Now!

The online call for entries begins from 9 December via GEM’s website: www.GEMtvasia.com/ICanSing.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

It is not surprising to see so many coffee shops that have proliferated all over the country. I believe coffee is one of the most powerful force behind many beverage industries today. From the first wave to the current third wave of coffee trends, it is without any doubt that coffee would still remain as a significant part of our industry.

Drinking coffee has evolved from simply having to making it artistically pleasing and now to improve the production process to ensure we get the highest quality. It also means it gets to be a lot more classier and sophisticated, thus it has become an "in" thing to be hanging out at coffee shops sipping one of these pimped up coffees while browsing the Internet with our tablets or smartphones.

Coffee experts eventually emerged to ensure we do get what we desire out of coffee. It is because coffee can have several kinds depending on many factors like where it was grown, how it was processed - handled, extracted, roasted, etc., and of course who finally prepared it for you in a cup, glass, or any type of container that could readily hold the coffee, whether hot or cold.

On the very first day of December of the year 2016, Equilibrium Intertrade Corporation, one of the top leading distributors of high quality coffee, tea, and non-coffee beverages, organized an event called Assessing Specialty: Arabicas & Robustas held at the Benjaro Restaurant of Dusit Thani Hotel. The guest speaker is Dr. Manuel Diaz, a Mexican Social Anthropologist who came all the way from the London School of Economics.

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Our country has the distinction of celebrating the world’s longest Christmas season. Once the ‘ber’ months kick in, something magical unfolds right in front of our very eyes. Public places become riddled with Christmas lights, speakers in malls blare out Christmas tunes and the air around us becomes cooler.

There’s also one thing people look forward to once the holidays begin and these are the flurry of sales with special discounts that barrage us left and right.

As a way to assist you in purchasing gifts for your loved ones this coming holiday season, Lenovo has rounded up great tech gifts for everyone on your list.

For the visionary - Lenovo PHAB2 Pro

When Augmented-reality (AR) technology broke into the mainstream this year thanks to Pokémon GO, people became ecstatic. Suddenly everyone can interact with fictional beings in real time and in the real world but AR is more than that. With it, visionaries who always have an eye for the future can imagine in a whole new level; by simply clicking a button they can create immersive environments that are highly interactive and can be easily manipulated.

Knowing the limitless potential AR technology has, Lenovo released the Lenovo PHAB2 Pro—the world’s first smartphone compatible with AR, all thanks to Google’s Tango platform. The phone is capable of creating a 3D space around its user by using a combination of cameras such as a regular camera, an integrated depth sensing camera and a motion tracking camera.

Power won’t be an issue as it has Qualcomm’s “Tango-optimized” Snapdragon 652 processor and 4GB of RAM. With a 6.4-inch display and Quad HD resolution, the AR experience can be as authentic as it can be. The latest of the Lenovo PHAB line to enter the Philippine market, it has a standard retail price of P24,999 and will be available by mid-December.

For the movie buff - Lenovo PHAB2

If binge-watching movies or TV shows all day is a favorite hobby, then the PHAB2 is perfect for that person on your gift list with its 6.4-inch 1280x720 HD IPS Screen and Dolby Atmos speakers that enable the device to play sounds in crisp and clear 5.1 surround sound quality.

Watching for countless hours shouldn’t be a problem as the PHAB2 comes with a 4050mAh battery and has a 1.3GHz quad-core processor coupled with 3GB of RAM.

The PHAB2 is now available nationwide in all Lenovo stores and authorized dealers for P 9,999.

For the shutterbug - Lenovo PHAB2 Plus

Photographers are in for a treat with the dual 13 MP f/2.0 rear camera setup of the Lenovo PHAB2 Plus! Capturing stunning images has never been easier with its Milbeaut® image processor—the same technology found in professional-grade cameras.

You can also shoot super-sharp selfies with the 8 MP front camera featuring a 75º wide-angle view. Whatever you do with your Phab 2 Plus photos, you can be sure they'll look PHABulous!

Similar to the PHAB2, it comes with an impressive 6.4 inch screen and also sports a 1.3GHz octa-core processor and 3GB of RAM. You can get your hands on it for P14, 999.

For the artist - Lenovo Yoga Book

Mobile productivity enters a new era with the Lenovo Yoga Book, a 2-in-1 tablet that is definitely first of its kind and never before seen. With its Create Pad, the Yoga Book is the perfect gift for the artist in your family as users can scribble notes or sketches using the stylus or with a real pen.

Boasting an exceptionally thin and light design, the Yoga Book weighs only 690g and is as thin as 4.05mm, making work or play on-the-go effortlessly easy. Thin, light, and stylish, the tablet is perfect to set creative imagination flowing, anytime, anywhere.

Buyers of the Yoga Book can either avail of a Windows 10 or an Android version. The Windows 10 costs P28,999 while the Android version is P23,999.

For the gamer - Lenovo IdeaPad Y700

Booming is definitely the appropriate term to describe the gaming scene today. The year 2016 saw major gaming titles being released one after another and what perfect way to enjoy these games (and the upcoming games, too) than to experience all of their 720P or 1080P Full HD glory using the Lenovo IdeaPad Y700.

Built for no-nonsense, on-the-go gaming, this 15- or 17-inch laptop has the hardware that hardcore gamers look for in a laptop. Overheating is a non-issue with its thermal fans keeping things nice and cool under the hood and its backlit keyboard is perfect for gamers who want an enhanced gaming experience.

Both laptops come with up to 16 GB DDR4 memory, more than enough room to handle the latest triple-A games. The 17” laptop however packs a stronger punch with its NVIDIA GTX 960M graphics. Oh, what a time for a gamer to be alive! Price starts at P69,995.

For the travelling yuppie - Lenovo Yoga 900

All of us know that traveling can be a burden. Packing heavy bags filled with clothes and gear can be draining, and with laptops becoming a necessity, it’s important for it to be durable, flexible, and light at the same time.

Fortunately for backpackers, the Lenovo Yoga 900 meets those very requirements. Weighing at a mere 1.3 kg and just 14.9 mm thick, the Yoga 900 is ultraportable — it's perfect for life on the go.

It features four different modes for users: Laptop, Stand, Tent, or Tablet. How, you ask? The secret is on the laptop’s watchband hinge and touchscreen which allows the screen to flip up to 360 degrees. Get it for P78,995.